Page 7 of Winter's Surprise
Michelle put the clean plate in the drying rack, grabbed her glass of pinot noir, and headed out of the kitchen. After setting the glass down, she made herself comfortable on her spot on the couch. With her warm snowflake throw over her lap, and the fire lighting up the living room, she reached for her book.
With her book in one hand and wine in the other, she made herself focus on the words in front of her. A useless feat. Two hours passed since she drove away from Jake, and she had a huge problem.
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
It didn’t matter that he hadn’t called or texted yet. She wasn’t quite at the point of freaking out, but the smiling needed to stop. If she couldn’t get it under control, Janey would interrogate her. She wasn’t ready to share her magical night with anyone.
Not Janey, not her mom, not even her sister.
She felt this need to protect and cherish those memories. Sure, eventually she would tell them. Michelle didn’t know if tonight would become more or if it was just one magical moment among a series of normal ones.
Her stomach still fluttered when she remembered the kisses Jake and her shared. They were perfect. A perfect balance of lips, tongue, and nibbles. What she couldn’t get past was the feeling of coming home. It was the strangest thing she’d experienced in the night… in her life really.
She lifted the pages and read a few more sentences before she envisioned Jake’s eyes searching her own. “Damn it, Michelle! Get it together!” she scolded herself.
She needed to relax, to come down from all the excitement. After tossing the snowflakes throw from her lap, she gathered the book and wine and headed to her bathroom. After setting them down, she turned the tub’s faucet to hot water and stripped from her clothes.
Whenever she came home wound up with stress from work, she would draw herself a bath. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she even took her dinner to the bathtub a time or two. The hot water had a way of soothing her and easing her troubles.
Not tonight…
Thirty minutes later, she poured herself another glass of wine, to the brim this time, and curled up in her comfy armchair. Her belly was warm from the alcohol, and her mind began to slow down. “Finally.” She sighed and took another gulp.
The words on the page became unfocused once more. Not from her mind’s wandering, but from her wine-induced state. Within minutes, she found herself in Jake’s arms.
His facial hair tickled her neck, making her shiver with need. Michelle ran her fingers through his too-long, short hair as he placed whisper-soft kisses along the column of her neck. Her body was on fire for this man. She wanted to feel his muscles under her hands and explore his body with her mouth. She needed his hands to meet her own skin.
The level of want and need she felt overwhelmed her senses. A hum of desire wrapped around their bodies. Their shared touches were sweet and rather innocent, quite unlike the tendrils attempting to ensnare the other.
Jake slipped an arm under her knees and swept her into his arms. He captured her lips, open with surprise, and held her close to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she tilted her head and deepened their kiss.
“More…” she begged between kisses.
Just when Jake walked her to her bed with the intent to give her what she wanted, a ringing pulled them apart.
Michelle pried her dry eyes open and stared at the glowing embers of her dying fire. A quick glance at the clock told her it was well past midnight. The firetruck sirens, that woke her from her dream and stopped her from getting to the good stuff, could barely be heard now.
Exhausted, Michelle tossed the blanket to the side in a heap, grabbed her phone, and walked to bed. She plugged her phone in and saw the missed messages when it lit up.
Jake Smith: Hey beautiful! It was great running into you today. I’d like to meet up again, this time without causing you bodily harm.
Jake Smith: Unless of course you changed your mind?
Jake Smith: ???
The three texts were spaced about thirty minutes apart. Groggy with sleep, she ignored the time and tapped in a reply.
Michelle Harper: Hi! I’m sorry, I fell asleep. What do you suggest that doesn’t involve a trip to the ER?
She set the phone down and climbed in bed. This time, sleep came slowly as she replayed her evening, memorizing details she didn’t want to forget.
When she awoke a few hours later, she sighed at the knowledge that she never finished her dream. Lifting her hand, she tested her wrist and was relieved to find it only a little tender. Michelle grabbed her phone and pushed aside the disappointment that Jake hadn’t texted her back. After looking at the time, she told herself he was still asleep.
She tossed her phone into her purse and walked outside. The snow-covered ground was beautiful, and it was perfect for Christmas shopping. Thanks to the plows, she could drive into town. She had a godson coming any day now that she needed to spoil.
Halfway into town, the Bluetooth in her car began to ring. “Hey!”
“Please tell me you’re still going shopping?” Janey’s desperate voice filled the car. “I need to get out of here.”
