Frostbound

Chapter nine

The chill of Winter Hollow had settled deeper into Eve's bones, but it wasn't the frost in the air that made her shiver anymore—it was the thought of Jack. 

He had become an inescapable presence in her life, his teasing smiles and the glint in his eyes haunting her every waking moment. Eve had tried to fight it, tried to keep her distance, but it was becoming impossible. His cold, fiery touch had ignited something deep inside her, a yearning she thought she had buried forever.

She was sitting in her cozy cottage one evening, staring into the warmth of her fireplace, trying to push the thoughts of Jack away. But as if he knew exactly when to appear, the wind howled, and the door creaked open with a sudden gust. Eve didn't even have to look up. She knew it was him.

"You know, it's rude to sneak in like that," she said, her voice half-amused, half-annoyed as she continued to stare into the fire.

Jack chuckled softly, his voice as smooth as velvet. "I prefer to think of it as being romantic," he teased, stepping fully into the room, his presence filling every corner with an electric charge. His silver-blue eyes sparkled in the flickering firelight, and his lips curled into that signature grin that made Eve's heart skip a beat. "And I've never been one for rules."

Eve couldn't help but smile despite herself, but she quickly tried to mask it, turning her attention back to the fire. "What do you want this time, Jack?"

He strolled over to the couch, his movements languid and fluid, as though the cold didn't touch him at all. 

He reached down, picking up a snowflake that had somehow appeared on her coffee table—a perfect, delicate creation that hadn't been there moments before. He twirled it between his fingers before letting it dissolve in the air, the particles melting into the warmth of the room.

"I want you, Eve," he said, his tone suddenly lowering, making her heart race. He took a step closer, his cold aura brushing against her skin like a whisper. "I want you to stop pretending that you don't feel what's between us."

Eve swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jack's smile widened, and he knelt in front of her, his face mere inches from hers. The air between them crackled, thick with tension. 

He was so close, too close, and it took everything in her not to lean forward, to give in to the urge to press her lips to his. His scent—crisp like snow, yet rich with something untamed—invaded her senses. 

He was intoxicating, and she hated that he knew it.

"You're lying," he murmured, his voice like velvet slipping through her thoughts. "The way your pulse quickens when I'm near, the way your body reacts to my touch. I feel it, Eve. I know you want me as much as I want you."

Her breath hitched as he reached out, his fingers grazing her cheek with a tenderness that sent a wave of heat through her. 

Despite the frost surrounding him, his touch was like fire—electric and warm, sending a rush of desire straight to her core. 

She closed her eyes, trying to suppress the overwhelming feelings swirling inside her.

"I don't want this," she whispered, even as her body betrayed her, leaning slightly into his touch, craving more.

Jack chuckled softly, the sound low and teasing. "You don't want this? Then why are you still here? Why do you keep inviting me into your life, into your thoughts?" He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "You're already falling, Eve. You just don't want to admit it yet."

Eve's breath caught again, and she pulled away slightly, her heart racing in her chest. She couldn't deny that his words held truth. He was right—she was falling. 

But the fear that accompanied it terrified her. How could she let herself fall for someone so... otherworldly? How could she let someone like Jack Frost into her life when she knew it would only lead to destruction?

But Jack wasn't giving her any room to retreat. He closed the distance between them once more, lifting her chin so their eyes locked. There was no mistaking the raw desire in his gaze now. 

He wasn't playing anymore, wasn't teasing for sport—he wanted her, and she could feel it in the intensity of his stare.

"I'm not going anywhere, Eve," Jack whispered, his breath warm against her lips. "And neither are you."

Before she could respond, Jack's lips crashed against hers. The kiss was everything she'd been denying herself, a whirlwind of heat and ice. 

His lips were cold, but his touch was fire, igniting something deep inside her that she couldn't control. 

She gasped as his hands slid around her waist, pulling her against him, feeling the heat of his body, the intensity of his desire. She could taste the winter on his lips, but there was something else there, too—something primal, something that made her heart race and her pulse quicken.

For a moment, she let herself feel it—the danger, the allure, the passion. His kiss deepened, his hands roaming with purpose, exploring the contours of her body as though he were discovering her for the first time. 

Eve's mind screamed at her to stop, to pull away, but her body was already betraying her. She couldn't stop herself. She wanted this. She wanted him.

Jack pulled back just enough to catch his breath, his lips hovering over hers as he gazed into her eyes. "Don't you see?" he murmured, his voice raw with longing. "You're mine, Eve. And I'm yours."

Eve's heart skipped a beat, the words sinking into her very soul.

She wanted to argue, to say that she didn't belong to anyone, that she wasn't ready for this. But as Jack's hands slipped into her hair, pulling her back into another kiss, she realized that she didn't want to fight it anymore.

She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. The barrier she had spent so long building between them had shattered, and now there was only the heat of their bodies, the frantic urgency of their desires, and the magic that swirled around them.

For the first time in years, Eve let herself feel alive—truly alive. She let the passion consume her, let Jack lead her into the depths of this dangerous, seductive world where love was both cold and fiery, tender and fierce.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. 

The past, the pain, the fears—all of it melted away in the heat of their kiss. T

hey were no longer two opposing forces—Eve and Jack were one, bound together by something deeper than either of them could understand.

And as Jack's touch deepened, Eve realized she wasn't just falling—she was lost in him, lost in the fire and ice that would always be their love.