Secret Santa (5 page)

Just when she thought she couldn’t take
anymore he lifted up. Jo moaned in disappointment and frustration
but then he was there, gathering her into his arms as he claimed
her lips in a kiss. She shivered, tasting herself on him, layered
over that taste which was unique to Drew.

His knee nudged her thighs a little wider
apart and he paused, almost as though he was waiting for permission
to carry on. She nodded, a soft smile curving her lips. A Madonna’s
smile full of feminine mystery. He nodded, his face tight as he
lowered his hips.

The swollen head of his erection pressed at
her feminine entrance, Jo held her breath as he sank into her. It
was sensual torture, his body stretching her, filling her as her
own had demanded. Then he was seated to the hilt, stopping stock
still to kiss her. His lips gentle on hers, waiting as her body
adjusted to his.

Then he started to move, sliding out of her
nearly all the way before thrusting back in with a power which took
her breath away. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She
rolled her hips against his, the change in the angle causing a
whole host of new and interesting sensations to roll through her
body.

“Christ Jo, you nearly had me there,” Drew
muttered, burying his face into the curve of her neck. “What are
you trying to do, ruin my perfect record at seduction?” His self
deprecating chuckle told her he was joking. Deep inside her, his
body jerked, his thrusts changing and becoming more powerful, more
forceful.

“I’m sorry love, this isn’t going to take
long,”

Her soft laugh reverberated around the room.
“Aren’t you supposed to tell me that first, to persuade me into
this?”

She didn’t get an answer, didn’t have time to
ask for one, nor the breath to speak as he looped his arm under
her. His arm resting along her spine as his large hand cupped her
neck, holding her still as he drove into her. A moan escaped her
lips as his sudden change in pace threw her arousal into overdrive,
the ache in her core intensifying. She needed him to go faster,
harder. Just a little more and she was there.

The world stopped, Jo just hovering on the
precipice of a fall she knew was going to be wondrous. How could it
be anything else after what they’d shared?

His hips slammed against herself again, the
tight friction driving her over the edge. She cried his name as her
body stiffened, clamping down around his as pleasure filled her,
the strongest climax she could ever recall hitting her and
shattering her into a thousand shimmering pieces…

She was beautiful. Fantastic. Gorgeous. And
any other combination of the words. Drew lay on his side as the
early morning light filtered through the faded curtains and
wondered how the best night of his life had occurred in a barn. Not
really the sort of location which sprang to mind when you thought
of the words ‘life changing’.

But they’d carved their own little slice of
heaven, taking shelter from the storm. Gently he reached out and
stroked a loose lock of hair back from her cheek. He ran the silken
strand through his fingertips, luxuriating in the sensation. Like
her skin it felt like the most expensive silk. He leaned forwards.
And smelt far better, the faint aroma of a floral shampoo clinging
to the rich chestnut locks.

Resting on the arm curled under his head, he
watched her. He’d fallen in love with her.
Hell, who was he
kidding?
He’d been in love with her for months, but he hadn’t
dared do or say anything because of her history. Which probably had
a lot to do with his foul mood these long months past.

She started to stir, her eyes moving under
her closed lids. A heavy sleeper, she’d slept right through the
farm vehicles starting up outside earlier and moving off. Drew
assumed that meant the roads were clear enough now to navigate. He
hoped so, they had shifts later and if they were both late, or
didn’t show, people were going to ask questions. Let them, he
didn’t mind if people knew about their relationship. In fact, he
wanted them to know. He’d go and shout from the rooftops right now
if he weren’t so comfortable. The bed was warm and had the
advantage of a warm and very sexy woman under the covers, one he
happened to be head over heels in love with.

“Heya sleeping beauty,” he murmured as she
opened her eyes. Dark and slightly unfocused with sleep but the
most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She smiled a softm, slow smile
which made warm fuzzy things happen in his chest. Unable to help
himself he leaned in to claim her lips in a kiss. A kiss which soon
turned hotter, any thought of going anywhere in the immediate
future shelved in favour of other, more pleasurable,
activities.

*

It took them far less time to get back to her
house once they’d recovered the car than the journey out had taken.
Which surprised Jo a little with all the stopping and starting to
give way for all the vehicles laying grit on the roads. For some
reason what had to the whole gritting lorry fleet for the south of
the country appeared to be concentrating on the roads around
Newbolton.

Sitting looking out of the window at the
glorious sight the countryside had become though, Jo didn’t mind.
Snow lay like a baby’s blanket over the landscape, the sun shining
down and casting a magical, shimmering net. But the sun meant it
would be gone soon, melting the snow into slush and the predictable
slush before being washed away.

Flicking a glance sideways at her silent
companion, her heated gaze ran over the lean, masculine form in the
driver’s seat. He drove a car like he operated; precisely and with
a delicate touch, but fast. Jo had never been a speed demon but she
felt totally safe with him. Her dark eyes rested on the large hands
where they were wrapped around the steering wheel. He had nice
hands. A shiver ran up her spine. And the things he could do with
them, the feelings he could arouse with a mere touch, were
absolutely wicked.

She loved it.

He caught her watching him as he checked the
road was clear to pull out and smiled. The expression transformed
the grumpy face she was used to seeing into something else. He’d
always been good looking but without the scowl, he wasn’t just good
looking. He was gorgeous.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked,
manoeuvring the car onto the main road. They weren’t far from her
place now. With every yard she wanted to beg him to stop, turn
around and go back. Flee back to the barn and hole up again,
reliving the magic of the night before.

“Hmm, I was thinking about last night.”

His brow arched, “Any regrets?”

“Oh hell no!” Jo’s laugh held a nervous edge.
“It was fantastic… you were fantastic!”

He chuckled. “Keep it coming baby, that’s
just the sort of thing a man likes to hear,” He paused for a
moment, too damn perceptive for his own good. “I hear a but
though…”

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth she
flicked a glance at him again. She knew her worry would be shining
like a beacon in her eyes. She’d always been too transparent. One
reason James had been able to manipulate her so easily.

But was that all? Did they just get one
night of passion before they went back to their lives, back to
working together and resumed ‘normal service’?

She couldn’t bear that, she wanted more. Far
more. Her teeth worried her lip again.
Did she dare say
anything?
And risk him having her transferred to another
department because she was clingy. A pathetic divorcee not able to
see the writing on the wall and accept what she’d been given
gratefully.

“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering
you?” He prompted, his voice soft and concerned in the quiet of the
car. “Preferably before I have to treat that lip you’re
mangling.”

She laughed, a small sound which just made
her more miserable. Drew pulled the car to a stop outside her small
terrace house. She screwed up her courage. It was now or never.
Honestly, approaching him with damn mistletoe had been easier than
this.

“Well… uhm… I didn’t know… Do you…?” She
stopped, colour flooding her cheeks as she lost the ability to
frame a coherent sentence.
God, she was pathetic, what must he
think of her?
Shaking her head she dropped her gaze to her
hands and tried to pull herself together. Perhaps it would be
better not to ask, then wait and hope he asked her out again.

His hand entered her field of vision,
covering hers.

“Do I want to what, Jo?” He asked quietly as
he shifted in his seat to face her. The fingers of his other hand
touched the underside of her chin and lifted. She looked up into
kind eyes, as though he knew what was going through her mind. As
though he knew the doubts and the arguments which whirled through
her brain.

“Do I want to see you again?” He offered, a
slight smile curving his lips. “Yes. Do I want to have sex with you
again? No…”

Jo gasped, a sharp stab of pain slicing
through her chest and piercing her heart right through. How could
he be so cruel? To actually come out and say it- She frowned at him
in confusion.

“Ok. You want to see me again but you don’t
want to go to bed with me?” Her voice held the barest hint of a
challenge. For a woman like Jo, whose self confidence had been
ground into the gutter years ago, it was similar to a hoody youth
getting up in someone’s face.

He chuckled, his hand sliding into the nape
of her neck as he drew her to him. “You didn’t listen, or let me
finish,” he chided her. “I said I didn’t want to have
sex
with you. I don’t want just sex Jo, I don’t want a snatched
relationship where we sneak around. I want to take you to bed and
make love
to you, all night. Every night if you’ll let
me.”

Jo blinked, hearing the words but unable to
make her tired and sluggish brain process them. Then realisation
kicked in and she gasped, a smile spreading across her lips as he
leaned in to kiss her.

“Are you
serious
? Hell, you can move
in tomorrow for me!” She murmured, her words soft against his
lips.

Outside unkind eyes watched the car with
malice. So she’d found herself a new man had she? Well to do, bit
of money by the looks of that car and the clothes as the guy got
out and came around the car to open her door for her. In the
shadows of a nearby building the watcher’s lip curled derisively. A
‘new man’ obviously. He should be careful. You had to be firm with
a woman like Jo. Show her where her place was and make sure she
didn’t forget.

There… the problem in a nutshell. Women who
forgot their place and flaunted themselves, their bodies and their
jobs around in front of a man. It took away a guy’s pride if his
wife earned more than he did. A man should be the breadwinner in
his own family, the top earner. Not some jumped up tart who knew
how to empty a bedpan.

He gritted his teeth, eyes on the slender
figure that got out of the car. He’d know that elegant grace
anywhere. His teeth threatened to crack under the pressure as he
noticed her rumpled clothes. The little
slut
! She’d been out
all night with her fancy man. Grim determination filled him. The
tart and her pansy lover there thought they could laugh at him did
they? Flaunt their relationship under his nose? Well, he’d have to
teach them a lesson about that.

*

“Oh heya Jo, how you doing?”

Em’s voice greeted Jo as she rushed past the
nurse’s station and into the locker room to hang her coat up. She
was so late she hadn’t been sure it was worth coming in. But she
still had a couple of hours and she preferred being amongst people
to sitting at home alone. Particularly with the scene she’d walked
into after Drew had dropped her off.

Her house had been ransacked. The lock on the
back door broken off and the place looked like a tornado had hit. A
tornado that routed through cupboards and pulled drawers open to
strew the contents all over the floor. Everything was turned upside
down, the house a complete mess both upstairs and down.

Jo bit her lip as she hung her coat up. The
police said there was no rhyme or reason behind the break in,
probably kids looking for expensive electrical items. It happened
this time of year. She snorted, they’d be out of luck. She didn't
own anything expensive, electrical or otherwise.

But she knew it wasn't kids though. It wasn't
professional thieves either. Oh, she had no doubt that the police
tests would come back with any evidence, as though it had been done
by a professional gang. No, they would be too busy casing out
houses with large families or houses in better areas. Houses with
expensive gifts ready to be wrapped and go under the tree. Not
houses like hers in singledom-ville. Hell, even her car, low budget
when it had been new over a decade ago, was an advert for how much
money she
didn't
make.

No, she knew who it was.

James. Her lying, abusive ex. It had his all
hallmarks. She should have expected this from the moment she picked
up the phone yesterday and heard his voice.

She sighed as she closed her locker, turning
the key and dropping the key into the deep pocket of her tunic. At
least those fantastic earrings had been safe here, at work. He
hadn't gotten those. She still didn't know who'd brought them for
her though. Really she should try and find out, but exhaustion and
apathy crept over her. It could wait, she’d done enough today.

She'd managed to clean up, a small task given
the size of her place, and called a locksmith to replace the
damaged lock on the back door before she'd left. Paranoid, she'd
also had him replace the one on the front door. If it
had
been James, then she wouldn't be surprised if he’d found and taken
the spare key. And the last thing she needed was him having easy
access to her home, her sanctuary.