Page 10 of Tis The Season for Secrets
His tongue against her caused her to clutch his hair as he nipped and sucked. This time the wave burst over her before she had a chance to even know what was happening. He didn’t give her time a chance to recover before sliding back inside her. He thrust relentlessly, and she knew nothing but him. She didn’t know if she was moaning or crying as he erupted inside her and she was sent over the edge for the final time.
Her body was utterly boneless as he collapsed onto his elbows. They were both a mess of heavy breathing and sweat dripping onto the sheets. Will eased out of her, and Juliet only realised he’d left the bed when she saw the bathroom light turn on. She waited for her heartbeat to steady, wondering if she should leave, but she couldn’t feel her legs.
Thoroughly fucked, she couldn’t string a sentence together. Watching him return from the bathroom, the sweat glistening on his skin make her want to lick him clean, but she was too exhausted. He kissed her shoulder as he lay down beside her.
“If you keep kissing me like this, I might die,” she mumbled, though it was a death she would happily accept.
“I think you’ve had enough for now.” He chuckled softly and made his way up the bed.
Suddenly his words disappointed her. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of him, but she was reminded of their agreement: one night.
She didn’t have the energy to think further on it as he pulled the soft white sheets over them, tucking her under his arm. Lost in the scent of his cologne, Juliet drifted off into the best night’s sleep she’d had in months.
Will loved waking up to find a beautiful woman in his bed, wearing his shirt. Distracted by her thighs on either side of his waist, it took him a moment to register that his Jingle Bells alarm was sounding, and she was reaching for his phone on the nightstand.
“Need some help?” Will beamed, staring up at the woman who’d ensnared him with her laugh. After weeks of studying Juliet’s file, he’d never expected to feel for her as he did.
“I was trying to turn off your alarm.” She climbed off him and leaned against the headboard, hugging a pillow to her chest. “I didn’t mean to wake you, but Jingle Bells at five am is not the wakeup call I expected.” She flushed, tucking her messy hair behind her ear. The gesture revealed the love bite he’d left on her neck, and he suddenly wanted another taste.
“Waking up with you on top of me is my new favourite form of apology.” He sat up, so they were face to face.
She dipped her head shyly, her long hair fanning over her face. Its honey highlights looked like she’d been kissed by thesun. He found himself not wanting anyone to kiss her but him, not even a distant star.
“You don’t like the classics?” he asked, pulling her close to try and make her more comfortable.
“Not at five am on a Sunday,” she groaned, though not in the same way she had last night.
He liked to keep his schedule as close to Yule’s time zone as possible so he wouldn’t be in a constant state of jetlag, but he couldn’t tell her he kept North Pole time. “What would you prefer? All I Want For Christmas? Maybe Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer?” he asked, kissing the top of her head and hoping to distract her from the topic.
“Does it have to be a Christmas song?” The sadness in her voice surprised him as she stared up at him. God, those big brown eyes would be the death of him.
“I didn’t think you’d be such a Grinch.” He wanted to know more about her, more than what he had read in her file, but he didn’t want to push too far.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas,” she told him. “My grandma always did her best to make it special, but in my experience, you can end up surrounded by people you don’t want to and never see for the rest of the year. I’d rather spend it with those I love most.” Her answer didn’t specify if those she loved most included the Frost family, but he wasn’t supposed to know she was a Frost, so he couldn’t exactly ask without her thinking he was some insane stalker.
“Close with your family?” Will glanced to his wardrobe, where her file sat in his suitcase. Since she’d brought them up, it couldn’t hurt to pry a little.
“To my younger sister, Beth. My Nana Rose passed over a year ago.” The grief in her voice instinctively made him hold her tighter.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said as she settled into his embrace, and he tried not to let his guilt spoil the moment.
“Thank you.” Her forced smile told him he’d touched a nerve. “Since you’ve a selection of Christmas alarms, I take it you’re the anti-Grinch?”
He couldn’t count the number of Guardian rules he’d broken in the past twelve hours. What was a few more? Revealing some harmless details about himself couldn’t hurt.
“I live for it. The smells, the snow, the people, the food. My family go all out every year, and the house is always crowded and chaotic. People will be fighting in one corner and laughing in the other– not perfect, but it’s home.”
It was true, even if the family he was referring to was the village Yule as a whole. Having been assigned to the Outside, he hadn’t returned home for Christmas for the past two years; the festive season was the hardest time for those who’d left Yule. As a guardian, he needed to be on the Outside to help them adjust to living away from their concealed winter wonderland in the heart of the North Pole. Even with dozens of employees to support him, Will liked to be a hands-on boss.
“I’m jealous. I’ve always wanted a Christmas like that. Not perfect, but filled with love and not dictated by duty and guilt.” Juliet sank against him, and once again his instinct to distance himself – as a guardian should – faltered. She didn’t know about Yule, who he was or his true reason for approaching her, but he couldn’t stay away. The moment they’d collided outside the party last night, all his training and logic had gone out the window.
“What if we could make your wish a reality?” he asked before he could stop himself.
Juliet leaned back from him, and he winced. He’d forgotten that to her they’d only met last night, whereas he’d been studying her for weeks.
“We’ve just met, and you want to spend the holidays with me?” She laughed, eying him suspiciously. “How many hot whiskeys did you drink before sending me one?”
“I’m not saying I’m going to keep you hostage in this room, but what if you could just do what you wanted?” he asked, trying not to freak her out.Maybe hostage was the wrong word to use.Juliet hesitated, and he wished she’d say yes.If she goes home to the Frost estate, I’ll have to figure out a way to get myself invited without raising too much suspicion.After weeks of planning, he hadn’t expected to run into her in the way he had last night. He certainly hadn’t expected to wake up beside her in bed.
