After the Christmas Party...

by Janice Lynn

  “I don’t think so. I just think you don’t give yourself enough credit. Not where a lot of things are concerned. You really are the most amazing woman, Trinity.”

  Not knowing what to say to his comment, she made a show of surveying the assembly of presents. “I hope they like them.”

  His gaze stayed on her rather than the presents. “They will. They aren’t picky. They’re used to dealing with me, remember?”

  He was so close to perfect it wasn’t real. His family would see right away that they were from two different ends of the spectrum. A bubble of panic rose in her throat.

  “What if they don’t like me?”

  “They will like you. Weren’t you paying attention? They aren’t picky.” He grinned while he said the last and she knew he was attempting to ease her concerns. His easy smile and confidence did go a long way to dismantling her anxiety. The man’s constant good humor was contagious.

  She slapped his arm playfully. He had such a way of making her feel better. “Shame on you, Riley.”

  His eyes twinkled with merriment. “For?”

  “Teasing me when I’m nervous about meeting your family.”

  “No worries, princess. I know they are going to love you. Besides, turnabout is fair play and you can tease me when I meet your family.”

  Which was yet another reason why she should have shut this conversation down a long time ago. She bit the inside of her bottom lip. “Won’t happen.”

  His brow rose. “You don’t plan to keep me around long enough to have need to introduce me to your family?”

  His tone was teasing, but a real question shone in his eyes.

  “It’s not that. We both know you’ll be the one to get bored with me and walk away. Not vice versa.” She hated the thought of him doing so. If she’d felt a panic bubble before, she felt a panic volcano now. “If you think back, I told you that I don’t know my father, and my mother died a few years ago.” Right before she’d started dating Chase, actually. “There’s no family for me to introduce you to.”

  “No uncles or aunts or cousins?”

  If there were she’d never met or heard of any of them. She shook her head.

  “Oh, princess, that’s terrible. Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, much as a parent would a child.

  Trinity couldn’t say her lack of family was terrible, just her reality, but Riley’s arms around her felt good so she wasn’t going to argue with him. Instead, she snuggled against him and rested her cheek against the hard plane of his chest, soaking in his strength.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay.” How could he have known? How could anyone have known when she kept all her emotions bottled up inside her? Even now she wondered if she’d made a mistake, letting him know so much. “Does it matter?”

  He pulled back to stare down at her. “Of course it matters. Family is one’s support system and you’ve had to face life without that.”

  Her mother had been her only family and, honestly, she hadn’t been supportive, at least, not that Trinity could recall. More that Trinity had been an unexpected nuisance that had come along and interrupted her buzz.

  “Not all families are supportive.”

  “True, and there are times mine drive me crazy, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.” He kissed the top of her head. “Well, you’ll see what I mean after you meet them tomorrow.”

  With that, a renewed dread of meeting his family, of having to endure a Christmas dinner and be smacked in the face with what all she didn’t have in her life hit her. A renewed fear of what this Christmas Day would bring because, seriously, Christmas was never good for her. “You’re really going to make me go?”

  “You know I am. You gave me your word.”

  She nodded. She’d expected no less. “What should I wear?”

  “Clothes. If you don’t, my mother will be highly upset with me,” he said with a deadpan expression that was unlike him.

  “Okay, smartypants, what kind of clothes? A dress or just something casual?”

  He grinned and she realized he’d once again purposely tried to distract her. “Casual. There’s a lot of us, and I do mean a lot, and we’re very informal. Just dress in whatever you’re going to be most comfortable in.”

  “Okay.” She leaned her head against him, drawing on his strength yet again and hoping she didn’t disappoint him. “Thank you, Riley.”

  “For teaching you to wrap presents?”

  “That, too, but I meant for just being here with me, period.”

  “With you is where I want to be. I was a bit lost without you tonight. I’ve gotten quite accustomed to eating dinner with you and hanging out afterwards. Being without you left me at a loose end and I didn’t like it.”

  “I feel the same.”

  He tilted her chin to where she had to face him. “You do?”

  With everything else she’d already told him, what was one more admission? “I think about you from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep and all the time in between.”

  Okay, so maybe that had been a big admission.

  “And your dreams? Am I there, too?” He spoke so close to her mouth that she could feel the warm moisture in his breath.

  Her own breath caught, held, and blew out in an excited little burst of anticipation of his lips touching hers. He was going to kiss her. She knew he was. She wanted him to. Needed him to.

  “Oh, yes, Riley, you are in my dreams.” She lowered her lids then met his gaze head on, not trying to hide what she knew was in her eyes. “You and mountains of mistletoe.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THINKING HIMSELF THE luckiest man alive, Riley accepted the invitation she’d just tossed out. He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted his next breath.

  Her lips were hot and met his with a hunger that surprised him.

  A hunger that matched his own.

  His hands were in her hair.

  Her hands were in his hair.

  Threading through the locks, pulling him to her, grasping tightly as if she never wanted to let go.

  His mouth left the lushness of her lips to travel down her throat, to sup at the graceful arch of her neck. She smelled of heaven, she tasted even sweeter.

  Her hands had gone to his waist, were running over his lower back, pulling him towards her with an urgency that had his head spinning.

  He groaned. He wanted her more than he’d thought it possible to want someone. He wanted her to the point his body ached with need, but more than that his mind craved her. Craved knowing what she looked like with pleasure on her face, craved knowing how she sounded when she experienced full and total release, craved the knowledge that he’d put that look on her face, made that sound escape her perfect plump lips.

  He kissed and supped and touched.

  She rubbed and massaged and arched against him, exposing the beauty of her neck more fully. He took full advantage, moving lower and lower.

  He didn’t consciously consider cupping her breasts, but his hands did so as if they had a mind of their own and had taken charge. No wonder. Her breasts were amazing and made him want her all the more, which he’d have thought impossible as he already wanted so much.

  “That feels good.”

  Had she said the words or him?

  His mouth must have developed an agenda of its own, too, because when his hands pushed away her top and bra, his lips covered the perfection of her creamy breast. His gut clenched.

  He’d changed into jeans when he’d arrived home. Now he longed for the comfort of his loose slacks because his jeans had grown way too snug.

  As if she’d read his mind, Trinity’s fingers undid his jeans and slid beneath the material of his shirt. She ran her fingers along his abs, tracing lightly but with the effect of lightning bolts, before moaning and pulling him close enough that their bodies molded together.

  “More,” she demanded, her fingers going into his hair and pulling
his mouth to hers. The moment his mouth covered hers, they both began to make haste with his shirt buttons, with her pushed-aside shirt, until they both stood bare chested against each other.

  More sounded just about right. He wanted more. Lots more.

  Somewhere in the recesses of her mind a small voice warned Trinity that she needed to stop. Sure, everything was going just fine at the moment but she really wasn’t any good at this. If she didn’t stop, Riley was soon going to discover that fact for himself, and then what?

  But her body wasn’t listening to her brain. Her body was way too busy discovering new and wonderful sensations that his mouth and hands were distributing all the way through her.

  In a minute she’d stop, but for now she just wanted to feel everything he so generously gave. Surely that wasn’t so wrong? After all, it was Christmas Eve.

  So rather than cover her breasts when her shirt fell to the floor, she dropped her head back and basked in the absolute glory of his eyes feasting on her. They did. As if her body was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Wow. How did he do that? Make her feel so good without saying a word?

  So when his hands and mouth returned to work, she wasn’t surprised that the rest of her body wanted to get closer, to get in on the action. Her hips ground against him, marveling at the hardness pressing against her, marveling at how he breathed raggedly, at how absolutely turned on he was. By her.

  His hands sliding her pants down her hips felt natural, like the most perfect thing ever. Standing before him, his eyes eating up the image of her in only her peach-colored panties could never be wrong as long as he looked at her with that light in his eyes. He wanted her. More than she’d ever been wanted, Riley wanted her. Being the object of his desire was a heady high.

  One that left her wanting more. And more. And more.

  Unable to stand still another moment, she moved to him, kissed him, ran her fingers over the beauty of his shoulders, his chest.

  Strong, chiseled, the way a man’s body should look. He was so beautiful. So much so she should probably feel intimidated, but how could she when he was so obviously affected by her, when his eyes had been soaking up the sight of her body like a starved man? When he now touched her with that same urgency?

  The open snap of his jeans dug into her belly, reminding her they were in her way. She slid her hands down over the hard planes of his abdominal muscles and into the edges of his waistband. She gave a hard tug. His hands immediately joined hers in removing his clothes.

  Then they stood in front of each other, he in navy boxer briefs, she in panties that were growing more and more damp.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She shook her head. “You are.”

  He smiled.

  She smiled back and nodded. She knew better than to do this. Especially at Christmas, but she wasn’t stopping.

  Trinity sighed with contentment in her sleep, rousing herself. Without opening her eyes, she smiled.

  Really, really smiled.

  Because Riley had been right. Chase had been wrong. She hadn’t been horrible at sex. She’d just been having sex with the wrong man.

  And Riley was the right man.

  A bubble of panic flitted through her, but her body glowed with contentment and her joy was too great to let doubt take hold. Not now. Now she wanted what she hadn’t had the first time she’d woken up with Riley. She wanted to wake him up with kisses, make him smile.

  Then, she hadn’t believed herself capable. Now, she knew better. He’d woken a siren within her. And not one who was horrible either.

  Smiling, she rolled over, only to come shockingly fully awake.

  She was alone.

  Alone.

  She reached out and touched where Riley had been in the bed beside her, her hand running over the cool sheet. Apparently he’d been gone for some time. Was he in the other room? Or perhaps out on the deck? Regardless, he wasn’t in this bed next to her.

  Where she wanted him to be. Where he should be.

  Her heart twisted in grief. Had she been wrong? No, he had enjoyed the sex as much as she had. She knew he had. She might not be the best he’d ever had, but she had given him pleasure. A lot of pleasure.

  But maybe sex was all he’d wanted from her and now that he’d gotten it, he was done. Perhaps having left her in his bed was his way of telling her not to get too attached, that they wouldn’t be waking up in each other’s arms.

  Really, she’d known better. Had known that when she’d had sex everything would come to a screeching halt. She hadn’t needed it to be Christmas to achieve that feat, but she doubted the day of the year had helped any.

  Would she never learn?

  Recalling all the touches she and Riley had shared, the way their bodies had melted as if made to fit together, the way she’d seen stars flash in front of her eyes and cried out his name, the way he’d growled hers in a torrent of release, she couldn’t regret the night before. Whatever Riley’s reasons for not being in this bed, it wasn’t that she had been horrible in bed and for him giving her that knowledge, freeing her from that burden Chase had saddled her with, for that she was grateful. Not only had he shown her otherwise, he’d given her the greatest experience she’d ever known.

  Not just the sex, though. Every moment in his company was precious. He was precious.

  She loved him.

  Despite all the reasons she knew better, she loved Riley Williams.

  She should leave. She should go let her cat out of his guest bathroom and she should leave.

  Instead, she closed her eyes and pulled the pillow that his head had once rested on over her head, cursing her stupidity for falling in love with a man who was so far out of her league and who could never really be her Prince Charming, even if he did call her princess.

  Had the past taught her nothing?

  The tears that burned her eyes were nowhere near as hot as the ones that seared her heart.

  His mind racing, Riley carried the last box of his supplies into Trinity’s apartment. He hit the front door with his hip, wincing when it closed a little more loudly than he’d intended.

  No one might be home but he didn’t want any of her neighbors calling the law on him either. Then again, maybe they’d just think it was Santa making all the noise. He felt like Santa.

  He’d worried how he would be able to pull off her Christmas gift without her knowing what he was up to. Leaving her warm, sexy body naked in his bed hadn’t been easy, but her surprise would be worth it.

  He couldn’t suppress the grin on his face.

  He’d promised Trinity the best Christmas ever and he was going to deliver.

  She’d already given him the best Christmas ever.

  The best night ever.

  The best everything ever.

  She’d rocked his world. In so many ways. Trinity had certainly knocked him for a loop. A good one. Like a carnival ride that thrilled and made you want to just keep coming back for more.

  He glanced around her living room, smiling at his efforts. What would she think?

  She professed to not like Christmas, but he’d never seen anyone more starved for the magic of the holidays. He wanted to give her that magic. He wanted to make all her dreams come true.

  To make her day feel as if she lived a fairy-tale. He wanted to make every day of her life feel like a fairy-tale.

  Which struck him as odd. His thoughts were those of happy-ever-after, not those of a man who knew he couldn’t do to a woman what his father had done to his mother. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to think of a future without Trinity.

  Because he loved her.

  Oh, hell.

  He couldn’t love her.

  But he did.

  Yet what kind of Prince Charming could he be when he’d forever be called away from her for his career?

  With shaky hands and a heavy heart he finished what he’d snuck her keys out of her purse and driven to her apartment to do.

  No Prince Charming had ever don
e better.

  Too bad he was a Prince Charming who couldn’t give a happy-ever-after.

  Maybe if she didn’t open her eyes, she could just pretend she wasn’t awake and could sleep straight through Christmas. Darn whoever had changed the schedule at work and left her home alone today.

  Only she wasn’t at home.

  She was at Riley’s. In his bed. Alone.

  She tugged on the covers, trying to pull them over her head, but they wouldn’t budge. Which had her eyes popping open to see why.

  “Good morning, princess.”

  “But…” She stared in shock at the man sitting at the foot of the bed, looking sexy as all get-out with only his jeans on. Wow. Maybe she was dreaming.

  She stared at him, trying to reconcile the fact that he was here, that he was smiling and teasing her. Had she dreamed waking up in his bed alone? Dozens of conflicting emotions swirled inside her.

  Last night had hurt. A lot. But he hadn’t left because he was right here in front of her.

  Of course he hadn’t left. She’d been in his bed, in his house.

  “Why?”

  He looked confused. “Why what?”

  “Why are you here?”

  His brow arched. “Is that a trick question? I live here.” His expression darkened. “Don’t you want me here?”

  How did she answer that? Did you tell a man that you’d woken up and found the bed empty and had assumed the worst? That you’d cried yourself to sleep and erected a hundred new walls to replace the ones he’d torn down because she’d realized she was in love with him?

  “I woke up and you weren’t here.” Did she sound whiny?

  She’d thought he would take a hint and tell her why he’d left his bed, but he just shrugged, as if his absence was no big deal. Only he didn’t meet her eyes and he wasn’t smiling.

  “Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. Now, out of bed. Time’s awasting.”

  He might convince her to get out of bed except there was an itsy bitsy tiny problem. “I’m naked.”

  “Good point.” His smile was lethal and he suddenly seemed intent on lightening the mood between them. “Forget getting out of bed. I’ll get back in with you. Much better idea.” With that he dove towards her, tugging on the covers she had tucked beneath her chin.