When he turned his gaze to her again, she watched him carefully. Her nipples stood out, hard and dark.
“Come here and bring those black cuffs there.” He indicated the cuffs he’d laid on the nearby bed, knowing she’d have peeked at them over and over as he worked.
She did, holding her hands out once she’d given him the cuffs. Gooseflesh rose on her skin as he put the cuffs on her, tightening them, monitoring her reactions as he did.
She was on board, he could tell not only by the way she thrust herself closer, but by the hitch in her breathing, by the way she licked her lips and eagerly followed his instructions.
And when he pulled the line, tautening it, bringing her arms up, slowly, over her head, they both sighed.
He tied off the line on the arm of the nearby chair. An easily broken slipknot as he never wanted to be unable to pull her free as quickly as possible.
The position was one of his favorites, her back arched, breasts thrust forward. He circled her slowly, leaning in to brush a kiss on her shoulder, or a caress at her hip.
He held up the longer flogger and the crop. “Which one, darlin’?” He flicked the crop, loving the sound, the weight in his hand. The flogger creaked, the leather of the handle fitting his palm like he was meant to wield it. He twirled it, sending the tails swishing. A deceptively soft sound.
He drew the tails over the small of her back, against the top of her ass and down, against the backs of her thighs.
Yes.
“I think so too.” He bent to put the crop away.
When she was like this, there was nothing else. Arms above her head, the cuffs lovingly wrapped snugly around each wrist, she was utterly at his mercy. Totally on display. She loved it. Craved it.
Her skin was alive as she waited for the first lick of the tails. He knew she waited and drew it out. Circling her over and over, he drew the flogger over her nipples, over her belly and thighs, over her back and ass and just as she’d been lulled into a dreamy, sort of sleepy state, the first strike.
The tails, leather and suede on the outside and rubber on the inside, kissed just this shy of pain against the place where thigh met ass.
The only reason she was able to keep her eyes open was how much she loved to watch the expression he wore as he flogged or used the crop on her. Arrogant, intense with concentration. Every few strokes he’d look into her face to be sure she was all right. She loved that too.
She pulled against the cuffs. Not to get free, she could if she just said the word. But the struggle, the faux struggle, stretched her muscles in her back, arched her closer to him.
The heat of the strokes of the flogger tails built over her ass and thighs, against her mound—and what an unexpectedly hot discovery that had been—and then he played them with perfect strength against her nipples, making them throb in all the best ways.
Hands, sure and strong, undid the cuffs and took her weight, tossing her up and over his shoulder as he carried her into the alcove where the bed was. Which was good as there was no way she could have walked just then.
Gentle kisses laid a trail over her chest and shoulders. Hands that had her hair held in a fist now caressed and soothed. This was the other half, the part that made the first so incredibly intense. This was who they were, strong and dark sometimes. Edgy and yet, there was genuine love, friendship, a concern for the happiness and well-being of the mate. It made her safe and content as well as thrilled and titillated. The balance was different than it had been with Zach. But no less strong, no less tangible and sweet.
One day perhaps she’d tell him so, but not now. This was about the two of them and the path they forged with each touch. Her fearless, protective, bossy male stepping more fully into his role as her man.
“I love you,” she managed to say, used to and still surprised each time by the slow honey of her voice when he’d tipped her into subspace.
“Ah, beauty, what you do to me.” He kissed her chin.
Drawn to him, she found the energy to slide her palms up his sides. “More. Please.”
He knelt to get his jeans down and off. No drawers. She managed a snort of laughter which quickly died away when she gasped at the sight of his cock. Hard, so hard it tapped his belly.
All because of her. All for her.
When her gaze managed to tear from his wedding tackle, she caught that look on his face. That knowing he had of what made her the most weak-kneed and hot.
“I’m going to fuck the hell out of you.”
If he hadn’t rendered her absolutely senseless with that statement, she’d have told him how very on board she was with that. She may have managed a nod though, because that grin ghosted over his mouth as he settled in between her thighs.
She writhed, trying to get closer as he fisted his cock and pumped a few times.
“Ah, ah, ah, hands to yourself. I’m just looking my fill at you. Wet. God, your pussy is dark and swollen. And your tits.” He sighed happily, all the while continuing to withhold himself, knowing how much she wanted that cock inside her.
“Your nipples are hard and swollen, it only makes the rings look hotter. Your skin…” with his free hand, he trailed a fingertip over the marks the flogger had left behind, up her belly and over each nipple, “…is such a pretty, pale pink where the flogger kissed it.”
His gaze, which had been following his hand up her body, returned to her face with a snap of attention. She’d been nearly panting, but the breath snagged in her throat at how he looked at her.
“Knees up.”
She closed her eyes a second as she quickly complied, spreading herself open wide. But instead of following to fuck her, he got to his belly and pressed his face to her pussy, bringing a gasp tearing from her gut and her hips up and into his mouth.
Orgasm hit her hard and fast, but he didn’t stop. He pushed her up and over a second time and even as she still sought to catch her breath, he moved and began to push inside.
Easily enough it turned out as he’d made her so slick. In one hard thrust he was in her so deep, pressed flesh to flesh, it made her mindless, sending her over into a series of slow, rolling climaxes as he began to fuck her.
He took his time, rolling his hips to get as deep as he could, the base of his cock pressing against her clit with each stroke. His abs actually rippled as he moved, driving her crazy.
“Your body is so sexy.” She managed to get the words out, glad when she saw his slight blush and then that cocky smile of his.
He drew closer, she could feel it in the way his muscles began to tense up, the way his smooth thrusts began to stutter here and there and when he came, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered that he loved her.
More than that, he owned her, body and soul. Confidently and with care all at once. They clicked into a new level of connection, bigger than she’d ever imagined. It was good and right. Solid and unbreakable.
Chapter Seven
“I’ll begrudgingly admit that this is really nice. Not as good as you eating pie off my pussy or anything. But as far as Christmas Eve dinners, this one is amazing.” She motioned toward the table between them, filled with all their favorites.
“I’ll keep the pie thing in mind. Still plenty of time left in pumpkin pie season.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. She felt good. Light and filled with joy. The reason for it sat across from her looking delicious enough to take a bite out of. The Inn’s restaurant was beautifully decorated, pleasing the eye, making her feel very much in the holiday spirit.
“I propose this becomes our first Christmas tradition.”
He cocked his head. “Yeah? You don’t miss being with Kelly tonight?”
“I love my family and all. And I love living near them all so we can share great memories with them. But we get to make our own memories too. I like this one. I like having you all to myself and I know I can get you to bend on the midnight thing with my feminine wiles. If we were with Max and Kelly now, you’d have all sorts of backup to m
ake me wait.”
He laughed, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips. “I like having you all to myself sometimes. And I agree it would be a good thing to make this our holiday tradition.”
“We can change it up after we have kids.”
He licked his lips, looking her over carefully. It wasn’t that they hadn’t talked about kids and the future, they had. But he’d been treading carefully, waiting for her to be in the same place he’d been.
She knew it and she appreciated it. But it was time they moved that next step forward and she also understood it was up to her to give him that sign she was ready.
Rori would always have fond memories of her marriage and relationship with Zach. She’d miss him until she died. But he was her past and this man across from her was not only her past, but her future.
He put a wrapped box on the table. Small and square, pale blue and wrapped with a white ribbon.
“I guess you’re right about those feminine wiles getting your present before midnight.”
With shaking hands, she opened the box and found a beautiful engagement ring inside. And then she found a beautiful man on bended knee next to her. The crowded little restaurant hushed as people began to take notice of them in their little corner.
“Rori, I’ve loved you a long time and I’m promising to love you forever. Will you marry me?”
Blinking back tears, she nodded and held her hand out for him to slide the ring on her finger.
“It’s my job to make you happy for the rest of our lives.” He grinned and she couldn’t help it, she launched herself at him, tumbling them both as he sat on his ass right in the restaurant, even as those around them clapped.
“Let’s get out of here.”
He kissed her as they stood and then she waited while he paid the bill. The low light of the restaurant caught beautifully against the diamond on her finger.
They practically ran back to the cabin, laughing and planning.
She stopped once he’d locked the door behind them. “Oh my God, Jude Callahan, you are too good to be true.”
A fully decorated little tree now graced the middle of the room and it even had their presents beneath it.
“I can’t take credit for this. The inn handled it along with that little shop you were in earlier today. I arranged it a few weeks back and seeing the look on your face is worth it.”
“Wait here.” She pressed a kiss to his mouth and then scrambled to where she’d cached the item she’d picked up that afternoon in town.
Jude watched her scamper around the corner and looked the room over. They’d done a great job and he reminded himself to tip them again when they checked out.
She’d said yes. Without a trace of hesitation. Damn he was a satisfied man. Blessed as all get out to have a woman like her love him the way she did.
And she was back, her grin in place still, holding a box his way.
“You see, I had the same idea. It must be fate.”
He opened it and found a ring inside. White and yellow gold hewn together. The feeling of rightness only solidified to his toes. She’d wanted it as much as he had?
“I saw the ring today and thank goodness they had your size. I’d been wanting to ask you for a while. I’d planned to ask you tomorrow anyway, but then I saw the ring and took it as a sign.”
He hugged her tight, breathing her in.
“Shit, all I did was sneak off to get you that cashmere sweater you were drooling over. You got me a ring?”
Her eyes widened as did her smile. “You did? Where? We should open presents now. Since we’re getting married and it’s nearly midnight anyway.”
“It’s nine-thirty. Hardly what I’d call nearly midnight.” He held up his hands to still her argument. “But who am I to deny your wishes? You know I’m helpless against it when you want something.”
“This is going to be an amazing year, you know that?” She settled in at his feet, as he sat near the little tree and handed her the first box.
“Yeah, I do. All because of you. And by the way, yes, I’ll marry you.”
She tore the paper off with vicious glee and cried out when she drew the beautiful red sweater from the box. He’d seen her face when they had been in the shop and the sweater caught her eye. And he’d known she had to have it.
“You spoil me. Oh and you looked so good and taunted me with presents so I forgot to chide you for the comment about how you hadn’t done anything while I got the ring. Hello?” She waved a hand around the room and then showed him her ring again.
“Santa has nothing on you. You planned all this. Every bit and it’s amazing. Such a wonderful present, this getaway. You and me, all the kink we can handle and not a single interruption. The ring? The sweater? The way you planned all the meals and stuff? You take care of me, you make me happy.”
“It’s my job.” He tried to sound tough and nonchalant but it was a lie because no one got to him like she did. He was helpless against it and more than that, he loved it that way. Loved the way she fit inside his heart like she was made to be there.
“New house, wedding and maybe even some work on that baby thing.”
“You mean it?”
“I want to be your wife. I want to have your beautiful blond, green eyed babies. I want to live every day of forever with you at my side. I love you.”
He got to his knees and she jumped back with a laugh. “I know that look, Jude. Presents! Wait until after—” She didn’t get the rest of the sentence out because his mouth was on hers and her arms busily wrapped around his shoulders.
They didn’t get to the rest of the presents until the next day.
About the Author
The story goes like this: while on pregnancy bed rest, Lauren Dane had plenty of downtime, so her husband took her comments about “giving that writing thing a serious go” and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on that laptop before it gave up the ghost. Even better, she sold that book and never looked back.
Lauren had no idea how fabulously wonderful it would feel to actually make a go of her writing, and she’s thankful every day people actually want to read what she writes! She’s well aware of her good fortune and loves every moment of it, even when she has to edit and put Barbie’s dresses back on over and over again. She still hasn’t managed to figure out how to shut out the sound of the iCarly so she can write a love scene, though.
Visit Lauren on the web at www.laurendane.com or www.laurendane.com/blog. Email her at [email protected]. You can also write to her at P.O. Box 45175, Seattle, WA 9814.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-9082-6
Copyright © 2010 Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
Holiday Sparks
ISBN: 978-1-4268-9085-7
Copyright © 2010 by Shannon Stacey
All She Wants For Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-4268-9087-1
Copyright © 2010 by Jaci Burton
Unwrapped
ISBN: 978-1-4268-9086-4
Copyright © 2010 by Megan Hart
Believe
ISBN: 978-1-4268-9088-8
Copyright © 2010 by Lauren Dane
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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