When Snowflakes Fall

by Tara Wyatt

  “Yes, Luke. God, yes.” She arched her back, and he stroked a finger along her lips, parting them slightly. He groaned when he discovered how wet she was. For him. From his mouth, from his hands. She was slick and hot and the fucking sexiest thing he’d ever seen in his life. His thumb circled her clit as he slowly eased a finger into her.

  Her head fell back against his shoulder and she rolled her hips against his hand. “More.”

  He gave her a second finger and worked them in and out in a sure, steady rhythm, his thumb still circling her swollen clit.

  “Tell me what you like. Tell me what turns you on.” His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke.

  “You.”

  Something swelled deep in his chest, filling him up with a possessive kind of pride. This beautiful, intelligent, funny, sweet woman wanted him. Was turned on by him.

  He removed his hand from between her thighs and spun her to face him, kissing her and walking her back toward her bed. When the mattress hit the back of her legs, he eased her down, marveling at the sight of Christie underneath him, her breathing ragged, her cheeks so flushed that he could tell even in the dim lighting. As he kissed her, she worked at the buttons of his shirt, popping them open one by one. He sat up and shrugged out of it, tossing it to the floor.

  “Oh, God, Luke. You’re so . . .” She ran her hands over his bare chest, rubbing her palms over his nipples. “Perfect.”

  It would be easy, to simply shuck his pants, roll on a condom, rip that thong off and sink his throbbing and eager cock into her, spread as she was before him, but that wasn’t what he wanted. No. He wanted to make her quiver and shake, to make her moan and sweat, to make her scream and beg. He was going to do this right, dammit. Based on the hot, pulsing pressure already building low in his abdomen, it was going to kill him, but he was going to do this right.

  He slipped a hand underneath her back and popped the clasp of her bra open, her full breasts spilling free. He bent his head and kissed the top of each mound and then kissed his way down to one hard pink nipple. Delicately at first, he swirled his tongue around it, relishing the feel of her skin against his tongue. She arched her back up into him and he sucked her nipple into his mouth, scraping gently at her with his teeth. She cried out, and her head fell to the side. He worked his way to her other breast and gave it the same treatment, kissing, licking and sucking until she was practically panting.

  “Now, Luke. I want you now.” Her hands searched for his belt buckle, but he held himself back, slightly out of her reach.

  “I’m not finished with you yet.” He lowered his mouth to her neck, kissing and nibbling. He teased his tongue along her earlobe. “I want to taste you first.” A shiver ran through her, and her hips twitched slightly at his words. He smiled as he kissed his way down over her breasts and stomach, taking his time. He slipped her thong off and settled himself between her legs. Kissing the inside of her thighs, he teased her, getting closer and closer only to pull away just when he was almost there. Already, she was wet and swollen, and he hadn’t even put his mouth on her yet.

  “Please, Luke,” she practically sobbed. “Please. Make me come. God, pl—”

  He cut her off with a long, slow lick over her wet folds, flicking his tongue over her clit. Moaning, she thrust her hands into his hair. He worked his lips and tongue over her delicious flesh, licking and sucking. With his hands, he spread her wider apart and explored her with his mouth, tasting her, savoring her. Her fingers dug into his skull as he circled his tongue around her, his lips sliding against her. She began to tremble, and he sucked her clit into his mouth, swirling his tongue over and around it. Her entire body went rigid, and she cried out, her hips bucking as she came against his mouth, hot and pulsing. Panting, she called out his name and pulled him back up to her. Surprising him for the second time that night, she brought his face down to hers for a deep, urgent kiss.

  * * *

  Her orgasm still shuddering through her, Christie kissed Luke, and when she tasted herself on him, she felt drugged with lust and desire. She traced her hands over his gorgeously hard, muscled chest, her fingers dipping into the ridges and valleys created by his mouthwatering physique. She’d already thought he was sexy as hell, but when he’d tossed his shirt to the floor, she’d felt as though she’d won the lottery: defined, cut pecs and Abercrombie-worthy abs, all covered with a dusting of short, crisp, dark blond hair. His arms were strong and thick, the muscles wonderfully hard under her fingertips. Gorgeous and perfect. And hers.

  She reached for his belt buckle, and this time he didn’t pull away, letting her pull the leather strap free. He stood from the bed to take his pants off and she reached into her bedside table for a condom, ripping the foil square open with shaking fingers. She rose to her knees, watching him slip free of his pants, and her breath caught in her chest.

  And she thought she’d won the lottery before.

  Completely naked, she was finally able to see him. All of him. And there was a lot of him to see. Long and beautifully thick, his cock was gorgeous and perfect. Just like the rest of him. He was six-foot-one of pure, male perfection. She crawled toward him and wrapped her fingers around his length, loving the hot weight of him in her hand. Stroking him, she licked her lips at the bead of moisture glistening at the head of his shaft.

  “Don’t even think about it. I couldn’t handle your mouth on me right now.” A crooked smile tilted his lips up and he took the condom from her fingers, rolling it on over his impressive length. She knew how he felt. When he’d put his mouth on her, she’d been so primed for him that she’d come faster and harder than she’d come in a long time, spasming like she’d been electrocuted.

  Ha. Death by oral sex. What a way to go.

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, and she drank him in—his taste, the feel of his arms around her, his hot, hard body pressed against her—until she couldn’t breathe. Careful to keep his weight on his forearms, he eased himself down on top of her, trailing kisses over her neck and collarbone, his hard cock pressing hotly against her stomach.

  She arched her hips up into him, and the low groan that rumbled from him sent a fresh wave of arousal crashing through her. “I want you inside me. Now. Please.” She should’ve been embarrassed at how needy she sounded, but she couldn’t help it. She was coming undone for him, unraveling and falling apart. Feeling empty, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  His forehead pressed to hers, he eased himself into her, slowly, giving her time to stretch around his thick length. She felt so full and tight, and he was only halfway in.

  “Okay?” His voice was low and rough, and when he pushed farther in, she moaned loudly, unable to form words. She was too busy trying not to die as he filled her. “I’ll take that as a yes.” His hands ran over her ribcage, her breasts, and he pushed her arms above her head, sliding his hands up to entwine her fingers with his. “God, Christie,” he breathed, his eyes holding hers as he withdrew and thrust back in. “You feel incredible.”

  She squeezed her fingers around his and hitched her legs higher around him, urging him deeper. Buried inside her, he kissed her, his chest heaving against hers, and as he made love to her, the sounds of their bodies coming together filled the room, an erotic symphony of the creaking of the mattress, panting breaths, kissing, moaning, flesh colliding with increasing speed and intensity. Sweat beaded on skin, and she was so hot, burning for him, that it felt like when he was through with her, she’d be nothing but ash. Hot, coiled pressure gathered between her legs as his pelvis ground into her, and she shuddered and thrust her body up toward his as a second orgasm rocked through her. Her release seemed to push him over the edge, and with a few final hard, deep thrusts, he came, his face buried in her neck.

  For several moments, neither of them moved, simply breathing and luxuriating in the connection of their bodies.

  “Wow.” He whispered the word against her neck, chasing the sound with a kiss, his lips trailing over her skin.

&nbs
p; “Mmmhmm,” she murmured, unable to form anything more coherent than that. After another moment, he pushed up off of her, disposed of the condom, and slipped back into bed.

  Luke pulled her into his arms, and with his heart beating against her cheek, she watched the snowflakes fall. For the first time since she’d arrived in Cheyenne, she felt like she was home.

  Chapter 6

  December 8

  Christie pulled the sash tighter on her bathrobe as she watched Luke button up his now slightly wrinkled shirt. She stretched and smiled to herself as she felt a soreness in her thigh muscles, a stiffness around her hips. Between her legs, she tingled and throbbed exquisitely, her delicate flesh tender. Luke had spent the night, and after that first explosive encounter, they’d made love twice more, and then once again this morning. She’d fallen asleep in his arms, tucked into him, and as she’d watched the snow fall in the pale light of the street lamp outside her bedroom window, she’d known that just like the snowflakes falling outside, she was drifting down, hoping that Luke would catch her.

  “You’ll call me?” she asked, raking a hand through her hair.

  His head swiveled up from his buttons, a crooked smile emphasizing his right dimple. “Of course.”

  “Good.” She pressed her fingertips to her lips, preventing herself from saying anything else. The last thing she needed was to send him running by acting clingier than Saran Wrap.

  He sat down on the bed beside her, now fully dressed, and pressed one large, warm palm to her cheek. “Christie, last night was . . . it was incredible. Things happened fast, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt about anyone the way I feel about you.”

  Her heart thumped in her chest at the happiness she saw shining in his eyes. She didn’t doubt for a second that he meant what he said. “I really like you, Luke.” She rubbed her face into his palm, and despite her soreness, a throb pulsed between her legs.

  “And I really like you, Christie.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers, a soft, gentle kiss. “Are you busy tonight?”

  She shot him a rueful smile. “I have an afternoon shift at the hospital. One of the other pediatricians is away, so things will be a little hectic for the next couple of days. But I’ll text you as soon as I know when I’ll be free.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You better.”

  “Are you sure you have to go?” Oh, yeah. She was doing just great at not clinging.

  He pressed his forehead against hers, weaving his hands into her hair. “You have no idea how badly I want to stay and lose myself in you again. But I have a job booked for this morning and I need to run home and change.”

  She nodded and followed him to the front door, watching him slip into his coat, his keys jingling in his hand. He sent her a knee-weakening smile, and then stepped through the door, striding toward his snow-dusted truck in the driveway.

  She turned back to the kitchen, not quite knowing what to do with herself. Not quite knowing what to do with the jumble of emotions spilling through her, churning her stomach. She turned on the coffee maker, and then sat down at the kitchen table, watching the morning sunshine glint against the new-fallen snow, winking like diamonds in the bright light. She shook her head, and a long, smoky tendril of fear and disappointment wound its way around her heart. Of course, she knew she needed to tell him about the pictures, about Brian, everything. It was just a matter of finding the right time, the right way. The way that wouldn’t make him look at her like she was some kind of shameful liar. The way that would somehow convince him she was good enough for him. For Ethan. Because, God, she wanted them both.

  A sharp rap on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Clutching her robe around her, she opened it to find Luke standing on her porch, his truck cleared of snow, but still sitting in her driveway.

  “I forgot something.”

  She frowned, looking around. “You did?”

  His large hands cupped her face and he kissed her, his mouth hot and tender on hers. Immediately, her arms circled him, pulling him close. Despite the ache between her legs, she wanted him again. Needed him again. Right now. It was as though she was completely addicted to him. His touch, his mouth, his gorgeous body. His laugh. His smile. Every part of him. Luke.

  He broke the kiss, but kept his mouth in contact with hers as he kicked the door closed behind him. His hands moved to the sash of her robe, and he tugged it open. The cold air that had followed him in caressed her bare skin, goose bumps erupting where it touched her.

  “I’m going to saw my hand off if I go to work like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like this.” He took one of her hands and guided it to the front of his pants. Oh, God. He was so mouthwateringly hard that she might’ve actually drooled a little. Her hands already moving to his belt buckle, he backed her against the wall.

  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” She tugged his pants down and his cock sprang free. Luke cupped her ass and lifted her, pinning her between his hard body and the wall, his face already buried in her neck. She fumbled for the condom in the pocket of her robe, and he slid against her, his breathing already rough. Or maybe that was her. She couldn’t tell, didn’t care. She managed to roll the condom down his length and gasped as he thrust into her, his mouth crashing into hers. She’d never been taken against a wall like this, and damn if it wasn’t the hottest sex she’d ever had.

  She could’ve sworn the air shimmered around her as Luke moved inside her, hitting the perfect angle and sending tingling sparks dancing over her skin. She gripped his waist with her legs, dissolving into him. He kissed her as though he were a starving man and she was the first sustenance he’d had in days. He stroked in and out in a sure rhythm, his tongue mirroring the thrust of his hips.

  “Jesus, Christie. How is it that I’m inside you and it’s still not enough?”

  She moaned as he adjusted his grip on her, deepening the angle. “I know,” she managed to gasp out, not able to find the words she needed to tell him that she wanted to crawl into him, to meld with him to make something shiny and new and beautiful. He stilled and kissed her again, his mouth lingering on hers.

  “I don’t want it to end,” he whispered, and buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping along her heated skin. She threaded her fingers through his hair as the moment expanded around them, time slowing and wrapping them in a cocoon, soft and warm. Her heart felt as though someone had poured honey all over it, all sticky and sweet.

  “Me neither.” The last syllable came out on a shaky moan as he thrust again and then rearranged his grip so that she was propped up with one impressive forearm. His other hand dropped down to where they were joined, and he slicked a thumb over her swollen clit. Her back arched off the wall as Luke coaxed pleasure from her with his body.

  She fell apart in his arms, trusting him to hold her up until she came back together, and he followed her over the edge, moaning her name as he came.

  * * *

  Once, Ethan had asked if his mother was dead, if that was the reason she never contacted him. Luke’s heart had ached for his little man, for the rejection he still struggled to understand. Even worse, a tiny part of him wished it were true. He knew it made him a terrible person for even thinking it, but if she had died, it would almost be easier.

  Truth be told, Luke had been more excited about Angela’s surprise pregnancy than she’d been. He refused to think of it as an accident, even though that’s pretty much what it was. She’d forgotten a pill or two and had found herself peeing on a stick a few weeks later. They’d been dating for almost a year, and even though things were serious enough between them, they hadn’t really had the kids talk. Christ, they’d barely talked about getting married, and then boom. She was pregnant. Not keeping the baby hadn’t even crossed Luke’s mind, but he’d found out years later that it had crossed Angela’s. He’d been too busy buying a diamond ring to think about what Angela might really be feeling and thinking about having an unexpected baby at t
wenty-two. Hell, he’d barely been twenty-five himself. Not too young, but not exactly ready, either. They’d had a small, quiet wedding, and six months later, Ethan had come screaming into the world. Looking back on it all now, Luke could see how scared and unhappy Angela had been, even on their wedding day, but he’d been too caught up in everything happening in their lives to slow down and look at a truth he didn’t want to see.

  She’d left not long after Ethan’s third birthday. She’d been increasingly distant and disconnected from both Luke and Ethan. He’d known things weren’t good, but he hadn’t really known what to do about it. He loved Ethan more than life itself, but by then, he’d realized that he wasn’t in love with Angela. One snowy afternoon, Ethan’s preschool had called Luke, saying that Angela hadn’t come to pick up Ethan. Luke had gone to get him, and when they got home, she was gone. She’d left a note taped to the fridge, four words that had sent everything into a tailspin.

  I’m sorry. I can’t.

  She’d taken all of her stuff, her car, and most of their savings, only emailing weeks later from California. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, the simple truth was that Angela was a deeply selfish woman who had no interest in being a mother.

  Once, there’d been bitterness and anger and resentment when he thought about Angela, but all of that had burned itself out long ago. Nowadays, he only heard from her sporadically, the occasional email here and there. She never asked about Ethan, and Luke didn’t tell him about the emails. He didn’t need to know that she never asked about him, despite the photos and updates he sent her on a semi-annual basis.