Christmas Kismet (4 page)

He made her forget
everything with just one touch of his lips to hers.

Untangling herself
from Henri, Kate stood up. 

“I just need a
minute,” she said apologetically as she looked down at Henri.  His hair was
tousled and he looked devilishly sexy wrapped up in a blanket before the
roaring fire.  Kate fought the urge to crawl back under the blanket with him
and allow him to kiss her again.

She needed time to
sort out her sudden rush of feelings.

“Take as long as
you want,” Henri smiled as he stretched languidly.  “I’ll start dinner.”

“Alright. 
Thanks,” Kate said.  He pulled on her white wool coat and laced up her boots. 
She looked out the window and noticed that it was snowing again.  It looked
pristine and beautiful outside, just perfect for sorting out her feelings about
the perfect man that had dropped so unexpectedly into her life.  Kate pulled on
her hot pink scarf and reached for the door handle.  “I won’t be too long,” she
called over her shoulder at Henri.

“Don’t get lost,”
he chuckled as he watched her go.  When Kate closed the door behind her, Henri
brought his hands up to his face and then raked them back through his hair.

Kate was utterly
perfect.  She was everything that he had been searching for, everything that he
wanted in a woman.  She was beautiful, intelligent and funny.

She was absolutely
and inexplicably perfect.

Please don’t
let me mess this up!

..ooOoo..

The cabin was
filled with the aroma of the prime rib that Henri had put in the oven.  He
poured himself a glass of wine and looked at the clock. 

It was nearly six o’clock.  Kate had been gone now for almost two hours.

It was fully dark
now in the mountains.

Henri tried not to
worry, but fear was creeping over him, undeniable in the pit of his stomach.

She had said that
she wouldn’t be gone long.

Henri tugged on
his boots and jacket.

He’d just go make
sure that she was alright and then they could laugh over his unnecessary worry.

He stepped outside
into the snow and fear gripped his heart.

He hadn’t realized
how heavily the snow was falling.

Huge, heavy flakes
of snow fell from the dark sky.  Visibility was next to nothing.

He could see what
was left of Kate’s tracks heading towards the trees.  They were almost
completely obscured by the new fallen snow.

“Kate!” he
screamed into the darkness.

He stopped and listened.

Nothing.

All he heard in
response was the thudding of his anxious heart in his chest.

“Kate!” he
screamed again as he jogged into the trees, following the path of her
footsteps. 

Henri ran through
the trees.  Kate’s footprints were very hard to follow.  So much snow had
fallen that they were almost completely covered.

Henri cursed under
his breath.

Why hadn’t he
set out to find her sooner?

He stumbled in the
darkness, jogging numbly through the trees.  The snow was deep now and he had
completely lost Kate’s tracks.

“Kate!” he
hollered into the darkness, his desperation causing his voice to crack.

He ran in circles
for the better part of an hour, calling Kate’s name until his voice was hoarse
and his lungs ached from the chill in the air.

Terror gripped him
now, full and sickening.

Kate was lost
in the snow.

..ooOoo..

Henri’s legs ached
from running through the deep snow.  His clothes were soaked through from the
snow that would not cease falling from the sky.

He would not quit,
he would not give up until he found Kate.

She would freeze
to death out here if he didn’t find her soon.

His mind raced. 
What had Kate been wearing?

Damn it!  She
was wearing a white coat.

And a hot pink
scarf.

Henri’s eyes
scanned the dark forest.  The light of the full moon made the snow glow eerily
in the darkness.  He should have brought a flashlight.

“Kate!” he yelled
into the trees.

Nothing. 

He heard his voice
echo through the darkness.

The snow had let
up a bit, but tiny glittering snowflakes danced around him.

His fingers were
nearly frozen through.  He rubbed them together and then gave up, stuffing them
into the pockets of his jacket.

Lord, please
don’t take her from me. 

Henri dropped to
his knees in the snow and prayed for a Christmas miracle.

..oo     Chapter Five     oo..

A flash of pink
against the canvas of white snow caught Henri’s eye.

“Kate!” he
screamed as he ran towards her.

She was slumped
against the base of a large pine tree, her limbs curled into a tight ball.

Henri dropped to
his knees beside her.  She was deathly still.

A blanket of snow
covered her hair and shoulders.

Her lips were
blue.

“Kate?” Henri
whispered cautiously as he touched her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered
open and relief rushed into Henri’s rapidly beating heart.

“I’m here!” he
cried.  “I found you!  I’m sorry it took me so long….I was so worried!”

Kate smiled
slightly and closed her eyes.

She was so cold. 
And it was too much effort to keep her eyes open.

Henri will keep
me safe.

“Don’t you dare go
to sleep, Kate!” Henri warned as he hoisted Kate into his arms.  He cradled her
against his chest and crashed through the snow.  “Do you hear me?  Keep your
eyes open!” he thundered as fear began to settle into the pit of his stomach.

She was teetering
on the edge of consciousness.  Henri knew that if she fell asleep, he might
lose her.  Kate’s lips were tinted blue and her skin was dangerously cold and
pale.  A layer of snowflakes had crusted into her hair and eyelashes, darkening
their auburn hue.

What worried Henri
the most was the fact that Kate had stopped shivering.  He knew that shivering
was the body’s last defense against hypothermia. 

Please Lord,
let her make it!  Don’t take her away from me!

“Dammit, Kate! 
Wake up,” he coaxed as he jostled her softly.  He was moving as rapidly as he
could through the deep snow.  He had to get her back to the warmth of the
cabin.

Kate’s eyes
fluttered open, piercing green orbs against the backdrop of her alabaster skin.

“That’s a good
girl.  Just focus on me.  I’ll get you home and get you warmed up,” he said
softly.  He thought that the faintest hint of a smile registered on Kate’s
lips.

The cabin came
into view, a beacon of hope in the darkness.  Wood smoke curled in wispy
tendrils from the chimney.  Henri carried Kate as if she weighed nothing,
running as quickly as his legs could push through the snow.  His legs burned
from the exertion, but he did not slow down.

His only thought
was of getting Kate back to the cabin so that he could get her warm.  He
reached the cabin at last and relief surged though his body.

He clung to the
fragile hope that he had found Kate in time.

Shifting her
weight tenderly, he opened the door to the cabin and they were enveloped by a
wave of warmth.  Henri’s heart thundered in his chest.  He sat Kate down gently
on the couch and removed his boots and then his coat. 

The prime rib was
burning.  Henri dashed over and flipped off the oven.  He ran across the room
and added two logs to the fire, then pulled the massive white down comforter
off the four poster bed.  Stripping down to his boxers, he forced himself to
calm down and take a deep breath so that he could set about the task of getting
Kate’s frozen body warm again.

Kate’s eyes had
closed by the time that Henri lifted her from the couch.

“Wake up,
sweetheart,” he whispered as he began to strip off her wet clothing.  Henri
knew that skin to skin contact was the best method for gradually warming up a
victim of hypothermia.  Casting propriety aside, he stripped Kate down
completely and carried her over to the roaring fire.  He scolded himself for
noticing how beautiful her naked body was.

Kate’s eyes
fluttered briefly as he cradled her against his bare chest.

“That’s it,
sweetheart,” he coaxed.  “Wake up, Kate,” he said softly as he knelt before the
fire, holding her securely in his arms.  “You’re safe now, I’ve got you.”

He settled her
gently onto the plush rug and then positioned himself behind her.  Covering
them both with the down comforter, he wrapped his arm around Kate, pulling her
up tight against his chest.  He draped a leg over both of hers, spooning her in
an effort to transfer as much bodily warmth from his body into hers.

Henri breathed a
sigh of relief when Kate’s muscles started to quiver.  That had to be a good
sign.  Her body was beginning to fight again.  The shivering was quickly
followed by a serious case of chattering teeth, which made Henri smile with
relief into the blanket of Kate’s wet hair.

“That’s better,
sweetheart,” he said softly, pulling her closer. “You’re gonna be just fine,
Kate.” His arm rested just beneath the curve of Kate’s breasts.  Henri became
suddenly aware that he was very aroused.  Kate’s bottom rubbed against his
groin, intensifying his predicament.  Holding Kate’s exquisite, naked body in
such close proximity was becoming a distinct form of torture.

Henri was relieved
when Kate began to stir.  She spun in his arms, turning so that she was now
facing him.  Her pretty green eyes were open and she looked up at him now,
smiling slightly.

“Thank you,” she
whispered before her eyes closed again.  She kissed Henri’s bare collarbone and
snuggled into his chest.  Her bout with hypothermia had exhausted her
completely and the warmth of Henri’s well muscled body lulled her into a deep
sleep.

Henri wrapped his
arms around her and tried to ignore the fire that her light kiss had just
ignited.  He felt Kate relax against his chest and gritted his teeth in
frustration as the lush curves of her body tormented him.  Her breasts rested
against the plane of his chest and his hand had inadvertently come to rest on
the swell of her perfect bottom.  Henri couldn’t remember the last time that he
had been this hard.

He gritted his
teeth and tried to move away from Kate only slightly.  She moaned in her sleep,
a sweet and alluring sound and then snuggled up even closer to Henri’s chest. 
The palm of her hand now rested on his pectoral muscle and her face was tucked
into the crook of his neck.  It was as if her body was made perfectly to
compliment his.  The thin fabric of Henri’s boxers did little to hide the fact
that he was heavily aroused.  His erection pressed against the junction of
Kate’s thighs, throbbing at the brink of pain with desire to be inside of her.

  It was going to
be a long night.

But Henri’s heart
was happy.

Kate was going to
be alright.

..oo     Chapter Six     oo..

Kate awoke in the
early hours of morning still wrapped up tightly in Henri’s arms.  Her cheek had
come to rest against the muscled plane of his chest and she could hear the
steady rhythm of his heart beating as he slept.

She was mortified
when she realized that she was laying half-way on top of him.  She must have
assumed this precarious position in her sleep.  Kate squeezed her eyes closed
when she realized that Henri’s hand was cupping the curve of her bottom.

The attraction
between them was so intense that it seemed to have transcended sleep.

Kate lifted her
head from Henri’s chest.  His eyes fluttered open and he smiled softly.

“You scared me
half to death,” he scolded as he deftly removed his hand from her bottom,
hoping that Kate hadn’t yet noticed where it had landed last night.  He didn’t
want her to think that he’s taken any unfair liberties.

“Thank you for
finding me,” Kate whispered as she raked a hand through her unbound hair.  She
was suddenly embarrassed.  What kind of an idiot wanders off for a walk in the
middle of a snow storm?

Her eyes shifted
from Henri’s handsome face down to her naked body.  She gasped as she realized
that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing beneath the white down comforter.

“I had to!” Henri
exclaimed in self defense.  He chuckled as he watched Kate pull the comforter
up to her neck.  “You just about froze to death and skin to skin contact –

“But how much did
you see?” Kate asked as her face flushed crimson.  She tried to disentangle her
legs from Henri’s as she was suddenly very self conscious.

“I was a perfect
gentleman,” Henri said as he smiled debonairly.  He flipped back his side of
the comforter and sat up, exposing the fact that he still wore his red plaid
boxers.

“How much did you
see, Henri?” Kate insisted, not willing to let him off the hook so easily.

Henri raked his
hand through his hair and smiled devilishly.  He chuckled at Kate’s sudden
display of her temper.  He’d always heard that red heads could be spirited.

“Alright, I may
have peeked just a little,” he admitted.  “But in my defense, it was a life and
death situation!”

Kate pulled the
comforter up over her face and smiled.

“I know that red
is your natural hair color,” he said with a teasing smile.

“And how do you
know that?” Kate asked before thinking.

“Your hair’s the
same color everywhere,” he eeked out guiltily before deftly moving out of the
way of Kate’s half-hearted punch.

She bit her lip
underneath the down comforter.  Truth be told, she had quite enjoyed snuggling
so intimately with Henri last night.  Even if the whole even had been onset by
her stupid actions.

Thank God that
Henri had found her!

There was nothing
like almost dying to put life into startlingly clear perspective.

Kate was alive.

She was alive
because of Henri.

Perhaps their
paths had crossed for this very reason.

Henri stood up and
stretched.  His arms were stiff from holding Kate so tightly all night.  He
smiled to himself because the discomfort had most certainly been worth it.

Kate peeked out
from under the comforter just in time to get a full glimpse of Henri.  Her
heart flip-flopped in her chest as her eyes scanned over his muscled chest,
shoulders and back.  She remembered how wonderful it had felt to be wrapped up
in his strong arms as her eyes scanned over his defined biceps. His sculpted
abdominal muscles tapered into a deep “V” that slipped beneath the waist of his
boxers.  Kate suddenly wondered what lie beneath that crimson plaid fabric and
she felt her face flush with color once again.  She also felt a distinct
yearning between at the junction of her thighs.

She flipped the
corner of the comforter back over her face.

Although she had
never been unhappy with her body, Kate was anxious at the thought of walking
butt naked to the bedroom in front of Henri to get clothes.  She knew that he
had already seen her naked, but heavens, that had been when she was
unconscious.  It was another thing entirely to expose herself fully to Henri
while she was awake!

As if reading her
mind, Henry flopped down on the floor next to her again and peeled back the
corner of the comforter to expose Kate’s face.

“Clothes?” he
asked with an understanding smile.

“Yes, please,”
Kate sighed with relief.

Henry reached over
and brushed back the hair on Kate’s forehead.  He smiled again and then placed
a soft kiss where the hair had been.

“Are you
absolutely sure that you’re alright?”

“I think so,” Kate
responded, touched by the obvious concern in Henry’s voice.

“I think you
should probably take it easy today,” he said as he trailed the back of his
fingers down her cheek.  He looked into her vibrant green eyes thinking that he
could get lost in their depths for hours on end.

Henry had an
overwhelming urge to kiss Kate again.  Spending the night with her pressed so
intimately against his body had only intensified his feelings towards her.  She
looked so fragile wrapped up in the down comforter.  He wanted to hold her in
his arms again, wrap her up and protect her with his strength to ensure that
she was absolutely safe from danger.

“Kiss me, Henri,”
Kate whispered, reading the desirous look in his hazel eyes.  She wanted Henri
to kiss her again, in fact she had been longing for his touch since the moment
he left the cocoon of blankets.

Obliging both of
their desires, Henri lowered his lips to Kate’s.  He kissed her tenderly at
first and then claimed her mouth fully, arching his mouth over hers and
threading his fingers through her hair.  He kissed her with the pent up need
that filled his heart, the need to be absolutely sure that they had both
survived last night’s ordeal.

“I thought that
I’d lost you,” he admitted, hazel eyes searching Kate’s face.

“Thank you for
finding me,” Kate said sincerely.  Her heart raced in her chest as she looked
at Henri.  She secretly wanted him to crawl back under the covers and hold her
close.

“I couldn’t bear
the thought of spending Christmas alone.  Not now,” Henri said huskily as he
trailed his fingers down Kate’s cheek. 

Lifting her as if
she weighed nothing, Henri scooped Kate up with the down comforter and carried
her into the bedroom.

“To bed with you,
young lady,” he said teasingly as he settled Kate in the center of the giant
bed.  “And I’ll have no further argument on the subject,” he added.

Kate promptly
closed her mouth.  It was as if Henri could read her mind!  She truly felt fine
and thought that lying in bed all day was being overly cautious.  Secretly, she
enjoyed the fact that Henri was doting upon her.

Content that she
was comfortable and tucked in, Henri pulled on his pajama pants.

Kate ogled him
openly and her cheeks blushed pink when Henri caught her in the act.  His pants
were low slung on his hips and they accentuated his slender waist perfectly. 
He was a devilishly sexy man and he knew it.

“Don’t move a
muscle,” he threatened with a wink.  “I’ll bring you some coffee and
breakfast.”

Kate leaned back
against the fluffy white pillows.  She thought perhaps she had died and gone to
heaven.  Surely Henri Archer was one of God’s best angels.

Or perhaps he
was the best Christmas gift that she had ever received.