Free December Frost (A Southern Romance Monthly) by CJ Hockenberry Page B

to even get in without falling on his face?  
    The stairs weren't iced over so going up them was easy. The interior was as impressive as the exterior. The main room was open, with a full kitchen, breakfast bar, stools and oak table for six to the left. On the right was a two sofa living room with an oak coffee table and large, stone fireplace. Down the center was a hallway with several doors.  
    She walked him to the sofas and helped him sit down on the one facing the front of the cabin. "There…I'll go get the supplies."  
    "Mind if I start a fire?"  
    Cecelia arched her brow. "Can you?"  
    "I can."  
    Once she left he stood and grabbed the matches on the wooden hearth. To the right was a stack of wood, a smaller stack of kindling, and a stack of old newspapers. Lex knew how to do a fire right.  
    By the time Cecelia had the supplies out of the back of the truck and piled onto the kitchen bar and table, he had a roaring fire going. It wasn't until after that he noticed a flatscreen TV mounted to the wall facing the front windows. I love this place already. He found the remotes on the coffee table and turned the set on.  
    Cecelia appeared beside him as he sat on the sofa. She held out a pill and a glass of water. "Take these."  
    He eyed the pill. "Pain killer?"  
    "You need sleep, and I need to get us settled, do a bit of a perimeter check and get dinner going." She pushed the water and pill at him. "Take it."  
    He did.  
    Thomas Carr barely made it through the six o'clock news about the snow storm before he closed his eyes.  

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

    Cecelia stood outside behind the cabin, listening. She had her gun loaded, ready and held down at her side. Other than the light tapping of the falling snow against the now sagging branches of the trees, there was no other sound. A part of her was sure they were safe at the cabin. The other part of her believed being cautious and having a contingency plan was better.  
    She grabbed a fallen branch and brushed her tracks away where ever she walked. Once she was sure they were alone, she parked the truck in the garage, locked it, and got back in the cabin.  
    Thomas was sound asleep. No snoring. Just a soft, peaceful breathing. She shrugged her jacket off, removed her scarf, boots and gloves, and reset the alarm. The floodlights went off but would shut back on if the sensors detected motion within three feet of the house.  
    She checked all the locks on the windows, the back door, and then just in case, turned the heater on in the jacuzzi. She hadn't given him a pain killer, just the antibiotic. But giving him the suggestion she had gave him enough push to go to sleep. So when she woke him for dinner, he wouldn't be groggy.  
    After making sure the cabin was secure she checked on Thomas again and sat down on the coffee table, facing him. He was just as beautiful asleep as he was awake, maybe even more so. The worry line between his brow smoothed away when he slept. She followed the profile of his chin to his neck and then down his chest to his crotch where it lingered for a while. She thought again about the vision in his bedroom. Him nude and with Mister Happy very happy.  
    Her hand tingled when she thought of touching him in the car. Firm, hard, and ready. Cecelia wasn't that surprised when she found her own need ready and moist. She hadn't stopped thinking about the jacuzzi since mentioning it in the truck. And she'd never given him an answer.  
    Lex had said upon leaving, "There's a box of condoms in the left nightstand."  
    Of course, she'd smacked him and then promptly checked that nightstand to make sure he was right. Yep.  
    Though she was tired and wanted to rest on the other sofa, Cecelia listened to the Atlanta news and put away the groceries. Lex had warned her about the coming storm and told her to pack enough for a few days. The cabin had a good supply of the basics.  
    After the groceries were put away and a large pot of water sat on the stove