Marissa searched the room until she found RT. He was laughing at something Z said.
Her father was right. RT had taken the reins of the company nicely. Everyone loved him; there seemed to be no animosity between him and any of the Kogans. Considering the company was owned fifty-fifty between Bryce and Casper, it could’ve been a knock-down drag-out when it’d come time to assign someone to take the lead. Instead, everyone had seemed to back off, and RT had walked right into the role. It was working out well.
“And you?” Bryce asked. “You plannin’ to come work for us finally?”
“Not a chance,” she told him. “I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing.”
Being that she was a political blogger, things had slowed down for her considerably since the presidential election was over. The past year had been a brutal battle, and she was thankful it was over.
“Of course you are.” Her father kissed her on the top of her head. “Just remember, if you ever get tired of that shit, there’s always a place for you here.”
“I know, Daddy.” And she did.
As much as she loved these people, she didn’t want to be in the fold of Sniper 1 Security. She respected what they did, but it wasn’t her thing.
“You ready for some cookies? I see Z has his eye on them. If we don’t hurry, they’ll be gone before we get the chance,” Bryce teased, nudging her forward.
“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”
Chapter Eleven
Wednesday, December 21st
TRACE WAS SITTING at his desk in his home office when he heard Marissa’s footsteps on the concrete floor outside the door. He peered up just as she stepped into the doorway.
“You busy?” she asked, holding a cup of coffee to her lips.
He noticed she was still wearing her robe although she’d gotten up at least two hours ago. That was very unlike her. She was usually dressed and flitting around the house or sitting with her nose buried in her laptop shortly after she awoke.
“Nope,” he said. Trace had long ago made a personal rule that Marissa came before anything else. “Why? Something on your mind?”
Marissa padded into the room, setting her coffee mug on the windowsill before making her way over to him. Trace leaned back in his chair and watched as she perched on the edge of his desk.
“You weren’t in bed when I woke up,” she said, toying with the tie on her robe.
“I know. Just dealing with some crap at work. Nothing major.”
“That acquisition thing RT asked you to look into?”
Trace nodded. Sniper 1 Security had been approached by a small security consulting firm, mostly corporate and residential, that had fallen on hard times financially. Because they were established and well-respected within the industry, RT wanted to look at the possibility of buying them out and absorbing them. Trace had offered to do some digging into their financials.
“Well, if you’ve got a minute…”
Trace looked up at his wife, noticing when she parted the robe, creamy flesh peeking out.
A minute? Hell, he had the rest of the day.
“I’ve always got a minute for you,” he told her, sitting up straight and moving his chair so that he was in front of her.
He helped her up onto his desk, keeping her directly in front of him.
Trace allowed his palms to trail up the smooth skin on her thighs, pushing the robe farther apart so he could get a glimpse of the incredible body beneath. He noticed Marissa watching him, clearly happy with the way things were going.
Taking his time, Trace teased with his hands, caressing her, enjoying the sleek skin against his palms. The woman stole his breath.
“This is what I wanted for Christmas,” he told her, grinning.
“It’s not Christmas yet, silly.”
No, it wasn’t.
“Spread your legs,” he urged, nudging her thighs apart with his forearms.
Marissa obliged him, opening herself up to him. Trace took what she was offering, smiling to himself as he admired the soft, glistening folds of her pussy. He readjusted her feet, putting them on the arms of the chair and pulling her closer to the edge of the desk, bringing her pussy right in line with his mouth.
He separated her folds with his thumbs, then stroked her with his tongue.
“Trace…”
Damn, he loved the raspy tone of her voice, husky and so fucking sweet when she was turned on.
He continued to stroke and caress, maintaining a leisurely pace. He could honestly do this all fucking day long. Her sweetness against his tongue ratcheted up his need, but he ignored it. His sole focus was pleasuring his wife.
Minutes passed while Trace was lost in her, feasting on her until Marissa’s fingers twined in his hair, tugging his head. He refused to give in until she gave him what he was seeking, though, so he pretended not to notice while increasing the friction of his tongue, flicking her clit relentlessly until she was gasping and moaning.
Only when she came did he finally look up to see her staring back at him, blue eyes glazed.
“Inside me,” she whispered.
On his desk? Damn. Was it his fucking birthday?
Standing up, Trace pushed his sweat pants down his thighs and took a step forward, aligning his cock with her entrance and slowly pushing inside. No need to waste time. He was more than willing to give her what she asked for.
He gripped Marissa’s hips, holding her still so he could watch as his dick disappeared into the warmth of her body, withdrew. His shaft glistened with her juices, which only tormented him, his dick throbbing.
The friction was incredible. He didn’t rush, slowly thrusting in as deep as he could go before retreating. Again and again and again. Only when her cries sounded more urgent, her orgasm hanging just out of reach, did he speed up. His hips pumped faster as he pushed his thumb against her clit, stroking in circles, applying enough pressure to make her whimper.
“Come for me, Marissa. Come all over my cock, baby,” he crooned softly, keeping his tone smooth, soft.
“Close,” she whispered. “So close.”
Shifting slightly, Trace lifted her legs over his arms, changing the angle of penetration as he pushed in harder, deeper. He punched his hips forward, withdrew slowly.
“Oh, yes… Like that … Trace…”
He felt her body tighten around him, her muscles locking onto his cock, milking him as he tried to hold out, desperate to send her over first. It didn’t take long before Marissa was crying out his name, her head thrown back, pussy squeezing him.
Seeing her in the throes of a powerful orgasm sent him right over the edge.
MARISSA WAS WALKING on a cloud, or it felt that way. She wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that Christmas was only a couple of days away, or perhaps because Trace had been home and she was getting to spend a lot of time with him.
Whatever it was, she hoped the feeling didn’t go away.
As it was, she was hard-pressed to keep herself busy. That usually wasn’t a problem, but her mind seemed to be focused on one thing: the pregnancy test sitting in the cabinet beneath the sink in their bathroom.
No, she hadn’t taken it yet. Part of her feared it was too soon. The other part feared that it would be negative and she would be disappointed. She’d been telling herself that it wouldn’t matter. They had all the time in the world to keep trying. But the truth of the matter was she’d gotten her hopes up.
She felt different. Then again, that could’ve been a mental thing thanks to her wishful thinking.
“Hey.”
Marissa spun around to see her husband watching her from across the room. She smiled.
“Are you okay?”
“Perfect.” And that really was the truth. “Just trying to think of something to do.”
“I thought maybe we could go cruise some neighborhoods, check out the Christmas lights.”
Smiling, Marissa nodded. She loved doing that and Trace knew it. He would never choose to
do it, otherwise, if it weren’t for her.
“That would be great.” Plus, it would take her mind off everything else.
Even if for just a little while.
Chapter Twelve
Sunday, December 25th
SINCE HIS SEXY wife got it into her head to sneak a peek at all of his little surprises, Trace had been forced to get creative. Although, thanks to her sneaky ways, she knew what each slip of paper in the advent calendar said, Trace had managed to mix them up every morning before Marissa had a chance to pretend she didn’t already know. That had worked for the past couple of weeks, but now that they were down to only one day left—today—it wasn’t quite so simple.
As it was, for the past few days, he’d had to get even more imaginative by changing them altogether. And yes, when it came to their sex life, the past few weeks had been adventurous to say the least. He had managed to blindfold his sweet wife, tie her up, even make love to her out on the balcony (at night, with the lights off so they had the illusion of privacy). Then, there had been the time in his truck at the Sniper 1 Security office, down in the parking garage of the warehouse, once in the bathroom at his parents’ house, and his personal favorite, on his desk right here in his home office. He would never be able to work another minute in this room without thinking about how she’d come apart with his mouth fastened to her pussy.
Damn.
Just thinking about it made his dick roar to life. He remembered how Marissa had insisted that it was possible to have too much sex. She’d given a good argument, too. Sure, being a male, he had doubted that wholeheartedly, and the truth was, he was right. There was no such thing as too much sex. Not when it came to Marissa.
Not in his mind, anyway. As for her … yeah, it was quite possible that he’d worn her out a time or two. She was starting to push him off, which was why he’d planned for a romantic night last night. Simple. Sweet. That had been his goal. He had cooked her dinner, dined by candlelight, then swept her off her feet and made love to her right in their bed for as long as she’d let him.
But today was the last day, and honestly, he didn’t have a clue what to do.
Although he would never shy away from sex, Trace knew that this wasn’t all about that. It was about the connection they had, the love they shared with one another. Marissa was his entire world. The love of his life. He would do anything to make her happy. Anything.
Since today was Christmas Day, they would be spending it together. The two of them. Tonight they would spend the evening with the family, a huge get-together at Marissa’s parents’ house. He looked forward to it every year, and he knew Marissa did as well. But with a huge family gathering came a tremendous amount of stress. So he wanted today to be a relaxing day for the two of them right up until dinner.
“Trace? Will you come here for a minute?”
He turned in his chair, then pushed away from his desk.
The instant he stepped foot into the living room, his jaw dropped to the floor.
There, wearing nothing but a pair of teeny tiny panties and a big red bow, was his incredibly beautiful wife standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe dangling from the beam in the ceiling. He even registered the fact that she was holding something behind her back, but he couldn’t focus on that with the sight of her naked form.
“I wanted to give you your Christmas present,” she said, her voice raspy, seductive.
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as worn out as he’d thought.
“If it’s you, then this is the best present ever.”
She smiled. “Well, that’s part of the gift.”
He forced his feet to move, closing the distance between them. “And the other part?” Not that he really cared about any other part.
Marissa held out a small wrapped box. “Open it.”
Without waiting, Trace tore off the paper, then lifted the lid and peered down into the box. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.
There, nestled in white tissue paper was a…
Pregnancy test.
“It’s positive,” she whispered.
He looked up, and with blurry eyes, he noticed tears in her eyes.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to happen,” she said hurriedly. “Not this soon anyway, but…”
Setting the box on the counter, Trace pulled Marissa into his arms and buried his face in her neck. He didn’t try to hold back the tears, letting them fall, his happiness overwhelming him. For whatever reason, Trace had thought it would take months to get pregnant. He had tried not to get his hopes up, but the truth was, he had. And this…
“Best Christmas present ever,” she whispered, cradling his head. “I love you.”
“God, I love you, too, baby.” More than she could possibly imagine.
“IS Z INSISTING that we play holiday charades again?” Courtney whispered, exasperation ringing in her tone.
Then again, they had played it three times already.
Marissa grinned. “It looks like it.”
“That man never tires of that game.”
True. He didn’t. Marissa’s brother-in-law was the life of the party, no doubt about it. And he was always trying to make things livelier. Even if his team won every single time, no one seemed to tire of trying to guess the name of the holiday song that one person was acting out. They’d learned last year that if you wanted to win, having Z on your team was imperative.
“So … any news on the baby front?” Courtney asked, her voice so low Marissa hardly heard her.
But she had heard. And she shook her head. “Not yet,” she lied easily.
Right now, she and Trace agreed that they would keep this a secret for a little while. Considering she hadn’t been to the doctor to confirm that the pregnancy test was accurate, she didn’t want everyone getting too excited. Even if it meant lying to her best friend. For now.
Marissa glanced over at Courtney. “What about you? Are you and Max planning to have a baby anytime soon?”
Courtney’s cheeks reddened, making Marissa pause. Courtney never blushed. The girl was always so out and open about everything. At times, Marissa thought it was impossible for the woman to be embarrassed. Not that she was embarrassed, but she was certainly hiding something.
Then it dawned on her. “Oh, my God!”
“Shh!” Courtney slapped her hand over Marissa’s mouth. “Don’t tell anyone yet.”
“How far along are you?”
Courtney’s smile widened. “Almost three months.”
There was no way she could keep quiet with that. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“Didn’t tell her what?” Conner asked, peering over at them.
“Yeah, what are you talking about?” Z inquired. “Share with the rest of us. It’s Christmas.”
Marissa watched as Courtney peered over at her husband. Max smiled and gave a barely discernable nod.
“We’re pregnant,” Courtney announced, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
And just like that, the house erupted in laughter and cheers. Everyone was congratulating Courtney and Max. Marissa couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was so happy for her friend. And to think, they would be pregnant at the same time.
Trace squeezed Marissa’s shoulder gently, and she reached up to pat his hand. Yep, they had a little secret of their own, a Christmas gift shared between the two of them. In a couple of months, they would share the news, but tonight she would let Courtney have her time in the sun. She deserved it.
And by this time next year, there would be babies in the house during Christmas dinner. It had been so long since they’d had a baby around. With Conner’s daughter now fifteen, it had been far too long.
Yep, it was safe to say their families were growing.
They were blessed.
Truly blessed.
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I hope you enjoyed spending the holiday with Marissa & Trace. The Sniper 1 Security and Southern Boy Mafia series are two that I adore. I love the K
ogans and Trexlers, as well as the Adorites, and look forward to writing more in this series.
Read more about the characters you saw in this book:
Wait for Morning (Marissa & Trace)
Never Say Never (RT & Z)
Beautifully Brutal (Max & Courtney)
Coming Soon: Hunter, Dani, & Kye
You can find all of Nicole’s books at the back of this book or on her website: www.NicoleEdwardsAuthor.com.
♥▫▫▫▫♥▫▫▫▫♥
Hudson & Teague: To Give and to Receive
Chapter One
Monday, December 12th
“NO.” TEAGUE CARTER grinned, backing up. “No, no, no.” He turned to his dog, who was obediently sitting on the floor. “Sic him, Charger.”
Hudson grinned.
“How is it he’s my dog yet he listens more to you?”
Hudson was standing there, holding up one finger, signaling for Charger to sit, and the dog obeyed him. This was the dog Hudson had gotten for him as an emotional support dog. Charger should ignore Hudson, especially since Teague had been trying to teach him that trick for months now.
Right.
Like anyone could ignore Hudson. Hell, the man didn’t speak, yet he had a bigger presence than anyone Teague had ever known.
“Get away from me,” Teague grumbled on a laugh, skirting the couch and putting it between him and the big man stalking him. “I’m not going with you. No way.”
Teague’s gaze dropped to Hudson’s hands as the man began signing his response.
Sure you are. I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out if I have to.
Teague wouldn’t put it past him. In fact, Hudson had done it before. About a month ago. When Teague had refused to go over to Cam and Gannon’s for an impromptu dinner one night. It was no secret that Teague didn’t care to get close to a lot of people. This thing between him and Hudson was an exception to his rule.
Still, he laughed, keeping his eyes on the big guy. An idea came to him.
Hudson’s eyes widened and he held up his hands. No. Don’t you dare.
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