Forever Wild(31)

She responded all right.

Jonah tosses his sweater onto the dresser. “And?”

“And she thanked me for contacting her. She wants me to call her.” Whenever I’m free, the sooner the better. There was no missing the impatience and enthusiasm in her words.

He sheds the rest of his clothes, changing into a thermal flannel sleep set I bought him. “Are you going to?”

“Call her? Of course. This is Roy’s second chance.”

“What if he doesn’t want a second chance?”

“He does. I know he does. He wouldn’t have kept the card and those pictures if he didn’t.”

“And when she asks why you’re the one calling, and not her father?”

“I’ll tell her the truth. That I think he’s scared.”

Jonah seems to consider that as he yanks off his wool socks and tosses them into the hamper in the corner. “You’re doing something good for him, even if he won’t see it like that.”

“You know what? Even if he hates me for a while, if it means he could have a relationship with his daughter, it’ll be worth it.” I wonder if Agnes felt this same nervousness when she went behind my father’s back to call me.

With a sigh that rings of exhaustion, Jonah peels off his watch and sets it onto the nightstand before lifting the duvet to slide in.

He freezes, his eyebrows popping, and it’s then I remember the scandalous red lace and white faux-fur-trimmed baby doll dress I slipped on tonight, partially hidden beneath my pajama top while I waited. I bought it two weeks ago while shopping in Anchorage. An impulse purchase, sparked when I walked past a department store’s Christmas lingerie section and decided maybe Jonah would like me in something other than oversized flannel.

“Merry early Christmas,” I say coyly. I was eager to show him this an hour ago. Now, my limbs have been lulled by a soft mattress, my skin accustomed to the warmth. I reach for the covers to tug them closer.

He’s too fast, though, yanking them down and making me shudder. “I need you to get up and walk around for me a bit.”

“It’s cold!” I whine, though watching the heat ignite in his stare stirs desire in my lower belly.

“Speaking of cold, do you want to hear about how I froze my balls off, sitting in a ditch for an hour during a blizzard on Christmas Eve because my soon-to-be wife has a lead foot?”

My heart leaps with that title, even as he criticizes my driving. “Fine.” I slip from the comfort of our bed, smoothing my hands over my hips as my bare feet touch the cool wood floor. I let the unbuttoned flannel top slide off my arms and tumble off, earning his curse.

The bed creaks under Jonah’s hefty weight as he settles in, shucking the shirt he just pulled on to reveal that ribbed torso and muscular chest I’ve spent countless hours splayed across.

“Any special requests?”

Linking his fingers together behind his head, he lies back against his pillow and bites his lip in thought. “What’s underneath that?”

“Not much,” I tease, my pulse racing. Even now, I still catch hints of that same nervousness I felt the night we were stranded in the safety cabin and stripping off our rain-soaked clothes in front of each other.

“Turn around.” His voice has taken on that gravelly sound I love.

I oblige, making a slow circle to the sound of Jonah’s sharp inhale.

“Show me.”

My fingertips are grazing the faux fur-trimmed hem when the power cuts, throwing us into pitch-black darkness.

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Jonah’s roar of frustration carries into the night.





Chapter Ten





I wake to Jonah’s soft lips on mine and his beard tickling my skin. “Merry Christmas,” he whispers, his voice husky with sleep.

“Merry Christmas.” I revel in his warmth for a long moment, lingering in that comfortable space where I could close my eyes and drift away. But a murky predawn sky pokes in from the gap in the poorly drawn curtain, suggesting we’ve slept much later than usual. “What time is it?”

“After nine. The power’s still out.”

I groan. I can’t say when we actually fell asleep, but it was late, after what felt like hours of slow, torturous play in the dark, the challenge of keeping silent in the still night while making the other break a game we were both eager to win.

“I need to get moving, but I didn’t want you to wake up without me.”

I smile. “That’s sweet.”

He kisses me again. “Yeah. That’s me. Sweet.”

“Is that what you called what you did to me last night?” I wouldn’t be surprised if I have a map of fingerprint bruises marring my flesh.

His chuckle vibrates deep in my chest as he slips out of the bed, stark naked and unbothered by the chill in the air. He peels back the curtain to peek outside, revealing a thick frame of snow along the sill.

“Is there a lot?” I murmur, distracted by his sculpted muscles and his morning erection as I burrow deeper into the covers.

“I’d say almost two feet fell overnight.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Might be even worse than last year’s storm.” He squints as he peers up at the sky. “At least it’s slowed down a bit. It’ll make plowing the driveway easier.”