Free Baby It's Cold by Madison Faye Page A

bedroom window when I was little. I’d watch him lift weights in his garage, blushing at the strange and new feelings doing so created in me. Other times, if he left the bathroom blinds open, I could see inside there. I’d have the lights off in my room, hiding behind the curtain as I’d watch him step from the shower, the water trickling over his nude, muscled body.

    As I’d gotten older, I’d notice his looks growing longer, his eyes lingering a bit more on me when he’d smile or say hi. In fact, he’d driven me home once from the mall, right before I’d left for school, and for those those wonderful fifteen minutes in his car, I’d pretended we were more than just neighbors. I’d pretended I was more than just the girl next door he was nice to.

    We’d lingered in my driveway that last time, my blushing in the dark and never wanting to get out as he played me some cool new music on his car stereo. He’d hugged me then, as a final send-off before I left for school, and the touch had electrified me. We’d lingered in that moment a bit longer than we should have, and I could feel my pulse skip a beat an my body grow warmer in certain places as I’d felt his arms around me there in the dark of his car.

    Yeah, that Jon. That Jon that my mother wanted me to go over and bring cookies too. My head spun with excitement at the though; a thrilling rush tinged nervousness.  

    It lingered in my body as I pulled on my boots and and wrapped myself in a coat, and the thought warmed me as I stepped outside into the chilly snowy air of winter, off towards his house.

Chapter 2:

    ”Thanks;" I murmured shyly, taking the steaming mug from him. "It really is freezing out there!"

    He smiled at me, a warming, charming and disarming flash of teeth; a twinkle in his eye. The dimples in his cheeks, his smile lines creasing as he winked at me.  

    "Sure thing, kid"

    He'd always called me that, ever since I was a little girl, and it brought a smile and a flash of warmth to me today just as much as it had years ago.  

    I took a sip of the hot, steaming chocolate and gasped at the heat across my tongue, and also at the hot, lingering taste beneath the cocoa.  

    "Is there...is there alcohol in this?" I flushed as I swallowed the chocolate. The added burn of something much more adult warmed my throat on the way down.  

    He winked at me again as he took a sip of his own mug. "Of course". That grin, so disarming and heart stopping.  

    "I..I'm not sure if I should“

    He leaned a little closer, the smell of his aftershave -woodsy and rich- mingling with the crackling smoke of the fireplace and the pine of the Christmas tree lit up with lights and winked at me. "You're old enoughthough, right?" His words brought a flush to my cheeks and a flutter to my stomach.  

    I swallowed dryly in the heat and soft fire-light of the room. Quickly, I took another, larger, sip of my spiked cocoa.  

    "So first semester was good?" He grinned at me conspiratorially; "Any boys?"

    I blushed furiously; “N..no.” The word stumbled awkwardly out of my mouth. It was half true. I'd been too shy, and too busy with my freshman year at college for boys, though there had been attempts made.

    I tried to change the subject. “No dates for the holidays this year?”

    He grinned at me, dimples stretching across his cheeks as his eyes twinkled. “What do you call this?” he said, winking at me.

    I blushed furiously.

    “Hey, its not every day a cute college girl brings me cookies on Christmas Eve.” He looked at me purposefully then, his eyes boring into mine.

    “You’ve really grown up, Rachel.” I let out a small gasp as his hand dropped to my knee, fingers lightly stroking my stockings there, and I felt myself tense slightly. “Hey, I’m serious you know,” His fingers stroked lightly at the crook of my knee, bringing a hitch to my breath and a flutter to my pulse.

    Part of me liked his hand there; he was so handsome after all, and