The snow was blinding as I pulled into the rest stop to gas up my truck. By the time I'd tanked-up, I was so cold I could barely feel my hands, and I could see my breath freezing in the air.

And I'd had more than enough of Jingle Bells blaring from the gas stations speakers to last me a lifetime.

After I'd topped up the washer fluid, and brushed the snow off my windshield, I headed over to the rest stop for a hot cup of coffee and something to eat, so I wouldn't have to worry about fixing dinner once I got home.

Lined up waiting to give my order, I glanced back through the throng of people milling around and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her pretty face in the crowd. My sister-in-law Khloe looked just as surprised to see me, judging by the way she gasped, came rushing over, dragging her suitcase behind her, and threw herself into my arms.

"Oh my god, Trey, I am so glad to see you!" She hugged me tight as she stared up at me, blinking back tears.

"Khloe, what's wrong?" I held her against me, searching her eyes.

She had to take a deep breath before she could explain. "I was heading up north to spend Christmas with my family. And when I noticed how hard it was starting to snow, I thought I'd better get some gas. But once I paid and got back in my car, it wouldn't start. A couple of guys looked it over, but couldn't see anything wrong. The attendant called a tow truck to tow it away, and now I have no way to get up there. I was about to phone to let my mom know what happened, and I realized I must have left my phone at home. And there's only one pay phone in here, and it's out of order."

"I only live a few miles up the road. So, why don't you come home with me for now, and once it stops snowing, I can drive you up there."

"But it's almost a hundred miles from here."

I shrugged because it didn't matter how far it was. If she wanted to get home for the holidays, I was going to make sure she got there. "Well, I don't want you missing Christmas with your family." Then I looked behind her, wondering where my brother was. "But why are you on your own? Where's Callan?"

"He um... had other plans." She winced and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"He had other plans for Christmas?"

Khloe nodded and bit into her lip, looking a little flustered. But before she could explain, the girl at the counter called out, "Next," and I had to turn around to place my order.

"Merry Christmas, sir" The perky little blonde with the little green elf hat, smiled as she pointed out their holiday specials. "Today we've got Santa Claus cakes on sale, half price, if you're interested."

"No, thank you."

Before I could tell her what I wanted, she was rhyming off the other things on the list. "We also have three kinds of holiday shortbreads, gingerbread men for the kiddies... and everyone's favorite - candy cane cupcakes -- "

"Sorry, but I don't want any holiday treats."

"Oh, okay." Her smile gone, she squared her shoulders and asked, "Then what would you like, sir?"

Imagining Khloe hadn't had time to eat, I ordered a few different sandwiches, some chili and soup, a dozen bagels, some donuts, cookies, a couple of eclairs and a box of coffee.

"Wow! That's a lot of food!" Khloe eyes looked big as moons when I grabbed the two large bags, thanked the lady behind the counter, put a couple of bills in the tip jar, and dropped another twenty in the donation box for the local food drive.

As we were heading toward the doors, realizing I might have gone a little overboard, I explained, "Well, at least we'll have enough to eat, even if the lights go out, because it looks like freezing rain is mixing in with the snow now."

Khloe heaved a sigh and followed me out to my truck.

Quick as I could, I stowed everything in the back seat, took her hand and helped up into the passenger seat, so she wouldn't get soaked.

As we headed out onto the snow-covered highway, I flashed her a smile, and I was glad when she smiled back, considering everything she'd been through.

Noticing she looked a little anxious about the ice pellets pinging against the windshield, I reached over and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, we'll be okay. And we're almost there."

Although she nodded, she still clung to my hand, staring straight ahead, as we slowly made our way off the highway at the next exit.

"And here we are," I announced, as we pulled into the driveway of my old farmhouse.

"Wow, Trey! What a transformation," she remarked when we'd stopped out in front. "It looks nothing like the pictures you sent us."

I nodded as I looked the place over, because I was pretty happy with it. "Considering I design restorations like this for a living, I decided I should move up here, rather than working from my condo in the city. "There isn't much to inspire me down there, except for a sea of other condos and way too much traffic."

She laughed. "I guess not. But I can see why you decided to move here. It's such a beautiful spot," she remarked, gesturing at the tall, snow-covered pines surrounding the house and the lush snow-capped forest disappearing off into the distance.

"It's sitting on two-hundred acres, so it's a good-sized lot. And I was thinking maybe next year I might try growing something."

Khloe smirked and looked me over. "I just can't picture you as a farmer, Trey, because I've seen the way you fill out a tux." I laughed and gave her hand a tug as she waggled her eyebrows.

"Guess we'll just have to see how I do. But I think we should try to head inside while we can still get up the steps, because it's really coming down hard now, and it's getting pretty icy."

When I went around and opened her door, she squealed and laughed when I slipped my arms under her legs, picked her up and carried her up the steps and set her on her feet on the wrap-around porch, because I didn't want her slipping and falling in her high-heeled boots. Once I'd unlocked the old front door, she laughed again and smacked me on the shoulder when I picked her up and carried her inside, as she told me, "You know I can walk, right?"

When she slid down my body onto her feet, the way she was smiling up into my eyes, I almost lost my head and kissed her. She just looked so cute with her cheeks all rosy and her long dark hair and eyelashes dusted with snow. But since she was married to my brother, I knew I had to keep my hands to myself, no matter how adorable she was.

"You've got a really beautiful home here, Trey," she remarked as she tipped her head and took a peek into the living room, and the kitchen beyond, while I helped her out of her coat.

"You should have seen it when I first bought it. It was such a sad-looking place, I didn't know where to start. The wood floors were sagging, the windows all had to be replaced, there was no insulation, and the walls all needed patching. But it's slowly getting there."

"Well, I think you've done a wonderful job bringing it back to life. Though obviously everything has been updated, it still has the warm, comfy feel of an old farmhouse."

I nodded, looking around. "This is what most of my clients want. They want to keep the feel of an old place like this, but they want all the modern conveniences, too. I've still got a lot to do, but I'm glad you like how it's turning out so far."

She smiled, reached out and squeezed my hand. "I absolutely love it." And that meant a lot, coming from her, considering she was an award-winning interior designer; who really knew her stuff.

After I had gone back out to get the bags, I was standing at the foot of the old staircase, and as I looked upstairs, I wondered where I was going to put her. Although the old place had five good-sized bedrooms, so far, only my bedroom and ensuite bath were done.

"I've been doing a lot of work upstairs on the old floors and insulating the walls. So, I think you might be more comfortable in my room, because it's the only one that's finished. And I can sleep on the couch."

"Trey, I can't let you do that. I don't mind sleeping down here, but there's no way I'm taking your bed and making you sleep on the couch."

I pointed toward the kitchen. "Why don't we have some dinner while it's still hot? And we can figure out the sleeping arrangements after we've eaten."

She nodded and led the way. "But you are not sleeping on the couch," she muttered under her breath, while I quietly chuckled.

Although I knew I had no business staring, I couldn't tear my eyes off her tight little booty as she made her way into the kitchen. And I gotta say, I did like that she was a little feisty, besides being talented, absolutely gorgeous and curvy in all the right places.

Which had me wondering how a guy like my younger brother Callan had not only been lucky enough to meet someone as special as she was, but had somehow managed to convince her to marry his sorry ass.

I loved the way her face lit up as she looked around the new kitchen. "Wow! What a gorgeous kitchen!"

"I took a lot of pictures of the old one before I tore it out. And I'm pleased with how this turned out. It looks a lot like the old farmhouse kitchen, only everything is new."

"You've done an incredible job in here, Trey. And if you ever wanted to sell, I'm sure some young couple would snap it up in a heartbeat. It just feels so warm and cozy, it would be a perfect place to raise a family."

"Although I'm not planning on selling anytime soon, I've thought the same thing. This would be a wonderful place to start a family. Providing of course, I ever find the right woman to marry."

Khloe grinned, looking me up and down. "Don't worry, you'll find her. Because men as kind and thoughtful as you are don't come along every day. And you're not too hard to look at, with those big blue eyes, sandy blonde hair and all those muscles."

She was such a sweetheart, which had me wondering how she and my brother ever got together and how she got him to change his ways and settle down. Callan had always been a player, and never stayed with anyone for long, before moving on to his next conquest.

Although I could understand why Callan had been attracted to Khloe. She was so pretty, with her long, dark hair, big brown eyes, tight little body, and gorgeous smile. I remember the first time I set eyes on her; I was completely blown away.

I followed her gaze as she pointed into the living room. "It's almost Christmas, and you don't have your tree up yet. And I think that empty corner by the window would be a perfect spot for a nice big tree."

I was a kid the last time we had a tree at home. But since I don't do Christmas, I've never wanted one in my house.

But since she seemed to be into it, and we might end up being here till Christmas, with the way it was snowing, I thought about the spruce trees I'd cut down the other day, that were growing too close to the house. All I'd have to do to make her happy was get my boots and coat on, grab a flashlight, and go dig one out of the snow.

And she was right; a big blue spruce would look nice in that corner, especially with the ten-foot ceilings. But then I'd have the whole deal of having to string up the lights and decorate the thing. And I'd have to remember to water it, so it wouldn't dry out.

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I should just leave the thing outside, and forget about bringing it into the house.

As I was trying to decide if I wanted to go through the trouble, she tipped her head and looked at me. "You weren't planning on spending the holidays alone here, were you?"

I shrugged, because as much as I loved my brother, I always felt like a fifth wheel whenever I spent Christmas with his wife and children. Especially because I really wasn't into all the festivities. I hate eggnog, I don't sing carols, and I've never been a fan of sappy movies. So, I wasn't much fun to be around at Christmas.

"My older brother Chase always invites me out to his place in Vancouver to join his family for the holidays. But I think I'll stay home this year and get some work done around here instead."

As I spread out the food on the center island, I could feel her watching me. And I had a feeling she wasn't too pleased about me spending the holidays on my own, or the fact that I had nothing festive around the house; not even a wreath on the door.

When I pointed at the space she'd picked out for the tree, she smiled expectantly, until I dashed her hopes when I teased her. "You know you're right. That corner does look pretty empty. So, I'm thinking that a big, comfy leather chair would look great in that spot."

It was a struggle not to laugh at the way she rolled her eyes, probably thinking I was an idiot, because I couldn't take a hint.

Since I'd been doing a pretty good job of avoiding the holidays for the last thirty years, I wasn't too sure if I wanted to drag out the old memories that I'd managed to bury, even for her.

But I couldn't stare into those big, brown eyes and tell her I didn't want a tree in my house, because I wasn't into all the holiday stuff, when I knew she loved it.

Heaving a sigh, I decided I might as well go get the thing and get it over with, because if that's all it would take to make her happy about being stuck here with a grinch like me, I figured it was the least I could do.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

"But you haven't finished your dinner."

I winked. "I won't be long."

The moment I stepped outside, I could feel the icy wind slicing right through me.

Tucking my head down to protect my eyes, while trying to make my way around the house through the deep snow, I was questioning my sanity, wondering why I was out freezing my ass off for a tree I didn't want.

Though I was glad now that I'd left the trees standing up against the house. With the snow as deep as it was, if I'd left them on the ground, I might not have been able to find them.

I looked them over with the flashlight, trying to pick the nicest one, and I chose one that was a few feet over my head, and figured it had to be a little over eight feet tall, which was exactly what I was looking for.

Once I got it inside, and took off my boots and coat, I leaned it against the wall by the back door, with a few towels under it to catch any drips from the melting snow.

"Oh, my gosh, Trey, what a beautiful tree." Khloe looked thrilled as she squeezed my arm and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Thank you for braving the storm and finding it for us."

At least she was happy, which was all I wanted; even if I could barely feel my face anymore, she got her tree.

"I just have to get a few boxes from the attic, and I'll be right back, but you finish your dinner and don't wait for me."

As I was heading up to the attic, I hoped that somewhere amongst the boxes I'd find my mother's old tree stand, since she'd insisted on giving me most of the Christmas decorations, in case I ever had kids -- like that was ever going to happen. Considering I was almost thirty-nine, and had given up on dating, I didn't imagine I'd ever have a family.

Once I found the ornaments, I stacked the boxes and carried them downstairs and put them in the living room, next to where she wanted the tree. And luckily, I found the stand at the bottom of the box with the little fairy lights.

With Khloe holding it steady, we managed to get the tree set up in the corner. And it was the perfect height, with just enough room to put a star on top.

When I stood back with Khloe to check it out, I could see she was looking pretty pleased with me, from the way she was smiling into my eyes. "Now that is one gorgeous tree, and it looks perfect in that corner."

"After we've eaten, if you want, we can decorate it. My mom gave me some of her old ornaments when she downsized and moved to Florida."

"Now all we need is some Christmas music and eggnog to get us in the spirit."

"Well, I don't have any eggnog, but how about this?" I figured the least I could do was play something festive for her on my phone.

I shook my head, laughing, as she slipped her arms around me and happily danced us around the living room and into the kitchen, as Michael Bublé sang,

"Baby It's Cold Outside."

I really can't stay

Baby, it's cold outside

I've got to go away

Baby, it's cold outside

This evening has been

Hoping that you'd drop in

So, very nice

I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice

When she took my hands in hers, my heart skipped a beat when she gazed into my eyes and smiled. "But your hands are nice and warm now." Pushing up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to my cheek, and whispered, "Hmm, this is nice." All I could do was nod, because as much as I was enjoying it, she had me thinking that maybe it wasn't such a great idea to be alone with my sister-in-law like this. Especially if we wound up being housebound for days.

Though I knew I had no business even touching her, I really wanted to kiss her back, but on her lips.

Trying to put some distance between us, I stepped back and pushed the box of eclairs across the counter at her. "Knowing how much you like chocolate, you're gonna love these, because they're really tasty."

She tipped her head, looking surprised that I'd remembered. "How did you know that?"

"Well, most people don't have devil's food wedding cakes. And I imagined you had a thing for chocolate when noticed the chocolate fountain, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate cup-cakes and all the other chocolate things you had at your sweet table that night."

She laughed. "I can't believe you'd remember something like that. Though I have to admit, I have got a thing for chocolate."

Although they'd been married for almost two years, I remember that day like it was yesterday. The moment I saw her step into the church; she took my breath away. She looked stunning in her off-the-shoulder wedding gown walking up the aisle on her father's arm, with her hair swept up, and little diamond earrings sparkling in her ears. I can still remember thinking what a lucky bastard my brother was, to have found someone so beautiful and sweet to marry and enjoy the rest of his life with.

"Hello!" Khloe laughed, and waved a hand in front of my eyes when she caught me staring off into space. While I was thinking back to how good in felt to hold her in my arms when we'd danced together to 'One Love.' Although I also remember shaking my head in disgust when I looked over her shoulder and caught her new husband flirting with the curvy bartender.

I was so zoned out as I thought back, she startled me when she reached up, stroked my cheek, and said, "You know what I'm thinking?"

"No." I shook my head, gazing into her big, brown eyes.

"I'm thinking you should come and have Christmas with my family, so you won't have to spend the holiday on your own."

Though it was nice of her to invite me, that wasn't what I was thinking. And if she had any idea where my mind was, she'd probably want to smack me. Because I'd been thinking about how gorgeous she looked in that dress, and how incredible she felt in my arms. And how lucky my brother was, that he'd be the one peeling her out of it that night once they retired to the honeymoon suite.

"Ooh, these are really good," she cooed, when she picked out an éclair and had a bite. I stared, mesmerized, watching her slide her finger through the cream and slip into her mouth, while teasingly smiling straight into my eyes. As she quietly moaned and lashed out her tongue to lick the cream from her lips, I had to fight to keep myself from groaning.

Which had me wondering, if she made those kinds of sexy sounds just from eating a cream-filled pastry, then I'd loved to know what she'd sound like when she climaxed.

I also wondered if she had any idea what she was doing to me. It felt like ages since I'd been with a woman. And watching her slide her tongue into the pastry shell and give it a lick was enough to get things twitching in my boxers, as I imagined all the other things she could be doing with that hot, little tongue.

My hand was shaking as I grabbed the other eclair, took a big bite and washed it down with a gulp of coffee. "Yeah, they're really good," I choked out, as I popped the rest in my mouth and downed the last of my coffee.

Probably wondering why my eyes were suddenly popping, she quickly reached around and patted me on the back when I started choking on the stupid coffee. "Trey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it just went down the wrong way."

While I tried to catch my breath, I looked out the kitchen window at the snow coming down, and thought, Yep, it's still snowing pretty hard out there, while I wondered how much more I could take without losing my mind - or my self-control.

Since we had only been snowed in together for a couple of hours, I wondered how crazy things were going to get if we wound up snowbound for another week.

"I'm going to put a fire on in the fireplace to take the chill out of the air. Then maybe we can start working on the tree," I suggested, pointing into the other room; before she did anything else that would get my heart pounding.

I had to admit, it was fun dressing up the tree with Khloe, as she carefully checked out every ornament that my mother had collected over the years, and kept remarking how cute they all were; like the kittens in red stocking caps nestled together in a little green velvet cradle. Or the moose dressed like Santa in a shiny red race car, that she decided should have a place of honor near the top of the tree.

"Oh, my gosh, you were adorable!" Khloe held up a tiny framed picture of me as a baby, inscribed, 'Trey's first Christmas.' She winked, looking me over. "Though you're still kinda cute now."

"My mom gave us each one. So, I'm sure Callan has one, too."

"If he does, I've never seen it," she said, as she turned and hung the little picture on the tree. "We've never had a tree since we've been married, because he thinks decorating is a waste of time when it all has to come down again in the New Year."

Judging by her tone, I had a feeling they might be going through a rough patch, but I didn't want to pry.

When I put the lights on, Khloe came and slipped her arm around me, and we stood together watching them twinkle in the firelight, like little stars peeking out between the branches.

"It's just so pretty all done up with the lights." She sighed, sounding a little wistful. "And don't you just love the smell of a real tree? It really makes it feel like Christmas once the tree goes up."

"Yeah, I've always loved the smell of a freshly cut tree."

Without even thinking, I hugged her a little closer as she smiled up at me, nodding at the couch. "And lucky me, I get to sleep down here with it tonight."

"I sometimes fall asleep in front of the fire, on that big rug on the floor. If you want to sleep there, the fire will keep you nice and warm."

She tugged my hand and led me over to the fireplace. "Then we should try it out."

Before I knew it, I was curled up with my brother's wife in front of the fire, breathing in her intoxicating sweet scent along with the scent of the tree.

"Oh, this is nice and cozy," she said, smiling at me over her shoulder while brushing her little bottom against my twitchy friend.

"Yeah, I love a real fire," I agreed, as we watched the flames dancing around the logs in the big stone fireplace.

"So do I. And it really makes the tree sparkle, doesn't it?"

I nodded. "That it does."

When I noticed she was yawning, I pulled the blanket off the couch and tucked it around us, as Khloe made a contented little mewling sound and snuggled her warm little body in tight against mine.

Though I loved the feel of having her curled up against me, I kept hoping it wasn't enough to start the launch sequence, or it might get embarrassing.

So I was surprised to wake up in the morning spooned against her, with my hand cupping her left breast and my morning wood nestled up tight against her warm little backside.

When I let go of her and tried to pull back to get some space between us, she mumbled something about being cold. So of course, I wrapped my arms around her, and held her close, while wishing with everything I had that my erection would go down before she woke up and wondered what I was up to. Because I don't think when we curled up on the floor together last night that she planned to wake up with her brother-in-law poking her from behind.

I was relieved that she didn't seem to notice my hard on, when she just curled in nice and close and dozed off again.

While I was wide awake, staring into the fiery glow of the dying embers, wondering how I got myself into this mess.

I knew my brother would be furious if he had any idea what we were doing. Though I'm sure he'd be glad that I brought her home with me, rather than leave her stranded in the storm, I don't think he would appreciate us being cuddled up together like this by the fire.

When we woke up a few hours later, I tried to pull away again before she realized how close we were, but she just wrapped her arms around mine, smiled at me over her shoulder and said, "Good morning."

As far as I was concerned, it was a fantastic morning, and one I'd never forget; the morning I woke up with my gorgeous sister-in-law wrapped in my arms.

"Looks like it's still coming down pretty hard out there," I pointed out, nodding at the living room window.

"Well, at least we're nice and warm in here." She sighed, pulling my arms around her a little tighter and tucking her warm little ass up against my morning wood.

"I should probably put some more wood on the fire before it goes out," I suggested, while hoping that she hadn't noticed how hard she'd gotten me. But just in case, I thought I'd better put some distance between us and get up and tend to the fire.

We had breakfast in the kitchen. And I noticed Khloe really seemed to enjoy the fried egg sandwiches I made with toasted bagels and melted cheddar, although they were nothing special.

"Ooh, this is really tasty. And the coffee is just the way I like it, too." She put her cup down and eyed me. "I'm glad one of you knows how to cook, because your brother can barely boil water."

I shrugged, thinking that was weird. "Well, I've been cooking since I was a kid. And I think Callan should know his way around a kitchen, because our mom taught us all the basics. She always said that everyone should at least know how to feed themselves."

I could almost see the wheels going around in her head when she rolled her eyes, picked up her cup and turned her gaze out the window. Which had me thinking he'd probably pretended that he didn't know how to do anything, so she would have to do all the cooking and probably all the housework, too.

I could see that she was blinking back tears, and wiping at her eyes as she stared out at the snow coming down. Wondering if I might have said something that upset her, I reached over and stroked her arm. "Khloe, is everything okay?"

"Before my car broke down, I was planning to go home a few days early so I could break the news to my family before we all got together for Christmas."

I knew something was off, but I was still shocked when she looked at me, drew in a shaky breath and told me what was going on. "Your brother and I have split up, and we're getting a divorce."

"Khloe, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were having problems."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that he's been cheating on me from the beginning. Since he's in sales, he always claimed that his clients expected him to take them out for dinner. But by the time we split up, he was out almost every night of the week, including weekends, so I knew something was going on."

I couldn't believe that my brother would be that stupid. I mean, why would he want to cheat on her and destroy his marriage?

"One day he forgot his phone on the kitchen counter when he went to get a shower. He got a text, so I read it. It was from someone named Candee, with double E's, which I imagined was also her bust size. I felt sick when I read her text: "Mama's waiting for her big sugar bear, so don't be late." Of course, I was livid. When he got out of the shower, I was so angry and hurt, I wanted to throw his phone at him. But I let him go. And as soon as he left, I called my cousin Liz, who is a divorce lawyer, and she said not to worry, that she'd take care of it for me."

I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her hair. While she was sobbing against my chest, I was fuming. I knew she was too good for someone like my brother, who had always been a self-centered jackass who could never keep his dick in his pants. Although I had really hoped that he'd changed his ways once they got married. But apparently not.

She sniffled a bit, took a deep breath and finally gave me a crooked smile. "Not sure if you remember, but you danced with Liz at our wedding. And you must have left quite an impression, because she joked that I'd married the wrong brother."

Funny, I remember thinking the same thing, because I was smitten with Khloe from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Which is why I couldn't understand how my little brother could be stupid enough to mess around on her and break her heart.

"Khloe, if you ever need anything, you know I'm here for you," I told her as I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She let out a shaky breath and looked up into my eyes. "Thank you, Trey. If it's okay, I think I'll go up and get a shower, and I'll clean everything up after."

"My room is the first one on the right. And if you want to have a soak, the switch for the Jacuzzi is by the door. Take as long as you need, and I'll finish up down here."

"You know, you really are a sweetheart." She threw her arms around me and pressed a kiss to my chin, while I held her close, stroking a hand over her back.

She was halfway up the stairs when I grabbed my phone off the table and called out, "If you want to phone your family to let them know you'll be late, you can take my phone up with you."

"I never told them when I was coming, so they aren't expecting me yet. But if it keeps snowing, I might have to call to let them know if I'm going to be late for Christmas."

Not if I could help it. After what my brother had done, the least I could do was make sure she got home in time to celebrate with her family.

**

While I was busy going over some plans, I was glad to see Khloe smiling as she wandered into my office fresh from the shower.

"Is that a new reno you're working on, Trey?"

"No, I've been working with some people who are fixing up old buildings to provide housing for the homeless. And we've been discussing how many square feet each unit should be. Obviously, we're trying to accommodate as many people as we can, but we also want to make sure they'll be comfortable, and won't feel too cramped."

"Would you mind if I had a look?"

Since Khloe was an interior designer, I realized that she might have some ideas on the best use of the limited space we had available for each unit.

"Sure, go ahead, and tell me what you think." I spread the plans out on my desk so she could study them.

I watched fascinated when she grabbed a piece of printer paper, measured out some shapes with a ruler, picked up the scissors and cut them out.

As she placed them on the plans, I saw that she'd cut out a bed, table, couch and what I imagined were chairs, so she could move them around until she found the best fit.

"How's that?" she asked, once she had it all laid out with room to spare.

"Looks good. But that's the biggest unit, so we'll also have to fit the smaller ones."

Though I never imagined us working together, it was fun going through the plans with her and deciding how to make everything work.

"I have a program on my laptop that does this. But I like doing things by hand, so I can see and feel how everything fits."

When she noticed I was trying to keep a straight face about her making things fit with her hands, she laughed. "That didn't come out the way I meant it to, but you get the idea."

I nodded at the room she'd just arranged. "That looks good. Everything fits, and they'll still have room to walk around."

She was still tinkering with the plans, when she casually mentioned, "You've got a beautiful bedroom, and I noticed it's even got a gas fireplace. And you've got a nice big king-size bed, so maybe we could sleep there tonight."

I blinked, wondering if I'd heard her right. Because if I did, then she'd just suggested that we sleep together again -- but this time in my bed.

"At least it'll be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor."

She flashed me a little smile. "I didn't mind."

I was glad because I loved sleeping with her. Even if all we did was sleep, it felt good just to have her close. And now that I knew that they'd split up, at least I could sleep with a clear conscience, knowing I wouldn't be stepping over the line with my brother's wife.

We shared a bottle of wine over dinner while we chatted about the project. I was glad when she said that she'd love to get involved, because I was hoping she would.

Although it didn't surprise me, because I knew she volunteered at things like food banks, especially around the holidays. And she was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed help, like when she came over to my condo to help me choose the window treatments for my living room.

Sensing she was a little nervous about heading up to bed with me, after dinner, I put the TV on in the living room and suggested we watch a movie. And if she'd changed her mind and didn't want to share my bed, I was happy just to sit and enjoy an evening with her.

When Khloe noticed that 'Miracle on 34th Street' was about to start, her eyes lit up. "Oh, that's one of my favorite movies and I've watched it every Christmas since I was a kid."

"Then I guess I'd better make us some popcorn and grab us something to drink." Though I hadn't sat through a Christmas movie in years, I didn't see how I had any choice but to watch it with her.

"It's still coming down pretty hard out there," I mentioned when I came back with the snacks.

"The way the wind is howling, I just hope it doesn't take out any trees." She looked a little nervous gazing out the window.

"Well, at least we're safe and warm in here," I said as I handed her the bowl of hot buttered popcorn, as she smiled and patted the spot beside her.

When I noticed her starting to shiver, I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around us. And I loved the way she curled into my side like she'd been doing it forever, as we watched the movie together.

"That was a really nice movie," I said, wiping at my eyes, feeling a little emotional as the movie ended with the little girl getting the house and the family she'd always wanted.

Chloe covered her mouth and yawned. "I know it might be a little corny. But I love how it all works out in the end and they all live happily ever after in their dream house."

"Yeah, everyone loves a happy ending." I stroked her cheek and pointed at the stairs. "You look tired. Why don't you head up to bed and get some sleep?"

"But it's so warm and cozy here on the couch." She smiled into my eyes. "And I'm sure we could both fit."

I quickly rolled onto my back, pulled her on top of me and slipped my arms around her. "You mean like this?"

"Yep, just like this." Heaving a contented little sigh, she tucked her warm little body into mine and made herself comfy.

As I gently stroked my hand over her back, she looked up at me with those big brown eyes. "Thank you for coming to my rescue last night, Trey. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did."

"I'm just glad I was there to help."

The way she was eyeing my lips as she softly whispered, "Me, too," I held my breath, wondering if she was going to kiss me.

But when she just smiled, tucked her face into my neck, wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight, though I would have loved to have had a taste of her lips, I was happy just to hold her. Because as soon as it finally stopped snowing, I'd be driving her home to her family, and that would be it. And we sure wouldn't be cuddling up together anymore.

I was so glad now that I'd stopped to get gas, and wound up bringing her home with me, because I don't know how she would have managed if she'd been stuck on her own in a blizzard with no car, no phone and no way to get help.

Once I pulled the blanket over us, it didn't take long for us to fall asleep. With her warm, soft body draped over mine, I slept a baby - with a hard on, of course.

In the morning, I woke up staring up into her beautiful brown eyes, teasingly smiling into mine. "Hey, have you got eggs, milk and bread? Because I was thinking of making us French toast for breakfast."

"Yeah, I do. And luckily, my neighbor up the road has a sugarbush, and he just dropped off a couple of bottles of maple syrup for Christmas. So, we've got everything we need."

It felt so good to have her tucked under the blanket with me, I was hoping we could cuddle for a bit before she headed into the kitchen to start breakfast.

But I wasn't that lucky. Although I did like it when she brushed her cute little nose against mine, before she cast aside the blanket and ran upstairs to the bathroom, I still would have loved to have held her a little longer.

After I went up and grabbed a quick shower, Khloe shook her head at me and gave me hip bump when I wandered into the kitchen and suggested, "How about I fry up some bacon to go with the French toast?"

Grinning, she gestured at the table. "How about you make the coffee and set the table, and I'll make breakfast?"

I was glad that she laughed and didn't seem shocked when I dropped a kiss on the end of her nose, winked and told her, "You've got a deal."

Though I hadn't tried the syrup yet, I knew it would be good, because I always got my syrup at my friend Jake's place. Wondering if she'd like to try it, I put a few drops on my finger, and offered her a taste. She had a very naughty look in her eye when she took hold of my wrist and slowly slid her tongue along my finger, before sucking it into the heat of her mouth to lick it clean.

"Hmm, that's good."

I must have blinked for a full minute, because I had no idea she liked to tease. Not that I minded, but no surprise, that was all it took to get things twitching in my boxers again.

After I'd cleared my throat, I suggested, "We'll have to go one day in early spring, so you can try the maple sugar taffy."

"Oh, he makes candy, too?"

"It's really cool; you'll have to see it. He pours lines of boiling hot maple syrup onto packed snow. And as soon as it starts to harden, you roll it around on a popsicle stick and eat it like candy. It's sweet, but super tasty."

"Sounds like fun."

I winked. "Just one of the perks of living out here in the country."

When everything was ready, I poured the coffee, and we carried our plates to the table by the window, so we could watch the snow coming down as we ate.

"What a gorgeous view." She heaved a contented little sigh, as she gazed out at the picture-perfect view of the old red barn surrounded by snowcapped pines and lush green forest that seemed to go on forever.

I nodded and picked up my coffee. "I really love living up here. The air feels so much fresher, and there's never any traffic. The neighbors are all pretty friendly, too. When I lived in the city, people would stare at the floor, so they wouldn't have to say hello in the elevator. But here, everyone waves, even if they're just driving by."

"I know what you mean. Life really is different away from the city. I grew up on the family farm, and we had wonderful neighbors. One year we had a storm, and we lost the roof on our old barn, and the next morning they all came over to help replace it. Of course, my dad and brothers have done the same, because we've always looked out for each other."

"People are the same around here. If anyone's in trouble, we all pitch in to help."

She had her eyes focused on her coffee cup as she mentioned, "I've been thinking, since I mostly work online, that I don't really need to live in the city. But as much as I'd love living out here in the country, I don't think I'd like being out here on my own."

"Well, you know you're always to come and stay here with me." I reached over and squeezed her hand.

Smiling at me over her coffee cup, she winked. "You know, I might just take you up on that."

"Well, now that I've tasted your cooking, I'd love to have you stay, because this is really good." She rolled her eyes and laughed, because she knew I was just teasing. Though I meant the part about her staying, since I was really enjoying her company.

We laughed when we looked outside and saw a flock of hungry birds hopping around on the deck rail, squawking like mad, looking for something to eat.

"Guess I'd better get out there and fill the bird feeder and give them some water before they start tapping on the glass."

"I'll get the water and you get bird seed," Khloe offered as she headed toward the kitchen, while I went and got my boots and coat from the hall closet.

The snow was so deep I had to shovel a path across the deck to get at the bird feeder.

I had just filled the feeder when I heard knocking on the sliding glass door. I turned around and chuckled when I saw Khloe waving my wool hat at me, because she must have noticed that my head was getting soaked with the snow coming down.

When I walked back to the door, she tugged my hat over my head, took my face in her hands, gave me a quick kiss on the lips and smiled. "Wouldn't want you to get cold."

"Thanks."

Although it might not have been the steamy kiss I'd been hoping for, at least she'd finally kissed me on the lips. And all I had to do to get her to kiss me was to go out in a snowstorm and freeze my buns off for the birds.

Khloe had a mug of steaming hot chocolate waiting for me when I came in, which was a pleasant surprise.

I put my wet boots on the tray by the door to dry and thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, and she blushed.

For a moment, we just stood smiling into each other's eyes over our mugs, until I suggested, "I was going to put a fire on in the fireplace, and I was thinking maybe we could watch another movie this afternoon, play some cards or a board game."

"Or..."

"Or what?" I held my breath and waited, hoping she was feeling what I was feeling.

She stepped in close, took hold of me by the chin, brushed her lips across mine, and whispered, "Or, we could stop dancing around each other and head upstairs and try out that great big bed."

"Yeah, we could do that too." I chuckled, wondering how I could be so lucky; while Khloe was already taking me by the hand and leading me upstairs.

We'd barely got into my room and I tipped up her face, gazed into her warm, chocolate brown eyes, lowered my head and took my time and really kissed her. I'd been waiting so long to taste her lips, I wanted to savor every second.

Sliding my hands into her hair, I tipped her head to deepen the kiss. As our tongues tangled, Khloe quietly moaned and wrapped her leg around my thigh and started grinding.

Already rock hard, I lifted her into my arms and gently laid her in the middle of the bed. Standing by the side, smiling down at her, I reached for her right foot and started peeling off her sock. "Let's get these socks off you so I can see these pretty feet."

"Ooh, you have a foot fetish?" She laughed and squirmed as I traced my finger along her instep.

"No." I shook my head. "I don't have a thing for feet; I have a thing for you. Because I've always dreamed of what you'd look like if I ever got you out of your clothes, and thankfully, that dream is finally about to come true."

She looked up at me, surprised. "That's sweet, but kind of kinky, too. You've always acted like such a gentleman, I just never imagined this side of you before."

I swooped down, framed her face in my hands and smiled against her lips. "Probably because you've never invited me to join you in my bed before."

"Well, one of us had to break the ice."

And damn, now that we were finally about to connect, was I ever glad she did.

With my eyes locked on hers, I stood up and peeled off her other sock, and slowly kissed my way across each of her delicate little toes, while she giggled.

Her breasts were heaving pretty hard as I unzipped her jeans, spread them open, pressed my lips to her belly and took my time kissing a path across her warm, soft flesh.

Smiling into my eyes, she lifted her hips so I could pull them off and cast them aside.

"Ooh, sexy." Smiling against her mound, I slid my tongue around her tiny white lace panties with a cute little sprig of mistletoe over her pussy.

I could feel the sting of her hands digging into my hair as her back arched off the bed as I slowly peeled them down, pressing a hot open-mouthed kiss to her glistening sex.

Struggling to catch her breath, she looked at me, confused. "But why are you still dressed?"

"Well, I can remedy that pretty quickly." I loved how she ate me up with her eyes as I did a little striptease for her, tugging my sweater over my head; I swung it around in the air before tossing it aside.

I swear I could feel the heat of her gaze on my body as I pushed my t-shirt up to my neck, to let her get a peek at my abs, as I swivelled my hips and unzipped my jeans, so she could see how hard she'd got me, my erection nearly bulging out of the top of my black, silk boxers.

"Ooh, take it all off, big boy and show me what you got," she coaxed, while I kept teasing, whipping off my t-shirt and casting it aside, leaving me in just my jeans, with my hand poised on my fly.

I loved this playful side of her. She was so much fun, which was something I'd always enjoyed in the bedroom. And now that we were about to get naked together, I was one happy camper.

When she crooked her finger and murmured, "Let me help you with those jeans," I stepped in close, and she didn't waste any time tugging them down to the floor.

My heart was pounding hard to enough to feel in my ears, as she slid her hot little hand over my erection through my boxers.

"Wow!" Her eyes flared as she pushed down my boxers, letting my cock spring free.

I could feel my breath hitch in my throat as she reached out and slowly slid me through her fist, because I knew it wouldn't take much to push me over the edge.

Deciding we'd better slow things down before I embarrassed myself, I crawled onto the bed, captured her face in my hands, and took my time savoring the taste of her luscious lips.

By the time we finally pulled apart, Khloe looked completely blissed-out as I lifted her sweater over her head and unclipped the front clasp on her bra and freed her gorgeous breasts. For a moment I just shook my head, amazed at the perfection of her body; tiny waist, and perky breasts that filled my palms as I massaged them, as I whispered against her lips, "Every inch of you is absolutely gorgeous."

Her eyes dark with arousal, she smoothed her hands down over my abs, smiling as I sucked in a breath. "Well, I think you look pretty hot with your clothes off, mister."

I loved the way she shivered as I dusted kisses over her face, tracing a path across her collarbone, and sliding my tongue around nipples as her hands shot into my hair.

"Ooh, yeah, just like that," she cooed, her breasts heaving as I suckled each nipple in turn, gently tugging them with my teeth.

Kissing my way across her tummy, and licking into her navel, she moaned as I parted her thighs, and slid down the bed, till I was eyeing her hot little pussy.

Every inch of her quivering, I slowly licked a path from her tight back pucker to her swollen clit, sliding two fingers inside her. "Ooh, yes!" she cried out, when I found her G-spot and worked her into an orgasm that had her arching her back off the bed and desperately twisting the sheets in her fists.

She looked so elated and so incredibly sexy, shivering as she reached the peak and climaxed. I swear, just seeing how hard she came was almost enough to get me off.

Desperate to get inside her, I spread her legs, poised my throbbing cock at her opening - and then I froze. "Damn, I'm sorry, but I just realized I don't have any condoms."

She clutched my forearms, imploring to keep going. "It's okay. After we broke up, I had myself tested, and I'm clean and safe, so you don't have to worry."

I flashed her a smile and waggled my eyebrows, while she moaned as I teasingly dragged my cock along her wet folds, until I couldn't hold back anymore. Gritting my teeth, as I pushed in, I could feel my eyes rolling back in my head, as I sank into the heat of her body. Flexing my hips, I slowly began to ease my way in, inch by inch.

Though I was barely lodged inside her, just the heat of her clenching around me was almost enough to push me over the edge.

With her eyes locked on mine, I thrust in a little deeper as I swooped down for a kiss, and she happily smiled against my lips as we took our time and made slow, sweet love; with me gently pumping, and her thrusting up her hips to meet me, neither of us in any hurry to reach the finish line.

The enticing feel of her wrapped around me, with her fingers sliding through my hair, as I eased my way into the heat of her body, was my idea of heaven.

Dusting feather-light kisses over her face, she softly moaned as I kept thrusting. As her inner muscles contracted around me, I could feel her starting to tense, and knew we were almost there. My balls grew tight, as I clenched my jaw, put my weight on my hands, driving into her harder and faster with each stroke. Her eyes as dark as coal, she tugged my head down and feverishly kissed me as I began to erupt, flooding her body. And I just kept on coming, harder than I'd ever come in my life.

Still shivering from the aftershocks, Khloe looked into my eyes and whispered, "Wow!"

Afraid to crush her, I smiled and pulled out, rolled onto my back beside her, and reached for her hand.

As we stared up at the ceiling, struggling to catch our breath, I knew I had never experienced anything even close to what we'd just shared. The way we'd connected felt like so much more than just sex. And I knew it had to be her, because she was the only woman who had ever rocked me right to the soles of my feet.

I was so tempted to tell her what I was feeling, because I'd never felt so overwhelmed. But since we'd only been together a few days, I thought I should wait until she let me know how she felt about us having a future together, because I already knew that these few days we were spending together would never be enough.

Tucking her warm, soft body into mine, she smiled up into eyes. And as she tried to stifle a yawn, I pressed a kiss to her lips and whispered, "Sleep tight." And that's exactly what we did, I realized, when we woke up in the morning spooned together with her backside tucked in tight against my morning wood and my hand cradling her breast.

The way the snow was coming down, I knew we wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon because the plows hadn't even been out yet, which was just fine with me. When I pointed at the window and told her, "It's still coming down pretty hard out there." Khloe just waggled her eyebrows and flashed me a naughty smile.

So, it seemed like I wasn't the only one who was glad that we were snowed in, so we could spend a little more time together before we had to drive up to see her family, where I knew we'd have to behave ourselves, which meant no more sexy fun.

"Have you ever seen Love Actually? It's a wonderful Christmas movie." Khloe said, tracing a finger around my lips.

I guess she must have caught me rolling my eyes at the thought of watching another sappy holiday movie, because she pushed me onto my back, and looked me in the eye. "Hey, why am I getting the feeling that you're not that into Christmas?"

"I used to love Christmas. When I was a kid, it was my favorite time of the year. I remember my brothers and I waking up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning and racing downstairs, excited to see what Santa left for us under the tree. But I stopped believing when I was about seven."

"Why? What happened?"

I blew out a breath, not sure how much I wanted to share. But the way she was eyeing me, I knew I didn't have any choice. "My mother was taking us to the mall to have our picture taken with Santa. My brothers had big, long list of things they wanted. But I only asked for one thing."

"What did you ask for?" She traced a finger along my jaw, keeping her eyes on mine.

I sighed thinking back, because it was something I tried to forget. "My parents were constantly bickering and fighting over things that we were too young to understand, but I just hated it when they'd yell at each other and call each other names. So, all I wanted from Santa was a happy, peaceful Christmas, with no fighting."

"Oh, Trey, how sad."

"I think Santa thought so too, because he gave me a big hug, patted me on the back and told me he'd do what he could do. On the drive home, I remember feeling really hopeful, because I figured if he could fly around the world in one night and deliver all the toys, then surely, he could find a way for my family to have a happy Christmas."

"So, did you get your wish?"

"No, I didn't get my wish, because my father left us for another woman on Christmas Eve. I remember my mother was so upset, she cried all day. And my older brother made us peanut butter sandwiches for Christmas dinner."

"Your poor mother must have been devastated."

"I think we all were. Being a kid, I really believed in the magic of Christmas, but I stopped believing after that."

I could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she buried her face in my neck, wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight.

"Hey," I tipped up her chin, and wiped away her tears. "But that was thirty years ago, so I'm over it now."

"You know, I wondered why Callan didn't want to invite his father to the wedding."

"Probably because he never bothered with us much after he left, and we lost touch with him."

"It must have been hard for your mother having to raise three kids on her own."

I nodded, thinking back. "My mom was a school secretary. And after my father left us, she had to get a second job working nights as a waitress just to make ends meet. She always looked tired, but she never complained.

"We had a neighbor across the street who had lost his wife, and he'd come over and help my mother with anything she needed. And he was really good to us, too. He'd help us with our homework, take us for ice cream, toss a football around the yard, put stuff together for us, everything a dad would do. So, we were pretty happy when they decided to get married. He was a contractor, and he taught me everything I know about building. When he died in his sleep a few years ago, we all took it really hard, because he was the one we called Dad."

"Your mother was lucky though, to have a second chance with someone who loved her enough to help her with her children."

"Yeah, we were all glad that Bruce came into our lives."

"Now I can understand now why you're not into Christmas."

"But you know what would cheer me up?" I dropped a kiss on the end of her nose, and squeezed her buns and she laughed.

Grinning, Khloe brushed her lips across mine, and sucked my bottom lip between her teeth. "Let me guess. Does it have something to do with what's poking up between us?"

"You mean this?" I asked, as I spread her legs and nudged her pussy with my erection.

Her eyes flared. "Are you always hard?"

Stroking my hand across her bare back, I gazed across the room and thought about it. "Yeah, I'm always hard when we get in bed together at night. And waking up with your sweet little ass tucked in against me, is guaranteed to give me morning wood." I smiled and brushed my lips across hers. "And whenever you're naked and spread over me like this, you get me rock hard."

She laughed. "No kidding."

Coyly smiling down at me, she straddled my thighs, poised my erection at her opening, and softly moaned as she eased herself down, inch by inch, till she was fully impaled, and I was balls deep in her sweet little pussy.

She winked. "Now, let's see what else we can do to put a smile on that handsome face."

I knew I had to be smiling my ass off, because it didn't get much better than this; watching her ride me, gasping as she plunged me deep inside her, and digging her hands in my hair, as she claimed my mouth in a smokin' hot kiss. No wonder I was crazy about her, because rocked my world like no one had ever rocked it before.

No surprise, it didn't take long till we were both seeing stars, and crying out, "Yesss!" as we came together in an earth-shattering rush.

Looking pretty pleased with herself, Khloe collapsed in my arms, with me still buried inside her. "I just love this with you," she whispered, as I gently stroked her back, while we tried to remember how to breathe.

But I soon had her squealing and laughing, when I scooped her off the bed, patted her backside and told her, "Shower time."

Of course, we both enjoyed running our hands over each other as we washed and played and laughed under the spray, especially since she seemed to enjoy the way I washed her pussy, with my tongue and fingers.

I wished I could read her mind and know what she was feeling as I wrapped my arms around her, sank my tongue between her lips and kissed with everything I had.

No surprise, just the feel of her wrapped around me, was enough to start the launch sequence again. When I spun her around, she laughed and grinned at me over her shoulder as I bent her over at the waist, and slipped two fingers inside her and got her nice and juicy, so I could slide right in and give us both what we needed.

Seeing the way she was clawing at the tiles, hissing, "Yesss!" as I pounded her sweet little pussy, I knew she was almost there, and I was right there with her.

Clenching my jaw, I dug my hands into her hips to hold her steady, as I kept pumping in a nice steady rhythm, I felt a warning tingle shooting up my spine. As she began to shudder and cry out, "Ooh, yes!" I tossed back my head and growled like a bear, utterly blown away by how crazy good it felt to be buried inside her as we both came hard enough to almost knock us off our feet.

She clung to me like a lifeline when I turned her in my arms, dusting grateful kisses over her eyes, nose and lips, till she tugged down my head and kissed me like a woman possessed.

I loved this fiery side of her, grinding her pussy against my thigh, while she nearly kissed me senseless.

When we turned off the shower and got out to dry off, we got into a laughing fit, and we had tears running down our faces, when I insisted on drying her off, but kept licking her nipples, while she was squealing and laughing like crazy. Devilishly smiling, I parted her thighs and dragged my tongue over her little pink pussy, and worked my clit with my thumb, while she squirmed and squealed like mad, writhing on the bathroom counter.

"Trey, you maniac! You keep that up, you're gonna make me come!"

She suddenly stopped laughing and her eyes flared when I pressed my lips to her ear and quietly whispered, "That's the idea, sweet cheeks, because I love seeing you shiver right down to your toes when you lose it, especially when I've got my mouth on you."

Once Khloe had broken the ice when she'd invited me to join her in bed, though I'd never been married, it felt like we were on our never-ending honeymoon because all we did was make love, pretty much around the clock.

One morning, we were having breakfast, when I looked across the table and noticed the way she was biting into her lip and slowly letting her eyes slide over me. I winked, and flashed her a smile because I knew what we'd be doing as soon as we finished eating.

Like we always did, we were clearing up together, and as soon as we'd loaded the dishwasher, I spun her around, slid my hands into her hair, tipped her head back and kissed a path along her neck to her ear, and told her, "I'm going to put a fire on, and you're going to strip us both off, and show me what that look was for."

She grinned like a Chesire cat, as she ran a hand down over my body. "Ooh, nice and hard, just the way I like you," she murmured, stroking my cock through my jeans. "Why don't you go ahead and set the fire, while I slip into something more comfortable," she teased with a wink as she sauntered her way upstairs.

The fire was roaring in the fireplace, and my poor cock was throbbing like a bitch, when I turned my head at sound of her sexy heels tapping on the staircase. Eyes wide, I could feel my dick lurch as I watched her make her way down the stairs, in the tiniest red lace outfit I'd ever seen, open at the front, with nothing underneath but her smooth bare skin and a fiery red thong.

I almost swallowed my tongue. She just looked so hot in her tiny, see-through babydoll, my mind was reeling at the thought of her stripping me off and having her way with me, while I enjoyed having my way with her.

Hips swaying, she crossed the room with a naughty look in her eye, as they slowly slid over my body, like a physical caress, while my cock was nearly screaming at me to get my fucking clothes off.

She took hold of me by the chin, brushed her lips across mine, and murmured, "This is going to be fun."

All I could do was nod, because I couldn't remember ever feeling so overwhelmed. Though I knew she was in the mood to play, I needed to get inside her before I messed up my jeans.

Her stormy brown eyes locked on mine, she unbuttoned the cuffs on my black flannel shirt, and licked into my mouth with a teasing growl, as my cock nearly busted past my fly.

Always the lady, I had no idea that she'd be the type to behave like this. And I gotta say, I absolutely loved this naughty side of her that had come out to play.

Pushing my shirt off my shoulders, she slyly grinned and slid her fingers through my chest hair, all the way down to my fly. My eyes almost popped out of my head, when she unzipped me and dropped to her knees, tugging my jeans and my boxers down to the floor.

As my cock sprang free, no surprise, I was rock hard and oozing at the thought of her stretching those pretty pink lips around me when she slid me into her mouth.

Staring straight into my eyes, she wrapped her hand around me and started stroking. Afraid my knees were going to buckle, I watched her lash out her tongue and ever so slowly, traced a path around my swollen crown, softly moaning at the feel of my hot flesh sliding over her tongue.

My legs were trembling as she clutched my thighs and plunged me deep into the heat of her mouth. My hands digging into hair as she applied a little suction, till she had me right on the edge, as I flexed my hips, pumping in and out of her mouth.

She was so deep in the zone, she let out a startled gasp when I pulled out and spun her around, and got her down on all fours, with her tight little ass poised in the air.

Pushing aside her thong, I lined myself up and told her, "I want to be inside you when I come."

Eyelids at half-mast, she smiled at me over her shoulder. "Hmm, yes please."

Her pussy was so wet, she was dripping, as I eased my way inside her and started pumping.

"Oooh, yesss!" she hissed as I reached around and worked her clit, till I had her in a full-body shudder.

"Ooh, you feel so good." Groaning as I picked up my pace, I knew this was where I was meant to be -- hopefully for the rest of my life, buried as deep as I could go in this gorgeous, sexy, amazing woman.

Rotating my hips, I changed the angle, till I knew I was hitting her right where she needed me, when she tossed back her head and cried out, "Oh, Trey, I'm coming, so fucking hard!"

Chuckling, because I'd never heard her swear before, I told her, "Then come all over my cock, because I'm right here with you, baby."

Gritting my teeth, I grasped her hips in my hands. While she began to shiver, I kept on pumping, driving into her deep, fast and hard, every inch of me quaking, as my balls let go, erupting as deep inside her as I could go. Both of us were shaking and gasping for air as a tidal wave of pleasure swept over us. Kissing a path along her spine, she shivered as I gently nipped her earlobe and bared my soul, whispering, "I love you, Khloe."

Although she never responded, I knew she had to be feeling it too, from the way she was clenching me inside and silently nodding her head.

We collapsed in a heap on the rug by the fire, both wearing the same satisfied smiles, as I reached for her hand and pressed it to my lips.

As I realized what I'd said, I thought, well at least she knows how I feel, because this was no fling, this was the real deal - at least for me.

I thought eventually we'd start to slow down, but our little honeymoon never ended. And I had never been hornier in my life. I just had to see that teasing look in her eye, and my cock would start to stir, knowing that I'd soon be tugging her down to the floor, bending her over the couch, or she'd be crawling into my lap at the kitchen table, with the birds looking on while we kissed each other silly, while mating like animals in heat.

I'd gotten so comfortable with what we were sharing, when I woke up one morning to the sound of snow plows rumbling along the road, I couldn't believe that our time together was ending.

Khloe opened her eyes, and blinked, looking confused. "What's that rumbling sound?"

"They're plowing the roads, because it finally stopped snowing."

"Oh." She heaved a sad little sigh, and stroked a finger along my jaw. "Then I guess I'd better shower, and get dressed, and pack up my things."

As she was heading into the bathroom, I wanted to say, "But we're still going to keep seeing each other, aren't we?" But she closed the bathroom door before I could get the words out.

We were both pretty quiet as we ate the eggs and toast I'd made for breakfast, till I made her laugh when I suggested, "So, I'm guessing no bending you over the couch at your parents' place?"

"Since they don't even know that Callan and I broke up, you can't do anything to make them think that there might be something going on between us."

"Not even after everyone's gone to bed?"

She stared me in the eye. "No. We can't fool around in my parents' house."

I shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask."

She just rolled her eyes and laughed.

We held hands on the drive up north to her family farm, shooting glances across the car, as I wondered how it would feel to spend the holiday with her family. Especially since I'd have to remember not to touch her or do anything to arouse their suspicions about what we'd been up to while the two of us were snowed in.

When I noticed she was staring out the window looking pensive, I tugged her hand. "Hey, you're awfully quiet over there. Is everything okay?"

"Just thinking about how silly I was to get involved with your brother."

"I guess now that you're getting divorced, you've got some regrets."

I just let her talk when she gradually started explaining what happened.

"We met at a New Year's party. And I thought he was really funny. He kept bringing me drinks, and we laughed all night. So, when he asked for my number, I didn't think twice.

"But things got serious really fast, and he proposed six weeks later on Valentine's Day. I guess because he was in sales, he convinced me that we were meant to be together. And before I realized what we'd done, he was planning the wedding.

"I always wondered why he was in such a hurry to get married, that he even picked the venue before we'd agreed on a date. Until we had dinner one night with his boss and his wife and everything clicked into place.

"Callan had gone to the restroom, and his boss smiled and patted my hand and said he was glad that he'd taken his advice and married such a beautiful young lady, because he'd never get the promotion he was eyeing unless he settled down. Apparently, the company preferred their top executives to be married, thinking they'd be less likely to be out partying and drinking every night than some of the single guys in the office."

"I never knew he did that." Although it made sense, because my brother Callan never did anything unless there was something in it for him. "Did you discuss it with him after the dinner?"

"I did. But he claimed it was love at first sight, and it had nothing to do with his promotion. That was when I began to have doubts."

"I could see why."

"And I wondered why he picked me to marry, because he kept trying to change me."

"Why would he want to change you? I think you're perfect just as you are."

"Well, obviously he didn't think so. We were having breakfast one morning, and he asked me if I'd ever thought about dying my hair, because he thought I'd look really hot as a platinum blonde."

"I love the color of your hair; it's such a beautiful, rich shade of brown."

"Well, I'm guessing he was into blondes, because he brought it up more than once."

I shook my head, wondering what was wrong with my brother and why he'd do that to her.

"Oh, and for my 24th birthday, he offered to get me a boob job. He showed me a bunch of pictures on his phone of some really busty babes, trying to convince me that I'd look so much hotter with a big honking pair of knockers."

I gave her hand a squeeze and told her, "I think you know by now that I love every last thing about you, and I wouldn't change a thing."

"Well, now that I've got to tell my family about the divorce, I'm starting to realize that we were done even before I saw that text, because I couldn't trust him and I couldn't take anymore of his lying and cheating and putting me down. Which is why we stopped sleeping together a long time before we split up. And now I'm just sorry that I waited so long to call my cousin to arrange the divorce."

"Well, at least you're free now."

When I realized we were on the road that led to the farm, I handed her my phone. "You should call and ask if they need anything, because we're almost there."

"My mother always makes enough to feed an army. So, there's no point in calling. When I called the other day to let her know that I might be a little late because of the storm, she noticed your name on the call display, and she asked why I was using your phone. I told her about you coming to my rescue when I was stranded, but because I'm a terrible liar, I got a little tongue when I tried to convince her that I'd been sleeping in one of the other bedrooms at your house. And when she started asking about Callan, I lied and said the connection was cutting out, and promised I'd see her soon, and hung up. So, I don't want to get into over the phone again."

"Probably better to tell them in person."

She nodded. "I think so, too."

I noticed a gas station was selling flowers, so I picked some up for her mom, because I'd already brought some wine for dinner.

Stopped at a red light, I leaned over, turned her face and kissed her, and I loved how she smiled against my lips. I wanted to kiss her one last time before we had to face her family, knowing we'd have to try to convince them that nothing funny was going on between us.

Which wasn't going to be easy, considering their pretty little daughter had become my whole world.

As we drove down the country road to the farm, Khole gave me a bit of a rundown on her family, so I would know what to expect. Though she had mentioned that her grandmother was a bit of a character, and often came out with whatever popped in her head, I was still surprised when we walked into the house and the old dear clapped her hands together, laughed and said, "Oh good! You brought the cute one!" While the rest of the family all laughed.

Thankfully, they were so happy that Khloe had come in time for Christmas, no one asked too many questions, as I shook hands with everyone and kissed her mom, gave her the flowers, and gave her dad the wine.

I had only planned to stay overnight, but her mother informed me that she'd made a bed for me in the attic, and insisted I stay and enjoy the holiday with her family.

Khloe and I both smiled when we noticed the big, tall tree in the family room that was covered in one of a kind decorations, that she explained had been handed down through her family for generations. Which I thought was a really nice tradition.

We had just sat down for lunch, and as her mother was passing around the pickles, she looked around, confused. "But where's Callan? Is he driving up later?" As it probably occurred to her that Khloe had come without her husband.

I wished I were sitting beside Khloe, so I could hold her hand, as I watched her draw in a long, slow breath to try and steady her nerves, before she explained it to her family. "He's not coming because we broke up, and we're getting a divorce."

"Oh, my," her mother said, looking worriedly at her husband.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," her father said, and reached out and patted her hand.

When Khloe lifted her gaze and looked into my eyes across the table, I wanted her to know that I had her back. She looked so upset that I wished I could get up and give her a hug, but I knew that would look a little strange if we were only supposed to be in-laws.

Over dinner one night, Khloe had mentioned that no one in her family had ever divorced. Which was why she was so nervous about telling her family that her marriage was over. Apparently, on her wedding day, her mother had told her before she got married that marriage isn't always easy, so she had better be sure that the person she was about to marry was the man she planned to spend the rest of your life with, because once they tied the knot there was no turning back.

And now she was telling her family that she didn't want to be married to her husband anymore.

I think we were all relieved when a few of the kids began singing Jingle Bells, and everyone laughed and joined in. It was just what we needed to lighten the mood, and we all forgot about the Callan and got back to enjoying the lunch.

It was fun spending time with her family. Though it felt a little awkward when everyone was passing around and opening gifts, that I had nothing for Khloe.

Although I had something in mind that I planned to give her later, once everyone had gone to bed.

When it looked like all the presents had been opened, the kids jumped up, all excited, laughing and clapping their hands, when Khloe's older brother David surprised them when he came bounding into the room dressed as Santa Claus, with a big bag full of toys calling out, "Ho, ho ho! Merry Christmas!"

And we all enjoyed seeing how happy they were with their new toys, as they played with them by the tree.

Khloe's little nephew Caleb was having trouble with his new truck, so he crawled over to me, looked up into my eyes and said, "Can you help?"

Of course, I was happy to show him how it fit together. And I'd fixed it, he patted my knee and said, "Thank you," as he went back to playing with it on the floor.

Dinner was incredible. There was just so much food. But with her big, happy family, eating and laughing through dinner, it didn't take long for the turkey, spiral ham and all the trimmings to disappear.

I don't know how anyone had room for dessert, but we still managed a couple of bites of the tasty pies and Christmas cookies that Khloe's family had made.

Once everyone decided it was time to say goodnight and started heading off to bed, I winked at Khloe and gestured toward the laundry room. She gave a little smile and nodded to let me know she understood.

As soon as we got inside and closed the door behind us, I framed her face in my hands and took my time and showed her how desperately I'd wanted to kiss her.

Smiling against my lips, she wrapped her arms around my waist and sighed. "Hmm, I needed that."

"So how are you holding up?"

"I'm actually doing okay, probably because they took the news a lot better than I thought they would. And when we were kitchen, my mother told me that as long as I'm happy, she's happy for me."

"You've got a really nice family, Khloe. And I had a feeling they'd understand that you couldn't stay with him if you weren't happy."

She smirked when I picked her up and sat her on the washer and stepped between her legs. "Remember, no fooling around in here."

"I'm not fooling around," I told her, as I peppered kisses all over her face, making her laugh.

Khloe had her hands in my hair and her legs wrapped around me, and she was sucking on my tongue, when the laundry room door suddenly flew open and her grandmother poked her head in, and gasped when she caught us.

"Just as I thought. I noticed the way you two were looking at each other today, and I had a feeling that something was going on between you."

I helped Khloe off the dryer, while her grandmother shook her head at us, though I could see the amusement in her eyes.

Before I could think of what to say, her grandmother pointed a finger at me. "I just have one question for you, young man. Did you have anything to do with the breakup of her marriage?"

When I told her the truth and said, "No, ma'am, I had nothing to do with it." She nodded, looking pleased.

"Well, then, I guess I'll go back to bed and let you two enjoy yourselves."

As she was about to leave, she winked at me. "I told her at the wedding that she'd married the wrong brother. And it looks like I was right."

Once her grandmother had closed the door and gone back upstairs, Khloe sagged against me. "Whew! That was a close one."

"Well, at least we had our clothes on."

She laughed. "Thank goodness we did, or we might have scandalized my poor old gran."

"Naw, she's pretty cool. She probably would have just laughed."

I chuckled, when I remembered why we'd snuck into the laundry room. Reaching into my pocket, I placed the little red velvet bag in her hand, and told her, "This is for you."

Looking at it in her hand, she said, "What's this?"

"Why don't you open it and see?"

When she pulled the drawstrings and peeked inside, she said, "Oh, it's a key."

I nodded. "It's a key to the farmhouse."

Her eyes got a little misty and I pulled her in for hug, kissed the top of her head and told her, "You mentioned that you'd love to live in the country, so now you've got a place to stay - with me, for just as long as you want to stay."

For the longest time I just hugged her, till she finally drew in a shaky breath and pointed at the door. "I think we should head upstairs and get to bed, because everyone's going to be up pretty early for breakfast tomorrow."

I opened the door a crack and checked to make sure no one was around before we headed upstairs. At her bedroom door, I quietly pressed a kiss to her lips and whispered, "I'll see you in the morning."

Khloe gave me a hug, kissed my cheek and smiled. "Goodnight, sleep tight."

As I crawled into the little bed her mother had set up for me in the attic, I kept wondering if this would be it for us, and Khloe would go back to the city, and I'd go back to the farm and all we'd have was the memory of those incredible few days that we were snowed in together.

I woke up, trying to shield my eyes from the sun that was streaming in through the blinds. Since I was wide awake, I decided I might as well get up and get dressed and go see if it had snowed.

When I got downstairs and took a peek out the living room window, though I could tell that it hadn't snowed much, I thought since we'd be leaving soon, I should still go out and clear the snow off the cars.

I had just opened the front door and took a step outside, and out of nowhere it felt like someone slammed the side of my head with a brick. As I fell to the ground clutching my face, I looked up, shocked to see my brother Callan standing over me with his fists clenched, yelling, "How dare you fuck around with my wife?"

Khloe came running out of the house and dropped to her knees beside me, glaring up at Callan.

Though my head was spinning, I actually chuckled when I remembered what Mike Tyson said about getting hit. Everyone has a plan, till they get punched in the face.

Since I had been planning a future with Khloe, I never dreamed my brother would show up and send me flying on my ass, because he suddenly decided that he wanted his wife back.

While Callan was cursing up a storm, shooting daggers at me, I shut my eyes and said, "You don't deserve her."

"What did you say?" He leaned in, waving his fist in my face.

Eyes blazing, Khloe shot to her feet and shoved him back. "He said that you don't deserve me. And you don't. I'm done with you, Callan. I'm done with your lying and cheating and trying to make me over into someone you'd want to be with. And how dare you come here and attack your brother, who has been nothing but kind to me. You turn around and get back in your car and go back to Candee, or whoever you're screwing around with, or I'll call the police and have you arrested for assault."

The whole family had come outside, except for the kids. And as her father, brothers and in-laws surrounded him, Callan, raised his hands and backed away "Okay, I'll go. But I'm not done with you, Khloe."

His face beet read, her father rushed over and grabbed him by the collar, got in his face and shouted, "My daughter said she's done with you, so it's over. Now get in your car and go home. And don't you ever come near her again."

Callan looked shaken as nodded, and mumbled, "Okay." And as he turned and ran back to his car, her mother got down on her knees, and took my hand. "Trey, stay where you are and don't try to move. We've called an ambulance, and they should be here soon."

I wondered why Khloe's sister was crying, till I heard her telling her father, "When Callan called looking for Khloe, and I told him that she was here with his brother, I never dreamed he'd do anything like this."

**

The doctor said I was lucky that nothing was broken, but said I'd have a pretty nasty shiner for a couple of weeks. And when he gave me a couple of Tylenol for my headache, he said the pain should gradually fade away.

I had to keep reminding Khloe and her mother that all I had was a headache and a black eye, so they didn't have to keep fussing over me. But as I was watching a football game with her dad and brothers, they kept bringing us drinks and snacks, while checking my temperature every hour.

Because they brought everyone snacks, her dad laughed, lowered his voice and said, "Hey, don't discourage them, because this doesn't happen very often. So, if I were you, I'd milk it for all it's worth."

Once everyone agreed that I was okay to drive, we said goodbye to her family and thanked them for taking care of me. And I made a point of giving her grandmother an extra big hug, while her eyes danced with mischief as she snickered about our little secret.

We were driving down the highway, and were about two miles from my place when we drove into a whiteout. It was coming down so hard, everyone slowed to a crawl, since we could barely see the road.

Khloe sat up in her seat, looking anxious. "Trey, I think we should pull over."

"Well, we're almost at my place. It's just off the next exit."

She nodded. "Okay, then let's go home."

I was smiling as we made our way off the highway, because I loved the idea of the old farmhouse being 'our' home.

Since the plows and sanders hadn't been out yet, the road was pretty icy, and I was thinking I'd be glad when we finally made it home.

"Oh, my gosh." Khloe pointed ahead. "Trey, look, there's an animal on the side road, and I just hope it hasn't been hurt."

I pulled my truck over as far as I could, grabbed the blanket from the back seat and carefully climbed down onto the icy road. As I approached, I quietly told him, "You're okay, boy, no one's going to hurt you." Though the poor little guy looked half frozen from how he was shivering, he still looked pretty happy to see me since his tail was wagging like mad.

He let me wrap him in the blanket and pick him up, and he was so happy I'd found him he even licked my face as I was carrying him back to the truck.

I handed him to Khloe, and she laughed when he licked her, too. "You're a friendly little guy, aren't you?" Khloe gently stroked his head as I cranked up the heat.

We noticed he had no collar and no tags, so I imagined that someone had abandoned the poor little guy. And I was glad we found him, or he might not have made through the night. "Some people think they can survive on their own, which they can't, because they've never had to fend for themselves. But when we get home, I'll check online to see if anyone is looking for him, just in case."

When we got home, I set a fire in the fireplace and put the dog on the rug to warm up, with the blanket tucked around him. While Khloe was in the kitchen trying to find him something to eat because we knew he had to be hungry.

She scrambled a couple of eggs and let them cool, while the little guy licked his paws by the fire. I just hope that he hadn't been walking all day looking for his owners.

When we carried him into the kitchen and put the bowl of eggs in front of him, he gobbled them up so fast he almost choked. Which I noticed got Khloe a little teary- eyed, and we both wiped at our eyes as we realized he must have been starving and really thirsty too, from the way he drank right to the bottom of the bowl.

Still, after all he'd been through, he came over to us wagging his tail. As I bent down to pet him, I said, "What are we going to call you, little guy?"

"How about Nicky, because we found him at Christmas?"

I chuckled, as I stroked his little head. "Yeah, I think it suits him too, because he has kind of a reddish coat."

And now that I'd had a chance to enjoy Christmas with Khloe's family, I had such a good time that I realized it was just a nice time to spend together with the people you love. And I was hoping that one day, Khloe and I would be spending the holidays with kids of our own.

"So... is he going to live here with you?" She asked, watching me pet him as he wagged his tail.

I stood up and smiled, tipped up her chin and whispered against her lips, "Or... he could live here with us. Because now you've got a key, and we've got this sweet little dog. And if you want, you could marry the right brother."

She laughed. "I wish I knew that was an option, before I married the other one."

I was thinking the same thing.

She slipped her arms around my waist, looking up at me. "You know, I like that you've always been honest with me. Because honesty is something I really admire, and I even think it's kind of sexy."

"Well then, I'm going to get really sexy, and tell you the truth. I have always been more than a little in love with you from the moment I first saw you."

Smiling, she tightened her arms around me. "Well, if we're being honest, when we danced together at the wedding, I wished I could have met you first, because you were so charming and so much fun. And while we were dancing, I noticed Callan at the bar, flirting with the busty blonde bartender, which really stung, because we had just been married.

"Though he later claimed that they were only joking around, and said it was okay to look as long as he didn't touch, he sowed the seeds of doubt in my mind that night, and I never felt like I could trust him. But I do feel like I can trust you."

"Then I think we should try living together for a while, and when you're ready, we can get married."

"I like that idea, because I think I'm going to love living here with you."

When Nicky came over wagging his tail, I told him, "Did you hear that? She said yes!"

Khloe laughed, and wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "How could I say no to Mr. Right?"

"You know I was thinking, I'd like to get you a car with four-wheel drive, now that you'll be driving out here in the country."

"But what about my old car?"

I shrugged. "We can fix it up and donate it somewhere."

"That's a nice idea."

"And as soon as the weather clears up, I want to take you to see one of the building sites. They sent me a few pictures, and I think it looks great, but it would be good if you could see in person, so you can see how it all fits."

She smiled, and touched her lips to mine. "Well, I think we're a perfect fit. And I am so glad you came to my rescue."

I hugged her tight. "You and me both."