I sit up cross-legged and face him. "When I was leaving work, he was in the parking lot, kissing and hugging another woman."

Watching my father's face, I notice his expression change. His eyes narrow and I catch the unmistakeable flicker of anger in them. "He did that? In front of you?"

"Well, he didn't know I was there at first." I feel the dull sting of tears right before they start falling down my cheeks. "Then I went to my car and he saw me and called out, but I couldn't stay there any longer. So I left."

"He let you?"

"I didn't give him much choice in the matter, Dad."

"And has he tried to call you since you left?"

"Ten missed calls, and three text messages."

I see the corner of his mouth twitch, but he manages to control it. "Har, have you even read the messages or listened to your voicemail?"

"What's the point? I saw everything I needed to see." I wave my hand around, getting myself more worked up the more we talk about it.

"And if he turns up here wanting to speak to you?"

I look at him, letting his words sink in while my heart burns inside my chest. "He won't," I reply quietly. There's silence between us as I try to not think about my disaster of a love life "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you okay with this? You know, with me and Porter getting together?"

"Because I couldn't think of a better man for my daughter. Until now, that is. That's why I think you need to give him the benefit of the doubt and let him explain. There might be a perfectly acceptable explanation for what you saw."

"He didn't push her away. He didn't stop her. He kissed her and hugged her, and until the moment he saw me, he was happy seeing her. That tells me that he got caught out. I know his type-he's a playboy pilot. I was just a distraction while we were stuck in Chicago. We're back now, he can go back to his girlfriend, bed buddy, whatever she is. I'll just have to live and learn."

"Harlow Wilson, I never raised you to be a quitter, and I know you're not stupid. You wouldn't let yourself get talked into anything, let alone permit a man to pull the wool over your eyes for the sake of getting laid."

"Dad!"

"Cut the crap. You're almost thirty years old. I know you're not a virgin, and I was a thirty-year-old guy once too, remember? I know what happens, and I hope that you're not as stubborn as your old man. You always want to know how things work, what makes people tick. You'll go home and replay all of this in your pretty little head for a few days, and you'll be itching to find out what the real story is." I shake my head at him but he levels me with an all-knowing stare, one of those parental glares that you know means he wants me to listen and let his words sink in.

"Can we just let it slide, just for today? I wanted to spend Christmas Day with my dad. Can we enjoy each other's company and not discuss my love life, just for one day?" I plead, my eyes begging for him to give me this one wish.

"Anything for you, Princess. Just promise me you'll give him a chance to explain."

"Okay. I'll give him a chance. Eventually," I lie. "Now, can I open my presents?" I direct a sly smile at him and he melts, as always.

"About damn time."

Chapter 11.

Harlow Later than night, I drive home and true to my word, I'm cuddled up on my couch with a wine glass in one hand and a remote in the other as I watch It's a Wonderful Life. I've tried to steer my thoughts away from the sexy pilot of the moment but I can't help reminiscing about the last few days. The way he made me feel when he came to my hotel room and kissed me for the first time. Acting like a couple in love as we wandered around Michigan Avenue, stealing kisses whenever possible. His refusal to let me pay for anything.

Then there was the feeling of his body against mine as we made love under the Christmas tree. My Christmas tree, the one he organized the hotel staff to put in my room. He gave me Christmas in Chicago, then he soiled the memory with his lies.

Or did he?

Is my dad right? Did I somehow misconstrue what I saw?

As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. I freeze, not wanting to make a sound, secretly hoping that whoever it is will go away. I look down at myself and realize that my oversized Seahawks hoodie and black yoga pants aren't exactly fit for public consumption, despite being comfortable attire for drowning my sorrows on the couch with a bottle of wine for company.

"Harlow, I know you're in there. Your dad called me, and told me that you were on your way home."

My father, the traitor.

I put my glass down on the coffee table and stand up, walking to the front door, and quickly look through the peephole to see a very handsome but wrung-out looking pilot on my doorstep.

Turning the lock, I open the door and come face to face with the man who just this morning had me screaming out his name and imagining many dates and orgasms with him within the near future.

"I'm here. I'm home safe. What more do you want, Porter? I have nothing left to give." I try hard to swallow the lump in my throat, willing myself to hold it together until he's gone.

He pushes his way in, shutting the door behind him.

"Sweetheart," he says softly, touching my cheek with his palm, "we need to straighten a few things out."

I shrug him off and turn away, padding back to my couch and my half-empty glass of wine. His footsteps follow behind me and I'm not surprised when he sits down to my left.

"Har, if you'd stuck around and let me explain, I would've been able to stop this . . ." Leaning forward, he runs his fingers over my cheek before cupping my jaw. He swipes away a few errant tears falling down my face that I couldn't control, even if I tried. "You could've given me the benefit of the doubt." His eyes bore into mine, the hurt evident.

My eyes widen and I shake my head free, trying hard to steer clear from the Porter haze I always seem to find myself caught up in. "A beautiful woman ran into your willing arms and kissed you on the lips. And you didn't exactly push her away."

He reaches for my shoulders but I jerk away from him, trying to calm myself down but failing miserably.

I've gone over and over what we had, what we did, I've realized what hurts the most. I feel like I was just another port in a storm for him. We were stranded away from home and he made his move, a move I fell for hook, line and sinker. I've been kicking myself all afternoon as I wallowed in self-pity.

The anger is building inside of me and suddenly I'm just inches away from him, jabbing his chest angrily. "You used me. You said all the right things and acted so genuine. I thought it was real. And because we were friends, I believed you. I believed it was real." I take a quick breath, but can't help the words from escaping. I swat at my face, wiping away the tears once more. I have nothing to lose now because there was obviously nothing more than a fling between us."

It'll be hard, but I can avoid him at work. I can work from home, I can lock myself away in my office and shut out the rest of the world. Eventually, the hurt will fade. I'll never forget our three days together, but I will hopefully be able to move on. There is always the Timbuktu option as well.

I sigh, resigned to the fact that I obviously imagined his feelings for me. My anger dims and all of a sudden I'm tired. So very, very tired.

"Look, I get it. You're off the hook, Porter. We were stuck, away from home during the holidays. You used me to scratch an itch. I didn't think you were capable of doing anything like that, but you live and you learn."

Then, before I can react, his fingers wrap around both my wrists and my arms are swung behind my back. Wrapping himself around me, he slams his mouth down on mine, plunging his tongue into my mouth in that delicious way he does.

My traitorous body responds instantly, matching him stroke for stroke and desperately writhing against him as I try to get my hands free. He growls into my mouth and I feel the fight leave my body. He feels it too, because all of a sudden the grip on my hands loosens and I'm being lifted under my arms. My legs instantly clamp around his hips in a desperate move to stay upright.

Pushing my back against the living room wall, he rests his forehead against mine, both of us gasping for breath. "You're wrong, sweetheart." He drags his lips along my jaw, resting his lips at the ultra-sensitive skin below my ear before continuing. "You're the only one I'm currently sleeping with." He grazes his teeth against my neck and I breathe out a betraying moan. "You're the only woman I want to be with. The only one I've wanted to be with since I met you."

I shove his shoulders and he leans back, staring at me incredulously.

"You're doing it again. You're saying all the right things when my hips are hard up against your . . . hardness . . ." I see his lips twitch which just makes me see red. "Porter, you didn't push her away. You didn't even care that I might have seen it, or how seeing it would make me feel."

With that, he flattens me against the wall, chest to chest, hip to hip, his hands holding my head in place and giving me no option but to hang there, off him, and hear what he wants to say.

"That woman, is my roommate. My best friend since childhood. She was worried about me flying in this weather. She was worried about me being stranded in Chicago. She is a touchy-feely person; that is just the way she is."

"Have you ever . . ."

"Stop right there. Laura is my roommate. My best friend. My closest female friend, for that matter, and the only woman I've ever lived with and seen naked but never slept with."

"But-"

"Harlow, for God's sake, woman, she's a lesbian. She likes women. No, she loves women. More than me, I think. She's the closest thing to family I have in Seattle and other than you and my parents, there is nobody else I care about more." I look at him, really look at him, and all I can see is sincerity. I don't think you can fake that when you're pressed up hard against the woman you're desperately trying to convince.

Hold up, he cares about me?

"You care about me?"

His eyes soften, showing me exactly how much he cares for me. Oh hell, I screwed up. Big time.

"Every minute we have spent together. I've wanted to tell you, to touch you, to be with you, for so damn long. But I forced myself to keep my distance out of respect for your father. Then we were on the plane and I saw how that jerk off made you feel, and all I wanted to do was hold you in my arms and protect you from assholes like him for the rest of your life. Then you gave me a chance. Me, a chance. And I took it. I had to take it because if three days in Chicago with you was all I got, then I would cherish those days for the rest of my life."

"I care about you too," I blurt out, too overcome with emotion to say anything else.

"Fucking thankful for that." He thrusts his hips against mine and I whimper at the precise pressure he pushes in the most perfect place.

"So we're good now?" he asks as he walks backwards, carrying me as he walks to the sofa. I tangle my hands in his hair and look at the man who I almost lost over a stupid misunderstanding that I could've avoided.

"So, so good," I moan as he lowers me down and meshes his lips with mine.

And as my Christmas lights flash green and yellow light across the room, Porter proceeds to prove just how good we really are.

The End

Epilogue.

Porter Having landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule, I do my final checks and secure the plane before making my way inside, through the reception area, and toward Harlow's office. Something about the fact she might not expect me yet-well, unless she saw me land of course-sends a thrill through me.

You see, my darling Harlow is impossible to surprise, and I mean impossible. She's too damn onto it to allow anything to get past her. Her dad says she's always been that way, but it is truly the most infuriating thing about her.

But this time I think I have her beat.

Well that was my thinking, until I turn the corner and step into her office to see her bend at the waist as she picks up some files off the floor. Her charcoal gray skirt has ridden up and I can see a peek of a garter strap as well as the edge of her black lace stockings. My mouth waters at the sheer sight of her, then my cock hardens as thoughts of all the things I could do to her in that very position spring to mind.

"Had I known it was show and tell at work day, I would've been here sooner," I remark as I take another step toward her and shut the door behind me, never being more thankful for both a lockable door and blinds.

She giggles and starts to straighten. "Stop right there. Don't you dare move, Harlow Daniels. Your husband insists that you assume the position and await whatever treatment he deems necessary for your omission of the truth."

"What omission?" she asks as I run my eyes up her legs and over her round, sumptuous ass for the tenth time since I arrived.

I don't answer her. I let that question lie in wait, leaving her to wonder what I'm doing in that very moment, where in the room I am, what I'm likely to do next.

I stand behind her, so close that there's the smallest distance possible between us without actually touching. Not an easy feat when my cock is hard as nails and ready to pound something, preferably my wife.

I place my hands on her hips and slowly bend down on one knee, trailing my hands around the curve of her ass and down her thighs, running my index fingers on both hands down the garter strap connected to those sexy as fuck stockings that I hope she'll leave on while I make love to her.

"We're due at Grayson's," she moans, loudly, obviously unable to control her reactions any more than I can. A trait I absolutely love in her.

Even our wedding was a perfect example of how we can't control ourselves, even if we wanted to. We eloped to Cabo at dusk. Barefoot, I married the love of my life and the holder of my heart wearing an open-neck white shirt and black cargo shorts. Harlow wore a white, Grecian-or so I'm told-dress that fluttered in the light sea breeze.

Let me tell you, the wedding night was out-of-this-world good. The best sex of my life. And this gorgeous woman in my arms right now is all mine, forever, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Grayson will understand . . ." I lean forward and run my tongue along the strap of the garter belt, traveling up the back of her thigh before traveling down the curve of her ass.

"Porter, we shouldn't . . ." Her voice trails off as my fingers stroke the satin panties between her legs. The damp material makes me harder than stone.

I stand up and she turns around, a sexy smile lighting up her beautiful face.

"I have something for you. For Christmas." She runs her hands up my shirt and winds her arms around my neck.

"I've heard that before. And I'm sure I've had you before. Often, in fact. But never in here." I chuckle when her eyes widen as realization hits.

"In here?"

"Hell yeah. Just like your fantasy. Remember?" I lean in and kiss the hollow of her neck before trailing my nose up to her ear before whispering, "The one where I bend you over your desk." I nip her ear lobe and then move my mouth along her jaw, feeling her body shudder with need before I take her mouth, kissing her with a renewed hunger that hasn't waned ever since we first got together.

She pulls back and smiles up at me. "I guess it's Merry Christmas to me, then."

I then set about making her fantasy a reality, bending her over the desk and making her come twice before giving in to my own release. And as I lean over her, both of us trying to catch our breath as we come down from our high, I hear her mumble, "Best Christmas ever."

Amen to that.

Author's Note Stranded was edited by Lauren McKellar and proof read by Claire Haiek Stranded is an original novella specifically written for the All I Want anthology and I hope you enjoyed reading Porter and Harlow's story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you're intrigued about Makenna and Daniel, their story begins in Temporary Bliss (Book 1 of the Bliss series) available at all retailers.

The Bliss series has five books and is centered around Makenna Lewis and the three 'friends with benefits' she has, well that was until a late night train ride and a chance meeting with Daniel "Superman" Winters.

The books in the Bliss series are;.

Temporary BlissAvailable Now.