Secret Santa Read online

  The old farmer turned and walked out the door, leaving them standing alone in the cavernous barn looking at each other. Drew's lips quirked and he broke into a chuckle.

  “Ok, this wasn't what I had in mind when I asked you out to dinner but...” he extended his arm in a courtly gesture, “... shall we milady?”

  Jo felt an answering grin cross her face. “Of course My Lord, I would be delighted.” She placed her hand on his arm as they headed for the stairs. Fortunately they were sturdier than their first appearance and before long Drew pushed open the door to the small room.

  “Oh this isn't too bad,” Jo breathed as they stepped into a neat little room. It's origins as an office were plain to see. A battered desk sat in the corner with an equally battered chair beside it. She stepped further into the room, heading over to the couch to investigate. As promised it was a bed-settee, an older model with some heavy looking springs.

  She removed the cushions, casting a glance over her shoulder. Drew advanced on the heater with the look of a man facing a man-eating lion. “Sure you don't want a whip and a chair, just in case?” She asked, a teasing note in her voice.

  “Rawr.” He winked at her as he turned it on, waiting for a few seconds before he turned the dial to full. The distinctive click and 'whoosh' of the gas lighting told her that however old and battered it looked, it was in good working order. Jo relaxed a little. At least they wouldn't burn the guy's barn down after he’d been kind enough to give them shelter.

  She managed to wrestle the bed-settee out to its extended position, locking the bed into place before looking around for some sort of bedding. A fully stocked linen closet was out of the question but a search of the cupboards turned up some blankets. She shook them out over the mattress. With the one they'd brought from the car and the heater, they'd be quite snug.

  Drew turned from the fire, stripping his thick coat off and noticing the fine shivers that running through her slender figure.

  “Here, sit down and let me check your feet. They must be frozen in those,” He insisted, stopping her fussing around with the bed. An act he suspected she was using to forget she was alone in a room with him, a room which had a bed.

  Yes! There is a God! Drew clamped down on the very male thought as he put a hand on her shoulder, making her sit down on the bed.

  “I'm fine, honestly-”

  “Ssssh, you know the dangers of frostbite as well as I do Jo, let me check.” He gave her a firm look, the sort he used when he didn't want arguments. Her lips compressed a little and he wasn't sure whether she was irritated or suppressing a smile. The twinkle in her eyes made him suspect the latter.

  He bowed his head, his large hands sliding down her calf and along the slender ankle. His fingers hooked under the straps, drawing the sodden shoes off her feet.

  “Hell Jo, your feet are like blocks of ice!” He exclaimed, checking them over and not passing up the chance to touch her, regardless of the excuse. He flicked a glance up, caught her looking at him and the expression in them took his breath away.

  Hope, and something else. Something so small and new he didn’t recognise it at first. But then realisation kicked in. It was trust and hope - just starting to blossom and poke its head above the soil like the emerging shoot of a new plant. And just as easily crushed.

  Drew moved without thinking, his thumb stroking along her cheekbone as his hand slid into the nape of her neck. Gentle pressure pulled her towards him, his eyes flicking down from hers to her lips for a second. Leaving her in no doubt to what he wanted to do, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to.

  But Jo didn’t want to, her small pink tongue snaking out to wet her lips in anticipation. A move which tore a groan from the throat of the big man on his knees in front of her. “Christ Jo, you’ll be the death of me,” he whispered, his breath soft against her lips.

  She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. She was lost in the darkness and heat which swirled in his eyes. She was used to him being grumpy, his conversation a series of barked orders, so his humour and the gentleness in his hands blew her away. He touched her as though she was worth something, as though she was the most precious thing in the world and more delicate than fine china. For a woman used to the violent side of a man’s temper and the back of his hand, the feeling was heady. Seductive.

  His lips covered hers, brushing against them. Gentle pressure coaxed her into responding to him, not that her response was long in coming. He rose on his knees, still taller than she despite the fact she sat on the bed and he was knelt on the floor, and gathered her close to his chest. Cradling her as he tilted her head back to drink from her lips.

  His tongue swept out, brushing against the seam of her lips, and Jo was lost. The butterflies which had been having their own little jive down into her stomach went into a full on riot as liquid fire raced through her veins. She moaned, the sound lost in his mouth as he took advantage of the opportunity and slid his tongue past her lips, stroking along hers. Teasing a little, inviting her to come and play with soft brushes and retreats. Without realising Jo relaxed, the trust which had begun to grow earlier blossoming and flowering between them.

  Her hands crept up to his shoulders, smoothing the fabric over the heavy muscles. He must work out to be built like this, surely? The thought swirled away as the kiss deepened. The movements of his tongue against hers changed from teasing to demanding, sweeping her along in a maelstrom of sensation which had her gasping.

  He broke away, resting his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. “I’m sorry love… I got carried away. I didn’t mean to scare you,” He muttered, his eyes pressed closed, tension radiating from his body. Wonder filled Jo, amazement that she could affect him like this.

  She smiled, ran gentle fingertips down his cheekbone, her eyes on his face. He was beautiful, in a darkly masculine way. Another shiver ran through her as he opened his eyes, the dark orbs locking with hers. The tension rose, awareness stretching between them until it was almost another person in the room.

  Jo’s stomach fluttered again as she held his gaze. She hadn’t been so bold, not with a man, for years. But there was something about him, something reassuring. It had always been there despite his gruff attitude. An attitude she realised he used to keep people at arm’s length. Could he be the same as she was? Locked in his loneliness like she was in hers.

  She knew she had to make a decision, or let the moment slip away perhaps never to return. She screwed up her courage, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake. “I’m not scared Drew.”

  Her voice was soft but he heard her, desire slamming into him at light speed. His body tightened, taking his breath away with the intensity of his need.

  God, she was going to kill him off here and now if she kept looking at him like that! All he wanted to do was push her back onto the makeshift bed, strip her clothes off and make love to her until they didn’t have the energy to move.

  He drew a deep breath, fighting the urge down until he could move without leaping on her and scaring the life out of her. “Honey, you need to stop looking at me that way.” His voice was hoarse with strain. “Or I won’t be held accountable for my actions.”

  Jo dropped her eyes, her pale cheeks flooding with crimson. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was making you uncomfortable,” she whispered, the barest scrap of sound as she scooted backwards on the bed. Escaping from him to huddle in the corner of the bed.

  Drew hissed in frustration, crawling onto the bed after her and pulling her into his arms, half settled across his lap.

  “You weren’t making me uncomfortable, not at all sweetheart.” He told her, his broad back resting against the cushions of the sofa as he stroked the loose hair back from her face. He smiled into her worried eyes.

  “The only discomfort I’m in is physical… I’m not going to lie to you Jo, I want you. I have since I first saw you in the trauma room, looking lost but determined not to show it. Then you smiled at me and I was done for,” he admitted in a sof
t voice, the world contracting to the two of them in this small room with its dodgy bed and single heater. But for now, he didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

  “Oh…” Her lips formed a soft circle to match the soft sound she made. A small line creased her eyebrows, suspicion shadowing her eyes, as though she couldn’t believe that. Couldn’t believe that he would find her attractive. Her words confirmed that.

  “You do? Really?”

  Drew’s temper flared again. Her bastard of an ex had really done a number on her self confidence. Right at this moment Drew wanted to tear him limb from limb. Slowly. He fought down his reaction in case he scared her, a smile curving his lips instead.

  “Yes Jo, really,” His voice was like warm silk as he cradled her against his broad chest, using his free hand to brush the hair back from her face. His thumb trailed along her cheekbone down to her lips. He traced their outline in a feather soft movement. She still looked unconvinced so he carried on. “All I want to do is lie you back on this bed and strip off everything you’re wearing. Then I want to kiss and taste every inch of you…” his voice grew thicker, hoarser.

  “Oh screw this-“He pulled her closer. Actions spoke louder than words and if he had to show her, then so be it. He’d been good up to now. Hell just her and a bed in the same room was enough to test the patience of a saint, and Drew wasn’t a saint. Not by a long stretch of the imagination.

  She moaned as he kissed her again but this time his kiss was nothing like the gentle, exploratory kisses he’d given her before. It was dark and dangerous, thrilling her in ways she didn’t know existed and demanding her response.

  A response she gave eagerly, arching her back and lifting her hands to spear into the hair at the nape of his neck. Holding his head down to hers as he ravaged her lips. She couldn’t get enough, shivering as his tongue swept in again. His hand, large and warm, stroked up her back. Up past the low back of her top, following the line of her spine as far as he could then across along her shoulder.

  His lips left hers, kissing along her jaw and then under. Soft, nibbling little kisses. On automatic Jo lifted her chin, baring her throat to allow him better access. A low rumble of approval sounded in his broad chest as his finger slid under the strap of her top and bra. Then he paused, as though waiting for her to stop him. When she didn’t he started to slide them down, smoothing his large hand over her shoulder and leaving fire in its wake.

  “Tell me if you want to stop Jo,” he breathed against her neck. “And I’ll stop. I don’t know how but somehow I’ll manage it…”

  She chuckled, a gentle finger under his chin bringing his face up to hers. “And if I don’t want to stop?”

  He nodded, arousal tightening the planes of his face and giving him an almost cruel look. Jo sat up, her decision made. It was time to put all the crap associated with her marriage behind and heal. She needed this night, need this with Drew, more than she’d realised.

  She lifted the hem of her evening top and pulled it off in one smooth movement, dropping it unheeded to the floor. He sucked his breath in, his hands around her waist and his eyes reverent as they feasted on the tender mounds of flesh revealed to him. Naked to the waist but for her delicate lace bra Jo felt a little vulnerable.

  “Your turn.” She plucked at his shirt with a shaky hand. They were shaking that much that she’d never be able to undo the buttons, much as she wanted to. But she didn’t have to. Drew snapped the top two buttons free and pulled the whole garment over his head to reveal his muscled, toned torso beneath.

  Her mouth watered, her hands itching to slide over the expanse of male flesh revealed to her. And she could, it was all there for her to explore. With a daring Jo didn’t know she had she leaned forwards and kissed his shoulder. He made a noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between pleasure and encouragement, so she carried on, trailing a line of kisses down his collarbone and onto his chest.

  He took her hand, his fingers lacing with hers for a moment and squeezing for a second in approval and support. He transferred his grip to around her wrist, drawing her hand from his waist and pushing it lower.

  “See what you do to me Jo?” he asked, placing her hand over the hardness tenting his pants. She stilled, her lips hovering over his nipple. Her fingers spread out, judging the girth and size of him through the fabric. Hell, he was big. Bigger than James, far bigger.

  Warmth spread from her stomach, from her belly down to the core between her thighs. Her arousal spiked higher as her body clenched, aching to feel him there, filling her. She stroked him through the barrier of his clothes and chuckled as he made a strangled noise. “I think you might be a little overdressed, don’t you, Doctor Carson?”

  “Oh I definitely agree Nurse Micheals, the same goes for you,” he breathed, his eyes twinkling with mirth, playing along as he sat on the edge of the bed and shucked off his remaining clothes quicker than Jo had seen anyone ever disrobe.

  He turned back to her and her eyes widened; latching onto that engorged part of him that was wholly male. Her small pink tongue darted out, wetting her lips in nervous anticipation. An action that had his eyes darkening yet another notch, locking onto the small movement.

  “I think that I should help you out of those clothes, make sure you didn’t suffer any other ill effects from our dash in the snow.” He moved with purpose, crawling over the bed to her and pulling her under him. Jo went for the wide eyed, innocent look.

  “Oh of course Doctor, if you think that’s b… est.” Her voice cracked as he leaned down to lave the swell of her breasts over the top of her bra with a warm brush of his tongue. Under the black satin her nipples puckered tightly, begging for attention.

  “Well, this has to go for starters.”

  His finger traced the underside of her breast, even the softest touch the other side of the satin making her squirm. He reached the clasp between her breasts, playing with it for a moment until she was ready to scream in frustration, slap his hands away and undo the bloody thing herself. With a feral grin, more a flash of white teeth, he pressed the catch. The tension released, the bra parted, her breasts freed from their confinement as the underwear fell away.

  “Perfect.”

  The word was uttered against her skin as he leaned forwards and wrapped his lips around her nipple. Her back arched as it was pulled into the warm, wet cavern of his mouth and he suckled gently. It was heavenly! Pleasure and need coursed through her blood as he took his time, paying attention to one breast then the other with maddening leisure. Taking his time over the task until she was all but squirming on the bed under him.

  “Drew,” she gasped, her hands smoothing over his shoulders, down his arms. In fact anywhere she could reach to touch him. “You’re driving me mad!”

  He looked up, speared her with dark eyes. “Good, payback… you’ve been driving me mad for months.” He moved lower, settling his big body between her thighs as he kissed the valley between her breasts, moving lower along her stomach. She sucked her breath in, knowing where he was heading from the direction and the wicked look in his eyes.

  He hooked a finger under the delicate strap of her lacy thong. “These are pretty but they have to come off I think, in the name of proper evaluation of course.”

  Slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, he pulled the tiny garment down her legs and away. Her cheeks burned with colour as he moved back up her body, parting her legs with his big hands. Even in the warm room, the breeze that blew over her sensitized flesh was cooler than her body temperature. A temperature that neared boiling point as he kissed up along her inner thigh.

  Anticipation held her in its tight grasp as he moved higher, nearer to her centre; nearer to the place she needed his touch. His warm breath danced over her needy flesh. The first warm brush of his tongue was electric, the second had her moaning in pleasure and the third just blew her mind. She lifted her hands over her head, trying to find something to hold on as his clever tongue and fingers almost drove her mindless with pleasure
.

  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.