The thick leather gloves Killian let her borrow keep the rope from burning her skin, but do little to stop her fingertips from beginning to freeze from the cold. She needs something thermal, or at least some fleece. But Lady Rose is walking peacefully at the end of the lead, seemingly content with Emma as her only companion, and Emma finds herself unwilling to take the horse back to the barn just because she's a little cold. It's an odd thing to have something so powerful let you take the reins and follow without yielding. She can't help but wonder if Killian has felt a similar triumph in his pursuit of her, a challenge he has undoubtedly conquered.

The man in question is still on his phone, his cheeks red from the cold as he listens intently to whatever tale Anton is spinning into his ear. He smiles as he sees her looking and she smiles back, the near constant bloom of affection she feels for him unfurling another petal beneath her breast. She's got it bad. And yeah, that fact still terrifies her, but she's happy and - dammit - being happy is a lot more fun than being scared.

Lady Rose stops to nose into the snow and Emma welcomes the break, crossing to the fence so she can tie the lead to the rail and sit on the edge. She hears the crunch of Killian's boots approaching and she widens her knees, hoping he will take the hint. With an upturned eyebrow, he does. As soon as he's stepped close enough she tightens her knees around his ribs as half frozen fingers grip the puffy lapel of his coat to pull his mouth up to meet hers leaning down. Numb lips make for sloppy kisses and try as she might to keep it romantic, it's just too damn funny not to laugh. She can feel his deep chuckle warm her face as he slides his frigid nose across her cheek and that feeling of happiness just continues to deepen.

"Emma, why are we freezing our bollocks off out here?"

"Sorry buddy, you're the only one with those to freeze, or are you forgetting you are in the presence of two ladies?"

Her breath stutters as slightly warmer lips press a soft kiss to her cheekbone and the tip of her nose and she watches as Killian's eyes open to gaze at her with unguarded affection.

"My two favorite ladies, as a matter of fact."

"What do you say to taking this lady inside to warm her up?"

His answer comes in the form of a kiss, all playfulness forgotten as his tongue slides between her lips and his hands grip hard at the outside of her thighs. Reaching behind his head she pulls at the fingers of her gloves until they end up at his feet in the snow, her fingers now buried deep into the almost frozen thickness of his hair as she locks his body in tighter with her knees. It's entirely too cold to keep this up, but if she wasn't afraid of frostbite she just might consider it. With him now practically devouring her and his hands sliding up inside her coat, she knows she's going to have to be the one to bring this to a pause. He groans against her lips as she pulls his head back by his hair, and fuck, with his eyes as dark as night and his bottom lip wet and kiss swollen, she's suddenly finding it hard to remember she's cold at all. That is, until the freezing leather of his gloves hits the skin beneath her sweater.

"Ah! Cold!"

His eyebrows dance in delight as she tries to wiggle out of his grasp. He thinks he's won, she can tell, until he suddenly finds himself on his back in the snow with her body caging him in. Her knees are now soaked through, but it's worth it to see the look of shock on his face as she lifts a handful of snow up and over his head. Lady Rose chooses that moment to kick backwards from her spot beside them in the grass, sending a spray of cold, wet snow over the both of their heads.

"Okay, okay, old girl...message received. Let's go inside."

"Wait, so you'll listen to the horse, but not me?"

With her body still draped over his, he only has to lean up on his elbows to put his lips back in front of hers, just close enough to feel his breath but far enough away that she'd have to lean down to touch.

"Apologies, love, I got distracted…"

"I noticed."

"Before I get distracted again, why don't you head inside and light a fire. I'll take Lady Rose back to her stall."

Because she can, and because she wants to, she leans down for another kiss. She keeps it soft, slow, but full of promise before pushing herself to her feet. He remains sprawled out in the snow watching her with equal promise in his eyes as she heads back to the cabin to light that fire.

His fingers are still cold as his hands slide up her bare thighs in front of the hearth. She'd stripped of her wet jeans and socks and was warming herself by the fire when he'd returned, taking just enough time to shed his coat, gloves and boots before pressing his chest up against her back. She doesn't care that his lips are slightly chapped, or that his jeans are rough against the back of her knees, not when her belly is tumbling over with want as his hand slides up further between her legs.

"Fuck...Emma, you're so warm…"

She's more than just warm and when his fingers delve beneath her panties, she shivers at the groan he growls into her neck as he feels how ready she is for his touch. Reaching back for his neck, she urges his mouth to hers over her shoulder and tries to focus on kissing him as her legs to turn to jelly at the movements of his thumb over her clit. It's more than she can take when he slides two fingers inside and she has to brace both hands on the mantle as he proceeds to unrelentingly fuck her with his hand. It's too much, with his denim confined erection pressing hard against her ass and his mouth breathing words of dirty encouragement against her ear. She comes with his free hand plastered over her flannel covered breast and his mouth soothing the mark his teeth had just left along her neck.

"Holy shit….holy...shit."

She yelps a bit as his teeth press down playfully again, but still manages to get a hand behind her to work at the button of his jeans. It's not easy at this angle, but she manages. With his freed cock now sliding between her fingers it's his turn to add to her litany of swearing.

"Fuck, fuck...Emma…"

She lets go at that and his head falls forward into the back of her neck, seemingly too overcome to maintain his balance at her unexpected retreat. As she bends to slide her panties down her legs, his hands reach out to grab at her hips and she can feel him pressing his erection against the small of her back. As she stands, she lifts the edge of her shirt so it bunches at her waist, revealing her now bared - everything. It doesn't take him long to catch on. She hears his pants hit the floor before she feels the hair of his legs press against the back of her thighs as his hands move up and under her shirt to warm the skin of her belly with his palms. Her hands grip the mantle as he aligns himself behind her back and angles his cock between her open thighs, the swollen head nipping at her clit as she bends forward to help him along. She's burning up from the fire and his body and his voice as he begins to whisper her name on a strangled plea.

"Killian, please…"

She cries out as he enters her in one, deep thrust, and his hands grip hard at her hips to hold her steady so he can crash into her again and again. It's been a long time since she's been this thoroughly fucked and as unromantic as that may sound, she feels as though she's literally coming apart at the seams. His complete lack of control has her reeling, walls crumbling, hips pushing back to meet him with equal fervor.

"Fuck, Emma...I can't…"

"Don't...just don't stop!"

"Not a bloody chance in hell, love."

She almost laughs at that, but his hand has moved from her hip to press his thumb down at her clit and her laugh turns into an embarrassing loud moan. It's just another sound to add to their bodies colliding and breaths heaving, a rather porn like cacophony in this remote little cabin in the woods. Her mind stops wandering as the first tingles of her orgasm begin to hit and she lets one hand free of the mantle to reach back to grab a handful of his ass. A string of colorful words fly from his lips at that and his rhythm falters. He stops moving his hips, but not his fingers, and she has to grip the mantle with both hands again as her climax completely unfurls. She can feel her walls clenching around where he's still buried deep and that must have been enough, because she's now supporting his weight against her back as he fills her with his release.

She's sweaty and sticky and sore and...fuck, completely blissed out. Her limbs feel like they belong to a ragdoll as she lifts her arms to let him lift her shirt over her head, adding her flannel to the growing pile of clothes on the floor by their feet. When he turns her around she sees that he's removed his shirt too, and she doesn't hesitate to cuddle into the warmth of his chest as he gathers her in his arms.

"Sorry, my love, I'm usually not that boorish."

"Don't you dare apologize for a single second of that, I swear to god."

His chest rumbles under her ear in amusement at her and she gives the skin of his back a light pinch.

She didn't fail to notice his addition of 'my' before that 'love' and if she wasn't already oversensitized, she might be able to pinpoint the exact reaction it's having on her body. All she can tell right now is that it feels good. Really fucking good.

"Anton probably won't be happy to find out how many places we've had sex in his house."

"Actually, I have a feeling he won't be remotely concerned. But that's a story for after we shower."

Her curiosity is peaked at that little tidbit. She wants to press him for details, but as he takes her by the hand to lead her to the bathroom all she can think about is hot water and strong hands sliding over her skin.

After the water has run cold and they've both dried off, Emma demands, as she runs her hand over the marks from the shower tiles on her lower back that, "next time, they are having sex in the damn bed".

After taking a long, luxurious post-shower nap together, Killian rouses her with promises of grilled cheese and champagne. It's 'New Year's Eve after all', as he had to remind her. She agrees, but only if they can eat in bed. He kisses her in agreement, letting her stay beneath the warm covers as he works his magic at the stove. Watching him move about the kitchen in his pajama pants and bare feet, she tries to remember what it felt like before this man was in her life. It's only been two months since they met, but for some reason it feels like longer. Or maybe just the happiness she feels now is stronger than the loneliness she was living in before? She's not sure. All she knows is this, right here with Killian, it's exactly where she's meant to be. And...she knows she's pretty much in love with him, but that's something he doesn't need to know quite yet.

"Here love, can you hold this while I get the champagne?"

Sitting up, she takes the large plate piled with two sandwiches and french fries from his hand and sets it on her outstretched legs. When he turns towards the kitchen, she steals a fry. He "tsks" at her without turning his head and she tosses said fry at the back of his head.

"That's one less french fry for you to eat, Swan."

"Worth it."

He returns to bed with a stupid grin and two glasses nearly overflowing with champagne. Setting them both down on the nightstand, he crawls under the covers beside her and wraps and arm around her shoulders to pull her close to his side.

"Don't you need that hand to eat?"

"Nah, I'll manage."

To prove it, he picks up his sandwich and takes a big bite, waiting until his lips are greasy to smack a kiss to her cheek. He gets an elbow to the rib before she wipes away the mess with the back of her hand.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Aye, but you still love me."

He said that in jest, she's sure, but her cheeks still burn as if he's just been reading her mind. Grabbing her sandwich, she takes a bite instead of trying to think of a response. He doesn't seem to notice her internal freak-out, so she settles into his side and grabs another fry.

"So, Anton. I have some news."

She'd already forgotten all about that. She blames the shower sex.

"Oh yeah, what's up with him?"

"He's getting married."

Complete surprise has her sitting up straight and turning a bit so she can see Killian's face to see if he's pulling her leg. He looks completely serious.

"What? I didn't even know he had a girlfriend."

"He doesn't. He has a boyfriend. Paul. And I guess he's his fiancee now, not his boyfriend, so…"

"Paul. Wow."

Maybe it's because she's a little bit in love herself, but she just feels immensely happy for Anton at hearing this news.

"Aye, apparently they've been spending their winters together these past few years and Paul up and proposed last night. It sounded rather romantic and I could tell that Anton is just over the moon with happiness. He's never sounded lighter, if you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

Killian's arm tightens around her waist and she pushes lightly against his ribs as she tries to hold back a smile, and fails.

"There's a bit more, love. He asked if I might be interested in buying the farm."

If she was surprised by the first bit of news, this has definitely hit the level of shocked. She doesn't even know what to say and thankfully, he just keeps talking.

"He said that he'd really only been keeping the farm going because it was what his family used to do, but with them all gone now and Paul offering him a new life, he's ready to move on. He's willing to let me pay him in installments over the next few years just to take it off his hands."

"What did you say?"

She didn't mean that to come out so quickly, but it's out now and he must have heard the real question she was asking in the tone of her voice. She's sure of it when he takes the plate from her lap and moves it to the nightstand so he can turn to face her and take both of her hands in his.

"I said yes. I'm happy here, Emma. I love the animals and the work and more than all of that, every moment I've spent with you. I've found my home here and I can't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else."

She's overwhelmed, and on the verge of tears, so she kisses him before he can say something else that will inevitably make her cry. He draws her over his lap and she deepens the kiss, needing him to understand how happy she is at his decision, even if the only word she can seem to say out loud is "good" before she leans in to kiss him again.

They make love again, this time on the bed, with Killian's back against the headboard and Emma's moving languidly on his lap. She almost tells him she loves him when she comes. Almost says it when they toast in the New Year naked under the covers with their glasses of champagne. And it almost slips out as she feels herself drifting off to sleep.

She tells him in the morning, with the sun reflecting off of the snow, its rays of light welcoming in the first day of the new year.