She looked pissed off and irritated. Not a good look for the embodiment of Christmas Spirit.
"I hate to burst your bubble, Ebenezer idiot, but you've been touching me since you started this lame excuse and I'm not dead yet."
There were only so many insults an elf could take and Krista had pushed him way over his limit.
"I can't just get over it.” He told her hotly, going to stand toe to toe with her. “I've had to live with this blizzard of a curse for my entire existence. I'm an elf not a eunuch, woman. You think I haven't tried to bed a woman before? No go.” Part of his brain was telling him to shut the Blitzen up. The other half was rejoicing at finally being able to spew the venom from his soul to another living being.
"I touch a woman and her body instantly freezes. Doesn't do much for foreplay let me tell you. I sure as hell don't get second invites."
He'd finally gotten through to her. Jack could tell by the stunned expression on her face. Horror widened her holly green eyes and red blazed across her cheeks.
Once again he misjudged everything about Krista. Instead of the sympathy and understanding, the elf responsible for ensuring good will to men and spreading the holiday spirit hauled back and punched him in the face.
Jack heard his nose crack from the force of her fist and felt the warm dribble of blood coat his mouth and chin. The pain he easily dismissed but the shock of seeing the Spirit of Christmas swearing and shaking her hand left him speechless.
Unfortunately that gave Krista the opening to vent.
"You inconsiderate, egotistical, snow for brains male.” She paced away from him only to whirl back with one finger pointing in his chest.
He winced not from pain but from the selfish pleasure he took in Krista's every touch, regardless if the touch was given in anger.
"How dare you pop out with ‘I've tried to bed other women,’ especially after I just got through telling you I,” poke “wanted,” poke “you,” poke. “In,” poke “my bed."
Her words stopped the mindless pleasure drowning him with her touch. “What have other women got to do with you? I never did anything with them. One thing has nothing to do with the other."
Krista's cheeks went from cherry red to scarlet flame. Jack stepped back. He may not have spent much time with women but his instinct told him to abandon sleigh.
"You don't want me. You won't touch me because of some stupid issues you have with your mother or your uncle being your aunt. Frankly, I don't give a candy cane's stripe what your ‘issues’ are.” He watched in fascination as Krista tried to pull herself back but she was too close to the edge to back away.
Jack's stomach lurched as tears swam into her evergreen eyes.
"Do me a favor and call Papa for me. I don't want him to know I'm upset or why.” She took a deep calming breath and backed another few steps away from him. “As far as I'm concerned this night and conversation never happened. We never touched and I never spilled my guts to you."
With a twist of her foot, Krista turned and walked to the stairs.
That was it. She was leaving. This torment and torture of desire, longing and love would end when Nick came to fetch his daughter.
Good, he thought, waiting for the relief to lighten the tension in his shoulders.
She stopped at the base of the stairs and he would have made it, Jack was certain he would have called Nick. The old man would have flown down here, and picked his wayward daughter up. Then Jack could get on with the rest of his long, cold and lonely life. He would have done exactly as she asked if Krista hadn't spoken the words that tore his heart out.
Instead, she muttered under her breath. “I'm jumping the first man I see in LA. I'll have a week long marathon of hot monkey sex with a different man each night."
She made it to the first step before Jack caught her arm and spun her around. “I will permanently freeze off any man's cock if he tries to touch you."
"You have no right to dictate what I do much less who.” She was glorious in temper, eyes flashing hot. Desire burned him with ice-cold intensity.
"I don't need the right when I have this."
There was no chance given to prepare. Jack's mouth swooped down and took Krista's lips in a kiss that stole his breath, mind and fear.
Damn his curse. Damn her for pushing his restraint. She was his now.
* * * *
Thought and reason flew out of Krista's head at the first touch of Jack's mouth. Anger melted away in the first thrust of his tongue. This is what she wanted, had always wanted. Jack unleashed and making love to her was better than any late night fantasy.
With a moan of acceptance, Krista threw her arms around his neck and dug her hands into his silky black strands. She couldn't get enough of touching him, tasting him.
While his mouth devoured her in a taste of mint and male, Jack's hands were busy running the length of her back down to her ass.
Krista had a moment to wonder if Jack's curse was true because her body was burning with a freezing fire. Then he deepened the kiss, feasting on her mouth like a man starved. And she forgot everything but Jack's mouth, hands and body.
She wanted that glorious hard body on top of hers, thrusting into her with all the ice and fire that came with it. Krista wanted her hands on his bare flesh. She needed to feel the flex and play of his muscles as he touched her. She wanted to take everything he was and give him back the same.
When Jack's hand moved under the bulky sweatshirt and found nothing but skin, he raised his head and cursed. “Are you trying to kill me, female?"
She shook her head no, and eagerly went back for his mouth. His kisses were addicting and she needed another fix of his taste.
When he moved out of reach of her lips, Krista pressed her hips against his. She thrilled to find the hard proof of his desire burning against her hip, and reached one hand down to caress the steely length of him.
A muttered oath escaped his lips. “Not here. I'll not take you against the wall like some untrained human."
Vaguely aware of his words, Krista used her other hand to slide under the silky cotton of his shirt and rake her nails through his chest hair.
"Take me to bed, Jackson.” She whispered against his neck before nipping his ear lobe.
"Damn me for a fool, Krista, because I can't tell you no."
In a flash of elfin speed, Jack had her in his arms and up the stairs in a matter of seconds.
The look of heat, wariness and desire in his eyes caused Krista's heart to catch. Please don't let him stop now, she pleaded silently.
Instead of walking away as she half expected him to do, Jack sat next to her on the bed. “Are you sure of this, Krista? Once done we can never undo the act,” he warned in a gruff tone.
Since her throat was clogged with desire, Krista could only nod her acceptance.
"You're not having any ill effects from my touch?” he persisted. “No numbness or cold spots?"
Finally able to swallow past the lump in her throat, Krista spoke. “The only coldness I feel is from missing the heat of your body."
A confused look came and went across his face, replaced with an all male knowing grin. “I can't allow that, now can I?” He said shifting so that he was lying next to her on the soft bed, one arm around her, one leg pressed between hers.
He kissed her again, his tongue taking slow possession of her mouth, as his free hand gently tugged her sweatshirt from her body. When the garment cleared her head, he tossed it over his shoulder and stared at the skin he'd uncovered.
Shyness nearly over took her until she heard Jack's quick intake of breath. “Perfect,” he said softly, bending down to take a hard nipple in his mouth.
She reached between them to yank at his sweater, needing to feel his skin against her own.
Jack moved back enough to let her tug the sweater from his broad shoulders. It sailed across the room to join hers. Then he was back. His mouth moved hotly across her skin as he licked and nibbled his way across her body.
&nb
sp; Krista had a small glimpse of his bare chest before he pressed their bodies tightly together. He had smoky black hair on his chest and more muscles than she'd ever seen.
With sheer force of will, Krista untangled one hand from his head. She used that hand to touch him lightly at first, then harder. His back was so smooth, the hair on his chest soft. She could feel his hand sliding down her stomach, past the barrier of her loose pants. The sensation was incredible. She moaned out loud.
Like a switch had been flicked, Jack pulled out of her arms and off the bed.
"Are you hurt? What happened?” He didn't give her a chance to answer before he was rambling on. Jack's hands impatiently tugged on his black hair as he paced the foot of the bed. “I knew I shouldn't have given in to this madness. No matter how badly I want you, it was selfish to give into you."
When the urge came over her, Krista gave into it and screamed. Instantly Jack was at her side.
"Where does it hurt?” His hands moved quickly over her limbs. He checked for blood or ice spots, she guessed.
Krista didn't have the patience to correct him gently. Her body was wet and ready, yet Jack acted like they had been doing nothing but sipping eggnog.
For the second time that night, Krista resorted to violence and smacked Jack upside his head.
He looked up from his examination of her right arm and frowned. “What the name of the Rudolph's red nose did you do that for?” He asked as he dropped her arm and rubbed the side of his head. He sent her a cold glare. “You need to tell me where the pain is."
"The pain is in my head,” she replied, and wanted to hit him again. She, who had never resorted to violence in her life, wanted to beat this man to ground up ginger.
At her answer, Jack looked confused. The line between his eyes grew more pronounced and his lips flattened. “Why is there pain in your head? I did not touch you there."
Just like that heat flared back into his eyes. She knew he was remembering just where he had touched.
She fought off the sugary warmth the heated looked caused. “The pain is in my head because you are one brick short of a chimney."
Jack shook his head, the baffled look still on his handsome face. “But you cried out,” he defended himself.
"Yeah,” she answered in a huff, and pulled the comforter around her semi-naked body. “I moaned."
"Exactly, you moaned.” He stopped as the words sank in. “You moaned?” This time he made it a question.
Krista moaned again but this time in exasperation. This was never going to work. Jack was too worried about some weird curse. She was the worst kind of fool for even trying.
"Never mind, Jack, you were right. We should never have tried this. Please make the call to Papa.” She wondered if she could stay wrapped in the safety of the bedspread until her father arrived. Then again she really didn't want her father to know about what almost happened between her and Jack. It was humiliating enough that she knew.
Jack caught the edge of the spread with one hand and pushed her to lie down on the bed with his other. Quickly he followed her down and pressed his hard body against her own.
"You moaned because I gave you pleasure?” It was more of a statement than a question but Krista sensed he needed to hear the answer.
"Yes.” She wished she could hide under the covers instead of on top. How did she talk herself into doing something so embarrassing?
Jack still didn't look like he believed her. “My touch caused you to writhe on the bed and cry out in enjoyment?"
"Are you hard of hearing all of a sudden or do you enjoy watching me turn the six shades of mistletoe?"
His face showed surprise at her response. Clearly he expected her to lie underneath his half naked body and discuss what turned her on.
Men, no matter the species, were idiots. She turned her face away from his, not wanting to see the smug satisfaction spread across his face.
Jack refused to allow her even that privacy. He cupped her cheek in one warm, solid hand and turned her back to face him.
"I don't ask to feed my pride or ego, Krista. I ask because my first thought at the sound of your cries, was that I had caused you pain. To cause you pain would be beyond the worst injury to myself."
His husky voice sounded so sincere and Krista wanted desperately to believe him, but fear kept her mouth shut.
"My little blizzard,” he murmured and kissed her cheeks softly. “You must remember I haven't had the best of luck in the area of oth—"
He stopped himself in time. Krista knew what the next words out of his mouth would have been and she appreciated that he caught himself so quickly.
"Why did you call me that?” The term was familiar to her but not the context in which he used it.
Jack raised his head from where his lips had been trailing a heated path from her neck to her chest. “Call you what? My little blizzard?” He questioned and returned his mouth to the slope of her breast.
"Yes.” She cut off the moan that was desperate to escape her lips but Krista would rather ride in her father's sleigh naked than go through another misunderstanding with Jack.
With his mouth full of her nipple and his hand wandering past her waist, she didn't think he heard her question.
But the talented male raised his head long enough to send her a heat filled look with blazing hot blue eyes.
"A blizzard is deceptive at first, coming in as nothing more than a few beautiful flakes. If you don't pay attention you are caught up in its beauty and it can swallow you whole. You are like that beautiful storm, my Krista. The calmness you project deceives many into believing there is nothing of importance beneath your surface. Then when it is too late, you've stormed past their defensives and swirled them in your wake."
The words he used were flattering but she wasn't sure he intended them as a compliment.
When his finger dipped in the wetness between her legs, Krista found she didn't care.
Jack matched the thrusting of his fingers with his tongue dancing in her mouth.
Moans and whimpers of pleasure tried to rise, but Krista refused to allow them release. The plunge of his fingers inside her body sent exquisite shafts of pleasure shooting through her. She felt her body climb to a release that would surely kill her. No one, not even an elf, could survive this much pleasure.
Jack's touch set her on fire. The way his talented lips and tongue flicked and sucked her breasts made her movements jerky and frantic. She turned her face into the pillow to muffle her screams as the pleasure over took her.
Before the last scream of pleasure died from her lips, Jack yanked her face out of the pillow.
Still riding the high of her orgasm, Krista watched with drowsy eyes as Jack's face came into focus.
"Don't,” he whispered against her lips, softy tracing their outline with his tongue. “I may have been a fool once, but not again. The only way you will get me to stop our pleasure is to come out and say it."
A feeling of emptiness filled her when his fingers left her body. She watched in stunned fascination as Jack used one hand to paint her nipple with the juices of her body. Then he brought it to his nose and inhaled.
"You smell sweeter than any berry wine.” To Krista's complete shock, Jack moved the hand from his nose to his mouth. He licked and sucked the wetness from his skin. “You taste creamier than any eggnog. I could get drunk on the taste of you alone."
The change in Jack stunned her. She had always dreamed of hearing passionate words tumble from his lips. She never dared to dream he would be this sensual.
"Then taste me and take me, Jack. I want to feel you inside my body.” She opened her legs to cradle his cock where she needed it the most.
Krista maneuvered her hand between their bodies. She worked his zipper down, and then touched him, covering him with her hand.
Jack went supernova. His body jerked, breath hissed out of his lungs in a quick rush and his mouth devoured hers.
Before she knew what was happening, Jack was gone. In
a brief flash he was back, naked. Krista tried to look over his body but he was back on top of her before she could blink.
He seemed to understand her disappointment. “Later,” he whispered in her ear while placing love bites along the outer rim. “When the madness has left us both, I'll give you free reign of my body. For now,” he spread her legs wider with his knees. “I need to be inside you more than I need my next breath."
Instead of responding with words, Krista lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips.
He took himself in hand and pushed the first few inches into the wetness he'd created. This time it was Jack that moaned. “Krista ... sweet ... so sweet."
"Yes, Jack.” She freely moaned right back. Oh how she wanted this, had dreamed of it for years. Now it was coming true.
She opened her eyes to watch his expression as he made them one. Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip. Strain caused his arms to shake with the effort it took to hold himself back.
She'd waited too damn long for Jack to hold back on her now. He'd pushed in a few inches, pulled out then pushed back in those few inches only.
She wanted all of him, hard, fast, and now. “All of you, Jack. I want to feel everything."
Her words jerked his head up. Startled blue eyes met determined green ones. “Krista, I don't want to hurt you. I need and want you so much I'm afraid I'll lose control. The first time should be something you always remember with pleasure, never pain."
His words alone almost pushed her over the edge. “Yes, that's exactly how I want it. How I want you. Lose your control, I promise you won't hurt me. It's feels like I've waited for you my entire life. Now, I'm tired of waiting."
Jack searched her eyes. Whatever he found there must have reassured him because he gave a sharp nod of his head. “Your wish is my command."
Krista grabbed on to his muscular ass, felt the flex and pull of his muscles. With one hard thrust, he broke through the last barrier separating them.
Tales From Christmas Town Page 19
