by penny watson
Lucy nodded. “Yes, of course. I can’t believe how beautiful you are.” Nicholas was a feast in every way—his body sculpted and powerful. His scent overwhelmed her, musky and hot. She reached down to touch his pulsing erection, and was shocked by the feel of his soft, sensitive skin. Lucy wrapped both hands around him and stroked.
Nicholas closed his eyes. “That feels incredible.”
She ran her fingers through the thick nest of hair at the base of his sex, and then carefully cupped his sac. It felt alive beneath her fingers. A single drop of fluid glistened on the tip of his arousal. She ran her finger along the edge and then licked it. “You taste delicious.”
“Lucy, I’m close, sweetheart. I can’t take much more of this.”
“Oh, yes you can. I just started to play.” Nicholas’s eyes widened in apprehension as she slid down from his lap to kneel in front of him. It was lucky for her that the sleigh was big and roomy, because she intended to pleasure him like this for a long time.
Lucy ran her hands along the inside of his muscular thighs. His erection bobbed in front of her, obviously anticipating what she had in mind. Smiling, she leaned forward to press a kiss to the broad head of his arousal. He tasted salty, masculine. Her fingers wrapped around the base of his penis, anchoring it in place as her tongue flicked out to capture another drop of fluid on the tip.
As Lucy widened her mouth to engulf him, she glanced up to look into Nicholas’s face. His nostrils were flaring, his hazel eyes smoldering beneath drooping lids. She sucked hard and slid her mouth down his length, as far as she could go. On the way back up, her tongue swirled around his skin, flicking and tasting his unique essence.
Nicholas closed his eyes and reached blindly for her head, entwining his hands in her hair. She could feel him shudder with each stroke of her tongue. Lucy ran her fingers over his sac, and Nicholas groaned again. She loved the feel of him in her mouth, the taste of him, and especially his reaction. How yummy is this? Nicholas is my new favorite treat! For the first time in her life she felt truly powerful and sexy. She had Nicholas spellbound with sensual delight, and it was a thrilling sensation.
“I surrender. You’ve had your chance, now it’s my turn, love.” Nicholas pulled back from her mouth and shakily lifted her back over him.
“But I’m not done yet! I just started.”
“Later. I’m not going to last.”
“I don’t care, Nicholas. I don’t mind if you…you know…come in my mouth.” Lucy was whispering the words, nervous about revealing one of her fantasies to him. “I want to taste you.”
“I promise we’ll try that soon. Very soon. But not right now. Right now I want you to ride me, love.”
“Ride you? I don’t think I know how to do that.”
“Well, I’m definitely going to enjoy teaching you then.”
Nicholas was using every bit of will power to control himself. He had nearly come in Lucy’s mouth the first second she took him in. The sight of her sparkling blue eyes watching him as she sucked…things were escalating out of control, too fast.
“First, I need you naked.” He pulled down the straps of her bra and unclipped the clasp. The lacy scrap of material fell to the floor of the sleigh. He ran his hands over the smooth skin of her hips, hooking the edge of her panties and pushing them down her legs. Lucy shivered in the cool air, her silky skin finally bare to him. Nicholas noticed that the sleigh was glowing, encased in some sort of pulsing light. The magic warmed the air around them.
Lucy looked like a goddess to him, copper curls streaming down her back, pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Sparks of light burst around their bodies, outlining them in the darkness. His fingers slid into her tight curls and found her heat, wet and slick. Nicholas leaned forward to capture a beckoning nipple in his mouth and suckled hard while his fingers gently parted her folds to explore her tight channel, readying her.
“Nicholas, that feels so good…”
While one hand continued to pleasure her, his other hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her down to his face. His mouth fairly devoured her on the spot, nipping, licking, sucking on her plump lips. He explored her honey-sweet mouth with his tongue, loving the sounds she made, her whimpers of pleasure. His fingers continued to glide in and out, slow and gentle, until finally he was sure she was ready for him.
“Are you ready to ride, sweet?” Nicholas whispered, surprised by the husky tone of his voice.
“Please. I need to feel you inside of me.” Lucy lowered herself to his erection, sliding her wet folds along his rigid length. Again and again, she rocked against him. Lucy’s eyes locked on her skin gliding over him, mesmerized by the sight. Showers of lights flickered around them, enclosing them in some sort of brilliant cocoon.
Nicholas finally lifted her and poised the slick head of his erection against her entrance. Sweat beaded along his forehead. “I’ll go slowly, okay?”
Lucy nodded as he entered her, and then he stopped suddenly, his entire body tensing.
“Oh hell, I can’t believe…I’m so sorry, Lucy. I don’t have a condom. I got carried away, and I forgot.”
Lucy smiled. “It’s okay. We don’t need one. I’m healthy. And I won’t get pregnant.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be worried. I’m healthy, too. In fact, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t even remember the last time I did this. I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied with my work.”
“I’m sure.”
Nicholas kissed Lucy gently. “Are you on the pill?”
“No. Actually, I…I can’t have a baby. I had a medical condition. Well, anyway, I can’t get pregnant, so you don’t have to worry.”
Everything stilled inside of Nicholas. She can’t have a baby? Without warning a vision of a pregnant Lucy popped into his head and it elicited a host of feelings completely foreign to him…pride, possessiveness, love. The image of her pregnant with his child was disconcerting and unexpected. She would be beautiful, glowing, lush and ripe. He was jolted by the sense of loss.
“I’m so sorry, Lucy. You are the most generous and caring woman. There’s no one I could imagine who would make a more loving and devoted mother. You were made to have children.”
She stroked her fingers along his beard. “That’s okay, Nicholas. I decided a long time ago that when the time is right, I’m going to adopt. There are a lot of babies in this world who need parents.”
“And you’re going to make one of them a very lucky child.” Of course she would already see a positive way to reach her goal of having a family. Nicholas was not surprised, and in fact, quite proud of her. He pushed a corkscrew curl back from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. Taking a deep breath, he nudged himself back inside of her. “Are you ready, love?”
She nodded and bit her lip. “Please.”
Lucy pushed down on him as he gently guided her, impaling her on his straining erection. She rocked against him, working her way down his length, until finally he filled her. Nicholas kept his gaze riveted on Lucy’s face. She looked astonished…probably surprised that he really did fit inside of her. He watched as her eyes filled with wonder, then intense pleasure. She moaned and cupped his face, stroking his beard with her fingertips.
He had fantasized about this moment for so long, but the reality of being inside of Lucy surpassed anything he could have expected. She was so damned tight, so hot and wet for him. He was trembling with the need to claim her fully. He had never felt this way with a woman before.
“Ohhh That feels so good. I love how you feel inside of me. How does it feel for you, Nicholas?”
“Like I never want to leave.”
Lucy arched her back, and sunk even lower onto him. Nicholas could not stop running his hands up and down her beautiful body. He let Lucy determine how to ride, thrilled by her discovery. She leaned forward and wound her slender arms around his neck, pressing all of that gorgeous skin against him. The feel of her soft breasts crushed against his chest and her loose curls envel
oping them both was exhilarating.
Lucy pressed little kisses along the side of his face. Shyly, she pulled back to gaze into his eyes. “I feel so close to you. It’s never been like this before. Thank you, Nicholas.”
“You don’t have to thank me, love. I feel it, too.” The lights around them were buzzing, warming up, caressing their skin. Nicholas tried to allow her to set the pace of their coupling, and kept his hands lightly on her hips. But as he watched her arch and undulate above him, silhouetted against the moonlit sky, his barely leashed control eroded. His hands grabbed onto her luscious bottom, and he began to thrust upward with each rock of her body. The strokes got harder, deeper, faster. He could hear himself grunting, and the repetitive sounds of their bodies slapping together, mixed with her moans of pleasure. He watched her, aware of the tension filling her, aware of how tight her channel was squeezing him. She was close.
Nicholas had never seen anything as exciting as Lucy Anne riding him. She was completely transformed by their lovemaking, looking wild and sexy, his own Aphrodite. He inhaled sharply, breathing in her scent of sweet orange and vanilla, and licked the berry-red nipples swaying in front of him, too enticing to ignore. She gasped and dug her nails into his back.
“Do you like that, sweetheart?”
“Oh, yes. Please don’t stop.”
“My God, you taste so sweet. I can’t get enough of you. I’ll never get enough.”
He reached down to touch the sensitive nub between her legs. It was swollen and wet, and the second he stroked her, Lucy came apart. Nicholas felt the waves of her pleasure along his shaft, and it sent him over the edge. He felt himself pouring into her, marking her as his own. His hoarse shout drowned out her cries, and suddenly the flickering lights around them exploded. The starbursts vibrated and sang, tinkling like bells, illuminating all of the space around the sleigh. Nicholas could feel the light, caressing his skin, humming to him. It felt soft and silky, binding them together.
Lucy’s spent body collapsed against him, and Nicholas held her tightly, aware that she was crying. Gently, slowly, he stroked her back, placing soft kisses along the side of her face and neck.
“Easy now, love. It’s all right, Lucy. Please don’t cry.”
“I had no idea it could be like this. So beautiful.” In a voice so quiet, he could barely make out the words, he heard her whisper “I love you, Nicholas.”
He lifted his head to her face, but her eyes were already closed. She had fallen asleep.
The sparks were fading, quieting down. He pulled his shirt over Lucy’s back and continued to stroke her skin as his breathing returned to normal. His entire body was sated in a way he had never experienced. With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he felt utterly content. The softness of her skin, her silky curls draped over both of them, and the heady scent of their lovemaking was perfect. She had given all of herself to him, body and soul. Nicholas felt truly blessed.
Since the first day he spotted Lucy Anne in Sweet Inspiration, Nicholas had the distinct sensation of riding a runaway steam engine, barreling down a hill. And he didn’t want to get off this ride. He could easily picture the two of them together in a kitchen, concocting a new culinary masterpiece. Taking moonlit sleigh rides through Glasdorf. Building snowmen with their children. There was no way he would allow Lucy to leave him now. He had fallen in love with the petite, curly-haired chef, and he was determined to keep her.
Gently he lifted Lucy up and propped her on the seat so that he could pull on his pants.
He took a blanket from the back of the sleigh and wrapped it around her slumbering form, then lifted her into his arms and carried her to the house. As he slid into his bed, tucking Lucy in right next to him, he realized that for the first time in his life, something other than being a master baker had become a priority in his life. He kissed her softly on the forehead and closed his eyes.
“Ich liebe dich von ganzem Herzen. I love you with all my heart.”
A ringing cell phone disturbed Nicholas from his peaceful slumber. Rosy shafts of light streaked into his bedroom. It was almost sunset. After an idyllic night and day with Lucy, he was reluctant to interrupt his drowsy state. Her well-sated, luscious body was draped across him on his sleigh bed.
The last twenty-four hours had been nothing short of bliss. He and Lucy spent the night making love, sleeping in each other’s arms, and whispering sweet-nothings as the sun rose over Glasdorf. He lavished her with a decadent bubble bath in his big bathroom, and fed her morsels of food while they snuggled on the sofa. They kept exchanging secret smiles and could not seem to stop touching each other.
He and Lucy talked for hours. She was fascinated by his travels. He could sense a burgeoning wanderlust inside of her, and could not wait to introduce her to exotic places all over the world. She had hidden herself away in Eston, New York long enough.
The blaring phone reminded him that there was still important business at hand. He reached for the phone and snapped it open.
“Nicholas here.”
“It’s Markus, Sir. You told me to inform you when the council was ready.”
“Is it time?”
“Yes, just after sunset.”
Nicholas let out a ragged sigh. “Thanks for calling, Markus. I’ll be there shortly. Is my father coming?”
“No, Hector and the rest of the council want to speak to you alone. Your father will be informed of their decision later. But your father did request your presence at his home this evening for dinner, following the council meeting.”
“All right. Thank you.” Nicholas hung up the phone and pulled a frowning Lucy into his arms. “Don’t fret, little love. Everything will be okay.”
“That was Markus, wasn’t it? What did he say?”
“The council is ready to see me. I have to get ready.”
“I want to come with you.”
“Sudlanders are not allowed at council meetings, sweet. I appreciate that you want to help me, but there’s nothing you can do. Just knowing you’re here, waiting for me, is all I need.”
“What do you think is going to happen?”
“I honestly don’t know. But please try not to worry. No matter what happens, we’ll be fine, I promise you. Why don’t you relax in front of the fire, and I’ll be home before you know it. You’ll finally get to meet my family tonight. My parents invited us for dinner.” He leaned down to kiss the frown lines on Lucy’s forehead.
Lucy gazed at him intensely, her blue eyes shimmering. She sighed deeply and wound her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. “I think I might do some baking, to keep me occupied so I don’t get too nervous.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Why don’t you try out those lemon stars we talked about? My brothers could demolish a dozen batches of those in no time.”
Nicholas kissed Lucy one last time, and then grudgingly got out of bed to shower and change. She was hard at work in the kitchen by the time he departed for the council meeting. With a heavy heart, he set out for Hector’s cottage. And prayed that his future in Glasdorf was not about to end.
Nicholas rapped on the wooden door to Hector’s cottage. Bitter winds whipped across the path and swirled around him, chilling him to the bone. The door creaked open, and Helga beckoned for him to enter.
“Nicholas, please come in.” She clasped his arms and peered up into his face anxiously. “How is your Schatzi doing?”
“She’s doing great, Helga. Lucy Anne has completely recovered, thanks to you and Hector.”
“I talked to my friend Greta today and she said that Lucy made quite an impression at Klaus Küche. The elves adore her.”
Nicholas smiled. “I know. She thinks they’re wonderful, too.”
Helga took his hand and led him through a dim hallway. “I hope you’re not too nervous for this meeting, young man.”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I’m a little worried about getting thrown to the wolves.”
Helga shook her head vigorously. “Don’t even say tha
t, Nicholas! The council will do the right thing. I know they seem a bit solemn at times. But underneath the scruff, their hearts are beating with love and understanding. Don’t doubt it.”
Nicholas carefully ducked his head as he followed Helga through the cottage. They entered an oval-shaped room darkened by shadow. In the center of the room stood a black circular table, surrounded by high-backed chairs with red velvet cushions. Seven wall sconces dotted the curved walls, dripping wax onto the stone floor. The glass-paneled ceiling offered a clear view of the night sky.
Helga led Nicholas to the single human-sized chair and motioned for him to sit. “They will be with you shortly, Nicholas. Please try not to fret. Do you believe in your heart that you did the proper thing?”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
Helga smiled and patted his hand reassuringly. “You’ll do fine, young man,” she whispered softly, and was gone.
Nicholas gazed at the ceiling, noting the leaded glass panels formed a star. The glass seemed thick and wavy, shimmering occasionally. He shivered in the cool air, and pulled his coat tightly around him. Long, lean shadows flickered against the slate tiles on the floor and up the walls toward the sky. He propped his elbows on the polished table and rubbed his eyes wearily. It was ironic that the best-behaved Klaus son was now summoned to the council. His mother and father were probably shocked by his actions.
Growing up, he and his brothers often fantasized about what life would be like in the Sudenwelt. Now that they traveled frequently, they were aware that life outside of Glasdorf came with its own set of complications and problems. In spite of the quirks and eccentricities of life at the Pole, Nicholas loved it here. He would be devastated if the council chose to expel him. Nicholas prayed silently in the darkness that the elves could forgive his actions.
A heavy door scraped open at the far end of the room. Nicholas looked up to witness a somber procession glide across the floor. Seven men, their brows creased with worry, approached the table. Nicholas noticed that they were wearing their formal dress, loden green robes with silver sashes. Hoods were pulled up over their heads, and long braids hung down, plaited with silver threads.
