He kissed her forehead. “Your karate skills are non-existent. Stop worrying. Everything is fine.”
“So what tattoo did you get? And why is there a bandage on your ring finger?”
He held his hand up and gently drew the bandage back.
“Should you do that?” she asked
“It’s fine.” He showed her his finger. Which had a thick tattoo right around the bottom of his finger. It was a simple design. Plain. But to her, it was gorgeous.
“Oh wow. It’s a wedding ring tattoo.”
“It’s not always a good idea for me to wear my ring when I’m working. And I wanted something permanent. So I got this.”
“I love it. I think it’s amazing.”
“Good. Undo my buttons and I’ll show you my chest.” He did the bandage on his finger back up as she undid his shirt buttons. He pulled his shirt away from the left side of his chest and gently tugged off the bandage.
There, over his heart were two interlocking C’s.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Me and you. Forever, baby,” he murmured.
Forever.
* * *
Charlie had never been to a biker bar before.
But she was having the time of her life. She’d spent most of the night dancing with Sunny and her friend, Betsy who’s boyfriend, Ink was a gorgeous guy covered in tattoos. Clint had taken him aside for a chat and for a moment she’d worried they were going to fight but then they’d done some sort of manly handshake and all had been forgiven.
She sighed as Clint moved up behind her when a slower song hit. He wrapped his arm around her middle, drawing her back into his body. Her body sank into his. Craved his touch. Needed it.
“Time to go back to the hotel, little darling,” he murmured.
She pouted. “Do we have to?”
“Yes, my baby needs her sleep and I need some attention. I’m feeling neglected.”
She snorted and turned in his arms. “Neglected, huh?”
“Yep. I’m going to need a lot of attention.”
A grin tugged at her lips and her body heated at the look in his eyes. “I guess I can give you that, Mr. Jensen.”
“Damn straight, Mrs. Jensen.”
“I’ll just say goodbye to everyone.”
Clint sighed as she turned away. Then he slapped her ass. She yelped and turned back to find him grinning.
“Be quick. Or there’s more where that came from.”
3
Millie and Spike
7th December
“Do you think I need my gun?” she asked Spike.
“No.”
“How about my pepper spray?”
“Nope.”
“Taser?”
“No.”
“And you’re sure we shouldn’t bring Mr. Fluffy with us?”
“No.”
Millie turned with an exasperated huff to where Spike was leaning in the doorway of the bedroom, arms crossed over his wide chest, watching her pack.
“Can you say anything other than no?”
Heat filled his gaze and he took a step towards her. “Yep.”
She gulped and held up one hand. “Now, just wait there, mister. We’re supposed to be packing. We leave tomorrow. We don’t have time for . . . for shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans?” He reached for her hips, pulling her close.
“Yes,” she got out before he kissed her. “Shenanigans.” Kiss. “No time.” Kiss. “For that.” Kiss. “Got to pack.”
“You can pack later.” Spike picked her up carefully and set her on her ass on the bed. “You’re stressed. You’re gonna give yourself a migraine.”
Spike knelt on the floor at her feet. He started kissing up her leg. Her breath came in fast pants as he spread her legs wide. She was wearing a tight, white onesie with a snap crotch. At the back of her onesie, right above her bottom, sat a red bow and some lace ruffles.
As soon as her shoulder was healed up enough for her to start making clothes again, she intended to make several more just like it.
Spike tongued her pussy through the material of the onesie.
Shoot! That felt so good. Maybe he was right. Taking some time out to de-stress wasn’t a bad idea. Last thing she needed was a migraine.
He reached behind her and drew the zip down then carefully tugged it off her arms so it pooled at her waist.
“Stay still,” he growled as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
He tongued her nipple until she was breathing hard. Arousal had her pressing her legs together and trying to ease the throbbing in her clit. Then he grazed his teeth over one tight nub and she cried out. Oh darn. So good.
The last two days had been a whirl. She felt like she’d been rushing around trying to pack while directing Spike on how to decorate the house since she wasn’t allowed to do any of it.
The man took overprotective to another level.
But now she had a perfectly decorated dinosaur Christmas tree. It looked fabulous.
He cupped her breasts, raising her nipple to his mouth so he could suck.
“Oh. Ohh. Please. More.”
“You want more, baby doll?” he asked.
“Yes!”
“What do you want?”
He was going to make her think? Really? He stopped sucking on her nipple.
“Please. I need more. I need your mouth on me.”
“Where?” he asked.
Urgh! She couldn’t think! Why was he making her think? Not fair.
“My nipple!”
Yes! Go her. She could speak. It was a miracle.
“This nipple?” he queried as he ran his tongue over it.
“Yes, please, more.”
“Or this one?” He moved to her other nipple, sucking on it lightly. Her body ached with need. Her breath came in harsh pants.
“Both. Please, both. More.”
He sucked on one nipple then the other.
“Lower. Lower.”
“Down here?” he asked, kissing the skin just below her breasts.
“Lower.” He was torturing her. The bastard.
He slid his tongue along her tummy, down towards her pussy. He undid the snaps on her crotch, exposing her pussy. “Tell me where you want me to touch you, baby doll.”
“On my pussy,” she yelled, shocking herself. “Thank God we don’t have neighbors.”
Spike chuckled then started lapping at her pussy, running his tongue along her slick lips before flicking at her clit with relentless thrusts of his tongue.
She moaned, wriggling around.
“Stay still, baby doll,” he warned.
“I can’t. I can’t.”
“Do I need to give you something to concentrate on?”
Ooh. She wasn’t sure about that. Suddenly, he stood and she let out a whimpering complaint until he started pulling off his clothes.
Okay, now we’re talking.
The man was seriously gorgeous. Ripped. Strong. Sexy.
Lucky. She was so lucky.
Reaching down, he grasped hold of his cock, running his hand up and down the length. She licked her lips.
“Want a taste?”
She nodded. Oh yes. She certainly did.
He helped her stand, then he sat on the edge of the bed and placed a pillow on the floor between his feet. He held onto her good arm to help her kneel. She took it from there, wrapping her hand around the base of his cock as she bobbed her mouth up and down the shaft.
So good. So very good.
She hummed as she sucked.
Spike began to chuckle and she slid off his dick, looking up at him curiously. “What?”
“Baby, you’re humming Jingle Bells as you suck my cock.”
What? “I am not!”
“You totally were.”
Jeez. That was mortifying. Except . . .
“Was it bad?”
“Fuck, no. It was damn good.”
She grinned.<
br />
“Come here.” He helped her carefully up, positioning her on his lap facing him. Then his lips met hers for a kiss that she swore had fireworks firing off inside her. By the time he was finished, she was rubbing her pussy along his cock and making little noises filled with need.
He lay back on the bed. “Ride me, baby doll.”
With pleasure.
He held his dick for her so she could position herself over the top then she took him deep.
Bliss.
And as she rode them both to a satisfying end, she may or may not have been humming Jingle bells in her head.
* * *
The next morning, she waved goodbye to Betsy, Royal, and Baron. They’d just come by to pick up Mr. Fluffy.
“Are you sure he’ll be all right?”
“Yes,” Spike replied, shutting the door and locking it. They’d leave through the internal garage. He’d already packed up the truck. She’d tried to pack lightly, knowing there would be a bit of stuff to bring back with them from her grandma’s house. Everything else would be sold or given away.
But she had packed her taser and pepper spray. She’d compromised and left the gun behind. A girl couldn’t be too careful, even if she did have a big hunk of biker glued to her side.
“Maybe we should bring him with us. What if he misses me? What if he gets lonely? Talking on Skype or FaceTime just isn’t the same. Mr. Fluffy finds it hard to recognize my face through the camera.”
“He’ll be fine.” He turned to her, grasping hold of her chin and tilting her face. “Sunny and the boys will take care of him.”
Of course they would. She knew that.
“Go potty before we leave. I’ll get some drinks and snacks.”
“I don’t need to go to the toilet.”
He gave her a firm look. “Go. Now.”
She sighed. “Fine. But I don’t need to go.” She turned with a flounce. She was wearing a long, pleated black and white striped skirt with stockings, boots and a bright red sweater with a rolled neck. He placed an arm around her waist to hold her steady before landing a stinging smack to her ass.
“Ouch! Daddy!” That was probably the hardest smack he’d given her since she’d been shot. She scowled at him. “What was that for?”
“Because you needed it.” He gently kissed her. “You need more than that. Soon as that shoulder is healed, you’re going over my knee every night for a month.”
“A month!”
“Yep. Amount of punishment you’re owed, it’s gonna take a whole month just to catch up.”
Oh, it would not. She wasn’t that naughty. Plus, she could see the way his eyes were dancing. See, he might not smile much, but she’d learned his tells. When he was close to a grin, the skin around his eyes would crinkle and his eyes would lighten with amusement.
A month indeed.
Truth was, she did kind of miss being spanked. She’d earned herself a number of punishments, all of which he was keeping track of in his notebook that he’d named Baby Doll’s Spanking Book.
Awful name for an awful book. She just might have to find a way to burn it. No doubt he was bringing it with him, maybe he could conveniently lose it during their trip. Yep. That’s exactly what would happen. She was grinning as she left the bathroom, and yes, she had peed. Darn it. When she opened the door, Spike was standing there, Chompers and her handbag in one hand.
He raised his eyebrows. “Do I want to know what that smile is about?”
“Just excited about our road trip!”
“Uh-huh.” He gave her a skeptical look. That wasn’t lying. She had been thinking about their road trip.
“Did you pee?”
Urgh. He just had to ask, didn’t he?
“Yes, Daddy. I peed.”
He drew her in and kissed her gently. “See, Daddy knows best, doesn’t he?”
Well, he liked to think he did.
She grabbed Chompers and her handbag and he led them out to the garage, lifting her into his truck and doing up her seatbelt.
“That okay on your shoulder?”
She nodded. “Thanks, Daddy.”
* * *
He knew that smile meant she was up to something. He guessed he’d have to wait to find out what, though. Then he’d need to add another spanking to her notebook for lying. And maybe some lines, depending on what it was she had planned.
As he drove, she started searching through her phone. “Should I book a place to stay tonight?”
“We’ll just find somewhere off the highway.” It would be easier. He wanted to get to Nowhere as quickly as possible. He didn’t like staying in places where he couldn’t be certain of their security measures.
“Okay, but maybe one night we could stay in a nice hotel somewhere, maybe have a look around, take in some Christmas decorations.”
She continued to chatter on. He still couldn’t believe she’d made him put up all those decorations just before they left. What was the point? Still, it seemed to make her happy.
So up the decorations went. And during this trip, they would likely end up spending the night in some fancy hotel in the middle of a city he didn’t know.
It seemed that when it came to Millie and putting a smile on her face, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do. But then, there was little that she didn’t deserve.
He knew it was hard for her to go home. They were going to be packing up memories. Of her grandparents. Of her sister. Add that to the fact that she’d been shot and held at gunpoint by a lunatic, putting up a few decorations was a small price to pay for having her smile.
He half-listened to her happy chatter. The closer they got to their first stop, though, the quieter she grew.
Until finally, she was silent.
He glanced over to find her holding Chompers tight, looking out the window.
“We don’t have to stop.”
“I said I was coming,” she whispered.
“And I’ll call and tell him that you’re not.” He wouldn’t have her stressing over this.
She shook her head. “No, I want to meet him. And his family. I don’t know why I’m so nervous about meeting him in person when we’ve chatted on the phone several times.”
She’d tried a few therapists, but none of them had gelled. Not until this guy. He lived several hours away, on some ranch. Turned out it was the same ranch that Reyes’ foster brother, Zeke lived on. This shrink was also an old friend of Hack. And he lived the lifestyle with his woman. And his brother.
Which Spike had no problem with. Each to their own. Spike didn’t really give a shit what others did as long as they weren’t hurting him or his own.
“I mean, he’s helped with my nightmares. And he really seems to care. I guess I’m just hoping that he’s not different in real life, you know?”
He better not be. Or Spike wouldn’t be happy. He followed the direction they’d been given until he pulled up outside the imposing gates.
Sanctuary Ranch.
“Let’s do this,” she whispered.
4
Sunny and Duke
8th December
Sunny knocked on Jewel’s door again.
No answer.
Where was she? They were supposed to go shopping together. But she wasn’t answering the door or her phone.
Sunny was worried about her. Jewel was acting strange. Jumpy and scared. She’d lost weight. Sunny had no idea what was up, though, because whatever was wrong, Jewel wasn’t telling her.
“Hello?”
Relief filled her as she heard Jewel’s voice through the door. Although she didn’t open it.
“Jewel?” Sunny asked. “It’s me. Sunny.” She rolled her eyes at herself. “Idiot.”
“What? Sunny?”
“Hey, did you forget we’re meant to be going shopping?”
“Oh drat. I’m so sorry, Sunny. I did forget.”
“That’s okay. It’s no problem. Um, are you gonna open the door?”
“No.”
Sunny
blinked. That was blunt. Even for Jewel.
“Okay. Have I done something to offend you?” she asked hesitantly.
“What? No. Sorry, I just . . . I’m not very well.”
“You poor thing. I’m so sorry. What can I do? Would you like me to get you some soup? What symptoms do you have?”
“I’ll be okay. It’s just some virus but I don’t want to infect you if it’s contagious.”
“But who’ll look after you? What if you need help?” Sunny asked worriedly.
“I’ll be all right.”
“What if you feel faint, fall over, and hit your head on the toilet?” she asked.
“Why does it have to be the toilet? That seems very specific.”
“Just throwing it out there. I think you should open the door and let me help you.”
Jewel wasn’t very good at accepting help. In fact, she was crap at it.
“Sunny, I’ll be fine. Promise.”
“Are you running a temperature?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean? Don’t you have a thermometer? I’m going to get you a thermometer. And chicken soup. And Gatorade. And cold medicine. I’ll make a list. I’ll be back soon.”
“Sunny!”
“Yeah?” she asked absentmindedly as she made a list on her phone.
“Don’t you have some Christmas shopping to do?”
“Well, yes, but that can wait. You’re sick!”
“I’m fine. Go do your shopping before Duke gets hives about you being out of his sight for more than an hour.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind. Really.”
“Sunny, go. I’m just sorry I couldn’t go with you. Have fun.”
Have fun. Yeah right. Fun. Sure. She’d have fun. She could do that. No problem.
“Sunny?” Jewel asked.
“Yes?”
“Do you know you’re speaking out loud?”
“Urgh, nope. I didn’t know that. I’m going to go now. But promise you’ll call me if you need me.”
“I will. Sunny, are you all right?
A Little Christmas Cheer Page 3
