by V. Vaughn
“You keep talking like that and I’ll be forced to hang the mistletoe I found in the bottom drawer.”
“It’s plastic. It doesn’t count.”
“Really?” She arched a challenging brow.
“Really.”
He pushed back from the table, walked to the hutch and removed the mistletoe. He used a pushpin to attach it to the archway leading into the kitchen. Then he stood under it. It was stupid and crazy and totally inappropriate, but he couldn’t help himself. There was no way in hell she’d actually cross the room to kiss him. No way in hell.
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
“Now you’re asking for trouble.”
“Am I?” he asked in an innocent tone.
“Cowboy, if you don’t move in two seconds, you might wish you had.” She pushed back from the table and stood.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He’d already gone this far. Besides, he never started a challenge he didn’t intend to finish.
As she sauntered across the room, he swallowed. Candlelight licked every curve. Her blue eyes shimmered with unfulfilled desire. His heart kicked. Desire ran thick and hot through his veins. He considered meeting her halfway, but that was part of the game, wasn’t it? She’d have to come to him and prove that all of the heated glances that simmered between them were real, and not just a figment of his imagination.
2
Jessica wet her lips as she stopped in front of him. A smirk danced across his lips. Her heart raced. He was her boss and he should have been off-limits, but he hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d hung the mistletoe. She’d never played with fire like this before, but there was something delicious about the prospect of making all of her fantasies come true.
She stood on her tiptoes before hooking a hand behind his neck. His smile widened. As she swept a tentative kiss across his warm lips, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His slow, sensual perusal of her lips sent tingles of awareness across her belly. She burned where they touched. The fact that she shouldn’t be kissing him made it so much hotter than she could have anticipated. Forget fantasies, the real thing was a thousand times better.
As she melted into the kiss, his tongue swept along the seam of her lips. She parted for him, letting him dip to swipe his tongue into her mouth. She moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair. He nipped at her bottom lip in response.
His hands slid down to cup her ass. She throbbed with an ache only he could fulfill. Every caress of his fingertips made her curse the thick sweater dress. Why hadn’t she picked something thinner?
A trail of kisses burned down the side of her throat. She gasped.
“This is so wrong,” he whispered.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“You work for me.”
“And you’re my boss.”
“Not right now I’m not. You’re on vacation, so this doesn’t count. Right?” He leaned back and gave her a desperate, questioning look.
“It doesn’t count.”
A low growl rumbled up from his throat. She shivered as he reclaimed her lips. Languorous kisses meandered down her neck before stopping to brush across her collarbone. At least the scooped neck had been a good choice. She might be plump and round in other places, but her collarbones were sexy.
She wanted to believe that this momentary lapse in judgement didn’t matter. Truly she did, but she knew it was a lie. If they let it go too far, there was no going back. He was still her boss. Letting him take her to bed would complicate things. It was a really, really bad idea. She should be pushing him away, but she’d never been able to resist a powerful man.
“I’ve wanted to touch you since the moment you walked onto my ranch,” he murmured in a husky tone. “You look sexy as hell in jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I look even better in my Mrs. Claus outfit.”
“Really?” He gazed at her through half-lidded eyes. “I’d like to see that.”
“I bet you would,” she teased as she gently pushed him away. “But you’ll have to wait until Christmas. You might be on the naughty list by then.”
“God, I hope so.”
She laughed and stepped back. Flirting with him was so much fun. Too bad she had to stop. She couldn’t risk losing her job over a fling. She loved the ranch too much.
“We should probably stop,” she said.
“Why?”
“I need this job too much. A few nights of hot sex aren’t worth losing it.”
“Why would you lose your job?” He frowned.
“Things could get awkward. Everyone could find out about our little fling. You might decide to get rid of me to stop the gossiping. It’s just a bad idea. As much as I want to indulge in a week of complete and total debauchery with you, I can’t.”
“Debauchery?” A slow smile spread across his face. He took several steps forward until he’d backed her into the nearest wall. “I like the sound of that.”
“Hold up, cowboy.” She placed her palm on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. “You know we shouldn’t be doing this. Admit it.”
“Fine. You’re probably right.” He grabbed her hand and began kissing the tips of her fingers. “But… I wish you weren’t.”
Oh, boy. She was in trouble. How on earth was she going to resist temptation for the next ten days?
Don’t resist! her bear shrieked.
Shut it! she silently responded.
She pulled her hand away. It still tingled where he’d kissed her.
“Dinner’s getting cold.”
She slid into her seat, ignoring the fact that he hadn’t moved an inch. Reluctantly, he settled back into his chair.
“So, if we’re not going to give in to debauchery, what are we going to do with all of our free time?” he asked.
“Read books by a roaring fire while snow falls outside?”
“Sounds like the opposite of debauchery.”
“Depends on what you’re reading.”
He laughed before forking a bite of roast into his mouth. His lips mesmerized her. She had to force herself to look at anything but him.
“Aside from reading, we could shift and run around in the snow, or make snow-bear-angels,” she said.
“What?”
“You’ve never done it?”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“It’s so fun. It was a Christmas tradition when I was growing up. Every Christmas morning, I’d go outside with my parents and we’d make snow-bear-angels.”
“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“You’ll try it?” She grinned.
“Sure. Why not?”
After enjoying dinner together, she took him up on his offer to clean the kitchen while she unpacked. Her room was two doors away from his. Far too close for her liking. It would be impossible to sleep, knowing that he was just down the hall. However, if she was able to wear herself out while in bear form, she’d have no problem sleeping.
With that mission in mind, she joined him in the living room. A fire crackled in the fireplace.
“I started it so that it would be warm when we got back,” he said.
“It already feels amazing.”
“Are you sure you want to go out into the snow?”
“Yes!” If she didn’t wear herself out, there would be hell to pay later.
“Okay. Should we strip here?”
She bit the edge of her lip. She had a weird hang-up about shifting in front of other people. She’d always felt so vulnerable.
“I’ll shift in the barn,” she said.
“The barn?”
“I won’t break anything. I’m able to control my shift.”
“But then I won’t get to see you get naked.” He flashed a lascivious smile.
“Exactly. We shouldn’t be tempting each other to do something we both know we shouldn’t be doing.”
“Like hot sex on the rug in front of the fireplace?”
Her gaze
dropped to the woven rug. Temptation licked at her self-control. He wasn’t playing fair at all. But what did she expect? He was a hot-blooded man who wasn’t shy about what he wanted—her.
“I’ll meet you in front of the barn.” She rushed outside before she could change her mind.
“I might peek,” he yelled.
She smiled as she jogged through the snow. In her rush to leave the house, she’d completely forgotten to grab a jacket. Snowflakes fell and melted on her sweater. By the time she reached the barn, she was shivering from the cold. The sun had set over an hour ago. A full moon rose over the mountains, but it did nothing to provide warmth. At least she’d be toasty while in bear form.
Her bear jumped up and down like a maniac. She hadn’t shifted in several days, so the beast was more than ready to burst free.
Before beginning the shift, she glanced toward the door. It remained closed. She didn’t know why she was so disappointed. She didn’t really want him to rush into the barn and toss her over a bale of hay, did she?
Of course, you do! her bear taunted.
“Ugh!”
She stripped the sweater dress off so it wouldn’t rip. After hanging it over a sawhorse, she returned to the center of the barn. Several horses neighed at her as if sensing a potential predator in their midst.
“It’s okay,” she cooed. “I won’t eat you.”
Searing pain sliced through every nerve as she began to shift. Her hands grew into large paws. Her feet morphed to match. Fur sprouted from every inch of her skin to cover her body. On all fours, she arched as her spine reformed.
Her nose elongated into a snout and the scents of the ranch came rushing into her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, picking up the subtle scent of another bear—Toby. Even in bear form he smelled like rich whiskey and temptation.
She shook out her coat and released a roar of frustration. She thought she’d be safe in bear form, apparently not. And if she let her bear’s instincts take over, then all hell would break loose. She needed to keep the beast reigned in as much as possible.
As she padded out of the barn into the snow, wind rolled across the hills. She raised her snout toward the sky and inhaled the clean, crisp air. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere but on a ranch. City life would be an absolute death sentence for her spirit. Just one more reason to hold onto the job here.
In bear form, Toby ambled into view. She sucked in a breath. He was magnificent. Dark brown fur covered every inch of his powerful body. Regardless of what form he was in, he always looked amazing. Potent, feral longing rose up from her soul. Her bear’s need to be close to the other bear nearly ripped her heart to pieces. Even surrounded by people on a daily basis, she always felt alone. But not when Toby was around. He always made her feel so comfortable, as if she were a part of his ranch family already. And maybe she was. She’d worked on plenty of ranches, but Bear River Ranch was special, and not just because it was bear-friendly. In rural Montana, there were a lot of bear-friendly places, but none held the same level of magic. Not even close.
Toby’s bear chuffed. She padded closer so their bears could scent each other. Since she’d never shifted with him before, they were new to each other.
At first, everything went well. Then, his bear shoved his snout between her legs. She jumped and spun to face him. With a mighty roar, she let him know that was off limits. Their agreement to keep their hands to themselves extended to their paws too. And their snouts. Maybe she hadn’t been clear enough about the rules. Dirty bear. She’d have to rectify that later.
Toby’s tongue lolled out. He jerked his furry head toward an empty pasture. He took off at a full run through the pristine, moon-lit snow. She snorted before racing after him. If he wanted to play tag, she was in.
Her paws pounded through powdery snow. She quickly closed the distance between them, then added as much energy as she could muster to launch herself through the air. She tackled the other bear and pinned him against the earth. He chuffed and grinned before rubbing his snout against hers. For once, she was grateful their lips couldn’t meet.
As if to prove her wrong, he opened his mouth and playfully nipped at hers. She locked her teeth against his and let out a playful growl. Joy filled her heart. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so playful with anyone. She’d become so wrapped up in the day to day reality of living on the ranch, that she’d lost her sense of fun. She needed to lighten up, and he was the perfect person to help her do it.
An hour passed. She alternately chased him or ran from him. Thoroughly exhausted, she stood panting at the edge of the huge pine forest that bordered the backside of the ranch. Toby peeked out from behind a tree. He beckoned with his paw. She shook her head. Her muscles ached. Time to head home—back—not home. His house wasn’t her home, and she needed to keep that at the forefront of her mind.
She pointed a paw at the barn. He shook snow from his coat before following her back. When they reached the barn, she started to walk inside. He gently grabbed her flank with his mouth. She turned. He backed up several steps before flopping into an undisturbed pile of snow. He flailed around until he’d made an approximation of a snow angel. She chuffed and padded over.
After flopping down to copy him, she stood to survey their work. Satisfied with how the angels turned out, she turned to him. His tongue hung out for a second before he sucked it back into his mouth. She chuffed and nodded at the house. He got the message and started walking toward the front porch.
She shifted in the barn. After quickly pulling on the sweater dress, she hurried back inside the house. She found him stoking the fire.
“That was fun,” he said. “It never occurred to me to try to make snow angels in bear form.”
“Now you have a new tradition.”
“The first of many, I hope.”
She frowned slightly as she took a seat on the sofa. Why would he be talking about traditions with her? Was it his way of assuring her that her job on the ranch was safe, regardless of what happened between them? She wasn’t sure how to take it, so she changed the subject.
“Tell me about growing up on the ranch.”
“It’s been in my family for three generations.” He sat next to her on the sofa, entirely too close. “My great-great-great… maybe that’s too many ‘greats’, grandfather moved here after the California gold rush. He struck it big as a prospector and used the money to buy the land. Back then, it was dirt cheap. Now we’re blessed with thousands of acres. It’s nice not to have any neighbors.”
“The nearest other person is probably five miles away,” she said.
“We could walk around naked and no one would ever know.”
“Toby…” She shook her head slowly. “You have to stop that.”
“Stop what?” he asked innocently.
“Flirting.”
“Am I flirting?”
When his gaze dropped to her lips, she knew she was in trouble. Trying to resist him was an exercise in futility, still, she had to at least make a feeble attempt to be good.
But as he leaned in to sweep his lips across hers, she decided that being good was overrated. Maybe being on the naughty list was inevitable. Maybe resisting was pointless. Maybe giving in to the sizzling attraction between them would be the best Christmas present ever. She had no idea, but she did know one thing for sure, she wasn’t about to turn down a scorching hot kiss from a cowboy.
3
Toby let out a soft groan as he leaned in to kiss her. Any residual hesitation vaporized the moment his lips claimed hers. He’d spent months trying to resist her. Every heated glance and sway of her curvy hips had driven him mad. Kissing her was so much better than he could have imagined. His entire body buzzed with erotic energy. Blood rushed south to stoke the fire he couldn’t put out. But now that he had her, he wouldn’t let her go until she melted into a puddle of pleasure.
He gently pushed her down onto the couch. When she hooked a leg around his hip, he ground his cock into the space between h
er thighs. He wanted to tear off his pants and shove her dress up to her hips, but this was their first time—maybe their only time—so he didn’t want to blow it.
Soft whimpers of delight spilled from her lips. The moment she parted her lips a fraction of an inch, he took full advantage. He plunged his tongue into the sweetness of her mouth. The taste of hot cocoa and peppermint mixed with the essence of her. In bear form, she’d driven him absolutely wild. His bear had wanted to jump all over her. He could hardly keep the beast in check. Now, he didn’t have to.
As he swept his tongue across hers, he growled softly. He pulled back slightly to nibble her full bottom lip. He wanted to devour every inch of her. After months of waiting, he intended to savor every touch, every taste, every kiss, and every caress.
When her roving hands slipped under his shirt, he leaned back to unbutton it. She gazed at him with hungry eyes. She wasn’t trying to hide anything about how she was feeling. He loved that about her. Any time he’d asked her a question, she’d given him a truthful answer. He could rely on her to tell him what he needed to hear, instead of what he wanted to hear. A rare trait these days.
He tossed his shirt across the room. As her fingertips brushed against his abs, he clenched from the sharp rush of desire.
“I’ve seen you shirtless before,” she said in a husky tone. “But, never lit by flames. You’re abs are killing me.”
“In a good way?”
“Oh, yes.”
As she leaned forward to kiss his abs, his breath caught in his throat. His cock throbbed. She traced her tongue across each ridge and valley before skimming up to suck his nipple. He groaned. Most women had no idea how much it turned him on, but somehow, she knew. He drew shaky breaths as she swirled her tongue around both nipples before trailing lower.
When she reached the thin trail of hair at the top of his jeans, he grabbed her hair and lightly pushed her away. If her lips went much lower, he wouldn’t make it to the bedroom.
“Wait,” he whispered. “I want to see you. All of you.”
