Be Mine at Christmas(29)
Author: Brenda Novak

He opened his mouth to correct her. But he feared despair would set in if he did. She was trapped on the side of a mountain, in the middle of a terrible blizzard, with little chance of survival. With him, a man she hated. But only when she knew who he was.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He cringed at the lie but didn’t regret telling it when it worked better than he would’ve guessed. For the first time since the crash, he sensed some fight, some real strength in Adelaide. She was weeping now, but she clung to him, kissing him so passionately he began to experience a flicker of the desire that had crashed over him when he’d first encountered her barely clad body.

God, what am I doing?

He was saving her life, he told himself and, at her urging, slid his hand down her flat stomach to take off her panty hose.

IT WASN’T MARK, and Adelaide knew it. But that didn’t mean she had to accept it.

Shutting out the reality, she concentrated on Maxim’s mouth, his muscular chest, the thickness of his hair—and told herself it was the husband she’d lost. Sure, his kiss seemed a little different than she remembered, but it was so good she didn’t mind. He showed more emotion, and the groan that rumbled from deep in his throat let her know he wanted her. The way he handled himself—handled her—was slightly more commanding. She liked it better. Because it’s been so long.

“I love you,” she whispered through tears she couldn’t seem to suppress.

He stopped moving. She imagined him staring down at her, even though neither of them could see. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Adelaide—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. She didn’t want him to ruin it. She had her husband with her. That was all that mattered. Maybe he’d disappear in a few minutes, leave her as alone as she’d been before. But at least she’d have this final memory—a better parting than the one she’d agonized over for so long—to carry her through whatever came next.

“Tell me you love me,” she whispered, craving those words more than any others.

He hesitated.

“Mark?”

“You know it’s true.” Although he’d spoken a little too gruffly to make it entirely believable, there was no mistaking the sincerity in the words that followed. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Adelaide Fairfax.”

She chose to focus on that instead. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on…. Wrapping her fingers around the proof of his arousal, she couldn’t help smiling at his sudden intake of breath. The passion that had begun to wane in their marriage was back. Her doubts, her insecurities, they were stupid. Wasted energy, just as he’d always said. “Feels like you’re ready.”

“I’m ready. But—”

“Shh.” She regretted ever breaking the silence. She’d only wanted to clear the air between them, hated that he’d died before she could apologize for the accusations that had sent him storming from their home. “Just make love to me. Tell me I’m all you ever wanted. Tell me that never changed.”

“You’re taking my very soul,” he murmured.

“Don’t fight it.” She meant that teasingly, but he seemed to take her response at face value. His hands and mouth found her again, drawing a greedy response from every single nerve—until she was so sensitized she quivered at his lightest touch. She wanted to be with him completely, craved the old sense of connection they’d known when they were first married. But he resisted her attempts to take their lovemaking that final step.

“What are you doing?” she asked, confused by his hesitancy. “I want to feel you inside me. One more time.”

“Adelaide, I can’t. I’m not Mark. You know that, don’t you? I’m—”

“Shh!” Couldn’t he take what she was willing to give him and spare her the harsh reality? It was her last night on earth; this was all she asked of it. “I don’t want to hear what you’re saying.”

“It’s the truth. I can’t do this unless…” He seemed to struggle to find the right words. “I have to know you’re okay with it, that I’m not taking advantage of you.”

“We’re taking advantage of each other,” she said and arched into him, seeking the fantasy that had enveloped her only moments before.

Stubbornly, he clung to his resistance. “You’re sure?”

She let her kiss answer for her, let it coax him to succumb, to forget that she was pretending he was someone else. And it worked. His restraint snapped. She felt it go.

Mumbling words she couldn’t quite make out—heaven help me or something like that—he rolled her beneath him.

CHAPTER FIVE

THEY DIDN’T DIE that night. But when Maxim opened his eyes the next morning, he was almost disappointed to be breathing. They were still stranded, still freezing, and still without much hope. He’d also made love to his election opponent while allowing her to fantasize that he was her dead husband. How sick was that?

Even sicker was the fact that he’d enjoyed it.

What had he been thinking? Certainly not of waking up with her in the morning.

But it didn’t matter. So what if they’d made love? The experience had been so passionate and intense, so all-consuming, it had kept them alive. Best to leave it at that.

Adelaide was beginning to stir. He felt his body react when her breast brushed his arm. Her softness brought memories of their earlier intimacy and a surprising desire for more. But he was in no hurry for her to achieve full awareness….

He’d tried to tell her he wasn’t Mark, and she’d responded as if she understood. But who could say what was really registering and what wasn’t?

He pressed a thumb and finger to his eyes. Then something else occurred to him. He could no longer hear the wind. Had the storm abated?

Maybe the worst was over. Maybe the rescue crews were on their way. If so, it wouldn’t be long before they were both taken home, and then they could forget what had happened here.

Fresh air rushed in when he removed the piece of metal he’d wedged into the corner. As light streamed in with it, he felt a desperate urge to escape the confines of the cave—and the physical reminder of the line he’d crossed last night. But a groan told him Adelaide was awake. He glanced over to see her watching him warily.

“Tell me we didn’t,” she muttered.

Now that he could see her, it wasn’t difficult to spot the dried blood on her right temple. She’d been hit by something and had probably suffered a concussion. That explained a lot about her behavior, making him especially glad he’d identified himself properly before taking their lovemaking all the way. “Now you’re asking me for more lies?”