31 Days of Winter (7 page)

‘All part of the service, I told you the owner was
more than happy to accommodate you given you’d already paid.’

‘Wow,’ I huffed. This was turning out to be a real
change in my fortunes. I felt my stomach flutter as he slowed the boat down and
pulled up alongside the jetty and I looked at the quaint little house I’d
fallen in love with online. I was slightly disappointed to know that I’d never
fulfil my image of curling up on the large comfy sofa in front of the wood
burner with my mulled wine and the small tree, but hell, if I got to live in
the house I could see further up the shoreline I was good with that. It looked seriously
swank. I accepted his hand as he helped me out of the boat and leaned over to
grab my case.

‘Follow me and I’ll get you settled in and give
you a guided tour of all the rooms and show you how the heat in the bedroom
works.’

‘The. Heat. In. The. Bedroom?’ I virtually
stuttered.

‘
Hmmm
,’ he agreed, his lips vibrating in a
way that made me long for him to murmur like that between my thighs. ‘It takes
some very gentle coaxing to get it from cold to scorching hot.’ He gave me a
hint of a smile, those sexy lips just lifting in the corners. I gulped and
looked down at my feet as my whole body screamed at me to jump on him and have
wild jetty sex. I shivered with anticipation and he frowned and set my case
down. I gulped again as he reached down and grabbed the hem of his sweater and
lifted it straight up over his head. I clamped my lips shut to stop the moan of
appreciation that bubbled up from my throat. He was wearing a white t-shirt
underneath which lifted slightly as he pulled, giving me a sneak preview of
what I’d already imagined he looked like under there. His flat stomach was
seriously toned with that delicious dip over his hips and there was a slight
smattering of dark hair trailing down his pelvis towards his jeans button. I
felt my fingers flex at my side as they longed to reach out and run down that
trail and follow to the pot of gold that lay at the end of it. ‘Take off your
jacket and lift up your arms,’ he ordered.

‘Ok.’ I surprised myself by doing as I was told.
He had a real authoritative air about him and it was like I had no option but
to just do as I was told. I noticed his tongue flick across his full bottom lip
as I pushed my shoulders back, forcing my breasts forward as I slid my jacket
down my arms. My nipples were virtually stabbing his chest they were that pert.
He held out his free hand and I passed him my jacket, which he draped over my
case.

‘Arms,’ he barked. I lifted automatically and he
stepped closer and started to pull his jumper over the top of them. I wanted to
lean forward and bite that nipple that was showing through his t-shirt, it was
right at mouth level, but his jumper made its way down my face and instead I
breathed him in. It was the nicest smell of any man’s clothes I’d ever smelled,
not that I went around sniffing men’s clothes deliberately, like some secret
clothes sniffing pervert, but of any of the guys I’d dated,
this
scent
just hit me right in my core. He tugged it and smoothed it down with his hands
as I looked at his large biceps. He worked out, that much was obvious, I’d
never seen anyone so
male.

‘
You’ll freeze,’ I whispered as he
straightened up.

‘I’m hot enough,’ he smiled with another wink. The
gulp I took that time emptied my mouth of all saliva leaving me parched, for
water and him. He
was
hot enough.

‘Thank you.’

‘All part of the service, Miss Baxter. Come,’ he
signalled to the rocky path that followed the shoreline with his head, but I
staggered at his second request for me to “come” and he reached out and
steadied me. He looked down at my heels and frowned. ‘You don’t get out of the
city much, do you?’

‘That obvious?’

‘You’ll break your neck in those heels on this
path and we can’t have that, not on your first day, what would you do for the
remaining twenty-seven?’

‘I’d have you to call on to tend to my every
need,’ I laughed.

‘Yes, but I think I’d prefer you without broken
limbs. Here,’ he outstretched his left arm. ‘Hop up onto my hip and wrap your
arms and legs around me.’

‘I can’t do that,’ I exclaimed.

‘Why not?’

‘It’s inappropriate and you’re also carrying my
heavy case.’

‘This thing?’ he laughed as he picked it up and
waved it about like a rag. ‘Trust me, I can manage the both of you.’

‘That still doesn’t address the appropriateness
issue.’

‘You’d prefer to break something and spend your
first week of your holiday in hospital?’

‘No, but …’

‘Very well,’ he interrupted. ‘Either hop up or
I’ll have no option but to throw you over my shoulder. Either way, it’s the
only way you’re making it to that house.’

‘This is so far beyond appropriate, does the owner
know that this is what you offer?’ I asked with a scowl. ‘It’s verging on
sexual harassment, I could …’ I screamed as he interrupted me mid-flow and
hoisted me up over his left shoulder and started to walk, with my suitcase in
his right hand. ‘Put me down,’ I shrieked.

‘I will when we get there,’ he laughed. ‘You were
saying it’s verging on sexual harassment and you could what?’

‘Sue you,’ I hissed.

‘Sue me for being chivalrous?’

‘Yes,’ I mumbled, aware how ridiculous that
sounded, giving all he’d been was gentlemanly since we’d met.

‘Then maybe you should take that up with the
owner, but I’m sure he’d prefer you arrived safely on a shoulder than break
something and sue
him
for a personal accident claim.’

I glowered at his back, did he touch up every
guest that came to stay? But then my eyes and thoughts were drawn to his
buttocks moving in his jeans with every stride. I don’t know what came over me
but I moved my swinging palms and slid my fingers down into his pockets,
cupping that firmness as he walked. I knew I didn’t imagine the sharp hiss of
air that he took in through his teeth, or the firmer grasp of his left hand on
my own backside. I figured tit for tat, he’d touched my arse, twice now, why
shouldn’t I grab his? We stayed silent as he continued to walk effortlessly and
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the rub of his hand on my bottom and the back of
his shoulder creating friction against my aching nipples. I think I could come
if he walked another mile, just like this.

‘So, the owner, how long have you known him?’ I eventually
asked.

‘Forever.’

‘You’re good friends?’

‘The best of friends,’ he chuckled and I felt the
smile from my upside down position.

‘Why doesn’t he live in that lovely house?’

‘He needed a time out to reassess his life, kind
of like you’re doing now.’

‘And what about you? Why are you living in a small
boathouse in the middle of nowhere, servicing tenants needs? Are you
reassessing too?’

‘Yes,’ he replied quietly. I opened my mouth to ask
more but noticed that the rocks under his feet had changed to smooth nicely
stained decking boards.

‘We’re here?’

‘Yes Miss Baxter, you’re home.’

‘Home? You make it sound like I live here,’ I
laughed as I heard the key in the door turn.

‘Well as day one is nearly up, for the next twenty-seven
days you do. You’ve left your fiancé, who I assume you lived with, so it
appears you are homeless except for this house, what else would you call it?’
he asked and I suddenly went dizzy and wobbled on my feet as they reconnected
with the floor. I flexed my fingers which were stuck in a curved position from
clutching his peachy bottom. I suddenly missed the body contact with him and
closed my eyes for a second as he reached out and held my shoulders to stop me
from swaying. ‘Come, the tour.’

I reopened my eyes and looked around me and my
mouth opened. This place was an architect’s dream. Exposed wood and metal
struts in the roof, some large silver columns bracing the building from the
lack of many internal walls. I stood in the middle of a wide walkway, an open
plan modern galley kitchen in front of me, with an island unit. To the right
was a full sized pool table, to the left a massive sofa laid out in a U shape
around the burning open log fire, shielded with a grate and two armchairs
either side. The walls on each side of the building were made of  huge slabs of
rock that climbed up to a mezzanine which ran around the edges of the building,
with an open aspect in the  centre all the way up to the roof. There was a
chrome and oak staircase leading upstairs and I reached out and touched a
silver pole that ran down from the roof to the ground floor, it was too thin to
be a supporting strut.

‘What’s this?’ I asked.

‘Fireman’s pole,’ he smiled.

‘Why does the owner have a fireman’s pole in his
house?’

‘He has a sense of humour Miss Baxter, and likes
to make it down from the bedroom when he’s ravenous for food in the most
expedient way possible.’ I looked at him and giggled and looked back up at it.
‘Go try it,’ he offered.

‘Seriously?’

‘Yes, I told you it’s your house for the next twenty-seven
days.’

I laughed again, a real school girl’s laugh, then
bent down, pulled off my heels and ran barefoot for the stairs, taking them two
at a time and heard his sexy laugh echo around the building. I barely
registered the open plan bedroom as I ran to the gap in the glass balustrade
and launched myself at the pole. I screamed with excitement as I started to
zoom down, wrapping my legs around it as I fell, then the delighted scream
turned to panic as the oak floorboards came hurtling up towards me and I
squeezed my eyes shut. I landed in something hard, but soft at the same time,
and gasped as I opened my eyes to find I was suspended in his arms, the pole
firmly wedged against my clit adding to the sudden surge of sex hormones that
flooded that area. His reflective green eyes bore deeply into mine and this
time the look of lust in them was obvious. The heat of his breath caressing my
lips as they parted slightly to take in some air, at the same time mine did. For
a second I thought he was going to dip his head and kiss me, then he suddenly
blinked and his eyes glazed over, like he’d just gone somewhere else for a
moment. He set me down and quickly stepped back.

‘There’s an art to slowing down, please don’t use
it again until I’ve the time to show you.’

‘You could show me now,’ I offered breathlessly as
I unhooked my ankles, but kept my hands firmly gripping the smooth metal below
them.

‘It’s getting late and you’ve had a long day. I
think it would be best if I conclude the tour and leave you to settle in for
the night.’

‘Ok,’ I nodded, disappointed. He suddenly seemed
all business like, flirtation time was over. He led me to the kitchen and pointed
out the crockery and utensils and he’d put milk, butter, bacon, eggs and cheese
in the fridge, along with a fresh loaf of bread in the breadbin and supplies of
tea. He pointed out the fancy coffee machine and showed me the capsules for it
and advised me that if I felt up to it in the morning he’d take me to the
nearest town to get my grocery supplies, or I could provide him with a list. He
led me to a door set into the slate wall to the back of the kitchen and there
was a downstairs cloak and utility room, all immaculate and very slick and
modern, and showed me how to work the underfloor heating controls. The door on
the left of the kitchen housed a cinema room with two reclining chairs and a huge
wall of books, which I’d look forward to looking over later.

As he gestured for me to go upstairs and followed
behind me, I could really feel the change in him. The suggestive, flirty banter
had gone and he seemed a little cold and factual, which hit me where it
shouldn’t. He took me around to the right of the mezzanine, which was laid out
as an office with a comfy leather recliner. The L shaped desk had a section
that faced the large expanse of glass and I could only imagine the view as I
sat there working in daylight and looked forward to seeing it tomorrow. Above
the utility was a small double guest room with an en-suite shower room. Above
the lounge was a stunning open plan bedroom which he steered me past and
through a door at the rear where, over the cinema room, was a combined dressing
room and bathroom. He advised that the range of cupboards on the right would be
mine, but that the ones on the left unfortunately still housed some of the
owners clothes and he’d appreciate my not prying.

‘I don’t have enough clothes to fill a quarter of
the allocated space for me, so that’s more than fine,’ I smiled. I walked
across the warm slate floor in my bare feet, underfloor heating was wonderful,
and trailed my fingers around the edges of the solid stone carved egg shaped
bath.

‘Bedroom?’ he asked and I felt my stomach contract
again as he gestured to the door. It mirrored the size of the office, the bed
was massive, it had to be a super king sized and faced the glass to take
advantage of whatever views lay out there. Set in the stone wall to my right
was a log burner, which was crackling away, with a small snuggler sofa for two
in front of it and a thick black sheepskin rug. I walked over to the log burner
and crouched down and looked through the window at the flickering orange and
yellow, before looking back up at him towering over me.

‘You were going to show me how to control the
heat,’ I reminded him, wondering where all of it in him had gone. I’d felt his
attraction to me as strongly as mine was for him, yet somehow there was now a
wall of ice between us. He showed me how the dial worked to increase or
decrease the flow of air and pointed to the pile of logs up the side of the
chimney breast.

‘You’ll have to let me know when you run out of
logs.’

‘How do I contact you?’

‘Speed dial one on the phone. You saw how close I
am so there’s no need to panic, if you need me I can be here in an instant. The
island is uninhabited at the moment, other than the two of us and the birds,
but I’d still be happier if you lock the door when I leave, but remove the
key.’