"Oh, yeah. We've been coming here for ten years, and I think Maggie has had a fire five of those years," she said, laughing again. "I was still snoozing when the alarm went off this time. Thank god my husband, Jim, heard it since I sleep like the dead. I wish he would have had the foresight to tell me to grab my shoes though," she said, pointed down to her stocking-clad feet.

I nodded my head absentmindedly. The sirens were getting louder, but I was more concerned that it seemed to be taking Grant so long. The rest of the residents didn't seem overly concerned as they chatted among themselves, but I was still a worried. Just when I was ready to hobble in after him, the first fire truck turned down the narrow lane in front of the inn. At the same moment, Grant came out from the house followed by a sheepish-looking Maggie, who was coughing from the smoke.

"Not again, Maggie," one of the firemen said, climbing down from the rig. "Is it out?"

"It was just a small one, Hank," Maggie said, shooting a guilty look at her guests.

"What did we tell you about using your gas stove?" he asked as the other men from the fire truck headed inside to make sure the fire was indeed out. Peering through the door, I could tell most of the smoke had already started to thin out.

"What happened?" I asked Grant as Maggie trailed in after the firemen.

"Grease fire. Maggie had it out by the time I made it in there, but the kitchen was already filled with smoke. We opened the back door and the kitchen windows to let it blow out," he said, taking my hand so I wasn't so wobbly. "I guess it's happened before. Maggie likes to keep the bacon grease on the stove, but she forgets to turn off the heat under it.

I laughed. I had worked long enough in the cooking field to know her mistake.

"Well, at least Maggie seems to be a pro at dealing with it," I said, watching the firemen head back out. Hank was still reprimanding Maggie, telling her he'd have to give her a citation the next time they had to come out. Maggie listened to him solemnly, nodding her head in all the appropriate spots. Once the fire truck pulled away, Maggie turned to me with the same mischievous grin I had seen the day before.

"Sorry about the early morning wake-up call, folks. The good news is breakfast is ready for those who haven't eaten and the cookies in the oven were saved before disaster struck," she said good-naturedly, leading the way back into the house. Everyone laughed with her, relieved it was nothing more serious. That, and we really wanted to get back inside. There were far too many chattering teeth as everyone stomped their feet in the cold. At least the snow had finally stopped, but the wind was still blowing around.

"Your chariot waits," Grant said, lifting me up. "I think I'm getting used to this."

"Fine by me," I teased. My eyes met his and I knew we were both thinking about our kiss and everything else that was about to happen before the ruckus. His eyes darkened while his grip on me tightened. "You want to go back upstairs?" he asked. I knew what he was asking. If we went upstairs, we would be continuing where we left off. He was giving me a chance to put on the brakes, but it wasn't necessary. I was as ready as he was.

I nodded my head, running my hand over the light-colored five o'clock shadow covering the lower half of his face. I liked this rugged look he was sporting. I continued to explore his face, taking time to trace my finger over his lip as he carried me back to our room. He startled me by sucking the finger into his mouth. My stomach tightened with desire as his tongue swirled sensually around my finger. I turned my head to see how close we were to our room. Sensing my urgency, he picked up his pace.

Our door was still open from when we left earlier, but Grant kicked it closed behind us and reached back to make sure it was locked. "I don't want to hurt your ankle," he said, looking at my wrapped foot.

"You won't," I said. At the moment, that was the last thing on my mind. My desire for him had intensified to the point of no return. I had dreamed about this moment for a long time. As he lowered me to the bed, I remembered something I wanted to ask him. "What did you mean when you said you'd been thinking about kissing me for a long time?" I asked as he pulled off my boot and climbed up on the bed with me. Taking care not to jar my ankle, he positioned me on my side so we were facing each other.

He scooted close, running a hand from my shoulder down to my hand before lacing our fingers together. He brought my hand to his mouth so he could place his lips on my knuckles before answering me. "Jams, surely you know I've had a thing for you half my life?" he said, placing a hot kiss on my wrist.

"No, you haven't," I argued. Did I really need to remind him of all the relentless teasing he had put me through during my formative years?

"Didn't you get the hint when I dipped your braid in paint in second grade?" he asked, scooting my shirtsleeve up so he could trail his lips up my forearm. I shifted closer to him with my desire at full force. Sensing my needs, he lifted my good leg and eased his own leg between me, bringing us practically on top of each other. I couldn't help moving against him. He was driving me nuts with his slow patient pace.

"You hated me," I said, finally finding my voice since our slow grinding motion was distracting me.

"I was just trying to get your attention. I thought you were cute, but you kept shooting me down," he said, moving his kisses from my arm to my collarbone.

"You teased me mercifully."

"I had a major hound dog crush on you. I worked for a week on the valentine I gave you in third grade. Do you remember it?"

"I still have it," I admitted.

He pulled back from my neck for a moment. "You do?" he asked, sounding thunderstruck.

I nodded my head as his eyes held mine. "I had to re-tape it freshman year when I tore it up."

"Why, what happened freshman year?" he asked, smoothing my hair off my forehead before resting his hand on my thigh so he could hitch my leg over his more securely. We continued our slow grind. I would have been embarrassed, but it felt too good to care.

"You started dating Amanda. It crushed my heart, so I tore up the heart you gave me. After I re-retaped it, I shoved it in my drawer so I wouldn't have to face it."

"I started dating Amanda because I thought you were never going to give me a shot. The guys were giving me a hard time and told me to do something or move on. I figured they were right when you never looked at me again."

"You broke my heart. Just ask Fran. She was my sounding board the entire time," I whispered as he lowered his mouth to my cheek.

"I was stupid. If it makes you feel better, you broke my heart too when you left Woodfalls," he admitted.

My heart stuttered. His words eclipsed our sensual heat as we shared probably the most significant moment of my life. "We were both stupid," I said, pulling him close. I couldn't stand another moment without our lips together. The kiss started so tenderly that tears formed in my eyes. Cupping my face with his hands, Grant anchored me in place as his lips staked their claim. I deepened the kiss and moved my hips to force his leg more snugly between mine. His hands found their way under my shirt, moving seductively over my stomach, past my ribcage and coming to a rest right below my bra line. "Yes," I whimpered. I raised my back to allow him access to remove my lacy undergarment.

"You want this?" he asked, slowly lifting my bra so his hand could make its way underneath.

"Don't be a tease," I said, tugging on his shirt.

"But you're so cute when you get aggravated," he said, shrugging off his shirt. I lifted my head and circled his nipple with my tongue, grinning wickedly when his eyes darkened. I could play his game if that's what he wanted. I glided my tongue smoothly to his other nipple, dragging it between my teeth and biting gently. His body arched against mine. I could feel his hunger pressed hot and hard against me. Enjoying the feeling of empowerment, I sucked harder on his chest as he gripped my hair in his hands.

"Enough, woman," he finally said, pulling off my shirt and bra.

"Just thought you needed a little taste of your own medicine," I said. He took it as a challenge and began kissing my stomach. This time it was my turn to arch as his mouth left a fiery path down my abdomen to the top of my PJ bottoms. To make his point, he lifted the edge of my panties and placed one more purposeful kiss just above where I wanted him the most. He was killing me. My response set a fast course as we shed the rest of our clothing. I finally got to see where the enticing trail of hair on his stomach ended just before he settled between my legs. His eyes never left mine as he moved slowly inside me. He set the pace, which was both infuriating and toe curling all at once. He would thrust against me, getting me right to the edge and then hold back to drag the moment out. I clutched at his back, urging him that I was close.

"Not yet, baby. I want this to last. We've waited a long time for it," he said, placing his mouth tenderly on mine. I moved restlessly beneath him, completely consumed by the fire. Just when I thought I couldn't handle it a second longer, he started moving inside me again. The wave came out of nowhere, crushing me as I pressed my hips against him. His lips swallowed my moans of pleasure as my body convulsed around his. He finished just as I did, thrusting one last time before collapsing on top of me.

Completely content, I stroked a hand over his head, marveling at how good his weight felt on top of me. My eyes felt heavy and I could feel his labored breathing returning to normal. I think we both must have dozed for a few minutes, but eventually Grant left the bed to clean up before closing the drapes. He crawled back in bed and gathered me in his arms. We napped into the early afternoon together.

Chapter 11

The echo of laughter in the hallway woke me a few hours later. Turning to face Grant, I saw he was already awake and watching me.

"What?" I asked, self-consciously pulling the blanket up to cover my breasts.

"I'm just basking in the glory of finally having you in my bed," he said, tightening his arm that was wrapped around my midriff.

"Well, technically, I was in your bed last night too," I teased. "Oh crap, I keep forgetting to call my mom. She's going to kill me," I said, sitting up in a sudden panic.

"Relax. I called her last night while you were whacked out on your happy pills," Grant said, placing his hand on mine before I could dial my parents' house.

"You did?" I asked, touched that he had the foresight to do that. "Wait, what did you tell her?"

"I told her about the snowstorm and our accident," he said, chuckling as he ticked off everything that had happened in the last day. "Oh, and your ankle. She said with the luck we're having, her advice was to stay put, but of course, that was before the fire here this morning too," he added as we both started laughing at the hilarity of the situation. We regained our composure and Grant got up to start a bubble bath in the big claw-footed tub. Trying to take a bath with him while also trying not to get my bandaged ankle wet was quite a feat. Still, our two slippery bodies combined with his roving hands made it the best bath I had ever taken. We didn't make it back to the bed before he took me again on the bathroom counter.

Once we got cleaned up, I finally called my parents to make sure they were really okay with me missing Christmas with them. My mom reassured me it was perfectly fine. At first I was confused about her complete one eighty until I pieced together she was tickled pink that I was cooped up with Grant. I'm sure she wanted nothing more than for Grant and me to have a real relationship. I knew her too well and in her mind she saw it as a way to get me back to Woodfalls on a permanent basis. I hung up the phone, reassuring her I would call again tomorrow and then again on Christmas Day.

Grant and I finally made an appearance downstairs in the late afternoon when Doc Jones came by to check on my ankle. It was still horrifically swollen and more discolored than the day before, but I turned down more of his happy pills, settling for ibuprofen instead. He stuck around for dinner, which was steaming bowls of stew and homemade bread followed by cherry cobbler. During dinner, I learned the three other couples knew each other. They were older than we were and had no family to speak of, so they spent the holidays at Maggie's Bed and Breakfast every year.

"It's because her cooking is out of this world," one of the husbands said, winking at Maggie, who blushed.

"Even if I do set a few fires," Maggie joked, clearing the table. The rest of us laughed as we headed out to the living room with the coffee Maggie had prepared.

Doc Jones excused himself after one cup. "I'll come check on you again tomorrow."

"You don't have to. It's Christmas Eve," I protested.

"Darling, why do you think I'll be coming by? I'm hoping Maggie will invite me over for Christmas Eve dinner," he said, winking at me as Maggie came in drying her hands on her apron.

"Oh, posh. You know you're always invited. Aunt June and Uncle Tim wouldn't have it any other way," Maggie said, walking him to the door.

After Doc left, the rest of us sat around chatting well into the night. The other couples were all hilarious as they regaled us with their own mishaps over the years. Grant kept an arm around me the entire evening, like he was afraid I would disappear if he didn't hold me. I didn't mind at all, especially since his fingers played with the hairs at the back of my neck the entire time. Maggie noticed our closeness and gave me a wink when no one was looking. I returned her grin enjoying the moment.

Retiring for the evening, Grant and I made love for the third time on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace in our room. Unlike the previous two times, this was more of a sensual dance as we used our hands and mouths to explore each other's bodies and discover our hidden pleasures.

The next morning the sun was shining brightly for the first time in three days. I bathed solo in the tub as Grant washed my hair while I worried about keeping my bandaged foot dry. Once we were dressed, he carried me downstairs and deposited me in the living room, claiming there were a few things he needed to do. Perplexed but also intrigued, I let him have his secrets while I helped Maggie prepare some of the food for the evening. We had learned the night before that Maggie hosted a Christmas Eve party for friends and family members before they all headed off to midnight mass. She put out a buffet spread that everyone else contributed dishes to as well.

Maggie turned on Christmas carols while we worked. Even though I wasn't home in Woodfalls, it still helped make it feel special. I even found myself humming along. It was funny to think that like a Scrooge, I had fought my mom tooth and nail about coming home for Christmas. I had my reasons, but none of them seemed to matter as much anymore. That was the irony of Christmas this year. Now that I really wanted to be home, I couldn't get there. Sitting in Maggie's kitchen preparing cake pops and decorating Christmas cookies, I was reminded of the true importance of Christmas. It was all about spending time with loved ones. The essence of Christmas was happiness and togetherness. I would never forget that again.