Stuck With You: A Christmas Romance

by Lara Swann

  We follow a lot of the same trails we did when we were here the first time, with just a few diversions as our curiosity is spiked by different paths, and look out at the stunning view of the lake surrounded by mountains once again. It’s a little more blustery than the first time - the sky is more of a tumultuous, ever-shifting gray than the blue skies and sunshines we had initially - but that makes for its own gorgeous lighting once we get high enough to look down at the lake.

  “It’s so beautiful here.” Lauren sighs. “I feel like I could stay here forever, just looking out at this sight.”

  “It is.” I murmur in agreement, although my gaze is drawn to her as often as it is to the gorgeous vista in front of us.

  I mean, I’ve seen a lot of awe-inspiring places…not many alongside beautiful women, too.

  I start taking a few photos, framing her against the backdrop in a way that makes her silhouette pop - the way she’s looking out in wonder emphasizing the sight behind her perfectly.

  “Are you sure you really aren’t giving me a personalized photo shoot?” Lauren asks, as she turns back to catch me in the act, raising one eyebrow archly. I take a photo of that too, closer this time, so that you can really see the details of her face and just how expressive it can be…

  “No—I’m taking the scenery.” I say, staunchly. I was taking the scenery. “You just happen to be in them.”

  “Mmhm…somehow, I’ve got a feeling that most of the photos from this trip are going to be of me.”

  She might not be wrong about that.

  I refuse to admit it, though, still taking photos—without even attempting to point the camera in another direction. Her amused expression is too captivating to resist.

  “Just trying to build up your…ahem, personal collection…hmm?” She asks, in a suggestive tone that’s totally wicked.

  “What the—” I lower the camera in shock. Did she just—

  “Make sure you’ve got a few mementos to remind you of…our time together, huh?” She smirks at me, laughter in her tone. “Well, I’ll tell you right now, I’m not offering any nudes.”

  “Wait—fuck, Lauren, just what do you think I am?!”

  I forget about the camera and stalk over to her, seeing the impish look written all over her face. It’s not quite enough to alleviate my staggering shock, but it does calm some of the sudden alarm running through me. You just don’t make accusations like that in my line of work.

  “You—fucking hell, you like to be outrageous, don’t you?!”

  She grins, doing her best to look innocent, and I let out a long breath before grabbing her in my arms and kissing her hard as that unused adrenaline shifts into something else entirely.

  “You can’t say shit like that.” I growl, pulling back to watch her. “I’m a professional. That is not what it’s about for me.”

  “Oh yeah?” She asks, in that same playful tone that has my blood heating, even though I should be more concerned by what she’s trying to imply. “That’s a pity.”

  “You’re dangerous, woman.” I mutter, running my gloved hand over her jacket until I get to the bottom of it, more turned on by her audacity - and that hint of mischief in her eyes - than I should be. “And I clearly need to teach you better…get those ideas out of your head…”

  Her gaze heats at the implication of just how I’d like to get those ideas out of her head, and she presses into me, where my half-hard cock is already interested, despite how many layers there are between us right now. I slip my hand under her jacket and even though she can’t feel my bare skin through my glove, she shivers - and not entirely from the quickly-heightening interest between us.

  She laughs, leaning forward to nibble at the bottom of my lip before shaking her head.

  “Yeah, we’re not going further than this out here in the snow, Tristan. You might be pretty hot, but even you can’t warm us up that much.”

  I laugh, unable to resist the mischievous glow in her expression, and press hard against her to make my point. “Mm, but just wait until we get back…”

  She shudders against me and this time it’s not from the cold at all, as her eyes flare with light in anticipation of just what that explosion might look like. Then she actually giggles, rubbing against me in a way that makes it very clear we won’t be lingering here for much longer - and pretty much as soon as we make it back down the trail, she’s heading towards the snowmobile, her hips swinging very suggestively.

  Damn, she knows exactly how to press my buttons.

  The provocation only gets worse from there, with Lauren fully embracing this impish streak she’s on and touching me everywhere she can think of on the ride back, making me groan and curse as I try to concentrate on steering. She somehow slips her hands up under my jacket and against my bare skin, making me shiver this time, as her mouth nibbles at my ear and she rubs up very seductively against me. It’s only when her hands drop lower that I have to force myself to tell her to stop, despite the way my cock pulses in frustration when her hands slip away again. However much I wish I could, I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery while that is going on.

  Even without that, by the time we get back, the simmering heat inside me feels about ready to explode. She jumps off the snowmobile almost before I’ve brought it to a complete stop, playing up this whole thing and running into the cabin with a laugh while I’m still parking the damn thing. I growl to myself before stalking in after her, already starting to tear my winter jacket, gloves and hat off before I’ve even made it through the door.

  I find her hanging her gear up, looking over her shoulder back at me with an unrepentant expression - and I don’t even bother to put everything away properly, discarding it all as I grab for her. She manages to scoot back out of my grasp once, but then I’m on top of her, pinning her against the wall and kissing her with all the fury of my pent-up desire. She moans, melting into me almost immediately, and any pretense of resistance disappears as I nip and kiss at her neck, my hands wandering up under her sweater and heading straight for her bra.

  “Take it back.” I say, my voice dark and heated.

  “Take…what back?” She gasps, her arms around my neck as she leans back against the wall, drawing me in further.

  “What you said…about me…my photos…”

  “Oh. Yeah.” She says, still breathless and obviously distracted as she works her hands up under my shirt. “You’re a perfectly respectable photographer. Wouldn’t touch anything seedy.”

  I’d feel more gratified by that if it weren’t for the flippancy in her tone…or how disreputable I happen to feel at this very moment, my mind full of all the very-not-respectable things I want to do to her.

  I kiss her again, hard, driving her back against the wall and making her moan as my thumbs stroke over the hard nipples straining against the cups of her bra, caressing and teasing them until she’s bucking against me. It only takes a few moments before she quickly reaches behind her back and loosens the clasp, pulling the strapless bra out from under her top and tossing it to the floor. I lower my mouth almost immediately, taking her gorgeous breasts in my mouth through the fabric and sucking, as my tongue strokes over the hard nubs of her nipples and the additional friction drives her moans ever higher.

  She clings to me as I shift my thigh forward, opening her legs and pinning her against the wall. She gasps, rubbing up against it while burying her hands in my hair and lowering her mouth to my neck, kissing and nibbling against me through her moans. It’s so fucking hot, and I drop one hand lower, flicking open the button on her jeans in a practiced movement and letting my fingers slip inside.

  She’s so wet already and I don’t hesitate - I thrust two fingers straight into her, burying them deep and working her pussy hard as she quivers around me.

  “Oh god, Tristan…”

  I can hear the need in her voice and I know exactly what I’m doing to her, biting softly at her breasts and letting my fingers start fucking her the way I want to—the way
I’m desperate to, my cock straining against my pants as I make good on my promise to drive any errant thoughts entirely out of her mind. Right now, I don’t think she’s in any danger of forming a single coherent thought.

  Her pussy is so slick that my fingers move effortlessly, and I bring them almost all the way out to press my palm hard against her clit, making her shudder and buck again as I continue and she tries to move with me, tries to meet my rhythm and take me deeper, harder, within her.

  My body pinning her to the wall doesn’t give her any of that satisfaction, leaving her totally helpless to my agenda.

  “Tristan, please…”

  Fucking hell. Those words are like liquid fire, setting my blood alight, and even though I’d love to make her beg a little more, I can’t wait any longer.

  I pull her jeans down hard to open her up to me and she continues the movement, kicking them off while I open my belt - and then snap it out of my pants entirely, throwing it to the floor before opening my fly and finally letting my rock-hard cock spring free. It’s already red and throbbing, engorged even beyond its usual size as it presses up against her and she moans to see it.

  Yeah, this little game of hers has turned me on something fierce.

  I grab her hips in both of my hands, lifting her up and spreading her legs apart in one swift movement as I step into that gap, pressing her back against the wall while my cock nudges at her slick pussy. She lets out a low moan, and then I slam into her hard, filling her warm, wet pussy and stretching it as she screams against me, clinging to me and murmuring as I start pounding into her hard and fast.

  “Yes…yes…fuck…Tristan…yes…”

  I groan at the sound of it, my hands on her hips to anchor us both as she wraps her legs around me and clutches at my hair, her head sinking back against the wall as she gasps and moans, moving in time with me as my cock presses deeper inside her with every thrust. Her inner walls quiver around me and my cock fills her, stretching them further and making her gasp and clench harder around me. I can feel her racing toward the edge with every harsh breath she takes, little moans and cries coming with every exhale, and it makes me so fucking hot that my cock feels ready to explode.

  Everything about her is perfect in this moment - her breath, her voice, her sensuous body and that tight, warm pussy - and I just want it to last forever. To stay here with her, fucking her like this, again and again until we’re both delirious and senseless. For this vacation to never end.

  I feel the climax building in me far too fast for that though, and I couldn’t hold it back even if I wanted to, my mouth meeting hers and our tongues twisting together as passionately as our bodies writhe against one another. She gasps, holding onto me and keeping my mouth pressed against her as her hips rock forward again and again, the sounds she’s making getting ever higher.

  “Fuck, Lauren…” I mutter. “So…fucking…perfect…”

  I’m moving with a frenzy that even I can’t control now, pounding in and out of her as it feels like everything in me flows down to that one point, to my cock inside her, those tight walls surrounding me with slick heat and…I shift one hand around, flicking against her clit as I slam into her with everything I’ve got and she…screams.

  Her body convulses around me, her pussy milking my cock for everything it’s worth, and the sound of her flying over that edge is all it takes for my cock to explode within her, streams of cum shooting out of me as we ride the wave together, our bodies moving of their own accord as the best kind of pleasure floods through me.

  Fucking hell.

  By the time I come back to myself, grunting and gasping, I’ve got one hand against the wall and I’m barely holding us both upright, with Lauren collapsed against me, her body wrapped around mine. I lift her with effort, guiding us both down to the floor. I’d try for somewhere else, like the couch or the bed, but I don’t think either of us would make it. Lauren sprawls against me there and I lean back against the wall as I guide her into my arms, holding her tight.

  “That.” She murmurs, her voice hoarse and warm. “Was fucking perfect.”

  “Yeah…” I say, still trying to catch my breath. “Just like you.”

  She laughs a little, a high, happy sound, as if she thinks I’m joking. I’m not at all sure that I am.

  “Can we…just stay here for a while?” She asks slowly.

  We’re sat on the floor, sticky and sweaty and curled up together haphazardly…and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

  “As long as you like…” I say softly. “As long as you like.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lauren

  After an impossibly good, sexually-charged and sensuously decadent week together, New Year’s Eve arrives far faster than I could have imagined - or wanted - and with it, the last full day of our vacation. It’s a strange feeling that it’s become ‘our’ vacation now, but it has, almost as if Tristan and I had booked it together from the start. It’s hard to believe that he was a complete stranger when all this started - after how much time we’ve spent together now, and how easy and enjoyable it’s all been.

  We spend the day together, and while most of our time together this week has been slow and languid, now our pleasure and enjoyment of one another has an edge to it - a slightly frantic energy as we both try to make the most of these last few hours together.

  In the evening we order in sushi, just like on our first night, and pop open another bottle of champagne to celebrate the approaching New Year - and the incredible way we’ve ended the current one. It’s wonderfully indulgent - enough that I could almost forget that it’s coming to an end - and we spend most of the evening just chatting as we wait for the approach of midnight, enjoying the warm atmosphere and good food after a day that’s left our bodies sore and satisfied in all the best ways.

  “Damn, this is good food.” Tristan says appreciatively, pincering another piece of sushi. “Maybe we should have gotten take-out more often.”

  “It’s more special this way.” I point out, in complete reversal of my initial attitude. “Besides, I enjoyed cooking with you too much.”

  He grins, his eyes heating as he looks at me and no doubt remembers where half of those adventures ended up.

  “That’s true - and I guess it would be pretty absurd to claim I regret anything about how we spent this vacation.”

  I smile back, but as much as I appreciate the little gestures we’re making to show each other just how much we’ve enjoyed our time together - nice things that we can think back on once we’re gone - I’m not sure I’m quite ready to dwell on it. I still can’t believe it’s our last night here - and even if it’s impossible for our thoughts not to turn to the year ahead tonight, I’d rather not think about this ending quite yet.

  “So, do you have any resolutions?” I ask instead, to lighten the tone a little…and because I’m curious. I wonder whether he has the same opposition to those traditions as he does to the Christmas ones. “For the New Year?”

  Tristan leans back with a satisfied sigh, most of the food now demolished in front of us, and I top up his glass of champagne. We’ve got another bottle for when midnight actually hits and—well, it’s not like we’re going to have any use for it tomorrow.

  “I usually aim to visit at least four new places each year - one every quarter, and at least one of them abroad.” He says. “So far, I’ve managed it without a problem, but with a few of the cuts to the magazine’s budget and since I’ve ticked off all the easy, nearby places, it might be a little bit harder this year. Still, I’m up for the challenge.”

  “Have you ever been to New York City?”

  It just slips out. I don’t even know what I’m thinking and I have to catch myself from slapping my hands against my mouth. I know exactly how that sounds.

  Shit. Lauren. You were not going to say that. This is a simple holiday fling—now he’s going to think you’re thinking of something else!

  “I just mean—well, if you ever happened to visit and wan
ted a local to show you around—then, maybe that could be fun.” I say quickly, trying to fix it and not sure if I’m making it any better. That was sort of what I meant by it—well, except I didn’t really mean to say anything at all.

  Tristan is just smiling at me though, amusement dancing in his eyes as he responds, almost as if he can read all the thoughts tumbling through my mind. God, I hope not. “I’ve been to New York City before, yes—but being shown around by a local sounds good too. Maybe we should keep in touch a little…and if I’m ever in the area, I’ll let you know.”

  “Ah…right. Yes. That sounds good.” I say, hoping I don’t sound as awkward as I think I do.

  I mean, that’s a nice offer and it probably would be nice not to lose touch entirely…but wouldn’t it be a bit weird, too? Isn’t one of the advantages of a short burst of passion like this the intensity and…the end? I’m not sure how I feel about mixing the memories of what we have here with real life, so that all our fervor slowly trickles away until I’m left with a stranger’s number on my phone and weird feelings.

  Lauren. You’re over-thinking this. And you were the one who suggested it in the first place.

  “What about you?” Tristan asks, breaking through that flurry of strange feelings to draw my attention back to him, much to my relief. “I assume you’ve got a few goals in mind, since you asked?”

  “Oh—yeah.” I say, nodding, grateful that he’s moving the conversation on without any further comment. “I mentioned a while back, right? I’m way overdue getting back into the dating game—and after this week, I’m definitely not hung up on Greg anymore, so maybe I’m finally ready to try. That’s what my next year is going to be about - getting my life back on track and heading in the direction I’m looking for. Apparently, my sister has already bought me a subscription to her favorite dating app for Christmas, so that’s a start I guess.”