The Christmas Tree Guy

by Railyn Stone

  “I’m glad to hear that.” She whispered softly and moved closer to kiss him full on the lips. She pulled back briefly to look into his eyes before she kissed him again. As their kiss deepened, Sydnee turned slightly to run her hands through his hair and pull him even closer as she lay back on the sofa. He stretched his body flush against hers as she pulled him down over her. His hands roamed down her body to the hem of her short dress that was slowly inching its way up her beautifully toned thighs. She could feel his heart beating against her own and every touch of his hands sent erotic sensations through her body.

  “Wait, Syd,” Quinn pushed himself up, trying to catch his breath, his voice hoarse and thick with passion, looking in her eyes.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Her own chest heaved as she struggled to draw in a breath. She had gotten lost in how good it felt to be kissed and held by a man again, and she wasn’t ready for the feeling to end.

  “Are you sure about this?” His eyes searched hers for some reassuring answer that this was truly what she wanted and a slow impish grin crossed her face.

  Placing her hand on the back of his neck, she pulled him closer. “Kiss me,” she growled deviously, and their lips met again. Quinn acquiesced to her demands, letting his hands continue their quest to find the hem of her dress, helping it finish its ascension of Sydnee’s thighs.

  “You’re beautiful.” Quinn whispered, trailing kisses from Sydnee’s ear to her neck. He continued exploring her body with his hands and she reveled in the beautiful contrast of his skin against hers. Sydnee thought she would go crazy from the feeling of his hands on her. He moved methodically as he pushed her dress up slowly and smoothed his hand across her stomach. She could feel the warmth from his hand on her abdomen as his lithe fingers stretched across her skin. She sucked in a sharp breath when his fingertips grazed the bottom of her breasts and she nearly fainted when he ducked his head to kiss the center of her flat stomach.

  She moaned softly, feeling her body reacting to every touch of his hands. Moving quickly, she pushed herself up and straddled his hips, facing him, she could feel his growing erection pulsing against her. His lips never left her neck as her nimble fingers unhooked the buttons of his shirt and pushed it over the wide expanse of his shoulders. He quickly finished sliding the material off of his arms and dropped it to the floor, before placing his hands on her waist. She leaned back to look into his eyes and ran her fingers over the ridges in his muscular shoulders. “Lifting Christmas trees really agrees with you.” She slowly traced her fingertips over the dark ink of a tattoo spreading across his olive skin.

  “I think we need to get this dress off.” He whispered against the side of her face and she shuddered, feeling his warm breath travel across her earlobe. He pulled the dress up and over her head to reveal her slinky black and pink bra and panties. He gently resettled his hands on her bare lower back, as her hair swung forward and her dress found a new home, discarded on the living room floor along with his shirt. “Damn, Syd, you are gorgeous,” he breathed, drinking in the sight of her satiny skin before capturing her lips with his again. Her lips parted, welcoming his searching tongue into her mouth, and she could feel his hands firmly cupping her behind.

  “Mmmm, you’re too kind,” she murmured against his wanton mouth. She felt a little self-conscious about her appearance since she was a mother of two and didn’t have the body of a twenty-year old anymore. But when Quinn looked at her, all of her insecurities seemed to dissolve into thin air. “I think we need to go somewhere a little more comfortable and with a little more room than this sofa.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.” He stood, pulling her to her feet before placing his hands on the back of her thighs and picking her up as she wrapped her legs around his bare waist. She directed him down the hallway to her bedroom, while he continued to kiss her, carrying her in his arms. Entering the bedroom, Quinn pushed her against the door and continued his assault on her neck. The sweet sensation of the cool wood door on her back and the heat searing through her chest where their nearly bare bodies touched was incredible and she wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck.

  “Quinn.” She could barely breathe and her mind raced with thoughts of what he would do next. He held her up effortlessly and his lips continued to burn a trail over her overexposed skin, driving her insane. “What are you trying to do to-” His mouth covered hers, inhaling her question mid-sentence.

  His tongue continued to swirl and dance with hers as he moved them from the door to the bed. Laying her down gently on the king sized bed; Quinn slowly moved to lie beside her. Seizing her opportunity, Sydnee shifted to straddle him again, pushing him flat on his back. She didn’t know if it was the fact she hadn’t been with a man since Matt left or if it was just how sexy Quinn really was, but she felt alive with every touch. She stroked her hands down the ripples of muscles lying beneath his smooth skin and unbuckled his belt, helping him out of the rest of his clothes.

  He moaned and licked his delectable lips at the vision of her nearly naked body hovering above him. “You are incredibly sexy.” She could feel his body reacting to her ministrations and her eyes widened at the sight of his naked body beneath hers. She’d never seen a man look as perfect as he did. Just gazing at him was an erotic experience in itself and she could feel her body responding to it. “Absolutely beautiful.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she purred, inching her way back up to look at him. He ran his hands up her arms to her back to undo the clasp on her bra. As the material came unhooked, he moved his hands up to her shoulders to pull the straps down and pull the bra off of her. She felt the cool air against her perky breasts and she sucked in a breath, anticipating his next move. The intensity in his unwavering gaze made her shiver. He had every opportunity to look at her body, but his eyes stayed trained on her own and it was the most sensual thing she had ever experienced.

  He traced sweet titillating trails up her sides to cup each one of her breasts and she threw her head back in ecstasy, curls flying, then he sat up to catch one of her butterscotch-kissed nipples in his mouth. His hot tongue flicked back and forth against the bud and she moaned as he alternated between each nipple, teasing them both into hardened pebbles until she felt she would explode. Encouraging her to lie on her back, Quinn kissed a slow torturous trail from her breasts to her stomach, lingering near her navel and igniting an outbreak of goose pimples across every exposed inch of her skin. He grinned before ducking his head and taking the string of her bikini underwear in his teeth, pulling them down her legs and discarding them on the floor.

  She moaned his name along with a few other choice expletives, as he slowly sucked a trail of kisses up her legs. Her mind raced while he gave every inch of her body the much-needed attention it had sorely been missing. Suddenly, he parted her legs and caressed each of her thighs with his powerful hands and she nearly jumped off the bed when his hot mouth found her even hotter center. “Quinn!”

  He teased and kissed her gently as she writhed under his touch and fisted handfuls of the sheets in her hands. His talented tongue was driving her to the brink of insanity. Her body continued to be his playground as she felt the intensity mount and before she knew it, he had brought her to climax and she convulsed hard as he pushed his way up to kiss her. Quinn smiled at her before reaching down beside the bed to retrieve a condom from his wallet. He moved quickly to put it on and then gently slid into her, watching her intently. She could barely contain herself as their bodies melded in rhythmic motion and she felt tingles everywhere he touched or kissed her.

  She moaned, wrapping her arms around him as she nuzzled his neck, inhaling the distinct maleness of him. “Please.”

  “What do you want? Tell me, Syd,” Quinn breathed, millimeters from her ear, his deep voice dripped with passion and her body trembled when his soft, yet firm lips captured her earlobe. He removed her hands she had sunk into his hair from their position and intertwined his fingers with hers above her head as they continued to move
together.

  “Don’t…stop.” She exuded a low guttural moan, feeling her body spasm as she climaxed again. He soon followed with one final thrust before collapsing to lie beside her, pulling her naked body into his and kissing the top of her head. Sydnee pulled the covers over her, growing immensely quiet as she watched the neon numbers on her bedside clock. She felt him shift closer and when he wrapped his arms around her, she immediately tensed in his embrace.

  “What’s wrong?” She turned to look in his soulful eyes before diverting her eyes to her fidgeting hands clasping the down comforter.

  “Uh, nothing.”

  “Syd, c’mon. You can’t fool me. What’s wrong?” He propped himself up on one arm to look at her. Glancing at him before looking away again, Sydnee could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. “Syd, what’s going on? Did I-”

  “No, it’s not…anything. I’m sorry. I just…I just can’t believe I did this.” She pulled the comforter tighter and closed her eyes. What the hell have I done?

  “Sydnee, please talk to me. Is it the age thing again?”

  Her eyes popped open and she looked up to see him staring at her. His eyes were filled with apprehension and she instantly felt bad for making him worry. “No, Quinn, it’s me. I got so caught up in the moment I didn’t stop to think about all of the things I should have asked before we did this. This was so irresponsible.”

  “What are you talking about? We used protection.”

  “I know, but that’s just it. I’m a mother. I should be more careful. I didn’t even make sure you had a condom before we started. I’m not saying you’re promiscuous or anything like that, but I didn’t stop to ask you any of the things we probably should have talked about before we slept together.” She couldn’t believe how out of control she felt and the tears began to roll out of the corners of her eyes. How could she have been so reckless? What if he hadn’t had a condom? She didn’t have any. This wasn’t something she had planned for and it was unlike her to do anything she didn’t plan out ahead of time.

  “Hey, look at me. Sydnee, I promise you, I don’t sleep around with a lot of women if that’s what you’re worried about.” She sighed at the sincerity in his eyes and she could still see nothing but unease plastered on his face. Feeling his capable fingers graze her face to wipe away her tears, she nodded.

  “Quinn. I’m supposed to be careful and responsible, but when I’m with you that all flies right out of the window.” She exhaled, thinking how bad all of this was and now she was rambling. “None of this is coming out right.”

  “No. I think I understand. You let your guard down. But, I promise you, it’s not something you’ll regret.” He leaned in, placing his lips against her bare shoulder.

  “I don’t regret sleeping with you. Honestly, I haven’t felt that alive in a long time.” She placed her hand on his cheek in an attempt to reassure him.

  “I’m glad. Look, we’ll slow it down from here on, if that’s what you need.”

  “Take it slow? Quinn, we just had mind-numbing sex after knowing one another for a few weeks. I believe the train is at full steam by now.” She blushed at her own admittance of how wonderful the experience was and she could see a mischievous grin form on his perfect face.

  “Then we’ll cut back on the coal and we will slow it down, just promise me you won’t pull the brake.” Laughing at him and his cheesy referral to her train analogy, she lifted her eyes slowly to his. Kissing him softly, she lay back on the pillow.

  “I promise you, no brakes, smart aleck.”

  Quinn urged her to ask him anything, and she asked the questions she felt she probably should have before they ended up naked in bed. He answered each of her questions and even asked a few of his own. Before long, they were back to making out and rolling around in the sheets. Finally exhausted from their romp in the sack, they talked and laughed for another hour before Quinn made a move to get up. She still had her reservations, but they were no match for Quinn’s enthusiasm and the spark of excitement he’d injected into her veins.

  “Hey, where are you going?” She rolled over and admired him as he got dressed. Sydnee had never felt so satisfied in her life. Quinn had done things to her no man had ever done. He had satisfied her a number of times and she still wanted more. She continued to gaze at his perfect body standing in the middle of her bedroom, realizing Sara was right about tattoos. The intricate tattoo traveling the expanse of Quinn’s shoulder blades was alarmingly hot and sexy. She never knew a guy could have that much definition in his back, much less his entire body. He was muscular, but it wasn’t bulky. It was as if a sculptor had taken the time to etch each muscle in his body with precision.

  “Well, I figure it’s pretty late, or early, however you want to look at it, and I’m sure your boys will be coming home in a few hours. I could be wrong, but I don’t think you really want to explain why the ‘Christmas tree guy’ is in your bed, so…” he paused, and with a wicked grin finished buckling his belt.

  “Oh, yeah, I guess you have a point.” She giggled at the fact he’d used the same nickname she and Sara had dubbed him with as she rolled over on her back to look at the ceiling and then back at him. “That would be pretty hard to explain.”

  “Believe me, I don’t want to go.” He sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. Once he was done, he leaned over, his lips hovering inches from hers. “Call you later?”

  “Yes.” He carefully lifted her chin, stared deep into her eyes and leaned in to kiss her before walking to the living room to retrieve his shirt and coat and walk out the door.

  Looking back at the ceiling, Sydnee pulled her lip between her teeth, thinking about what just happened between them, before snuggling deeper under the comforter. She hadn’t felt so much excitement and passion in such a long time. But how could she ignore the fact this man was so much younger than her? What was she thinking? She had children to take care of. Her mind was a jumbled mass of confusion. She thought about her growing attraction for Quinn and wondered what she was going to do. It was pretty obvious he was going to be a lot more than she bargained for.

  CHAPTER 7

  “Mommy, guess what?” Travis barreled in the house with Charlie hot on his heels. “We saw a bunch of lights. And a snow princess. We had cookies and we got to ride a train.” She laughed at the excitement erupting from their cherubic faces, as they took turns filling her in on all of the things they saw and did.

  “Sounds like you guys had an awesome time with Grammie and Grandpa.” She hugged both of them and smiled at Charles closing the door. It was a welcome diversion from the things she’d been thinking about. She had done nothing but relive the previous night’s events over and over in her head. What if Mina was right? What did Quinn know about her, and more importantly, what did she really know about him? Standing in the living room, Sydnee tried to focus as she listened to the boys go on and on about making snowmen and a tree that talked.

  “It was so much fun. Look, Mommy, we got you something,” Charlie dug in his bag and pulled out an ornament. It was a picture of him and Travis with Santa Claus and she laughed at their adorable toothy grins.

  “Oh, guys, this is great. Thank you so much.”

  “Grandpa said you could hang it on the tree before Christmas.”

  “And Grandpa was right, thank you. You and Leanne are going to go broke with these two in tow.” She and Charles watched as the boys ran to the tree to discuss where she should hang the ornament before taking off to their room.

  “You know us, we can’t seem to say no to them.”

  “I know. Were they good, at least?”

  “Of course. They had fun, but I think Leanne and I had more fun than they did. Just watching their eyes light up looking at the houses and decorations was wonderful. I’ll make sure Leanne sends you the pictures she took.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Obviously her aloof and distracted demeanor was a little more apparent than she thought and Charles
tilted his head.

  “Sydnee, you okay?”

  “Oh, uh, yeah.” Sydnee looked up at her father-in-law with wide eyes. Am I that transparent? Get it together, Syd.

  “Well, you just seem a little distracted.”

  “I just have some things on my mind. Nothing to worry about,” she shook her head and offered up a smile. She couldn’t have told a much bigger lie than the one spilling out of her mouth.

  “I hope you know Leanne and I are very proud of you and how you’ve been able to keep everything together under the circumstances.”

  “Really?” If only he knew the myriad of feelings waging war on her insides, he may retract his last statement.

  “Well, it can’t be easy on you and I think you’ve done an excellent job keeping things together. We know you loved Matt and you were always a good wife and mother. What he did, I don’t agree with or begin to understand, but, well, that shouldn’t prevent you from moving on and having a happy life.”

  “Thank you.” She looked at the ornament in her hands with Travis and Charlie’s picture, gazing at their beautiful brown eyes and their animated expressions. “You know, Matt did give me two great gifts. I love Travis and Charlie with all my heart and they are the best things that have ever happened to me.” She looked up to see Charles watching her. He was such a good man and she was so thankful for her father-in-law. The love and care he gave her and the twins was immeasurable. “I’ve been relying on you a lot since he left. I guess for a while I just never knew how to move on. How do you just put a part of your life, such a huge part of your life, away and start over? I’ve been so focused on the boys and trying to make sure they have a somewhat normal life, I tend to put myself on the back-burner.”

  “I know. They are blessed little boys to have you. But you deserve to have a normal life. Unfortunately, that knucklehead son of mine doesn’t know what he had. And I’m sorry he wrecked your trust in people. Now, I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, and I’m not saying go out and get married right away.”