A Touch of Winter (A Short Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the cradle of his body.
    For a few minutes, the only sound was their ragged breathing and then Jack kissed her, so gently she trembled. 'I can never get enough of you. You know that, don’t you?'
    With an effort, she lifted a shaking hand to his face. His beloved face. 'Is that really true?'
    He turned his head to kiss her hand. 'How can I convince you how much I love you?' There was a touch of hopelessness in his voice, something she wasn’t used to hearing from him.
    A stab of guilt shot through her.  Jack had worked 24/7 for the last five weeks and he had come home to find that Paloma needed him. At his core, Jack was a decent man. Her man. Her Dom. He would always go out of his way to help a friend, but not explain or expect her to understand.
    Love was the four letter word that people obsessed about, but trust was harder to find and earn.
    While she kept people at a distance, she had never needed it.  Tough independent Abbie Marshall. Racing from one war zone to another.  Never laying her head on the same pillow twice.
    The question was: did she trust Jack? And there was only one answer. She pressed her face against Jack’s naked skin and inhaled him. My man. My home.
    She sighed. He had said it, so she believed it. 'I still don’t understand why. You’re surrounded by beautiful women all the time. Why me?'
    He sat up and stared at her, dumbfounded. 'Are you kidding? I don’t know how I got so lucky. I play tough guys on screen, but you’re a real-life action hero. The studio has a ten million dollar insurance policy on me, and won’t let me do more than minor stunts on my own. You go into the depths of hell to chase a story, and you drag the bad guys, kicking and screaming, into the light of day. How many people have been jailed because of your stories?'
    She shrugged. 'A few. I don’t keep count.'
    Jack laughed. 'And you wonder why I’m determined to hang onto you?'
    He jumped out of bed, branding her with a quick kiss on the way. 'Stay here. I have something for you.' He disappeared before she could protest.
    She lay back in the bed, wondering what he had in mind. If it was that shoehorn again, he could forget it. A couple of moments later, the sound of bare feet on the stairs heralded his return. She drank in his naked magnificence and didn’t notice what he held in his hand.
    'I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure of the protocol.' He sounded uncertain.
    Abbie sat up in bed, wondering what would make Jack nervous. 'Done what?'
    'Asked a woman to marry me.'
    She gasped, certain she had misheard. 'Marry?'
    He dropped to one knee, and held out a box to her. 'Abbie Marshal, will you marry me?'
    The box contained a ring, a huge square-cut emerald, flanked by two glittering diamonds. She picked it up, staring at it in wonder. 'The emerald is almost the colour of your eyes.'
    She plucked it out of the box and slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Jack was good with details. She looked at him. 'You look good kneeling there like that.'
    With a growl, he rose from his knees, hauled her into his arms, and kissed her so thoroughly she couldn’t breathe. 'I’ll take that as a yes, Ms Marshall.'
    'Yes, oh yes.'
    She kissed him back, revelling in the passion that flowed between them. Then she remembered. 'I got you a ring too.'
    He laughed. 'I saw it. What do you saw we wear both of them when we got home?'
    It sounded good. 'Yes, Sir,' she said.
     
    THE END
     
    Want more from Abbie Marshall and Jack Winter?
    Read on for a preview of THE PLEASURES OF WINTER, coming November 1st in e-book and paperback.
     
    The Pleasures of Winter is a steamy erotic story of romantic obsession and explosive sexual chemistry for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You.
    When reporter Abbie Marshall needs to escape Honduras, a private jet carrying a Hollywood A-lister is her only way out. She has a ride home with Irish actor Jack Winter - notorious womanizer and all round bad boy. Abbie is shaken to the core by