His Forever Books 1 - 21

1. Christmas Surprise, His Forever Series Prequel-3

Seriously? Leave it to the cocky bankers and stockbrokers to come up with a line that dumb!

"Yeah, well, I swim with the sharks, but I don't mate with them." There's a dumb line if ever I heard it.

"I told them you're just shy," he says, grinning at me.

I turn and storm out. I won't listen to this anymore, not when all I wanted to hear was an "I'm sorry", and then let him kiss me.

I'm on the verge of tears, shaking from trying to hold them in so hard. All I wanted was an apology, and then I'd take him, in any way, even if he were a criminal. Just like I would've taken him twelve years ago.

"Wait, Nicole!" he yells after me, his voice muffled by the snow. "I'm sorry!"

But I think I just wanted to hear that last part. I don't think he actually said it.

I hear the cottage door slam behind me, followed by a thud as snow crashes down off the roof. He's coming after me. I can't have that. Tears are already welling in my eyes, and I just want to go back to not caring about Mark at all.

My brother-in-law is driving down the road to the house, and I flag him down, watch Mark stop in his pursuit.

"Nicole, are you alright?" Janice's husband asks and I just nod, get in at the passenger side. Now that I'm no longer looking at Mark, the tears are retreating.

"I just went for a walk, but it's so cold outside," I manage. Yet the car windows are fogging up from all the heat I'm giving off. Thankfully, he doesn't comment on it.

I'm mostly calm by the time we reach the house, and try my hardest not to think of anything Mark related for the rest of the day.

The cousins, aunts and uncles start arriving soon after lunch, and with all the greetings, catching up and little kids running all over the house, it's hard to think about anything else anyway.

We sit down for a family dinner at four. It's a boisterous affair, with everyone talking right over each other as we pass around the dishes and catch up. By the time we’re done, I've eaten so much I can hardly breathe in the little black dress I'm wearing.

At seven thirty the guests start arriving. And each time the doorbell rings, my tension mounts. What if it's Mark?

But it never is, and I start to relax a bit by nine, after no one new comes to the door for almost half an hour. Though if I wanted to be completely honest with myself, I had hoped he'd come. It's why I wore this dress and heels. He may be a cocky bastard, but that's one of the things I liked about him. And I did ignore more than one letter and email from him over the years. So maybe I have some apologizing to do too.

"Why so pensive?" Dad asks. He's wearing a golden party hat with a holly wreathe stuck to it, and his cheeks are flushed from drinking too much eggnog.

I smile at him and adjust the holly on his hat. "Not pensive, just happy. It's so nice to be back home with family."

It's not a lie or an exaggeration, but I do wish I hadn't argued with Mark. It'd be nice to make up with him. He'd been my friend for many years, ever since we were toddlers. Between my ambitious studying and interning to get the job I now have, and then working long hours to keep it, I drifted apart with most of my friends. With the few and far between visits, it's a wonder my family still tolerates me. But they do, and I can't help but smile wider, as my uncle James salutes me with his drink, then blows a kiss my way. He was always this big teddy bear, just like my grandfather who I wish was still with us tonight. But at least I was here when he got sick, at least I got to say my last goodbye to him. And him to me.

"Glad to have you home, kid," Dad says and gives me a clumsy hug which I return in earnest.

I see Janice and her husband whispering to each other on the couch, then she gets up, tapping on her coke glass. It goes unnoticed until her husband hands her a fork off the table.

"I have an announcement to make," she says once the room finally quiets down. She blushes. "Well, we both do."

She pulls her husband to his feet and he lets her, beaming at everyone. Her hands are covering her belly, and I already know what her news is, as do the rest of the people in the room, I'm sure.

"We're expecting," she breathes, and the people erupt in congratulations. I join in the clapping, watch my mother fight the battle with tears as she takes turns hugging Janice and her husband. I am so happy for Janice, having a child is what she wanted forever, but I still feel like I've swallowed a gallon of ice. Because I'm twenty-six and if my past relationships are anything to go by, I'll never be making this kind of announcement.

I swallow the selfish thought, walk over and give Janice a hug that speaks only of my joy for her.

But after I'm bumped aside by the others congratulating her, the air in the room turns stiflingly hot. I grab my jacket from the hall and go outside onto the deck. The small pine tree growing a few feet from the patio is all lit up with tiny white lights and I wander to it, enjoying the cool air on my face. It burns some of my sadness away. I have what I worked for, and I'm young still, my time will come.

I hear footsteps approaching through the snow, but I don't turn yet, since I'm enjoying the serene calm, this feeling of being in the middle of everything, yet removed. It's how I lived most of my life, but it's by choice. I'm a natural born observer.

"Hello, Nicole," Mark says.

I do a near perfect pirouette, almost landing in the snow. "You…you came."

He's wearing a large black parka, but it does nothing to mask his chiseled bulk. The moonlight reflecting off his hair, casting shadows on his face makes him seem otherworldly. Like I'm only seeing him because I want him here.

"I thought I would," he says. He's standing so close the heat coming off his body is warming me.

"I'm sorry, Nicole," he continues. "It's what I should've said earlier. The only thing I should've said. I'm sorry for hurting you. I never meant to."

My heart just sort of melts in my chest, pulling my brain after it. I'm struck speechless, waiting for him to wrap his arms around me. It takes me a few moments to realize he's not doing it.

And why would he? I yelled at him, and ran from him, ignored his letters and emails. Of course he doesn't know, if he should.

"I was in love with you," I hear my voice say.

He steps closer still, until our bodies are nearly touching. Yet his arms are still hanging by his sides. His eyes are glowing in the moonlight, and I've never wanted to disappear in another person the way I want to disappear in him right now.

"I'm still in love with you," he breathes, and I lean against him, the pull too strong to fight. But it makes no sense. I drank too much, I'm imagining this whole scene.

"You're just saying that," I mutter and look up into his face.

He grins in his signature cocky way, his arms now resting gently on my lower back. "No, I swear. I fell in love with you when I was eight years old."

I press my body harder against his and bite on my lower lip. "Prove it."

It's all he needs to lean down, lace his fingers into my hair and kiss me. He tastes like wild fire, spring thaw, rivers rushing past, like nature and summer, and all that is right with this world. His tongue finds mine and plays with it, enters me like he belongs. And he does, always did. We just never quite got to this part before. But we're here now, and I'm not leaving.

I have to consciously fight the urge to rip his clothes off right here and now. But we'd freeze, and my family and the rest of the townsfolk would get quite a show.

Janice is looking at us through the living room window, and she smiles and waves when she sees me notice her. I smile back, feel myself blush.

"Wanna go back to the cottage?" Mark asks hoarsely and I just nod. If his strong arms weren't holding me up I'd melt right into the snow.

I'm wearing my high-heeled sandals, and there's no way I'll make it all the way to the cottage in them. When I mention it, suggest I go inside and change, he just shakes his head and scoops me up like I weigh nothing. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and lean against him, enjoying his smell, his strength, this feeling like I'm floating on moonlight.

The cottage is warm and smells of wood, cinnamon and chocolate, my three favorite smells. Mark sets me down inside the door, then pulls me into an embrace.

"I missed you a lot, Nicole."

I kiss his soft lips in response. They're still cold from the frosty air outside, but there is warmth coming from the center like a little flame thawing the ice.

He slides my jacket off my shoulders, then leads me to the sofa, leaves me there to put more wood on the fire.

"Would you like a drink?"

I shake my head and pat the spot next to me. "I'm fine for now. Won't you come back over here?"

If I drink any more, I might not remember this night. And I want to remember it, because I've waited so long for this, and it might be all I ever get. We live on different sides of the country. We have no easy future. No way back to the past we share. But we have tonight, and I plan on making the best of it. He needs no more encouragement than that, like he's thinking the same things.

His lips are on mine in a flash, hard and insistent, his tongue demanding entrance, promising more wild pleasure to come. I'm wet, the pleasant warmth of anticipation spreading from the pit of my belly all through my body.

My n*****s are rock hard buds, aching to be touched. I find the edge of his sweater, glide my hands under it along his rock hard abs. My cold fingers against his hot skin make him shiver, sigh a little.

He pulls away from the kiss, and there's a dangerous, gleaming look in his eyes, reminding me of harsh sunlight reflecting off ice. He's strength personified, and he's all mine. At least for tonight.

He stands, pulls me to my feet too. His hands caress my back until he finds the zipper at the back of my dress, and pulls it down. The cloak of raw desire covering me as he slides the dress off my shoulders is almost too much to bear. I'm so glad I wore the nice lacy black underwear, complete with my sexy stockings. I can feel his desire intensifying as he takes it all in. I've never been wanted like this. And I've never desired a man to take me like I want Mark to possess me right now.

His hand glides along my stomach, up to my breasts, where he pinches my left n****e hard. I whimper, my knees buckling a little.