Of Smoke & Cinnamon: A Christmas Story

by Ace Gray

  Camilla shivers beneath me and her thighs squeeze on my hips. The wet fabric presses hard against my skin forces me to suck in a deep breath. If the cold is rough against mine, then the chill must be almost painful against the most sensitive bits of Cam; I don’t need more incentive to shed the barrier between us.

  My hands leave hers and make quick work of the fabric separating us. I shove my shorts off then reach behind my neck to do the same with my shirt. Her fingertips stroke across the washboard of my abs, trickling like water droplets and pooling at the deep V of my hips. Her hand wraps around my hardness and strokes, once, twice…

  I throw my head back and groan into the night.

  This is where it all started, here on the thirteenth green under the summer moonlight, with me sliding into her. Cam Collins has always been mine. More than mine, she’s my home.

  She cries out as I press in and settle in deep. Her nipples push hard against her dress and I bend down to tongue them over top of the fabric. Camilla shoves her hands into my hair and I purr against her skin as she scratches my scalp. It eggs me on, my hips moving harder against her.

  My hands slip between us and find the bud of nerves between her thighs. As soon as I start circling on her, her hands fly to the bulk of my arms and squeeze. Her cries are closer to whimpers now, quiet, breathy and beautiful. She tilts her head back, her neck open to me and I graze my teeth along the graceful lines of her. I press one ardent kiss to the soft spot beneath her jaw.

  She gasps but then goes rigid, her hands grip onto me, threatening to bruise. Her body arches off the grass behind her and her toes dig in. She starts quaking, the uncontrollable tremors my favorite sign of her orgasm. My fingers still stroke her tenderly as I slow to feel every little tremble inside and out.

  Cam jerks once, wildly, then sucks in a deep breath again as her body releases back down onto the grass beneath her. She pries her fingers free and skates them up to my shoulders then drags her nails down my back. I shudder at the touch and snarl when she digs her fingers into my ass and pulls. Over and over. She drives me to my orgasm, her body mine to have, to use.

  When I spill into her, my being quakes until I surrender and drop down onto her, fitting against the body that’s molded to mine.

  I’m such a lucky fucking bastard. That I found her, that I found my way back to her, too. I know damn well I can’t want for anything in this world, and yet… A date. I still want a date.

  Camilla starts humming beneath me, her dulcet notes as beautiful as the night itself. Beautiful but out of place as I realize she’s humming White Christmas. While the song shows off each of her beautiful notes, and it’s the tune that brought me back to her, it’s not right in the middle of July. That is of course until her song trails off and her big, beaming smile remains.

  “AJ, you’re the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.” Her hands start moving again, this time up along the contours of my body then to my chest. To my heart.

  But then she pulls her left hand off and studies the ring in the moonlight. I hadn’t thought it possible but her smile grows even more as she finally fucking answers me. Or rather, asks me, “AJ, will you marry me this Christmas?”

  Cam and AJ will return next Christmas in Of Sage & Evergreen: A Christmas Wedding

  In the name of the Christmas (and Thirteen) spirit I had to include recipes for both coffee cream and cocktails. My husband is a chef and my friends are serious bartenders so they were happy to oblige. What none of us expected was the making of things that embodied the very spirit of Smoke & Cinnamon, of Cam & AJ. I’m eternally grateful to Pat Manning (aka Hubs), Devin Connor and Gabe Pearlman for playing along. And bringing Thirteen, Willow Creek and Camilla Collins to life.

  Cam’s Coffee Cream

  4 pieces cloves

  4 pieces allspice

  2 cinnamon sticks

  Use a mortar & pestle to break spices up to large pieces

  Toast in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 15-30 seconds (to warm, bloom but not burn)

  Then add in the following:

  1 cup cream

  3 TBS maple syrup

  1/8 tsp nutmeg (fresh grated)

  Bring to a boil

  Once boils, let stand for 10 minutes

  Strain

  Best ratio is 1 cup coffee to 1/2 cup cream

  Make it as spicy as Cam and AJ by adding a 1/2 an Arbol chili into the dry pan to bloom

  Of Smoke & Cinnamon

  by Devin Connor

  1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Buffalo Trace preferred)

  3/4 oz. of 2:1 maple syrup (2 parts maple, 1 part water)

  1/4 oz. allspice dram (St Elizabeth’s preferred)

  3 dashes Angostura bitters

  One egg white

  Shake the ingredients without ice for ~20 seconds in cocktail shaker

  Add ice, shake an additional ~ 10 seconds

  Double strain into cocktail coup glass

  Finish with 1 spritz scotch (Lagavulin) over foam

  Sprinkle cinnamon salt, crumbling th course ground as you sprinkle on top of cocktail

  *cinnamon salt is made by mixing course grain sea salt with powdered cinnamon. Mix 2

  parts cinnamon to one part course salt.

  Hard Eight

  by Gabe Pearlman

  1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Weller 107 Overproof Wheated bourbon preferred)

  1/2 oz. dark rum (Smith & Cross preferred)

  Juice of 1/2 lemon

  1/4 oz. allspice dram (St. Elizabeth’s)

  1/4 oz. maple syrup

  1 oz. dry hard cider

  2 dashes Angostura bitters

  2 shakes cinnamon

  Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice

  Serve over ice in a Collins glass with a lemon twist

  Black Manhattan

  Classic Cocktail interpreted by Secret Society, Portland, OR

  2 oz. bourbon (Buffalo Trace or Bulleit preferred)

  1/2 oz. Averna

  1/2 oz. Amaro Nonino

  2 dash Angostura bitters

  Stir with ice in cocktail shaker

  Strain into coup glass once thoroughly mixed and garnish with Amarena cherry

  There is no way to ever encompass all the people I need to thank in this little snippet of text.

  Hetty, Harloe, my babe, my life. You’ve renewed my love of writing and books. You’ve given me faith when I have none. You are a blessing I’m grateful for every day.

  Dyllan. I love you. We’ll share Bill Paxton forever. Sister wives with you doesn’t look so bad.

  Emma, good Christ, where do I start? I mean it when I say that I couldn’t be an author without you.

  Mix and Mel, you’ve got my six. Always. I wouldn’t give my words to anyone less awesome.

  BB and Staci… shit… you two are in inspiration. When I grow up I want to be like either of you, both of you. Your love child perhaps? I’ll take it any way I can get it.

  Tamara for telling me you loved me for being unique and different. That post is a talisman against the hard days.

  Nicolette Eyssen, Jen Burgos and Brittani Raquel Simak, you guys remind me why I should publish each and every day. You make me soldier on when I otherwise wouldn’t.

  Hubs, Pat, love, friend. Thank you for finding the small town girl and showing her the world. Thank you for believing in my dreams long before I did. And a hell of a lot more strongly.

  My parents who made all things possible simply because they raised me right and taught me to dream. They always have my side and are unfailingly kind.

  Ellie, Dee and Elaine for making my baby come to life.

  My readers… well shit. I don’t even know where to start. I tried with the letter at the beginning, but there are never quite adequate words. Suffice it to say, eaech of you are a gift and I’m grateful for very one. I write for me but I publish for you. I count each of you in my blessings, many of you more than twice. I love you, you adorable penguins you!

  Ace Gray is a self-proclaimed troublemak
er and connoisseur of both the good life and fairy tales. After a life-long love affair with books, she undertook writing the novel she wanted to read, which culminated in her first release STRICTLY BUSINESS and followed with, well, quite a few more. When she’s not writing, she works in craft beer. Originally a small town, Colorado girl, she now loves rainy days, shellac manicures, coffee shops and bourbon—all of which are bountiful in her adopted home of Portland, OR where she runs amok with her chef husband and husky pup.

  Mixing Business With Pleasure Series

  Strictly Business

  Bad For Business

  Family Business

  A Twisted Fairy Tale

  Twisted Fate

  Twisted Death

  In the Twisted Universe

  A Twisted Love Story (Coming early 2018)

  Twisted Secrets (Coming late 2018)

  Anthologies

  Because Beards

  Brothel: The Magnolia Diaries

  Seven Sins Short Stories

  Sloth (coming 2018)