AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After stripping off her coat and boots, she adds more fuel to the fire, trying to get it going again. When the kindling catches, she drops onto the couch and looks at the man lying in front of her fire as she composes herself.
The entire situation is weird. Really, really weird. Things like this don’t happen to her. Her life is remarkably uncomplicated. No drama.
She tucks her legs under her and stares down at the man lying at her feet. Clearly someone thought her life needed a little spicing up, so decided to send her a man.
She leans forward. A very nice man. Whoever he is, he’s undoubtedly the most attractive man she’s ever seen.
She brushes her wet hair back from her forehead, as she shuffles to the edge of the seat to get a closer look. Yeah, he’s still stunning up close too. Even more so in fact.
She’d guess he’s about five years older than her, probably in his early to mid-forties. His short light brown hair and tight beard are peppered with grey which she finds extremely sexy.
Stop staring at the man!
She sits back, but there’s no way she can stop staring. It’s impossible. He is so much taller than he appeared out in the wood. She knows the hearth is six foot wide and he’s taller than that, maybe six-two. Definitely too tall for the low ceilings in the cottage.
What exactly is she supposed to do now? She can hardly sit here staring at him all night, however appealing that may sound.
She checks her phone screen again. Still no signal. There’s no way she’ll be able to get her car out either. She looks at the man as she considers her options.
Which right now aren’t plentiful.
She’s stuck here for the foreseeable with a strange man, who, now she sees him in the light, appears to be dressed a little like Santa.
The heavy red leather coat fits his broad chest and thick arms like a glove. The same with the red trousers. Teamed with the black combat boots he’s certainly an edgier version of the typical Santa you’d usually see this time of year.
Maybe he was booked for a party? Could explain his mode of transportation too. Wherever he was going, she doubts it was to the local shopping centre for all the kids to swarm around. Certainly not to any centres she’s ever been to.
She shakes herself out of her thoughts and gets back into serious mode. The least she can do is deal with his injuries, instead of leaving him bleeding on her floor, while she drools over him.
Scarlett gathers some first aid supplies, then fetches a bowl of warm water from the kitchen. Once she has everything she needs, she kneels on the floor beside him.
‘Hey. Me again. I need to clean the cut on your head.’ She pauses and narrows her eyes, waiting for a response. Still nothing at all. She shrugs and examines the wound. It’s about the length of her thumb, but thankfully isn’t too dirty.
Scarlett carefully moves his head to the side, so she can wash the blood from his forehead and side of his face. Not only is he handsome, he smells incredible. Just like the cinnamon cookies her grandmother used to bake. He certainly went all out with the outfit and the scent. He’s Christmas in one seriously hot package.
And now she’s drooling over an unconscious, injured man. Getting back to the first aid task, she fixes a plaster over the cut on his forehead, satisfied with her efforts. She sits back on her heels and frowns at his coat. One situation dealt with, and another presents itself. He’s going to overheat if she leaves it on.
‘I'm just going to open your coat. That’s it. No funny business, I promise. I don’t want you boiling on me.’
She waits for a second and, after getting no reaction, gingerly reaches over and unzips the heavy leather coat, opening it to each side.
She sits back on her heels and licks her suddenly dry lips, when she gets a better look at what was hidden under the coat.
A pair of black leather braces are attached to his trousers with a fitted long-sleeved white top underneath, which hugs his body in a seriously distracting way. The three buttons at the neck are open, showing a silver necklace with locket attached.
‘Okay. Not too shabby at all.’ She grimaces. ‘I’m so sorry if you heard that. It was meant to stay in my head.’
Grimacing at her remark, Scarlett gets her duvet from her bed, then makes herself a cup of coffee and sits back on the chair by his feet. ‘Sorry. Me again. If you can hear me I’d appreciate if you could let me know. Move your hand or something.’
But there’s nothing. His breathing is steady and his colour returning to normal. The cut on his head isn’t too bad. It doesn't look like that’s the reason he is unconscious. It’s nasty, but there’s no bruising or swelling around it. Hopefully after some rest, he’ll wake up.
She checks her phone again, but the signal is still non-existent. Scarlett picks up her book and looks at the model on the cover. ‘What do you make of all this? Yeah. I agree. It’s weird. Very weird indeed. Not an unpleasant weird, but certainly up there in the weird category. Are you getting a Santa vibe off him?’
The cover model chooses not to answer, but she’s used to that. Having a conversation with a book can be a little one-sided.
‘I mean it’s not the typical Santa, but he’s definitely giving off the vibe.’ She glares at her book. ‘Or I’ve read too many of these.’ She places the book back on the nest of tables beside her chair. ‘Yeah. Probably far too many fictional men.’
She shrugs to herself and wraps the duvet around her. There’s no way she’s going to go up to her room to sleep and leave a strange man in her house. She’ll stay up and keep an eye on him until he wakes.
