She tasted minty sweet and Dean wanted to feel her mouth all over him. Wanted his mouth all over her. He broke away, trailed his lips across her cheek to nuzzle under her ear. All the while his hands remained glued to her backside, his fingers flexing as he massaged her pliant flesh. A shiver trembled through her and into him, and he was reminded of how fragile their bond was. How easy it would be to rush, to trample the budding connection.
“I want you. You have to know that but–”
“I want you too,” she breathed in his ear.
“You have to be sure. We have to be.” Dean nipped at her ear, sucked the delicate lobe into his mouth making her sigh and melt against him. His hands tightened on her ass, his fingers digging into her supple curves.
“Dean.”
His name on her tongue, the breathy way it slipped past her lips, drove him closer to the edge but he needed to know she was in this with him. That he wasn’t forcing her hand by clouding her mind with pleasure. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Pulling away, pushing her to arm’s length, when all he wanted was to tug her to him, press her beneath him on the bed only two feet away. He managed it. Barely.
“Talli. Look at me.” He held her in front of him, his hands on her hips, his biceps twitching to pull her back in. “Do you want this? Me?”
Her lashes fluttered down, covering her eyes as she nodded.
“No.” Dean’s grip tightened, his fingers digging into her soft skin. “I need words. I need to hear you say it, Talli.”
Talli met his gaze. “I’m not sure. Everything is changing between us, but it feels as though we’ve been building towards this forever. I’m scared, Dean. Of what might happen, good or bad.” She brought her hands up to cup his face. “But even with all that going on I know this is what I want. To be with you. Like this.”
She stepped into him, pressing her body to his as her mouth met his once more. Her hands remained on his face, keeping him still while she controlled the kiss. He let her. Let her have her way for long seconds where he followed where she led. Except nothing could stop him taking over when she slid her hands up over his scalp. Dean slid one hand up her spine until he reached her nape and the long tail of hair that offered him the perfect grip. His fingers tangled with the ribbon holding her hair in place and tugged.
Her head snapped back, her mouth leaving his on a harsh breath. The sleek slope of her neck was exposed and Dean took the opportunity to explore the slender line with his tongue. He nipped and licked, kissed and sucked, until her gaspy little moans proved too much and he dove back into her mouth. Their tongues dueled, their teeth clashing as they fought for more. Talli’s hands left his head to slide down his chest and around his ribs to his back. She gripped the hem of his shirt and fisting it, pushed it up his torso.
Talli tore her mouth from his. “Off. Take it off.”
She managed to wiggle the material to his armpits. The pointy tips of her bare breasts tickled the hair on his chest and a growl burst from his throat. Jesus. A shudder rattled his spine and weakened his knees. He had to lay her down. Spread her out in front of him so he could look and touch before she fried every last brain cell he had and he forgot about everything but getting inside her.
“Talli. Slow down. I can’t think.”
“Don’t think. Feel.” She rubbed her breasts against him, her hips brushing the erection tenting the front of his jeans.
Dean let out a hiss of air through clenched teeth. She wasn’t making this easy and he wanted easy. He wanted to slowly make love to her, not ravish her in desperation, except he feared it was already too late. His balls were tucked into his groin, his cock rock-hard and oozing come. If he had any blood left in his head he’d panic about how close he was to climaxing without getting naked.
“Talli.”
She didn’t listen. Her hands were everywhere, her body brushing over his in a sensual slide into heaven. Dean’s crotch pulsed, burned with need. Oh hell. He was going to hell because there wasn’t any hope of holding back the animal urge that rocketed through him.
He picked her up and stalked to the bed. Tossing her on the mattress, he grabbed his shirt and yanked it over his head before following Talli. The clothes she’d held in her hand were long gone, dropped somewhere, forgotten in their rush. All that remained was the flimsy scrap of cotton between her legs and if he removed that now he really would be done for. Dean covered her body with his, her soft slopes cradling his hard edges. Her sex cupped his even through the remaining barrier of clothes.
Dean laid his forehead on Talli’s and closed his eyes. “Give me a minute.”
Her hands stroked his back, his ass, his thighs, his head. They were everywhere at once and it set his blood on fire. He raised his head and stared into her eyes. Talli. His Talli. The girl he’d grown up with. The woman he couldn’t live without. How had he never noticed how much she meant to him? Why were they only now making it into bed? They had so much time to make up for. So many wasted years. Years they could have been doing this.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, fear swirling in her eyes.
Dean brushed the hair from her face. “Nothing. I’m just taking you in.”
“Oh.”
He lowered his head, pressed his mouth to hers. Before she could take the kiss deep he pulled away, glanced down at the breasts he never thought he’d have the privilege of seeing and smiled. “Damn. You are one fine woman.”
“Are you going to spend all your time staring or are you planning on touching?”
His gaze zeroed back to hers. “Pushy minx.”
Talli bucked her hips, her sex thrusting against his straining erection, sending sparks of fire through his groin. He groaned and pushed back, dragging an answering moan from her. Dean’s smile grew as she rocked into him. They started a rhythm, a steady push-pull that soon had them gasping for air.
“Condoms.” Dean ground against her. “Do you have any?”
“Yes. Top drawer.” She tilted her head to the left.
He glanced over. The drawers were too far away. But there was nothing to do except move. And not in the good way they already were.
Dean turned back to Talli. “Don’t move an inch.” He levered off her and jumped from the bed. Yanking open the drawer he found the box of condoms and tossed them beside Talli. With jerky movements, he toed off his shoes and carefully undid his jeans. Shucking his pants, he praised his lack of underwear and reached for the box on the bed.
Talli watched him through hooded eyes as he covered his straining erection. Dean kneeled on the bed and crawled back over her. Her eyes widened when he probed at her sex with his length. Braced on his arms, he watched while he teased them both with long slides of his cock over her covered mound. It wasn’t enough. He wanted inside her, but not yet. First he wanted to hear her scream. Rising off her, he moved down the bed and curled his fingers around the thin strips of cloth at the side of her panties.
Talli gasped when Dean ripped her panties in two. She never expected the show of aggression, or the intense burst of lust his actions delivered. He lowered his head until his nose brushed the curls covering her sex and breathed deep. A coil of embarrassment filled her and she tried to close her legs, but his shoulders held her thighs apart and she watched as he licked his lips then buried his face in her folds.
She cried out, his tongue finding ground zero in record time. He flicked at her clit, suckled and lapped, alternating his rhythm so each time she drew close to the peak he pulled her back. A snarl of frustration gurgled in her throat and he laughed against her skin, the sound vibrating through her core. Talli reached down and gripped his head; with no hair to grab, she dug her fingers into his scalp and thrust up. Dean drove a finger into her clenching channel, a second quickly followed and she lost all thought as her orgasm washed over her.
A hoarse cry tore from her chest. Wave after wave rolled over her, through her, and she surrendered to the pleasure. Before the last convulsion ebbed Dean reared up and plunged inside he
r clasping depths. He surged in and out, his length dragging along her swollen flesh and pulling her back to the top. Her body opened to him, molding to fit each powerful stroke and clutching to keep him inside on every retreat.
Talli wrapped her legs around his hips and angled her pelvis to take him deeper. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her short nails digging in to the taut muscles as he took them higher. With each lunge of his body into hers, she gave a little more until there was only him and all he demanded. All he offered. He lifted up on his elbows and stared into her eyes as he slowed his thrusts. She’d never felt so open, so connected to another man. Whether it was the man that was different or her, Talli didn’t know.
Dean reached for her hands, pulled them from around his neck and pinned them beside her head. He weaved his fingers through hers and held on tight as he drove into her again and again. Unable to take her eyes from his, Talli gave herself over to his tender care. His gentle strokes and unguarded gaze made her feel cherished—loved—like never before and she was helpless to stop the release from flowing over her.
He continued to fill her. Over and over, as her orgasm swallowed them whole, he surged into her until he finally succumbed. His climax rocked them both. Buried deep, Dean never looked away. Warmth pooled in her core and Talli wished the barrier between them away. A stupid thought to have at this stage, but she couldn’t deny her need to feel his seed spilling into her, becoming part of her.
His gaze held hers as he lowered his head and dropped a kiss on her lips. The sweetness of the caress stung her eyes and Talli had to squeeze them tight to stop the tears from falling. In the space of a few minutes he’d turned her world upside down and inside out. There was no going back after what just happened. Only she wasn’t sure how to move forward either. He’d ruined her for all other men. If they couldn’t make this work, couldn’t move from friends to lovers, she’d never fix her broken heart.
“Hey.” Dean brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Stop thinking so hard.”
Talli opened her eyes and let him see her fear, let him in on a level she’d never allowed anyone. “I can’t help it.”
He smiled. “I know.”
She sighed. “Are we going to be okay?”
“We’re going to be better than okay, Talli.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled from her body. Moving to the side, he scooped her in against him. “We’ll take it one day at a time, but I can guarantee you, I’m here for the long haul.”
“What do you mean?” She didn’t dare hope.
“I mean, marry me.”
Talli gasped.
“No, hear me out.” He tipped her chin up until their gazes met. “I love you. I’ve always loved you, but for some reason I’ve never acknowledged how deep that love is. It’s everything, Talli. Everything I could ever want is you and I’ve been a fool for so long, never seeing what’s been right under my nose.”
“You weren’t the only one in denial,” she confessed. “I’m equally guilty of ignoring what’s in front of me.”
He rolled, pinning her beneath him. “Then let’s not waste anymore time. Marry me. Build a life with me. Have babies with me.”
Talli wanted to say yes. Her heart screamed for her to say yes, but there was still the fear. A sharp spear of doubt that this couldn’t be real, that he couldn’t love her in the way she needed him to.
“Talli?”
She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out. How did she tell the man she loved she wasn’t ready for forever?
“Talk to me, Talli.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t what? Talk to me? Marry me? What?” Dean’s voice held the razor edge of panic.
“I want to.” She cupped his jaw in her hand, stroked her thumb over his chin. “With all my heart, I want to say yes, but it’s too soon. Too new. I feel raw. Open in a way that scares me to death and I can’t jump blindly into this.”
Dean placed two fingers across her lips. “Okay, I get it. I know what we’ll do.” He jumped from the bed and removed the forgotten condom from his soft penis.
Talli watched as he walked from the room. Was he leaving? She could hear him making noise in the kitchen, heard the oven door open and close. And then he was back in her room, naked as the day he was born, he strolled over to her and offered his hand.
“Come on. Let’s get dressed.”
“Dressed? Why?”
“So we can eat dinner and I can tell you how we’re going to turn that can’t into a can.”
“I don’t want to eat. I want to know your plan now.” She crossed her arms, refused to take his hand.
Dean smiled. “Okay, fine, Ms. I-can’t-wait-for-anything. We’re going to date. Like any normal couple and this time next year I’ll ask again. If you’re still not ready, we’ll take another year. And I’ll ask again. And again until I get the answer I want. The answer you want to give.” He leaned over and brushed her mouth with his. “I’ll wait as long as it takes, Talli, until you know to the bottom of your soul that I’ll never leave you.”
Talli sucked in a breath. How did he know her better than she knew herself? This was Dean. The guy who’d never let her down. Never disappointed her. And if she really loved him, she’d give him her trust and her heart.
“Okay.” Her voice wobbled so she cleared her throat and said it again. “Okay.”
Epilogue
Twelve months later
Talli watched as Dean pulled something out of the box of decorations that didn’t look like an ornament. “What’s that?”
He turned his smile on her and she felt her stomach dip. “Take a look.”
She took the white envelope he held out. The front was blank, the back the same. “It’s not mine.”
“You don’t remember?” he asked as he came to sit next to her.
“No.” She held it up to the light, tried to see what was inside.
“Open it.” Dean pulled a small present from his pocket. “But first open this one.”
He held out the gold wrapped gift and her stomach dropped clean to her toes. “Is that…”
Dean laughed. “Open it and find out.”
“But–”
“Here.” He plucked the envelope from her fingers and placed the present in her palm. “Open it.”
“Yes.” Talli threw herself into his arms, sending them both crashing to the floor.
He laughed harder. “You haven’t opened it yet. How do you know it holds a question?”
She rained kisses all over his face. “I don’t care. If it doesn’t, I’ll ask the question.”
Dean rolled them over, held her face in his hands. “You will?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” Talli wiggled beneath him. “Now give me my ring.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “How do you know it’s a ring?”
She stopped moving and narrowed her eyes. “If it’s not you better get your butt to the nearest jewellery store and get me one. I want to get married.”
Dean kissed her then. Long and deep, he took his time devouring every inch of her mouth with his. When he finally came up for air he pulled her up to sit in his lap and dropped the present in her hand.
Like a five year old on Christmas morning, Talli tore the sparkly paper off to reveal the velvet box inside. She cracked the lid and gasped. Sitting in a cushion of plush black satin was a gold solitaire diamond ring. The gem shone bright and the band gleamed, but then everything blurred as tears filled her eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” she sniffled.
“I’m going to assume those are happy tears,” Dean said as he plucked the ring from her grasp.
“Hey.”
“Let me do this right.” He pulled her to her feet and pushed her onto the couch before dropping on to one knee and grabbing her left hand. “Tallitha Jarmen, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes.” He slid the ring on her finger and kissed the knuckle. “Now wh
at’s in the envelope?”
Dean burst out laughing. “Here.” He passed her the envelope.
Talli tore it open and two pieces of folded paper fell out. “Oh! It’s our Christmas wishes from last year.”
“I must have been a good boy. I got my wish.”
“What?” she asked as she unfolded the first note. Talli stared at the letters, tears once again stinging her eyes, clogging her nose.
“Mine or yours?”
“You wished for me,” she whispered.
“See, told you I was good. I got what I wanted.” Dean snatched the other note from her hand. “So what was your Christmas wish?”
Talli watched as Dean opened her wish. He scanned the note before bringing his gaze up to meet hers.
“Damn. You must have been good too.” He grinned. “Now let’s see how naughty we can be.”
About the Author
Rhian Cahill is the alter ego of a stay-at-home mother of four. With motherly duties rapidly dwindling, Rhian is able to make use of the fertile imagination that kept her sane during those years of slavery. Years living overseas and visiting tropical climates have helped inspire some steamy stories. Multi-published in erotic romance, Rhian, with the help of Mr. Muse, spends her days and nights writing.
When not glued to the keyboard you’ll find her, book in hand, avoiding any and all housework as much as possible. For more on Rhian, visit her website www.rhiancahill.com or you can contact her at [email protected] or connect on Twitter – @RhianCahill or Facebook – RhianCahillAuthor.
ISBN: 9780857990044
Title: Christmas Wishes
Copyright © 2012 by Rhian Cahill
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Limited, Locked Bag 7002, Chatswood D.C. NSW, Australia, 2067.
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