“All in good time.” He placed another kiss on her thigh, right below the lacy hem of her black silk briefs. She gasped when he rose and undressed. With quick, efficient movements he stripped off his shoes, socks, and shirt. He slowed his movements as his hands rested on the waist of his jeans. Looking her straight in her eyes, he undid the snap and lowered the zipper. She’d never heard anything that sounded so loud. She found she had to summon up saliva in order to wet the inside of her mouth gone suddenly dry. He lowered the jeans to the floor and kicked them aside. He stood before her in nothing but a pair of navy blue knit boxers that left little to the imagination.
Next, he lifted her into his arms, crossing the small room until they were next to the bed. He hesitated before putting her down and her heart skipped a beat. Had he changed his mind? Insecurity reared its ugly head.
“Just so you know, we’re getting married next week.”
She blinked up at him, his statement so unexpected. “We are?”
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes. You are not slipping away from me twice in one lifetime.” He lowered her to the bed and followed down on top of her, his large body covering hers. The goosebumps came back.
“I’ve always wanted a Christmas time wedding,” she admitted softly.
“How about a Christmas Eve wedding then. That would give us time to plan something special.” He placed another long, lingering kiss on her lips. “Will you marry me, Holly Bryant, on Christmas Eve?”
“Yes.”
And then Nick’s body was pressing on hers. Blending with hers. And nothing else in the world matters. Not the town, the factory. Nothing but the joy this man was bringing into her life.
Heaven, Holly thought. She was in heaven. She felt as if she was a Christmas tree that had just been plugged into an electric socket. She was color and light, peace and joy, and warmth. They kissed again and again as if they couldn’t get enough of each other’s taste, which they couldn’t. Everything was new and yet so aching familiar at the same time. They had been lovers once, young lovers bold and brash, ready to experience passion for the first time. Now, they were older adults, but just as new lovers.
Nick lay on top of her, his considerable weight supported by one of his arms. The other one he used to brush away the hair from her eyes. He allowed his hand to linger on the silken tresses, trailing it out in a beautiful dark fan across her white pillowcase. “So, so beautiful,” he murmured before lowering his head and placing soft, tender kisses against her eyelids. Next, he laid a heated trail of kisses across her temple and down her jaw, forcing her chin up with a nudge of his nose. Sucking the creamy flesh of her neck into his mouth, he made his mark on her and earned himself a moan of pleasure. He soothed the reddened skin with his tongue before moving on. Licking the soft and vulnerable skin beneath her ear, he continued tasting her along her collarbone, giving her skin light nips along the raised ridge. Next, he turned his attention to the full swells overflowing the cups of her black bra. He tugged at the lace edging, growling when it didn’t give under his forceful tugs. “Damn.”
He redistributed his weight so he could unhook her bra. The move brought their lower bodies together heavily, and he started moving against her. The pressure made Holly gasp, feeling the true strength of his desire for her. His hand moved down her body, stroking the hills and valleys of her side and stomach. A caress that would have made her cringe inwardly with any other man. But with Nick, the movement was natural and desired because she knew he wanted to be there, touching her. Wanting her.
He cupped her bottom, giving it a hard squeeze before wrapping his fingers around her thigh and pulling her leg up, partially wrapping it around his waist.
“Nick!” His name was a sound filled with need as the move settled his the hard ridge of his erection against her core.
“Holly.” He breathed her name against her lips seconds before he claimed them again. As he kissed her, he moved his body against hers, their flesh separated by only two thin layers of fabric. His hand moved from her thigh, along her belly and pushed between their bodies to find her sweet slickness. His hot touch made her jerk. “Easy, Holly Darling. Easy.”
As he stroked her, he nibbled on her neck, nudging the bra straps with his nose. “This thing is still in the damn way. Move it, baby.”
She did as he ordered, pulling the cups away slowly before easing the garment completely off. She watched him as he gazed down at her, his hand still touching her. Feeling more daring than she ever had she raised her hands and touched her breasts, tugging at the turgid centers.
“Shit, Holly, what are you trying to do to me?” He groaned, taking a deep breath.
“Drive you crazy.” She smiled up at him before moving her hands to press them flat against his chest. The tanned surface was covered in a light dusting of dark hair, and she ran her fingers through it. His chest muscles flexed under the palms of her hands. She grasped her hands together behind his neck, trying to pull him down to her. He refused to budge, so she rose up, using her hold on him to lift her torso up so her breasts brushed against his chest.
“More.”
She slid against him again and his touch on her center grew deeper. His thumb pressed against her nub and two of his fingers slide inside her, curling and touching a spot that sent her into the stratosphere. She crushed herself to him as she exploded.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured as he lowered them to the bed, her arms still locked around his neck. Nick never knew he could feel this way, this connected to another human being. Oh, he’d known coming back here, seeking Holly out would bring happiness to his world, but he’d never imagined the magic.
Maybe it was Christmas magic. He reluctantly slid his hand from her body and shifted so he could remove the last of their clothing. He loved immersing himself in the sound and feel of her. Having her twist and turn—burn—beneath his touch. But now his desire for her overwhelmed him, had him aching ready to explode. When they were completely naked, he eased her legs apart, making room for him fully between her rounded thighs.
“Ready?”
“You have to ask?” Her eyes laughed up at him, sparkling with happiness. She arched her hips, seeking his strength.
He laced his fingers through hers, holding them next to her head as he balanced his weight and thrust inside her. He wanted to take her fast and hard, his need riding him. But he didn’t. Not this time anyway. No, he gathered all his control and made love to her slowly, stoking the flames of their need with long, almost lazy strokes. She whimpered beneath him, and he savored the feeling of driving her crazy. But, he couldn’t last long. The hot feel of her body wrapped around his was too much. They’d been away from each other too long for either of them to last.
Then the pinnacle appeared, ready for them to fall over. He tightened his hold on her hands and finally gave over the desire and need clawing inside him to be released. He thrust hard and deep, taking her with him over the edge. Light and need exploded inside him as he found his fulfillment. Fulfillment that was then multiplied ten times when he felt her find hers.
Over and over again, that sensation of love, of finally finding the place he belonged washed over him. She was his life, his one and only. The woman he wanted with him until he drew his last breath on this earth.
She was the Christmas present he’d always longed for.
Holly could do nothing else but hold on to Nick as he took them higher and higher. Her body shook with need, heightened to the point that she was almost sobbing. She’d never realized lovemaking could be so soul wrenching. The times they’d shared before had been fun and full of discovery. This, this was on another plane of existence entirely. And she knew why. Never had she thought to feel so warm and safe, so wanted and revered. She finally realized what made their connection—had always made their connection—so special. It wasn’t that she had fallen for him, given him her whole heart and soul. It was that he made her feel he had fallen for her just as hard, just
as impossibly and irrevocably. That he thought of her as the most beautiful and desirable woman in the world. Because in his eyes, she was.
She held on to him as they neared the edge of the world, wanting nothing more than to fall with him.
Always with Nick.
Finally, her life seemed to come full circle. As a youth, she’d fallen for the bad boy, and as an adult, she fell in love with that same bad boy. The same bad boy that had a goodness inside him that no amount of attitude or posturing to disguise. She loved both sides of this complex man.
Finally, their bodies stopped shaking, and Nick rolled them onto their sides, their bodies still pressed as closely together as they could possibly get.
“Oh, Holly Berry, you just made my Christmas.”
She was thrilled to note that his breathing was somewhat labored. Hers was still fast and deep as she tried to recover. He stroked a hand lovingly up and down her spine. For long moments they simply lay in each other’s arms, their hands caressing and touching each other. Soon, those slow movements weren’t enough. He was soon making love to her again. With his hands, his lips, his tongue, he touched every inch of her, causing eruption after eruption to go off within her already satiated body.
Soon, they found themselves back in the same position they’d been a half hour before, bodies entwined, their breathing labored.
“Thank you, Nick.” Her head was lying on his chest, her body, one mass of satisfied goo with tiny bolts of electricity zinging through her.
“For what?”
“Bringing Christmas to Silver Falls.” She raised her head and looked at him, all the love she felt for him clearly written across her face.
“No, my Holly Darling, thank you for allowing me to come to Silver Falls. To come back home. To come back to you.”
A Word from the Authors
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Other Books By Joann Baker And Patricia Mason
THE COWBOY CONNECTION
Just Between Friends
Just Between Us
Just Between Lovers
MATCHMAKING A MARRIAGE
By the Book Bride – Ryder
By the Numbers Bride – Calhoun
By the Heart Bride - Gabe
HEARTBREAK RIDGE
Dakota’s Dream
Jericho’s Passion
Nevada’s Pride
THE COWBOY’S HOMECOMING
Last Chance
Last Stand
Last Hope
COWBOYS OF COLTON CANYON
Falling for her Cowboy Boss
Claim Me, Cowboy
The Cowboy’s Christmas Present
THE DUVALL BROTHERS
The Lady and the Law’
The Lawman Takes a Lady
STAND ALONES
The Reluctant Rancher
The Grinch and Miss Goody Two-Shoes
Christmas with the Millionaire Cowboy
Send Me A Cowboy
A Cowboy of Her Own
Christmas Wishes
Valentine’s Cowboy
Christmas Comes to Silver Falls
Winter Encounter
Karen Cino
Dedicated to my dear friend Mary Jane Parlamenti.
I will always treasure your support, especially the Nanowrimo song you sang to me every November. May you be at peace.
1949-2015
Acknowledgments
I can never thank my parents Joan and Vincent Cino enough for their love and support and my son Michael and my daughter Nicole.
A special thank you to my husband, John Gatti for his continued love and support.
Prologue
Alexandra Scaronni just received her grammar school diploma with high honors. Throughout the ceremony her eighth grade boyfriend Billy Davidson sat besides her holding her hand. The two of them were recipients of the Metal of Excellence, Billy in home economics, cooking and Alexandra in computer science. Billy also won a full scholarship to a Culinary Arts School in New Jersey.
Alexandra and Billy had been dating since seventh grade. They kept it a secret because both their parents didn’t approve of the young teens spending so much time together.
Now with the school year coming to an end, Billy going with his mother to the family’s beach house on Long Island for the summer and Alexandra working at a camp for preschoolers.
The night before they had spent at Alexandra’s house making plans for her to visit him with her mother. They exchanged addresses and promised to write one another once a week.
“Congratulations graduates!” the principal declared.
The graduates all stood up, throwing their hats up in the air. Billy turned to Alexandra and lifted her into the air. “We did it, Sweetheart.”
“Yes we did. And your scholarship was a total surprise. I can’t express how proud I am of you.”
“I didn’t expect it. But what this means is that we won’t be going to high school together,” Billy said.
“Hey, we have the whole summer to get used to being apart from one another. I’m sure once school starts in September we can manage to see each other on weekends.”
“It’s going to be hard.”
“We will beat the odds. We’ve been friends since fifth grade. You helped me get over my shyness––”
“But I didn’t succeed in teaching you how to cook.” Billy laughed.
“That will never happen. I’ll stick with the business side of things.”
“You’ll see, everything will work out. We’ll always be together…”
Chapter One
22 years later…
When Alexandra received flowers at her job, the last person she expected them to be from was Billy Davidson. On the flower card he included his phone number and explained that he had been looking for her for years, wondering why she wouldn’t be on any social media platforms, which made finding her hard. Hearing from him had come as a shock, since the last time they communicated had been over twenty years ago.
Alexandra waited close to a week before calling him. Every so often she would think about Billy and would google his name, but always came up empty. Then again, Alexandra wasn’t on any of the social media either.
Billy had suggested they meet somewhere close to her house and the next thing she heard was herself inviting him over for dinner. Once she said it, she was too nervous to take it back by suggesting they go out. How could she have been so stupid to ask Billy over without thinking? The musical note clock on the kitchen wall read twelve forty-five, leaving her a little over six hours to prepare dinner, straighten and clean the whole house. To add to everything, she had to wash a bundle of clothes since hiding the clothes in a laundry basket behind the shower curtain was out of the question.
Alexandra opened both the freezer and refrigerator doors and stood staring at the overstuffed shelves. What could she prepare that wouldn’t take up a great deal of time, but yet make an exquisite meal? She wanted to prepare a dinner that would impress him. Or was it the sweet dessert that mattered more?
By the time she folded her last pair of panties, the timer on the stove went off the lasagna was done. That gave her less than an hour to get dressed and set the dining room table with her grandmother’s fine china. Every detail had to be perfect for dinner down to the ivory lace linen tablecloth. Returning to the kitchen, she stirred the tomato sauce with meatballs and sausage, and brought two long white pillar candles in cut crystal candlestick holders to the dining room table. She dimmed the lights with fifteen minutes to spare, or so she thought she did until the doorbell rang seconds later.
“Always.” He brushed his lips against her cheek, handed her a bottle of wine and walked into the house. “Mmm. It smells delicious in here. I hope you didn’t go crazy.”
“Not at all. I threw the meal together in no time.” She bit her tongue. It didn’t hurt to tell a little white lie. No way would she admit how much work she put into preparing dinner.
“Good. I have something else for you,” he said handing her a bouquet of red roses. “For you.”
“Thank you. It will make the perfect centerpiece.”
“Let me help you. I’ll open the bottle of wine while you get the vase.”
Her nervousness had dissipated and she felt relaxed. In middle school Billy always had a smile on his face, which brought out his dimples even more. They had been real close. He was not only her boy friend but also her best friend. “We have so many wonderful memories together.”
“Yes we did. And we can still have more.”
“Billy, so much time has past. We are different people. We were kids when we were together. What did we know at thirteen years old what love was all about?”
“We knew we were meant to be together. Now we’re old and wiser,” Billy said.
“Nice clique. But it doesn’t take away over two decades that have past by.”
Alexandra put her hands on her hips. “I’ve got to know why you stopped writing me that summer or even try to call me when you got home.”
Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances Page 131
