Holly and Snowflakes Pt. 01

"Oh man," Holly said, tugging on her gloves. She hadn't paid any attention to the winter weather advisory that came across her phone a half hour ago, she just assumed it was for the higher elevations and the pass along the California border that always got plastered with blizzard conditions. She never thought that the snow would impact the valley. The last time they had a bad snowstorm was when she was a kid, and even then, she couldn't enjoy the snowfall, she had to stay inside out of the cold air. At least she had candles, flannel sheets and plenty of blankets to stay warm if the power went out because it sounded like she was going to be snowed in, alone, on Christmas. "That's not what I wanted to hear," she muttered, a hint of sadness in her voice, as she followed him through the station towards the back entrance.

They stepped out into the in the quiet stillness of the night, the snow falling even heavier as the large flakes fluttered down through the biting air, adding to the four inches that already blanketed the ground. Gabe looked out at the expanse of the snow-covered parking lot and down at her boots, fashionable but not functional, and swore under his breath. Two steps and she would fall on her ass. "Wait here and I'll go get the truck," he told her. When she nodded her head, he carefully walked across the lot, the snow crunching under his heavy boots, to where he had parked his truck, a black Dodge Ram 2500, unlocking it with a push of a button.

He quickly cleared the accumulation of snow from the windshield with a few swipes of his gloved hand before he walked around to the driver's side, climbing up behind the wheel. He pushed the ignition button, starting up the heavy diesel engine, immediately turning on the heated seats, and let the truck idle for a few minutes before turning on the heat to take the chill off the interior, the wipers clearing the glass of the remaining snow. He put the truck in four-wheel drive and shifted into gear, rolling through the lot and parking in front of the SUVs. He slid out, and when she started to take a step forward, he audibly cleared his throat. "I said wait there," he told her, his deep voice stopping her still as he stepped through the snow, walking back over to her. "Now hold on," he said, as he bent at the knees, wrapped his left arm around her thighs and effortlessly picked her straight up, holding her securely against the side of his body, feeling her grip the back and front of his jacket as he carefully walked around the front of his truck, keeping a strong arm locked around her thighs.

Holly sucked in her breath when she felt his arm go around her thighs, her gloved hands fisting into the bulk of his jacket as her feet were lifted off the ground. She wasn't about to protest, her choice in footwear wasn't the wisest, but at the time the snow was only beginning to fall, and if she started to walk across the slick parking lot, her feet would go out from under her. She knew he wouldn't drop her, but she held on tight anyways as he started to walk between the parked SUVs and around the front of his truck, his strong arm around her legs keeping her secure against the left side of his body. She reached for the handle above the door when he opened it and she secured her footing inside the truck, sitting down in the warm seat. "Thank you," she said, reaching up with a gloved hand to brush her hair back from her face, her gaze meeting his. She felt her heart pick up a faster beat.

Gabe stared at her in the brightness of the dome light, the snow clinging to her ginger curls, the glitter on her reddened cheeks sparkling in the light. "You're welcome," he said, a slight smile turning up one corner of his mouth. He started to shut the door but stopped, blocking the open door with the bulk of his body, looking at her more clearly. He never thought he'd be feeling this way again and he didn't want this night to end even though he knew it had to. She was too young for him, or rather, he was too old for her. But he needed someone in his life, someone that understood what he had gone through and could accept him, emotional scars and all. If he passed up this chance, he didn't think he would ever have another one and if he didn't ask her now, he was going to lose his nerve. And if she said no, he'd pretend this night never happened.

He drew in a deep breath, the cold air stinging his lungs as he mustered up the courage to ask her about her plans for the rest of the night and when she looked at him, those green eyes gazing into his with what he could only describe as longing, he had to do everything in his power to keep from shoving his fingers into her hair, pulling her closer and— He blinked, coming back to reality. "I don't mean to sound pushy, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind spending the rest of the night with me. I don't really want to spend another Christmas alone and after everything that happened tonight at the hospital— It's okay, if you have other plans, I understand. I shouldn't have asked."

Holly reached up and brushed a curl back from her face, her hand trembling slightly from the cold, or was it nerves, looking down at him in the light of the truck's interior. She could clearly see the sadness, the loneliness in his eyes, along with the pain that came from dredging up those memories again. It would be horrible of her to tell him no but also bad of her to go with him, a stranger she had just met, but there was something there in those blue eyes of his that had her saying yes, and a feeling down deep in her stomach that she was going to regret this moment if she said no. "I didn't have any plans for the rest of the night. I would be happy to spend it with you."

"Okay then," Gabe said, slowly smiling and stepped back, closing the door. He walked around the front of the truck and climbed up behind the wheel, pulling his door shut. He looked over at her in the dim light of the truck's cab, wondering if she was beginning to have second thoughts, but when she looked over at him, their eyes meeting, he was the one having second thoughts and they were anything but pure. He swallowed hard and rolled the truck out of the parking lot, the snow crunching under the heavy weight of the vehicle. He turned out of the lot and onto the main road, slowly driving through town towards his house.

Holly gazed out the side window as they drove west down the quiet stillness of the main street that ran from one end of town to the other, festive lights and decorations in the store windows illuminating the night in a colorful glow. The falling snow didn't seem to be letting up, the windshield wipers unable to keep up with the accumulation on the glass, the flakes getting larger, falling faster as the winter storm grew more intense. He wasn't lying about the storm getting worse. As they drove under the overpass and past the new housing development, the lights from the houses just barely visible in the snow, she had to wonder just where he was taking her, there was nothing past the golf course estates other than farming and a couple wineries.

She was just about to ask where they were going but didn't when he turned down a side road and pulled into a long driveway that led up a hill to a rustic two-story house nestled in between a grove of fir trees, the exterior lights coming on and the larger of the two garage doors slowly raising up when he pushed a button on the remote clipped to the truck's sun visor. He eased the truck into the garage and shut off the engine.

She looked out the window at the wood and brick exterior of his house as he drove up the driveway, a house that had sat unfinished and vacant for as long as she could remember, the original owners never completing the final phases of construction. Occasionally, when she would take the back roads home from Riverton, she would drive by the house, seeing it in the distance, and it always sat empty, covered with protective insulated house wrap, the area in front and around the house overgrown with grass and weeds.

Sometime, around four years ago, she had noticed that the yard was landscaped, a construction crew had shown up and the outside of the house had finally been finished, and even though word spread fast in a small town, she never knew who owned it. Now she did. When he rolled the truck into the three-car garage, she unfastened her seatbelt, looking out the side window at the Harley Sportster and the blue '69 Stingray parked on the far side of the garage, accessible by the smaller door, and then back at him. "I always wondered who had bought this house," Holly said, carefully siding out of the truck, closing the door behind her. "It's been empty for as long as I can remember."

Gabe shook his head as he shut the truck door—she didn't have the patience or just wasn't used to a man opening the car door for her—and waited for Holly to walk around the front. He looked at her and then at his house, the only home on the west side of town that was never lit up with any Christmas lights, never had any displays that brought any attention to it. If it wasn't for the exterior lighting and the neatly landscaped front yard, everyone thought it was still empty and he preferred it that way. Until now. He led her into the house through the laundry room, disengaging the alarm system remotely and closing the garage door with a push of a button. He unzipped his jacket and shucked it off from over his vest and hung it on a hook beside the door, hanging his hat over his jacket, taking hers from her as she did the same, hanging it on the spare hook.

He stepped into the kitchen and turned on the lights, dropping his keys into the tray sitting on the console table by the door. "After the original owner's husband passed away during the construction, she wanted nothing to do with the house anymore. It had been sitting on the market for over seven years, but nobody wanted something they had to finish building. I needed a project when I moved so I made a fair below market offer on it and they accepted it, happy to finally get rid of the place. It's way too big for just me, but it's not as cramped as an apartment, and I have plenty of room for my other hobbies."

Holly looked around the house in complete awe. It was a beautiful house, both inside and out, rustic, open and spacious, and like he said, way too big for one person. Wood floors, a stone fireplace and high vaulted wood plank ceilings, marble kitchen counters and stainless-steel appliances, gave the house function and lots of space but it was cold, lacking the warmth and coziness of a home. There wasn't even a hint of a Christmas decoration anywhere in sight, no cards, no nothing, and with as painful as his past had been, the holidays just a grim reminder of that loss, she didn't hold it against him. It was going to take him time to heal, and she had a feeling, that him inviting her here tonight, that he was finally on his way there. "Well, it's a beautiful house."

"Thank you," Gabe said. He gave her a tour of the downstairs before he excused himself, walking across the great room to his bedroom. He came back a few minutes later with a small pile of clothes in his hands, his gaze traveling over her slender form as he walked back over to where she was standing right where he had left her, lingering a little too long on her ample curves in the revealing elf costume. He quickly brought his gaze back up to her face, his eyes locking with hers. He felt all the air leave his lungs like a hard punch to his stomach and he struggled to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. She was just so damn beautiful and those green eyes...and she was standing in the middle of his living room. Suddenly, he felt like an awkward teenager again and he hoped his voice didn't crack when he spoke. "I'm sure you would rather be in something a little more comfortable. Sorry, I don't have anything small enough for you, but these will have to do. And they're warm. You can use the bathroom in the other suite for more privacy, there are towels under the sink. All I ask is that you don't touch my equipment in the room."

Holly took the clothes from him, her fingers brushing over his hands, feeling a sudden warmth wash over her from the mere touch. She looked up at him, her gaze locking with his. Why did he have to be so— Why did she have to agree— Suddenly, she was finding it very difficult to think, let alone breathe. "Thank you," she managed to say and turned on her heel, heading towards the other bedroom that was situated behind the kitchen, feeling his gaze on her the entire way, shutting the door behind her.

The suite was a second master bedroom that he had converted into his music room, an array of electric guitars sitting on stands along two of the walls, two acoustic guitars hanging on hooks mounted to the wall, amps on the floor. She shut the bathroom door behind her and sat the clothes down on the counter, looking at herself in the mirror, contemplating her actions tonight. Just what in God's name was she doing? She barely even knew this man. The first time she had fallen for a good-looking guy, he turned out to be a jerk that left her after six months. The second one barely even stuck around for eight weeks. And this one? He was practically half her age, had gone through hell and was divorced. She really knew how to pick them.

She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it back out. She reached up and carefully pulled off the elf ears, washing the adhesive from her skin. Her past health issues kept her from having a lasting relationship, because once she told them the truth, they never stuck around. She let out a long breath. "You did this to yourself, you agreed to come home with him, and you know how that has worked out in the past. You can't back out now. It's just for one night, possibly two. Nothing is going to happen unless you want it to," she said to her reflection in the mirror. And, oh man, did she want it to.

She took a quick shower to wash all the make-up and glitter off her skin, thankful that the soap he had in the shower wasn't harsh on her sensitive skin. She debated on putting her panties and bra back on, but instead quickly washed her panties in the sink with a dollop of soap and hung them up to dry over the rod in the shower. The clothes he had given her were way too big, but they were more comfortable that what she had been wearing. She rolled the legs up and cinched the drawstring waist on the blue plaid fleece pajama pants, rolling the material down until they fit properly but not too high between her legs and pushed the sleeves up on the heavy cotton Henley shirt that was four sizes too big for her, the hem falling almost to the middle of her thighs, the thick cotton socks keeping her feet nice and toasty warm.

The soft cotton of the shirt brushed across her nipples, and they immediately tightened, pressing embarrassingly against the fabric. Maybe she should put her underwear back on. She cupped her hands over her breasts, pressing slightly, trying to get them to soften, praying her nipples weren't so protruding, hoping he wouldn't notice. But he was a man... She pulled some of her damp hair over her shoulders, covering her breasts, hiding them the best she could.

She walked back out into the kitchen and found him standing at the island, his back to her, the aroma of hot apple cider filling the air. She stopped in the doorway and just stood there, watching him, admiring his physique. She bit her bottom lip, staring at his backside, watching the play of well-defined muscles move under his snug fitting shirt as he did the simplest of tasks.

Her gaze travelled lower to the tautness of his ass in his fleece pajama pants and she had to wonder if he... You're here to keep him company, Holly, not jump his bones, she said to herself. Even though it's been a year and a half since the last guy left you high and dry. And it never hurts to just look, it's not like he hadn't been checking you out, either. She put her thoughts behind her and walked around the island, pulling out one of the stools and sliding onto it, resting her arms on the cold marble, looking across the expanse of the counter at him as he made them sandwiches, not realizing how hungry she was.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gabe waited until she had disappeared into the other suite before he turned around and went back to his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He yanked the zipper down on his vest and relieved himself of the heavy burden, hanging it over the chair he kept next to his bathroom door. He stripped out of his uniform, hastily folding it and placing it on the chair before he padded barefoot, wearing just his boxer briefs into the bathroom. He scratched his head, vigorously running his fingers through his hair as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, running his hands over the slight stubble on his cheeks and chin, contemplating shaving for the second time today.

He braced his hands on the edge of the counter and drew in a deep breath, letting it back out. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. Just what the hell was he thinking? Had he completely lost his mind? He hadn't been able to think straight since seeing her take off her jacket in the hospital, had traumatized her with his painful past on the drive back. And then he had to go and invite her back to his house without a chance of getting to know her first? He had been thinking with the wrong head. It had been five years since he had even touched another woman. She came home with him on her own free will, probably out of pity for him, but it was too late to turn back now. He pulled his boxer briefs off and started the shower and stepped under the spray of hot water, scrubbing the day away, still berating himself for asking her here even though he knew that it was probably the only chance he was ever going to get. And he needed to take that chance.

He quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his hips, shaving as fast as he dared without nicking himself, and padded naked into his adjoining walk-in closet. He pulled on a pair of fleece pajama pants and a heavy cotton long-sleeved shirt, pushing the sleeves up to the middle of his muscled forearms, shoving his bare feet into a pair of fur-lined slippers. He walked out into the bedroom and over to the sliding glass doors that opened to his back patio and looked out into the night, it was still snowing hard, the heavy flakes adding to the four inches that blanketed the ground, wondering if it was ever going to stop. He yanked the heavy curtains closed over the glass and walked back out into the great room and lit the gas fireplace to help take the chill off the house before going into the kitchen. The door was still closed to the other bedroom, so he took it upon himself to make them some sandwiches, his stomach was screaming at him to be fed, trail mix and hot coffee just wasn't enough to suffice.

He was putting the finishing touches on their turkey sandwiches when he heard the slight sound of her footsteps on the floor, and he looked up just as she was sliding onto one of the stools across the island from him. A slight smile turned up the corner of his mouth as he plopped the top pieces of whole grain bread down on the sandwiches and sucked the trace of Dijon mustard from his thumb, his gaze taking in the sight of her in his clothes, her damp hair curling against her breasts. Her face was free of all traces of make-up, and she had an adorable splattering of freckles across her nose and her cheekbones.

He felt a sudden stirring in his loins that he hadn't felt in years, and he had to remind himself that nothing was going to happen, she was only here to keep him company. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. I haven't had any dinner yet." He picked up a knife, quickly cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and slid the smaller of the two plated sandwiches across the island to her. He turned away to get two mugs out of the cupboard and poured the steaming spiced cider into them from the saucepan on the stove, turning back around and reaching across the expanse of the counter to set one down in front of her. He picked up his plate and walked around the island, pulling out the third stool, leaving one between them, and sat down.