Christmas with Nicholas: - an Untwisted seasonal story (Untwisted series) (8 page)

Chapter Nine
Rebecca

After breakfast, whilst the sky was still dark and lit with stars, Nicholas told me to dress in the same warm clothing as yesterday. I was actually becoming rather fond of my snuggly down-lined jacket. Then, after wrapping me in my long, woolly scarf and hat he led me to the hotel reception where a smiling staff member opened the doors for us with a flourish to reveal a pack of dogs outside. For a brief second I felt a stab of fear as my mind stupidly jumped to the conclusion that they were wild wolves, but then seeing the reigns between them and the small metal sled attached to the back of the pack I realised what Nicholas had planned for us.

‘I thought a sled ride before sunrise might be a nice way to start our Christmas Day, Becky,’ he murmured, leaning down close to my ear.

‘Don’t the dogs mind pulling us about?’ I asked Nicholas, excited by the prospect, but feeling a little guilty at the same time.

Overhearing my question a man standing near the dogs and feeding them treats grinned across at me,. ‘Hi, my name’s Peter, I’m taking you out this morning. People always worry about the dogs, but believe me, their welfare is my main concern, these little fellas are like family to me. These dogs love working, they’re Greenlandic dogs; tough and stubborn, and proper little powerhouses.’ They looked a lot like huskies to me, but Peter told me that huskies are used for speed, whereas this breed was favoured for their strength.

Feeling reassured, Peter introduced us to the dogs who were all incredibly tame and as I quickly discovered loved a good scratch behind the ears. The sled was small with a bench type seat for two and a standing platform for Peter at the back. Nicholas sat first and then I positioned myself in front of him between his legs and leaning back on his chest. As soon as I was comfortable Nicholas wrapped his arms around my waist and held me firmly against him, one of his hands holding the rail and the other caressing my waist through my thick jacket.

With Peter steering us we spent the next twenty minutes on a totally magical, if somewhat bumpy, sled ride through woods as the sun rose around us and we skated over the surface of the snow with our eight trusty hounds pulling us as if we weighed nothing at all.

Even though his arms were wrapped tightly around me, the bouncing of the sled meant that my nipple clamps were getting a very thorough rubbing and I was becoming more and more aware of my neediness as the ride progressed. The bumpy ground was also having the duel effect of repeatedly shunting me backwards against Nicholas, so I leant my head back and tilted my neck until I could see his handsome face. ‘Sorry if I’m squashing you.’

Nicholas give me a wry smile and then shifting himself slightly below me he leant in close to my ear. ‘You’re not squashing me, but with your gorgeous arse banging against my groin every few seconds things are getting a bit tight down below.’ As soon as Nicholas’ words sunk in I realised that the lump jutting against my bum must be the hard outline of his excitement. I’d noticed it earlier, but just assumed it was a roll of fabric from all of our layers of clothing. Even though my cheeks must have been red from the breezy cold air I felt them flush even redder when I realised Nicholas’ predicament. Although considering I’d been wearing nipple clamps for the past forty-five minutes which were almost driving me to distraction, it seemed a fairly even compromise.

Several minutes later Peter began calling out commands to the dogs, slowing the sled and bringing us to a halt on the edge of a crag that overlooked an absolutely spectacular view. I clambered from the sled and then held out my hands to help Nicholas stand from his cramped position. Taking my offer of help he unfurled to standing, his eyes locked with mine the whole time, and as I watched him adjust his snow trousers to ease the discomfort in his groin I gave him an embarrassed grin and an apologetic shrug.

Shaking his head he rolled his eyes and then took my hand and led me a few steps away from the sled so we could see the full extent of the view. I grew up in the Lake District, so I’ve seen my fair share of stunning mountain scenes, but there was no doubt that this view trumped them all. My eyes were completely entranced by the sheer majesty of it all. I felt like some kind of giant as I looked out over the top of rolling forests with snow-laden branches that were spread before us like a blanket, but my eyes were instinctively drawn to the distance, where the rugged slopes of the Mount Hekla volcano stood proud on the landscape, snow laying on its craggy slopes and thin wisps of cloud surrounding its peak like a cap.

‘I’m going for a smoke, I’ll leave you two to enjoy the view,’ Peter said from behind us, but we were both too stunned to reply and simply stood open mouthed and staring at the awe inspiring beauty of mother nature before us.

After a few moments I felt the sudden need to share with Nicholas just how much this experience meant to me, but as I turned to him I just couldn’t find words big or expressive enough to sum up just how incredibly fortunate I felt, so instead I flung myself into his arms. Ignoring the chaffing of the clips on my breasts as they pressed against his chest I buried my face in the exposed skin of his neck and simply clung to him. Hugging me back Nicholas gently rocked us as we stood there and as ridiculous as it was, I suddenly felt warm tears leaking from my eyes. The moment Nicholas sensed them he tensed and coaxed me away from his body so he could look down at me with a deep frown. ‘Whoa … why are you crying, Rebecca?’

Using my gloved hand I wiped roughly at my stupid eyes and tried to clear my cheeks as I sniffled in a lungful of the cold air mixed with my own salty tears. ‘They’re happy tears … it’s just this …’ I wafted my arm at the breath taking view behind us, ‘and you … it’s all just so amazing.
You’re
amazing, Nicholas … I feel so bloody lucky, this is just the most incredible holiday and the best Christmas. Thank you so much.’

Relief flushed across Nicholas’ features and he smiled my favourite shy smile, the one that crinkled the corners of his eyes and curled one side of his mouth, causing a dimple to appear in his cheek. Pulling off one of his gloves he cupped my jaw and began to gently wipe away my tears with the pad of his thumb. ‘If anyone is feeling lucky right now, Rebecca, it’s me. Sometimes when I think about my past I … I struggle to understand why you want to be with me.’

My tears had dried up by now and my eyes widened in disbelief. Sure he’d had his issues in the past, and the start to our relationship hadn’t exactly been the smoothest, but we’d overcome our issues and he’d become far batter at dealing with his emotions. ‘I want to be with you because even though you don’t seem to realise it, you’re an amazingly compassionate, generous, and loving man. The past is exactly that, Nicholas. This is our future; us, together.’

‘True … still, I can’t believe I have you in my life.’ Dipping his face Nicholas kissed me long and hard before pulling back and rubbing his cold nose against the tip of mine, making me smile before dropping a final kiss onto my forehead. ‘Now, I think you must be needing some relief from these, hmmm?’ he asked softly as his bare hand dropped from my face and gently touched the surface of my jacket over my breasts. Sucking in a swift breath from the tingling sensation in my nipples I licked my lips and nodded, knowing that the responsiveness in them when he finally removed the clips was going to be incredibly overwhelming and no doubt followed up with some of his saucy speciality kink.

Dropping one final kiss on my parted lips Nicholas took my hand and with one last look at the view we turned back towards the sled to find Peter.

I was expecting us to return along the same route and go straight back to the hotel, but to my surprise Peter diverted us left onto a smaller track, obviously one that was less well used, because our speed slowed as the snow thickened, spraying up from the paws of our trusty four-legged friends who were still enthusiastically pulling us along.

After a few minutes of travelling through a heavily wooded area the sled emerged out into a clearing. Trees still surrounded us on all sides at a distance, but there was enough of a break in the forest to allow the stark winter sun to shine in above us from the pristine cloudless sky.

Looking around as we slowed I suddenly gasped and sat up a little straighter on the sled. At first glance I’d though the clearing was empty, but now that I looked properly I could see a glass bubble sat in the centre. Confused, but curious, I hauled myself from the sled, wincing as my nipples chafed against my clothing, and then stepped up to the ‘bubble’ to examine it more closely.

I heard the crunching of snow as Nicholas approached from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist tugging me back against his chest. ‘This is where we’re staying tonight, Becky.’

Spinning on the spot I gazed up at him with wide eyes until he grinned and stoked my cheek with a gloved hand. ‘It’s a fully insulated and heated glass igloo in our own private forest clearing. Impressive, huh?’

Practically bursting with excitement I leapt from his arms and half ran, half stumbled through the thick snow until I found the door to the igloo, a small arched tunnel made from glass leading to a bright red front door complete with holly wreath.

‘It’s amazing. We’re really staying here?’ I asked in amazement, barely reigning in my eagerness to get inside and see what it was like. The dome of the igloo was glass, but with the recent snow it was piled up around the edges so even on tiptoes I could only just see glimpses of the interior.

‘Yep,’ Nicholas confirmed. Turning to Peter he shook his hand and took a large rucksack from the back of the sled. ‘Thanks Peter, Merry Christmas. See you tomorrow at 10 a.m.’

Smiling, Peter mounted the back of his sled and waved in my direction with a big grin and a wink. ‘You kids have fun!’

As soon as the noise of the dogs and Peter’s whistled instructions had faded from the clearing Nicholas made his way over and grinned down at me. ‘So, how am I doing on the romantic stakes? Because I thought this would be a pretty amazing way to spend the rest of our Christmas Day.’

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet like … well, like an excited woman who’d just been told she was going to spend Christmas Day in a glass igloo with the man of her dreams, I suppose. My smile was so wide it was almost hurting my lips and my whole body was filled with a type of innocent excitement that I hadn’t experienced since I was kid and my dad had unveiled a tree house he’d built for me.

‘You have totally outdone yourself in the romance element, Nicholas, this is more than I could ever have dreamed of. I can’t wait to see it, can we go in?’

Laughing at my barely contained energy Nicholas nodded, ‘Of course. No outdoor footwear is allowed in the igloo, though, so let’s take our boots off out here.’ Ducking slightly to get into the arched tunnel I immediately felt a slight warmth to the air and made my way to the mat by the door. Stomping as much snow from my boots as I could I then took them off, placed them on the boot rack, and with a grin to Nicholas opened the door to our igloo.

Wow. The inside was incredible. The glass dome was like a TARDIS; much larger than I had expected, and easily high enough to stand in. The space was dominated by a huge round bed covered in cushions, furs, and blankets, but to the side sat a squashy-looking sofa. The lower level of the dome even had curtains so you could have extra privacy if you wished. There was a wooden wall behind the bed providing a head rest and cutting off a section of the dome, but as I moved across to look behind it I found a small but very nice toilet and shower cubicle, plus a well-stocked fridge, microwave, and kettle. You could quite easily live there if you wanted to!

Spinning on the spot I raised my eyes to the dome above me and gazed out at the clear blue sky and snow topped trees. There really were no words adequate enough to describe just how magical or perfect this place was. I was completely lost for words.

‘I’m going to take your smile and silence as a good sign,’ Nicholas chuckled as he approached me and hung his coat on a hook above the fridge. ‘Now, it’s plenty warm enough in here so let’s get your coat off … and perhaps a few other items of clothing too,’ he murmured seductively, his sudden change in tone instantly snapping me from my dreamlike state as I jerked my face to him and found his eyes practically devouring me whole as he began to undo my jacket.

My throat felt thick with a swiftly descending lust, and I tried and failed to swallow as my attention became totally wrapped up in Nicholas and the way his fingers nimbly began sliding my coat from my shoulders and lifting my jumper over my head. Now that I was just standing before him in my T-shirt and thermal under shirt I saw his eyes begin to twinkle as he openly stared at my breasts. ‘That jumper did a good job of hiding the clamps, but I can see them now.’ Raising both hands he circled the outermost part of my breasts with a finger, cupped them both, and then very gently ran his thumb over my captured nipples. The moan that escaped my lips at his contact on my over-sensitised flesh was almost tortured and my back arched greedily towards him, not sure if I were pleading for more contact, or for the pressure to finally be released.

‘I bet your nipples are just crying out for me to remove the clamps and lick them better, aren’t they, Rebecca?’ he asked, his tone low and so gritty that it caused another strangled noise to escape my throat. The way this man could make me so needy with just words and a few scarce touches was just incredible, and at his provocative words my legs weakened and I ended up grabbing his forearms for support, feeling so turned on that I thought I might fall over. ‘Yes … Nicholas … please … ’

‘Eyes open, Rebecca,’ he murmured softly and when my glazed eyes finally managed to peel open I found Nicholas looking quite satisfied by my needy state; his gaze was narrowed and a cocky smile sat on his beautiful lips. Normally I’d have fired off a remark to put him back in his place, but seeing as he was the cause for my immense arousal he probably had the right to be looking so pleased with himself.

As he peeled off my T-shirt and the thin thermal under layer, Nicholas was exceptionally careful not to hurt my sensitive nipples, and I found that the cooler air of the igloo was actually quite refreshing on my heated skin. A growl rumbled from Nicholas’ chest as he looked at my reddened, clamped nipples and once again cupped the weight of my breasts in his hot palms. Suddenly, as if he couldn’t help himself, his head ducked down and he ran his tongue around the edge of my areolas, but frustratingly avoided the needy tips.