A Christmas Proposal: A Hidden Threat Short Story Read Online Free PDF

not completely together took over. She moved to straddle him, pressing herself closer to that part of him she wanted inside of her. 
    But just when she began lowering herself toward her goal, Matthew’s hands stilled her movements. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Matthew had never stopped her before. He was usually the one initiating it. She wondered if she was missing something. 
    Matthew bit down on the side of his cheek. He needed to remember the plan here. As much as he wanted to make love to her right this minute, he knew that if that happened the rest of what he had planned for tonight would be shot. He couldn’t let that happen. 
    “Nothing’s wrong.” She raised a questioning eyebrow in disbelief. “I promise,” he said, punctuating it with a brief kiss. 
    “Then why did you stop? Don’t you want to?” she said, running a seductive hand down his torso.
    Matthew stifled a laugh. “Of course I want to,” he said, stopping her hand’s descent.
    “Then what’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?” 
    His hand rubbed up and down her arms trying to comfort her. She was going into doctor mode and that was the last thing he wanted. “If we start now the chances of us going back downstairs tonight are slim to none, and I want to be able to give you your presents, Ms. Stanton.”
    She flung her arms playfully around his neck. “If these presents are so important, why are we wasting time up here in a bath?”
    Matthew let his fingers brush against the tops of her breasts. “Maybe I just wanted to distract you.” She sucked in a breath, letting her head fall back. He used the opportunity to slip his hand between them. Sex was not on the cards right now, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t give her a little pleasure. 

 
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Thirty minutes later, they were both dressed and downstairs. Cali was getting hungry, so they both loaded the leftovers onto plates and tossed them into the microwave. It was such a normal thing to do, but Matthew found himself taking notice. If she said yes, he would be doing things like this with her for the rest of his life. He couldn’t think of anything better. 
        Once they’d finished eating, he guided her into the living room. They both knelt down in front of the tree, and he handed Cali her first gift. Other than the ring, he had no idea what to get her so he’d enlisted Lisa’s help. He could only hope she liked his choices.
    She tore at the paper, nearly shredding it before opening the lid. He knew instantly that he’d done well. She had a huge smile on her face as she removed the long white doctor’s coat from the box. The sales clerk had told him that doctors liked pockets, the more the better. This one had seven, and he watched her inspect each one of them. 
    “Thank you,” she said, leaning over to kiss him. 
    “You’re welcome,” he chuckled.
    “My turn.” With a flourish, she handed him a small package about the size of his fist. 
    He was a little more careful opening his gift, trying not to tear the paper any more than necessary. Unlike his prior experiences growing up with his brother, Cali waited patiently. It was just one more reason why he loved her. 
    When he finally managed to open the rectangular box, he almost fainted. “How did you know?”
    “A little bird told me,” she smirked. 
    “Jason,” he surmised. 
    There staring back at him was the watch he’d been dreaming about getting for the last few months. He was a very practical man. This watch wasn’t practical. It did things that he’d never have a use for, like telling him what time it was right now in Singapore, and satellite positioning. Years ago when he was in the military this watch would have been justifiable. Now it was just an extravagance. 
    “You didn’t have to . . .”
    She held up her white coat. “Neither did you.”
    “That’s different.”
    “No,” she said. “It’s not.” Before he could argue, she encouraged him to put it