Frozen Kisses

  Frozen Kisses

  12 Days of Christmas, Book Five

  By

  Allison West

  ©2015 by Blushing Books® and Allison West

  All rights reserved.

  No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  West, Allison

  Frozen Kisses

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-68259-205-2

  Cover Design by ABCD Graphics & Design

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the Author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

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  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Ebook Offer

  Blushing Books Newsletter

  About Blushing Books

  Chapter 1

  Becca's eyes scrunched, struggling to see through the thick blanket of snow that covered her windshield. The storm blew in far sooner than the news had predicted. The lake effect snow off Lake Michigan wasn't doing her any favors either as she traveled up the coast to visit her brother's family for Christmas. Already she ran late, having to do some last minute shopping before she rushed home to pack, wrap the gifts, and then pile everything into her two door sedan.

  The wiper blades froze for the umpteenth time. Pulling over was a necessity, but so was finding the side of the road without ending up in the ditch. Becca inched her car toward the side of the road, turned her hazard lights on, and stepped out into the cold snowy air. Shivering, she wanted to climb back in and shove her frozen fingers against the heating vents. Little good it did her to forget her gloves. She'd been careless and stupid. Knowing Becca it probably wasn't the only thing she’d forgotten.

  Using the sleeve of her jacket, she pushed the frozen wet snow from the windshield. It had grown heavy from the heat of the car, making it difficult to clear off. Her fingers stung from the temperature as she tried plucking at the ice. In her hand the windshield wiper came off, shredded and torn from the icicles that had attached themselves like a parasite.

  "Fuck," she cursed under her breath. Becca's cheeks burned, but not from the cold. Her heart pounded and she stomped in the snow back to the car. Her hazard lights flashed repeatedly, the instant clicking an annoying reminder of her defeat. Slamming the door shut, she shoved her hands over the warm vent, cranking the heat on as high and hot as it would go. She doubted she'd get frostbite. It was cold, but it wasn't the brutal temperatures that came in January. Funny since she was a week shy of it.

  Becca tried the windshield wiper without the blade that stretched to the driver's side. It scratched at the snow but did nothing to help her see. The snow continued to fall, quicker than earlier and it wouldn't take long to make it impossible for her to see again. She'd drive, as far as she could, before finding a place to stop. Hopefully she could get a hotel for the night and call her brother when she arrived. Unless she was lucky enough to spot a service center gas station.

  Flipping off her hazard lights, Becca carefully pulled back onto the road. For the highway it was nearly empty. Every so often she'd spot a car in the opposite direction, but mostly it was just her and the road. Everyone had gotten to their destination, seeing as how it was Christmas Eve. Becca hadn't wanted to get to Ryan's place any sooner than necessary. She loved her brother but he was difficult even at the best of times. The less amount of time she spent with him, the better for both of them. Nine years apart and they still fought like they had as children.

  The snow blanketed the car, forcing a chill down her spine. Shivering, she cranked the heat up, though it wouldn't get any warmer. The car, although comfortable, hadn't made her sweat yet. All the heat had dissipated earlier when she'd managed to break the windshield wiper blades.

  The struggle to see through the window was all too real. It had been trying before, with blades that had iced up. What she'd thought had been the worst storm to drive through had been nothing compared to the fear creeping on her as she struggled to see the road in front of her, let alone any signs of civilization or a hotel. With her luck, she'd been sleeping in the car tonight.

  In the distance a hint of light beckoned to her. Was it a car with their headlights that she saw or a house buried back in the snow, like a thick fog making it difficult to see? Her gaze momentarily found its way from the road in front of her, a sore mistake as the treacherous conditions and her poor visibility forced her into a slide and then spin, the car out of her control as s
he panicked and hit her brakes. It was the worst thing she could do, further sliding across the ice and snow. The world spun and in that instant not a thought grazed her mind as she gripped the steering wheel with white hands and her stomach lurched. Adrenaline coursed through her body, pushing her into fight or flight mode. Her breathing hitched as the car slammed into the ditch.

  Gasping for air, Becca's eyes blinked several times as she realized the car was in one piece, right-side up. She put the car in reverse and pressed her foot down on the gas. The wheels spun but did nothing to give her traction. Stuck in the ditch, the car wasn't going anywhere tonight.

  She shut off the engine and grabbed her purse, locking up the vehicle. She had remembered that light in the distance. Where was it now? Becca spun around on her feet, the snow deep up to her knees as she tried to find the light again. Had it been a porch light or a car's headlamp?

  Certain it had been to her right, she trudged through the snowdrifts, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets to keep warm.

  The longer she walked the colder her body grew, trembling from the weather and fear she wouldn't find anyone. Her lungs hurt, the air burned her chest as she gasped for breath after breath.

  Tears slid down her cheeks, not from fear, but from the cold forcing her eyes to water. The glistening light up ahead brought real tears to her eyes. Becca's cheeks stung and as she walked faster she realized her legs had grown tingly and numb from the cold and snow. She needed to get to the house soon.

  The porch light shined bright in the dark snowstorm and as each step felt like another mile to take, she slowly approached, with heavy wet clothes. Stumbling up the front steps, her legs numb, she didn't have the strength to knock and her fingers shook as she reached out to press the doorbell, hoping someone was home. What would be worse than that? She tried not to let her mind wander to the thought that she could be putting her life in danger, stopping at a serial killer's house or a rapist that lived in the middle of nowhere because he'd been on the run. Her mother had always warned her to stay away from strangers. Of course that had been as a child, but the rules seemed to apply even as an adult, except for today, when she'd die of hypothermia or lose too many limbs to frostbite if she didn't seek help.

  Footsteps could be heard on the opposite side of the door as the lock slid and was pulled back.

  * * *

  He’d always hated Christmas. As an only child, Alec hated the holidays. More so now that his parents had both perished and he had no other family. It didn't help that he'd recently moved to the city and his long list of friends were back home in California. Winter in Michigan was dreadful to begin with, and although having a real white Christmas may have been something he dreamed of as a kid, it wasn't something he looked forward to cleaning up in the morning.

  The doorbell startled him from his book. He was trying to distract himself from the holiday movies and music that plagued the airwaves making it impossible for him to forget how alone he felt.

  Standing up, he walked toward the front door, flipped the lock and glanced at the woman shivering on his doorstep. Her lips were blue, her cheeks a strange dark purple as he ushered her inside to dry off and get warm. She looked vaguely familiar, like a distant memory he'd buried away and forgotten until seeing her. Who was she and why had she come to his place?

  "I'm sorry for intruding," she said. Her words stuttered between shivers.

  "Let me get you warm clothes. Please, come inside." He didn't even get her name as he left the woman in his foyer while he headed into the laundry room for clothes that had just finished in the dryer.

  When she didn't budge, he glanced over his shoulder, displeased. "You need to get out of your coat and shoes at the very least. The longer you wear clothes covered in snow, the colder you'll be. Undress and I'll bring you something to wear. There's a bathroom right there," he said and pointed at the closed door for her to enter. He hadn't expected her to strip down in front of him, but removing her wet parka and boots seemed advisable.

  With shaking red hands, she unzipped the jacket and placed it on the hook by the front door. "Do you have a towel?" she asked. "My jacket is going to drip all over your nice floor."

  "I'll grab one."

  She worked to remove her boots while he headed up the stairs to the hall closet to grab a fresh set of towels for the floor and to help her dry off.

  Not seeing her in the foyer anymore, he knocked on the closed bathroom door. "I've got towels for you to dry off. I'll get clean clothes for you to borrow in a second."

  The lock to the bathroom door unclicked and the door opened slightly ajar. She put her hand out for the towel.

  Alec handed it to her before she snapped the door shut and locked it tight behind her. Heading for the laundry room, he opened the dryer, relieved to feel the load had just finished. It had been perfect timing. Retrieving a pair of sweats and tee shirt he carried them back toward the front hall, once again knocking on the bathroom door. "I've got warm, clean clothes for you."

  He expected her to repeat the same gesture, hand shoved out, but instead she opened the door, her wet clothes at her feet and the towels blanketing every ounce of skin.

  Stepping slightly past her, he placed the dry clothes on the sink counter before shutting the door, giving the stranger her privacy. He hadn't so much as gotten her name and realized he'd neglected to provide his own to her. "I'm Alec Stiles," he said, through the closed door.

  "Becca Carter," she answered and he heard the thud of a wet towel hitting the floor. Probably the one that had been wrapped around her head, in an attempt to dry the long wet tangles.

  "What are you doing out here?" Alec asked, staring at the bathroom door. He leaned against the wall, waiting to hear her reply.

  "I got stuck with the snow coming down out there. The windshield wipers on my car broke and well, I ended up driving my car into a ditch."

  "Are you okay?" He hadn't seen any bruises on her and she didn't appear to have any broken bones from the accident, but he hadn't examined her thoroughly either. He may be a doctor, but he wasn't her physician. He doubted she'd let him take a look at her either.

  "Fine," she said, grumbling behind the door. Her footsteps jostled around and then she unlocked the door, opening it to reveal the wet clothes at her feet. "Do you mind if I put my stuff in your dryer? I'm going to want to leave as soon as the snow clears."

  "It's going to be longer than that, since the plows need to clean up the road. Plus, didn't you say something about your wiper blades being a problem?"

  Becca nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

  "The stores are all closed on Christmas. I doubt you'll find anything but a tow company open. I can pull your car out of the ditch with my truck, but not until the snow stops and the roads are clear."

  She sighed, running a hand through her tangled mess of hair. "I have to be at my brother's tonight."

  "That's not going to happen," Alec said, his voice even but firm. "Use my phone. Call him and let him know you're safe, but that you won't be there until morning."

  Chewing her bottom lip raw, she relented, following him from the bathroom and down the hall into his house. "Thanks for helping me out tonight."

  "It's not a problem." He pointed to the phone. "Call your brother." He walked away, giving her a moment of privacy, though he could hear her speak over the line with the silence of the house carrying her voice through the rooms. He tried not to pry, but it wasn't easy to ignore the sweet sound of her words slip from those ruby lips. At least the blue tint had vanished and she didn't appear to be shivering any longer.

  "Sorry I won't be able to make it until morning," she said into the receiver of the phone.

  Alec grabbed the wet clothes and towels, carrying everything into the laundry room. Seeing as how she wouldn't be leaving tonight, he'd wash her clothes, dry them, and have her ready to go in the morning, assuming the weather cooperated. He didn't mind being snowed in, especially since he had off from work. He stocked up on food and right now, t
he company didn't seem so bad for him either.

  Tossing her laundry into the washing machine, he started a load before he quietly headed into the living room. She sat on the sofa, her hands in her lap. The tee shirt swam on her small frame and the sweats were several sizes too big, but the drawstring helped the material from sliding down her curves.

  "Did you get ahold of your brother?" Alec asked.

  "Yes. He gave me a long lecture and told me to stay put."

  "Smart man," he said and nodded. "Do you drink? I can pour us both something if you're interested."

  "A beer would be good."

  "Be right back with that," he said and headed into the kitchen. He retrieved two beers from the fridge and popped the lids as he carried the bottles back, handing one to Becca. "Hope it's to your liking." He’d always had an eclectic taste for unique types of beer.

  "It'll be fine." She sipped the liquid before glancing fully at the bottle, eyes raised, surprised. "Not bad."

  "I know. It's why I buy it," Alec said. He headed for the chair across from her, sitting down, making himself comfortable. He'd have to make the guest bedroom up before they turned in for the night, but it wouldn't be that soon.

  "Your fire is beautiful," Becca said, staring at the flames in the fireplace.

  Alec had forgotten all about it. The gas fireplace and special logs made it easy to maintain. He'd turned it on when it started snowing hours ago and had thought little of it. Right now he was grateful for it, able to impress and make Becca happy, even with her situation the way it was.

  "Thank you." He shifted in his seat, making himself comfortable as he finished off the beer and placed the empty bottle on the table beside him. "How much further do you have to travel tomorrow?" he asked.