by penny watson
Lucy removed the checkered tea towel from the basket. The sweet aroma of vanilla was released as soon as she lifted the fabric.
“Those are the Mexican vanilla beans I was telling you about. I like to make an infusion with vodka. Of course, you can use them however you’d like.”
Lucy’s eyes filled with tears. “This is perfect. Thank you.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his, so softly they barely touched. Nicholas’s gaze was riveted on her mouth. Lucy had the distinct impression that he wanted to gobble her up for dessert. When he finally gazed into her eyes, his look was so intense, Lucy blushed.
Nicholas cleared his throat. “Are you ready for dessert, Lucy Anne?”
“Absolutely. It looks wonderful,” she answered quietly.
As Nicholas served her a perfect poached pear, Lucy smiled and patted her stomach. “I don’t think I’m going to fit in my baker’s pants anymore. This meal is more than I’ve eaten all week. Your family must be thrilled to have such an incredible chef to feed them.”
Nicholas drizzled some of the wine sauce over the pear. “Actually, my father is somewhat annoyed with my ‘little hobby’ as he likes to call it. I know he appreciates my cooking skills, but he thinks my energy should be focused elsewhere.”
“Really? You’re so talented. How can he not be proud of your accomplishments?”
“It’s not that he’s not proud of me. By the time I was sixteen I had already surpassed his master baker. Everyday I presented my parents with some new cookie creation, and they were my biggest supporters. It’s just that he expects his oldest son to take over the family business, and I’m not interested. My passion is cooking. My father is not getting any younger, and it’s only a matter of time before I have to sacrifice my work in the kitchen and fulfill the Klaus family tradition.” He sighed with resignation.
“Do any of your brothers show an interest in the business? Maybe one of them could be his apprentice?”
Nicholas looked surprised at the question. “I have no idea. It is a long-standing tradition that the eldest son takes over the business. My brothers all seem content with their positions in the village.”
“Well, I hope you don’t give up your passion. It would be a shame. You have a real talent for the culinary arts.” Lucy took a bite of the tender pear. “This is wonderful. But I think I have too much tryptophan in my system. I can’t keep my eyes open.”
Nicholas stood and pulled out her chair with a flourish. “I’m so pleased you liked the meal. I think it’s time to get you back to your lumpy sofa.”
Lucy giggled as Nicholas lifted her into his arms.
“Hmm, you seem a bit heavier than last time.” He staggered down the hall, moaning and groaning for effect.
“It’s not nice to comment on a woman’s weight, you know.”
“You barely weigh a hundred pounds, Lucy Anne. I think I need to fatten you up with a few more calorie-rich meals.”
“I certainly wouldn’t mind. That was truly the most delicious meal of my life.”
Nicholas beamed at her as he gently laid her on the sofa. When he attempted to stand up, Lucy reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Please don’t leave. I…I want you to stay.”
Nicholas grinned down at her. “You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting to hear that from you, sweetheart. But you are simply too exhausted for company tonight, I’m afraid.”
Lucy shook her head and tugged on Nicholas’s hand, pulling him down onto the sofa with her.
“You promised we would finish that kiss. I’m not usually this forward with men, honestly. But I enjoyed tonight so much, especially the dinner. And I’ve never felt the way I did when you kissed me earlier. It was wonderful and intoxicating. Just for once, I want…I want…”
“What do you want, Lucy Anne?”
Tell him, Lucy, tell him what you really want…
“I want you, Nicholas. I’m tired of spending hours in the kitchen toiling away while everyone else has a life, and lovers, and intoxicating kisses. I want you to make love to me. Please.”
“As you wish, my sweet. A Klaus never reneges on a promise.”
Finally, Miss Lucy Anne Brewster was in his arms.
Sated by his decadent meal, she looked drowsy and delicious. My God, he wanted to taste every square inch of her luscious little body. Nicholas carefully removed his spectacles and placed them on a table next to the sofa. He felt like a child in a candy store, with so many tempting choices it was difficult to know where to begin.
Breathing deeply, he buried his face in Lucy’s neck, inhaling her unique scent, a heady combination of vanilla, citrus and woman. He ran his tongue along her collarbone, up her graceful neck and made his way to her lips. Soft, full, and sweet as honey.
Lucy’s lips were plump and wet, and Nicholas took his precious time tasting, teasing and nipping. She was hesitant at first, especially as his tongue began to explore her sweet mouth. But soon she was stroking his face and devouring his lips enthusiastically. Lucy suddenly giggled and Nicholas pulled back, searching her face.
“What is so funny, Miss Brewster?”
“Your beard. It tickles.” Lucy rubbed her cheek along the side of his face, clearly savoring the feel of it. “I like it.”
She smiled gloriously at him, and Nicholas swore he could feel the rapid thumping of his heart in his chest. She likes my beard. Hallelujah! He used to be embarrassed by his thick beard. It was a family curse, and all of the Klaus men were either forced to shave three or more times a day, or give in and look like a lumberjack. Nicholas vowed he would never shave again.
As he pressed small kisses along Lucy’s neck, she trembled beneath him. Her little moans of pleasure were igniting his lust. An erection of epic proportions nestled happily against Lucy’s pelvis, and he almost laughed out loud as she arched up, grinding against him.
“Uh, Lucy, I’m trying to go slow, darling, but…”
“Fast,” Lucy panted against his mouth, “Hurry, please.”
His control snapped as she rubbed more vigorously against him, and he scrambled to remove her T-shirt, tugging it over her head and flinging it onto the floor.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Underneath her plain white T-shirt was a delightful surprise. A sheer pink demi-bra, with lacy straps and rosebuds along the seams. All of the blood in Nicholas’s body rushed to his groin and left him light-headed. He cupped her beautiful breasts and reveled in the sight of two burgundy nipples screaming for his attention.
“What a nice surprise, Lucy Anne. It’s like discovering a hidden treasure.”
Shyly, she whispered, “I like pretty lingerie.”
Nicholas smiled when her breathing grew labored as he brushed his mouth over the tips of her breasts. “Lucky me. Oh, yes, this is want I want. Dark as merlot and hard as berries.”
He suckled fiercely through the bra and Lucy gasped while her hips continued to buck against him. Nicholas trembled as he slid the bra straps down her shoulders, and forced himself to take a deep breath and slow down. Don’t embarrass yourself, Nick. You’ve been waiting for this a long time, now relax and savor every moment. Constellations of freckles were scattered along her slender shoulders and arms, and Nicholas found himself kissing each one, delighting in the sweet-salty taste of her skin.
He managed to unhook her sexy bra, and groaned out loud at the sight of her lovely teardrop breasts. His tongue traced a path on the sensitive skin underneath each one, slowly heading toward the aroused crests. When he finally closed his mouth over the plump tips, he shook from the sensation.
“God, they’re perfect.” His lips and teeth were grazing over her pale skin, teasing her with little licks and kisses.
“They’re not very big. Do you really think they’re perfect?” Lucy was looking at Nicholas with a worried expression as he continued to feast.
He lifted his eyes to her in surprise. “Lucy, they are exquisite. Sensitive and sweet, just like you. Any man who thinks othe
rwise is mistaken. Or gay.”
Lucy giggled, and then moaned again as he pinched the hard buds between his fingers.
Nicholas quickly unbuttoned her baker’s pants and slipped the pants along with a lacy pair of panties down her shapely legs. He found an interesting array of freckles along her silky smooth hips, which he felt compelled to kiss, of course, and then some more along her knees. When he removed her clogs and snowman socks, he was shocked to discover bright red toenails. He raised an eyebrow at the discovery.
Lucy whispered “They’re Pepperberry Red, for the holidays.”
Nicholas could not resist kissing each red-tipped toe, and then Lucy was spread out before him like a naked banquet.
What a sight. Her body was slight, but toned and curvy in all the right places. Strands of red curls rippled over the sofa cushions and he was delighted to find the same silky curls between her legs. She was a vision of loveliness.
He turned Lucy onto her side and pulled her against his fully-clothed body. The feel of her naked skin against his clothes was disarmingly erotic, and she clearly liked it as well, because she began to rub her gorgeous bottom against his trousers. Lucy arched back, purring with pleasure, and then reached up to wind her arms around his neck.
“What about your clothes, Nicholas? I want to undress you, too. And touch your skin. And…”
Nicholas’s breathing was choppy. “Not yet, sweet. The first course is just for you. I want to watch you come, Lucy Anne.”
Lucy sighed her consent as his fingers began to glide over her skin. He skimmed his callused fingers along her arms, over her rounded shoulders and teasingly over the tip of each breast. Then they journeyed down her taut belly, smooth hips and thighs. When they found their way to the tangle of copper curls between her legs, Lucy was shivering all over. Nicholas’s fingers trembled as they slipped into the lush curls on her mound. Gently he stroked, exploring every inch of her secret place.
She was already hot and creamy, and he was dying to taste her. The warm musky scent of her arousal was killing him. Lucy’s head tipped back so she could gaze into his face as he touched her, and the look of innocent wonder in her eyes held him spell-bound. He was sure that she had never known pleasure like this before, and it made him feel ridiculously good that he was the one to initiate her.
“So hot and soft and sweet, Lucy Anne. Open for me. Yes, that’s it.”
Lucy blushed as her legs fell open wider to allow Nicholas to caress her. Hell, this is better than I imagined. And God knows I imagined it enough. Suddenly desperate to taste her, Nicholas slipped from the sofa to the floor in front of her. He opened her legs gently with his hands and rubbed his beard along the smooth skin on her inner thighs. Slowly he kissed a path to her sweet spot and found her ripe and swollen. As he lightly brushed his lips over her sensitive flesh, he felt Lucy tense up.
“Umm, Nicholas, I’m not sure about this…”
“Please don’t deny me, Lucy Anne. I’ve been fantasizing about tasting you since the first moment I saw you.”
Lucy looked a bit bewildered. “Are you sure? I thought, you know, that guys didn’t really like to do that.”
Nicholas raised an eyebrow at the comment. “I’m not sure what men you have been with in the past, Lucy, but they must have been idiots. There is nothing more delicious in this world than the taste of a beautiful woman, and that is exactly what you are.” He ran his tongue along her cleft and Lucy shuddered. “Sweet as honey. Just lie back and relax.”
With the single-mindedness of a man possessed he devoured her with his mouth, his lips, his tongue. Her apprehension soon dissipated, and was replaced with enthusiastic moans and whimpers. She was as rich and decadent as a Parisian pastry, her skin soft and sensitive and creamy. Nicholas glanced up at her face and found her drowsy eyes watching him, completely enthralled, wild curls falling across her forehead. Dear God, this woman is delicious. He reached up to cup her breasts, and squeezed the swollen nipples at the same time he began to suck on the sensitive nub hidden in her folds.
Lucy came undone. Her back arched with the intensity of her orgasm, an eruption that seemed to surprise her. Blindly she reached for Nicholas’s head between her legs, spearing her fingers in his thick hair. Her hips rocked against his mouth, over and over again, until she was completely spent. Only then did Nicholas release her, placing gentle kisses on her inner thighs and brushing his fingers lightly over her breasts. He could barely hide a smug grin of male satisfaction, knowing full well that no other man had satiated Lucy in such a way.
“I had no idea…” Lucy whispered as Nicholas crawled back onto the lumpy sofa and pulled her into his arms. She was clearly struggling to keep her eyes open, but her boneless body had other ideas.
“Don’t fight it, sweetheart. Go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.” As much as Nicholas craved to fill her and find his own satisfaction, he realized Lucy was exhausted.
“But I haven’t touched you yet. I want to touch you, too.”
“It’s all right Lucy Anne. Just rest. Visions of sugar plums and all that.”
Even as the luscious little chef fell asleep in his arms, leaving him still erect, fully dressed, and more than a little uncomfortable, he was content. For some reason that eluded him, a night spent working in a chaotic kitchen with a somewhat unorthodox chef, and giving, but not receiving sexual favors, had turned into the best night of his life. He tugged the fleece blanket over both of their bodies as Lucy fell asleep snuggled within the cradle of his arms. One thing was for certain. No matter what the complications, he was determined to see Lucy again.
And there would be complications, no doubt about it.
Lucy awoke next to a large, hot, very male body. Never in her life had she imagined a night as decadent as the previous evening. Nicholas Klaus had seduced her with a saffron-roasted chicken, glasses of champagne, and his magic hands and lips. No one had ever showered her with such thoughtfulness. The meal was astounding; his talent in the kitchen left her speechless.
He was also a generous and selfless lover. She was amazed that he seemed fascinated with her body, even her tiny breasts. And it felt so sexy to sleep naked in his arms when he was fully dressed. She thought he looked adorable with his clothes rumpled, his hair standing up, and his feet dangling over the edge of her little sofa.
Nicholas was so wonderful to her last night…and she had fallen asleep before reciprocating. How embarrassing! Lucy was determined to make it up to him today. Before the bakery opened for the morning shift, she wanted to peel off his wrinkled clothes and pleasure him. She had never really enjoyed giving oral sex before, but the thought of taking Nicholas into her mouth and tasting him had her shivering with excitement. His scent lingered all over her, masculine and earthy, and she reveled in how possessive that made her feel. She secretly hoped Nicholas would extend his trip to Eston, and that they would be able to spend more time together.
Lucy had never felt this way about a man. Sometime during the night she had totally fallen for Nicholas Sebastian Klaus. He fascinated her. His combination of passion, creativity, discipline and self-control was utterly intriguing. She had fallen hard, she had fallen fast, and she prayed that he felt the same. Otherwise, she feared that she would be nursing a bruised ego and a broken heart for Christmas.
Gently she extricated herself from Nicholas’s arms. Although she was reluctant to leave him, the delivery trucks would be here soon with supplies. She tucked the blankets around him and kissed him softly on the forehead, then quietly dressed. A sick feeling in her tummy reminded her that he was supposed to leave today to go home. Funny, she couldn’t remember where he said he lived. Somewhere up north.
Lucy tiptoed into the kitchen to start the cappuccino machine. Last night Nicholas had confided to her that he started every morning with a perfect shot of espresso. She wanted to surprise him with a steaming cup of rich coffee, and one of her flaky croissants.
She sighed as she gazed out the window. The sun was just beginning to r
ise over the brownstones across the street, streaking the sky with apricot and pale blue the color of cotton candy. On every tree branch, light post and banister was a thick layer of ice, sparkling in the early morning sun, a testament to the snowfall the night before. Lucy smiled to herself, thinking that while the snow and ice froze the town last night, Nicholas had been heating her up to a feverish pitch, giving her a release that was completely new and exciting. She never considered herself a passionate person, but something about him brought out a very lusty side to her, and she liked it.
Lucy began to pull out large party platters for the sugar cookies. The cappuccino machine sputtered and hissed, and soon the fragrance of hot coffee, cinnamon and cloves filled the kitchen. She glanced out the window and spied Mr. McCracken’s produce truck fishtailing around the corner. The roads looked slick and icy, and she hoped the old man would be careful on the steep driveway to her loading dock. She grabbed a cardigan from a hook on the wall, and stepped out the back door. Gingerly she made her way down the slippery steps and began clearing some crates from the parking spot in front of the dock. Just as she finished stacking the last of the crates, Mr. McCracken pulled into the drive.
Lucy looked up and waved hello but realized too late that old Joe McCracken had a look of pure terror on his face. The truck slid down the driveway much too fast for her to jump out of the way. She closed her eyes as the truck slammed into her, shattering all thoughts of hot chocolate, soft kisses, and hazel eyes.
Several thoughts occurred to Nicholas as he awoke on the lumpy sofa in Lucy Anne Brewster’s office. One was that although the sofa was approximately twelve inches too short for his frame, was thread-bare and mushy, he had experienced the most restful and contented sleep of his life. Having a well-pleasured Lucy curled up in his arms had been nothing short of bliss. It also occurred to him that he had completely forgotten to interrogate Lucy about her sugar cookie recipe. They spent hours in her kitchen, but he had been much too distracted to remember his main reason for visiting her last evening.
