by Emma Tharp
The sensation has my nipples drawing tight and I hold my breath, waiting in desperation for him to kiss me.
He gets closer, painfully slowly, and runs his nose along mine. His warm breath mingles with mine and my heart stops beating.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since high school." His voice comes out a rough whisper.
"Connor…" I say on an exhale.
He must read my need, my desire, because in seconds his mouth is on mine, kissing me so deeply and with so much passion, I'm drunk with lust.
Our tongues tangle and his fingers glide through my hair. Greedy need pumps through my body like adrenaline and wetness pools between my legs.
My hand grazes down his chest, all the way to his stomach. He has a six pack. A six pack. Going up under the hem of his shirt, my fingers tease his smooth skin. When he moans into my mouth, I capture it, taking it in.
The tension is too thick, and we’re sitting outside of my parents’ house, making out like horny teenagers.
I can barely breathe when I pull away, panting and wanting so much more.
Hungry eyes stare at me, his chest heaving. In those eyes, I see everything I want to feel. Connor is so good to me, and I have no doubt he'll take care of me in bed, too.
His hand is so warm when he cups my cheek and glides his thumb over my bottom lip. "That was… You are…" He shakes his head. "Ellis."
I know what he's doing. He's going to table this for tonight. The disappointment is immediate. I don't know what I was hoping for. Maybe that he would drive us to a hotel. That would work. I would've done that. But that's not Connor. He wants to take his time with me—do everything right. But time is running out. And he doesn't need to prove a thing to me. I already know him and trust him.
"Tomorrow. We’ll buy you a bed," Connor says, the implication heavy in his tone.
"Definitely."
He lays a soft kiss on my temple. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." I get out of the car, close the door, and head into my house. If there were ever a night I wish I had a vibrator, it would be tonight.
Thirteen
Connor
Sweat dampens the collar of my shirt. Why’d I wear my damn jacket in here? I pull the heavy thing off and sling it over my arm as I walk through the crowded department store with Colin.
It’s Christmas Eve and Colin doesn’t do any shopping until today. Every year. I’m always finished by now, but since I haven’t picked anything out for Ellis, I’m here with my brother trudging through the store without a clue what I should buy. With Liz, it was easy: a bottle of her favorite perfume and a sappy card. That’s all it would take. As the years went by, I could sense her eagerness as she opened her gift. She was waiting with poorly hidden anticipation for a sparkly diamond that I just couldn’t bring myself to buy her.
This year, I want to get Ellis something that shows her how much I care about her. I know she isn’t expecting anything, but I’d like to express to her how deeply I feel for her. At the same time, I don’t want to go overboard.
“What do you think of this dress?” Colin stands before me with a black slinky number in his hand and a big smile on his face.
“You’d look great in it.”
He shakes his head. “Ha ha. I think I’m going to get her this one. It’ll look smokin’ hot on her.”
“Sure. If you think she’ll like it, go for it.” I never had the balls to buy Liz a dress, or clothes of any kind. I don’t know if it’s because I never felt like I knew her well enough to pick something like that, or I just didn’t want to put in the effort. It’s really sad, looking back.
“What about you? Who are you buying for?” Colin asks, coming up next to me to inspect the jewelry I’ve been looking at. “You getting Mom a necklace?”
“No. I already bought Mom a gift. I don’t know what to buy Ellis.”
“Whoa. You really do like her if you’re looking at jewelry.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and walk toward a display of chocolates. Colin follows me. “I do like her, but I don’t think a necklace is the right gift.” We’re way too new, and I don’t even know what we are. But saying that I like her doesn’t convey how I feel. I can’t put it into words.
Being with Ellis for the last week has shown me just what was missing in my relationship with Liz. True chemistry. That unexplainable spark you can’t create. It’s just there. Last night when we kissed was the most intensely intimate kiss I’ve shared with anyone. My mind went crazy. It was running through all the scenarios of things I’d like to do to her. It took every last bit of restraint I had in me to not lay her down in the back of my car and have sex with her in her parents’ driveway. Now that she has a place for us to be alone, I’d like to be intimate with her. If she’s ready. But it’s more than the physical. It’s the deep connection that comes with years of knowing someone. It’s like we picked back up where we left off.
Chocolates aren’t going to work either.
“So, what’s Minnie’s story? Are the rumors that she’s getting a divorce true?” Colin asks as we walk aimlessly toward housewares.
Bluff Harbor is such a small town. She’s been home about a month and the rumors are running wild already. “Yeah. Turns out Chris Lowell is a complete asshole.” Thinking about him makes my blood boil. I grip my jacket like it’s Chris’s neck and squeeze. The anger bubbles up from a place inside me I never knew existed. It’s primal and visceral.
“Whoa, man. What did he do to her?”
I stop in front of the blenders and take a deep breath. “The fucker manipulated her and cheated on her more than once. What she ever saw in him is beyond me.”
“You’re right. The dude was a complete prick back in school. But why do you look so livid?” He examines me with knitted brows, eyeing my jacket hanging from my hand like a limp body.
I swing my coat over my arm. “He didn’t deserve her. If I ever see him, I don’t know if I’d be able to hold back. I’d love to find him and kick his ass. He hurt Ellis and I hate him for it.” I’m not a violent man. But I feel so protective of her. If she told me that he put his hands on her, I don’t think there is anything that would stop me from driving to his house and laying him out.
“You’ve got it bad, brother.” He gives me a knowing smirk and pats me on the shoulder.
He’s right. I do.
We walk down a couple more aisles and that’s when I spot it. I know immediately that I’ve found the perfect gift.
My phone buzzes in my pocket with a text alert.
I picked up the keys to the duplex this morning. I’m at the furniture store now. They have the bed I want in stock. Can you meet me here and help me move it into my new place?
My pulse picks up. Duplex keys and a bed. I don’t want to assume that we’re immediately going to hop in bed, but the way she kissed me last night was proof that she wants me as much as I want her. I’ll take it as slow as she wants, but I can’t help the excitement that courses through me knowing she has a place and now, a bed.
I’ll be right there.
I pay for Ellis’s gift and tell Colin that I’ll see him later.
The furniture store isn’t far, but I find myself speeding down the road to get to her faster. The parking lot is packed. Why do so many people wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping? I pull into the first spot I find and park. Running inside, the place is crowded with last-minute shoppers.
My body lights up when I find Ellis waiting near the customer service desk. She’s standing near a utility cart holding a mattress and box spring and a large box.
Her eyes find mine and the most beautiful smile builds on her face. “Hey, thanks for coming.”
I bend down and kiss her on the cheek. Her sweet orange blossom scent fills my senses. “No problem. It looks like you need some help.”
“I do. These were in stock and so is the headboard. They said they could deliver it next week or I could take it home today.” She gives me a shy grin. “I don’t want to wait
that long.”
Me neither. “It’s all paid for?”
She nods.
I grab the cart and we take it outside. With some creativity, we’re able to strap the mattress and box spring on top of my SUV and maneuver the rest into the back end. Ellis follows me in her car to her new duplex.
“I brought my stuff over this morning and borrowed my dad’s tools in case we needed to put something together,” Ellis says, leading me inside.
“Perfect. Let’s get started.” We make sure the door to her bedroom is open and we have a clear path to move everything inside. “The stairway and hallways are a good size. We shouldn’t have a problem.”
“Okay.”
Unstrapping the bungee cords, we ease the mattress off first and maneuver it up the stairs to her room. Then we do the same with the box spring, positioning it up against a wall. We set the mattress on top of the box spring and the room looks like it’s coming together. I grab the box containing the parts to her headboard and bring it inside.
“We’re a good team,” Ellis says, plopping down on her bed.
“We are.” I’m so happy, I feel almost weightless as I take a seat next to her. “It’s nice and firm.”
“It’s comfy, right?”
“I like it.”
She and I eye the bed and I can’t help the places my mind goes. My blood pumps harder and I clear my throat. This really isn’t cool of me. Just because there’s a bed in the room doesn’t mean I need to immediately think about laying her back and stripping off her clothes. “Should we put together the rest of the bed now?”
Ellis’s beautiful hazel eyes darken and she moves closer to me, erasing the distance between us. “It could wait.”
I’m suddenly completely aware of how loud my heart’s beating. I cup her cheek in my hand and read her expression. Her lips part and her skin flushes to a beautiful shade of pink. Skimming my lips against hers, I want to take my time and savor every minute.
But then her arms fly around my neck and she deepens the kiss, cranking up the intensity. I welcome it all and the throb inside me grows, along with the ache to be closer. I can’t ignore it anymore, and thank God, neither can she.
Fourteen
Minnie
Connor’s lips possess me as we explore each other’s mouths. He thought he was going to be able to take it slow with me. I could feel it in the light brush of his lips. But slow is not in my vocabulary tonight. Watching Connor move my new mattress and box spring, I couldn’t stop myself from drinking in the definition of his strong chest and shoulders. The power in his muscular body snaps my last thread of control. I’m overtaken by greedy desire.
I need him, and I’m so far beyond pretending.
I've been starved of this wanting for so long, I forgot how good it feels. Connor has unleashed it in me, and now my belly clenches with need. Exploring his mouth, my tongue delves in, stroking, caressing, and connecting. I'm insatiable.
I crawl on top of him, straddling his legs. Grinding my sex against his length, tingles of desire shoot through me. Grasping his shirt, I rip it off over his head, and do the same with mine.
Connor's gray-blue eyes darken to almost black as he stares at me and unclasps my bra. He cups my breasts in his hands and my nipples tighten into pebbles. My pulse bounces in an erratic beat and my chin dips to my chest as I watch Connor lick my oversensitive nipples. I grind into him as my clit pulses with tension and need.
He guides me onto my back and pulls off my leggings and panties. The way his eyes slide up and down me, taking in every inch of my naked body, has my heartbeat quickening.
"You're so beautiful," he says, his voice thick with yearning.
He makes me feel like I'm the most gorgeous woman that's ever walked the earth. When he touches me and cares for me, it makes me dizzy, captivated, and hypnotized. In this moment, I completely surrender myself to him.
He eases off the bed, tugging off his jeans and boxer briefs, but not before he pulls a condom out of his pocket. He opens the foil packet, pulls it out, and rolls it onto his length.
My mouth waters at the sight of this beautiful man, chiseled and muscular, with his intensely gorgeous features trained on me.
He lowers himself back onto the bed and kisses me, slow and deep. I wrap my legs around his waist as he positions his thick length at my entrance.
As he sinks into me, and we connect, my head floats into the clouds. I'm completely lost in Connor. Every word spoken between us and all the years we've known each other have led us here, to this beautiful moment.
I sigh as he pulls out and plunges back in, hitting my walls, taking me to another level of bliss.
My hands grip the mattress and I can’t even be bothered or concerned that I haven't made the bed yet. I was too greedy with need to wait.
Connor kisses down my neck and collarbone until he reaches my nipple. Sucking it into his mouth, he teases it, flicking it with his tongue. It's like lightning, the way the sensations shoot straight to my core. "Connor," I cry out.
With his hard body on top of mine, and his warm and spicy scent surrounding me, I angle my hips up and shamelessly writhe against him. "Fuck," he growls.
Connor thrusts his tongue in my mouth, owning me, and fueling my hunger for him. I slip my fingers around his neck and up the back of his hair, loving the feel of the silky strands.
There's no sound in the room other than our labored breathing and the glide of our sweat-slicked skin.
He drives into me, again and again, filling me so full, thrusting inside me until I’m so entirely consumed, I cry out his name again.
Connor shifts both of my legs onto his shoulders and with each thrust, he hits sensitive nerve endings deep inside me. Completely lost in sensation overload, an intensity builds deep within me. I can't control the bucking of my hips or arching of my back as my orgasm rolls through me. My toes curl as pulse after pulse washes over me until I am limp and boneless.
But this isn't over yet.
Connor's thrusts are more urgent now. Bucking my hips, I match his rhythm. Gazing up into his half-lidded eyes, trained on me with the deepest connection I've ever felt, spurs me on.
I can see it snap, his last thread of composure as he lets go and comes right behind me, his body tensing and trembling above me.
He kisses me and slowly eases off to lie on his side. His fingers skim across the bare skin of my stomach. "That was amazing."
"And totally hot," I add, smirking at him.
He pulls me in close and I rest my hand on his chest. "Yeah. Insanely hot."
I glide my fingertip across his chest before looking up into his eyes. "I know it's Christmas Eve, but I'd love it if you'd stay tonight." The small insecure spot left in my heart worries that it's too much, too soon, but I am done denying myself the things I want or need.
"Only if we can make the bed first," he says, a hint of humor in his tone.
"I don't know. I kind of like the bed the way it is." I cock a brow.
Connor pulls me on top of him, claiming my mouth, his tongue mingling with mine. There's something soothing and safe about having his warm arms wrapped around me. "I don't care if the bed is made or not, all that matters is that you’re in it with me."
I love his words and their implications. It lights me up from the inside, so I deepen the kiss.
Fifteen
Connor
Getting out of Ellis’s warm bed with her naked frame wrapped around me this morning was like torture. I didn’t want to leave. It was truly the best way to wake up on Christmas morning. After a sexy shower together, we went our separate ways to be with our families, with promises to see each other later.
Back at my parents’ house, my stomach growls loudly when the smell of roasting turkey, stuffing, and cinnamon apple pie greet me at the door. The house rings with the sounds of kitchen appliances, chatter, and the overall buzz of Christmas cheer.
“Oh, good. You’re home. Can you come in and help set the table?” Mom scurries
into the foyer, decked out in her red and green dress and Santa apron. She ushers me into the house as she grabs my jacket.
“Sure, Mom.” I pull her in for a hug. “Merry Christmas.”
“I love you, son. I better keep moving. Almost everyone is here and dinner is nearly ready,” she says, a little breathless. She moves past me into the spare bedroom where she puts everyone’s jackets.
Mom loves to host for any occasion, but especially for Christmas. By noon every year, people are coming and going out of our home. It’s a huge celebration. And since she’s occupied with the get-together, it saves me from having to answer questions about where I was last night and who I was with. I may be an adult, but my family has always been nosy. Especially my mother.
The kitchen is bustling with chaos. My aunt is mashing potatoes with the mixer, while my cousin’s three-year-old twin daughters run around chasing each other with fairy wands.
My brother comes up to me carrying two glasses of amber liquid. He hands one to me. “Glad to see you could make it.” He lifts a brow.
“Thanks.” I grab the drink and take a swallow. “Cheers.”
“You going to make me guess where you were last night? Mom and Dad didn’t know,” he says, eyeing me for answers.
“I stayed over with Ellis.”
“Things are progressing quickly.” He gives me an approving smile. “Glad to see it.”
Setting my scotch on the counter, I open the cupboard with Mom’s Christmas china. I pull out the plates and hand them to Colin, then take the silverware holder out of the drawer. We make our way to the dining room and start setting the table.
“Yeah. I’m really happy.” My heart swells. “I’ve cared about Ellis since high school.” If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve loved her all this time as well. Sure, the feelings dimmed when we were away from each other, but now that I’ve been able to spend time with her again, it didn’t take long for it all to come racing back.
