The Christmas Key (4 page)

FIVE

Shalaine
was starting to get a bit freaked out from Xander's staring. He was making her so edgy she couldn't finish eating. She set her fork down and started to get up, but he rose before she could and smiled at her as he retreated into the living room with his plate. He knew he was making her nervous, which gave him a certain power trip, no doubt.
Where is he going to sleep?
She hadn't even thought of it. Chewing on the corner of her lip, she pondered the couch. He would take it. She had to stay firm in this. She couldn't be like the other women in Mr. Christian's life, the ones who drop their panties on the first night. No matter how tempting it was.

Ten minutes later
, she pushed away her plate just as Xander came in the kitchen and rinsed off his dinnerware. His body was more impressive in person. Shalaine watched his back muscles stretch and flex through the black dress shirt. How many times did she fantasize about her tongue working over those muscles, adding each curve and slope to memory? A hundred, a thousand, too many to be considered healthy for any woman.

He turned the water off and she focused back on her plate and took a
nervous sip of wine. He turned and looked at her while drying his hands on a towel. The motion was so erotic it sent little pulses down her arms and legs, right to the space between her thighs. Simple small things were so engaging with him.

"
That was great. Thank you, Shalaine." God, her name spilled from his lips like a melody of sin. She usually told people to call her Shay, but Xander's delectable voice saying her name put her in a blissful state. "I've been driving all day, so I'm pretty tired. I'll, um, sleep on the couch." He seemed unsure; perhaps he expected her to share the bed with him. As tempting as it was, she didn't need to go there. Trouble lay that way.

"There might be
extra blankets somewhere."

He nodded and w
ent in search of the blankets.

By the time
Shalaine finished cleaning and came out of the kitchen, she was pretty tired too. The wind still roared outside, but she had faith that this little cottage could withstand the storm. Xander had been arranging his sheets on the long couch, but he glanced at her as she began walking to the private room.

Shalaine
froze, recalling the rose petals on the bed. She frowned and swallowed hard, glaring at the door. She couldn't muster the strength to throw them away, but she sure as hell didn't want them on the bed either. They'd been spread with Nathan and her in mind, for a long-overdue sexual night. Shalaine took a deep breath but heard the sound of a plastic trash bag being flung open behind her. Xander walked past her, small bag in hand.

"I'll get them,"
he said, striding into the room. It didn't take him but a few minutes to come back out tying the bag closed.

"I don't know why I can't…I mean, they're just pet
als."

He glanced at the bag. "It was their meaning that got you, not what they are." He looked
as if he were going to say something else, suggest something, but he turned and gave her a panty-wetting smile. "Good night, Shalaine."

"Goodnight." She
stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. There wasn't a lock on the door to keep Xander out. She wondered if that was something she even wanted. A part of her doubted she'd have enough sense to turn Xander away should he tiptoe into her room..

Shalaine
lay in the bed, listening to the blizzard blowing outside. The window pane rattled with each gust and she nuzzled herself deeper into the mattress. Alaska was feeling cold, unpredictable, and wild, just like her relationship had been with Nathan. Plus she had a steamy hunk of celebrity male in the room next to hers that was stuck in this cabin with her for a few days at least. Tia would tell her that it was time to move on and move up. However, sleeping with Xander might dig the hole of self-pity deeper instead of helping the situation. Instead of giving in to her desires, she turned her back to the door and closed her eyes.
Just because you have Mr. Christian alone doesn't mean you have to be like every other crazed fan and sleep with him.
Or did it?

****

The next morning, the roaring blizzard that woke her up twice in the night was over. Shalaine glanced out the window to see snow had covered everything as far as she could see. Yup, they appeared to be snowed in. Somehow there was a delighted pep in her step as she moved toward the bedroom door. She was snowed in with a hot celebrity. What could be better than that?

Shalaine
padded into the living room on wobbly legs, caffeine the only breakfast on her mind. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a pile of man-flesh on the couch. She got a good look at Xander on the couch, a real
good
look. Shalaine swung back into her bedroom biting her fisted hand to stop the squeal of exhilaration.

After
a few calming breaths, she told herself to be an adult and get a grip. She walked back out, her gaze gravitating toward the positive thing in the living room. Xander had come undone in his sheets. His honey-toned nude body lay out in the open. His face looked so peaceful, slightly tilted back with the angle he was laying. One arm and leg hung off the couch and it was the sexiest natural pose she'd seen of him. It would be burned in her mind forever. His thick cock was more than tempting her to stroke it as it lay cradled against his body.
My phone
. She grabbed it and held it up to take a forbidden picture, being careful not to get any incriminating face shots that could get on the net. She snapped the sexy picture from the neck down and typed,
Look what stranger the blizzard blew in,
before sending it to Tia. Shalaine smiled as it sent successfully. Good, they still had a phone signal in case of an emergency.

"My photo shoots aren'
t free, you know," he said with a humorous tone. Shalaine jerked at his words; he scared her so bad she dropped the phone between him and the couch. He stretched, drawing her eyes to the tempting male V-lines that welcomed her to ogle his privates again. Her mouth watered and her face flamed to see that he was smiling wantonly at her. Was he meaning to tease her on purpose or was he just that comfortable with his body?

When Tia's reply came
with a few chirps, Xander grabbed the phone and opened it to read what her boss had to say. In a mad attempt at saving further embarrassment, Shalaine tried to take her phone from Xander's hand, but he moved it just out of reach. He read the message out loud. "This gives a new meaning to ‘it's raining men’."

He smiled up at
Shalaine and as he typed, he spoke his reply out loud for her to hear, "What do you think I should do with him?" He pressed
send
and waited for a response. Shalaine was beyond five shades of red. If she knew her boss, Tia's answer would be vulgar and more humiliating if Xander read it.

Shalaine
's phone chimed in less than a few seconds and Xander read the message to himself first, and laughed. He stood and did a half-assed job of keeping the thin sheet wrapped around his waist. "I'm gonna take a shower." He handed Shalaine the phone. "She has good advice." He gave one of his million-dollar smiles, kissed her cheek, and then headed for the shower. The image of that man's body with water slapping his skin would make her frame of mind worse. Her fingers brushed the spot on her cheek where his lips had touched. She groaned. The next few days would be tough on her willpower.

Shalaine
read Tia's message.
Why are you even asking? Does the term “snow blow” mean anything to you?

Shalaine couldn't help
but laugh. A sinful part of her brain made her want to indulge in feeling Xander's cock in her mouth.
 

SIX

Xander
took a shower that ended with him jacking off. He imagined Shalaine's pert lips sucking him and then kissing him, just like the fucking text message suggested. She'd take all of him deep and moan, vibrating the tip of his shaft. He would spill on her tongue and see the euphoric visual of her taking his seed. God, he wasn't going to last here without touching her somewhere, fucking her, tasting her. He stepped out the shower with a new agenda; he was going out there and he was going to make her crave him. She'd be begging for him by sundown and that's where he wanted her, on her knees, peering up with a glint in her eyes, and his dick in her mouth.

After shaving and doing the usual prep work
, as if readying for the next set, he considered himself good to go. He walked out the bathroom to see his challenge sitting at the table, photo album in front of her, dividing up pictures. Her hair was up off her neck and the soft brown skin begged to be touched, bitten, even suckled. Shalaine had made coffee; its soft aroma filled the cottage, almost warming his bones. Xander walked into the kitchen and poured a mug while trying to fight off images of Shalaine's legs spread wide for him.

“
Last I heard, you and Naomi Jaspers were a hot item," Shalaine shouted from the cozy living room. Xander tilted his head in thought. Was she fishing to know so she wouldn't feel bad if they slept together or was this a sneaky interview? He had to be careful about what he said, or else it would be used against him in her next article.

"That's right
, were
, past tense. It was never serious."

"For who?" she asked.

Xander walked to the doorway and leaned against it while he eyed Shalaine stacking a wad of photos together. The fire had burned something and it wasn’t wood. Was she burning photos? No doubt pictures of her ex and her.

He took a sip of the sweetened coffee before answering
, "For both of us, really. In the limelight it's hard to be the most desired man and woman in Hollywood and try to keep an exclusive relationship. Both parties have to want it. Neither one of us did. I'm not the type of guy that believes in love, never felt that thing that people talk about."

"It's
a bit sad, don't you think? You making all these romance movies about love and you've never been in love." She turned her body to face him.

"You don't have to be in love to know romance. Granted
, the deep things that I portray on camera are about love, but it's not realistic. That love doesn't exist; well, maybe back in the forties, but in this day in age, everyone is always in love with someone else or just marrying for the obvious reasons. Money, pregnancy, security, or even lust. The love may be there, but it's not strong enough to keep them together." That was the harsh reality Xander believed in, but it wasn't the conversation he wanted to be having. He wanted Shalaine naked and for her to forget about all this love nonsense that had broken her heart to begin with. "I mean, take your situation for example. Your ex cheated. You shouldn't even believe in love."

Shalaine
chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "Love exists in everyone. It's like a lock and key; only certain ones go together. Once they connect, the door is always open. I guess that's what I keep telling myself about this whole thing with my ex. He and I weren't the same pair. So that's why I believe if someone is in love with someone else, they found their lock or key."

"So that justifies adultery?"
Xander asked before taking a sip of warm coffee.

"No,
I think if the people are truly meant to be together, they should be responsible and let their significant other go on about their lives. I'm glad Nathan told me, because if we married and we weren't a matching pair, I'd hate to miss my key for him. For all I know, the other woman could be his lock." She smiled, but it was a little hurt. There was no way he planned to screw her when she was talking about infinite lock and keys. Perhaps being the rebound guy might not be the best angle. At this moment, Shalaine just needed a friend. Friend he could do. It would suck because Xander Christian usually screwed all his chick friends before placing them in the friend category and a small vibe in his heart didn't want to place Shalaine in a category. That thought bothered him too.

"
Shalaine, why did you and Nathan break up? Did he give you a reason why he cheated?"

She was silent for a long moment but
finally spoke, "He said I wasn't there and that our relationship had been based on phone chats and vacations. I can't say that I blame him. I
was
always away."

"So you believe that him cheating on you is
what you deserve for working?"

"No
, I think he should have broken up with me, but I love my job too much. There were plenty of times I could have let someone else go on the interview sites to those faraway places."

Xander
shifted under her gaze. "But those are your experiences with your work."

"Still,
maybe there was more I could have done." She shrugged.

"Hey…"
Xander moved toward her and lifted her chin. The way she looked at him struck him in a place that no other person had. She looked at him with respect, trust, and a hint of lust. A swarm of emotions chipped away his sense of pride. He'd never felt that with anyone before. "If you tried to make it work around your schedule and it didn't work, then screw him. I don't really know you, but you seem like a good person, Shalaine. He wasn't willing to fight for you. I'm sure there were a few times he could've joined you on those exotic locations. It's what I would've done." Her hand touched his and the look in her eyes shifted to something that scared him. Xander cleared his throat and leaned back, trying to fight the growing attachment to her.

"Hey
, want to watch a movie that is
not
mine and analyze them together?" Xander hoped to make her feel better. Her face brightened, making her look radiant and though he didn't believe in that lock-and-key theory, Xander thought her smile was pretty damn bright and could open a ton of possibilities.

****

After three movies,
Xander was beat. Shalaine had put in
Barefoot in the Park
and it was past midnight and she could barely stay awake. She'd done some heavy grubbing on the food, which impressed him. The popcorn bowl was half-empty, the chocolates were half-eaten (all from her), and the only alcoholic beverage was wine that she certainly didn't skimp on. He'd only had a glass, so there weren’t drowsy effects beating down on him. He was used to seeing women eat like birds. This woman being comfortable enough to gorge on snack foods fascinated him.

Halfway through the classic movie
, Xander put his arm on the back of the couch, letting his fingers touch her neck. Sighing deep, Shalaine shifted to lean into his chest. He felt like they'd crossed an intimacy milestone. With him, it wasn't just about sex anymore; Xander wanted to blame the movies they'd watched for his change of heart. A part of him was starting to care about Ms. Shalaine Harper, more than the average fling, more along the lines of a good friend. A friend he didn't want to lose. He worried if she was happy or down at every moment and he tried to make her smile when the sad parts in the movies made her teary-eyed.

He was even starting to care that there was
nothing under that damn tree for her.

It was
past midnight and now Christmas and he wanted Shalaine to have
something
. She deserved that much.

His thumb began drawing circles on her skin
and he noticed the movement made her nipples perk. She was so gorgeous, her skin the color of rich chocolate, hair the shade of ebony that had a beautiful glow in the firelight. He yearned to touch it, to caress any part of her. Xander sagged deeper in the couch, pretending to get comfortable, but it brought him closer to her body. He was surprised she couldn't feel the emotions pulsing through his body. Or perhaps she did and that's what triggered this touchy-feely moment as she laid her hand on his chest.

She yawned and stretched. "I don't think I can make it through another film
, but I don't want to move either. I should get my lazy ass up and go to bed."

"Oh." Xander tried not to sound bumme
d. She was ready for bed and he would be stuck in the living room with empty arms again. Would she think him insane if he asked to hold her all night?
Where is this sappy shit coming from?

"I'll try to watch the rest of this one then go to bed
," she murmured and lowered her head on his chest. The fact that she didn't brush him off or shift away spoke volumes. Shalaine liked being in his arms and he liked her being there. He found himself making room not just in his arms but in his heart.

His mother often talked of sparks flying and that was how she'd met his father. He'd long been a skeptic of their history of quick romance
, but he'd never seen a moment of them being unhappy with one another. He didn't think this was anything other than his loneliness weighing heavy on him, but her company had been the best he'd had in a long time. That was something he didn't want to give up.