Christmas Eve

by Flame Arden

  He gave her sexy butt a satisfied pat and when they'd both run out of steam, set her robe back right. Then, grinning widely, he watched her pull on her boots.

  A delectable sight, Eve in that oversized robe and stiletto heels. Nick followed the gentle sway of her hips down the hall. His holiday was looking good.

  His chef, André, had left a container of cut up fresh fruit, a quiche Lorraine, and a bag of Krispy Kreme donuts. Now, the kitchen smelled of bacon and Swiss cheese warming in the oven. After their ravenous coupling, Nick could hardly wait to eat.

  But first things first. He'd drawn the game table up to the cozy fire and set a glass of orange juice at Eve's place prior to checking on her. Then, like some sex-starved maniac, he'd attacked her without the least bit of remorse, not even allowing her a first sip of coffee.

  He emptied the now cold brew in the sink and refilled her cup.

  He waited for her to sit, then eased her chair close to the table. "Don't get up. I'll be right back with the food."

  Unaccustomed to being waited on, Eve tried to object, but when Nick placed a quiche before her and hurried back to the kitchen, she gave in. "I can't believe you whipped this up while I slept."

  "Hardly." He returned with a platter of donuts and a bowl of sliced fruit. "I... put in my order several days ago."

  "A good thing you did. I'm starved."

  "That's not surprising. You've been... working hard."

  His casual reference to what they'd so recently shared brought more color to Eve's cheeks.

  After the two of them devoured everything edible on the table, Nick decided to bring out the bowl of whole apples, tangerines and nuts. When he returned, Eve was staring out the window with a look of dismay.

  He put down the bowl. "Thinking about making good your escape?" Not that I'll let you get away any time soon.

  "No, I was just wondering what to do about transportation. From here, I can't even see my car. Do you think it's under that big mound of snow?"

  Play along. Again.

  "Maybe." Moving to stand behind Eve at the window he, too, gazed out. "Later, if you like, we can listen to a weather report. If there's no more snow expected tonight, I'll help you clean off your car before dark. That way, when the tow truck shows up tomorrow, the driver will be able to see where to stop."

  Outside, a deep blanket of snow had turned the mountain into a wonderland of white. Maybe he and Eve could have a snow ball fight. As a school boy in south Texas, he hadn't been given many opportunities for fun. As a grown man, his opportunities were nil.

  He turned from the window, his jaw square. The room had warmed considerably. "Guess we better move the table back from the fire."

  Eve helped, and together, they cleared the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. "You’re really roughing it here," Eve said facetiously, then laughed. "'Bolero' has always been a favorite of mine. "

  Nick was lounging on the sofa when she returned to the living room after drying her hands.

  "Why didn't you decorate a tree? There are several evergreens the perfect size and shape growing right here on your property."

  Nick silently studied her for a moment, remembering the day he'd planted most of them. "I never put up a tree."

  "Sounds like you dread the approach of the Christmas season as much as I do. "

  She walked behind the sofa, stopped even with Nick and kissed the top of his head. Reaching up, he pulled her closer and captured her mouth. She lost her footing and he had no trouble pulling her over the back of the sofa and into his lap. Amused at the ease with which he'd imprisoned her, Eve straightened her robe.

  Nick waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Unless you've recovered enough to try one of these living room walls, I better think of something else to entertain you. What would you like to do?"

  The look he gave her seemed to peel the terry cloth fabric right off her body and bare her heated flesh. She glanced expectantly around the room. "Cards?"

  "As in..."

  "Poker?"

  He grinned wickedly. "Strip?"

  "Hardly. I don't have much on to take off."

  "Keep it that way," he said with an appreciative grin. "I like my women willing and accessible." His voice dipped to a satisfied hum. "So far, you haven't disappointed."

  "But we still haven't solved the problem of what to do between lusty bouts of sex."

  Nick gave it some thought, then set Eve aside. "I know." He strode over to a closet beside the front door, reached up on a shelf and took down a small, colorful box. "A gift from my secretary, an elderly saint who knows I discourage gifts, but insists on buying something for me every year."

  * * * * *

  Nick placed the box in Eve's outstretched hands.

  She laughed. "A puzzle? I haven't done one of these in years."

  "This is not your run-of-the-mill puzzle. According to the back of the box, there's a surprise in store for the tenacious person who finds the correct place for each piece." He looked around. "This table may not be big enough, but we'll give it a try."

  He wiped off the crumbs left from their breakfast and moved the table a few more feet from the hearth.

  As he dumped the contents of the box, Eve frowned. "I hope this is not the kind of puzzle where more than one piece has the same shape. Those drive me silly."

  He chuckled. "Have a seat and we'll find out."

  The minutes flew by. Neither exchanged a word. Except for the time Nick got up to add another log to the fire and Eve stood up to stretch, the two of them worked quietly side by side.

  "I'll be right back." Nick stood and left the room.

  Eve heard the whirr of an electric motor, the scrape of metal on glass, and smiled gratefully when he returned with two tall glasses of eggnog topped with whipped cream.

  "I hope you like rum," he said and touched his glass to hers.

  She grinned and took a sip. "My mother says rum makes the world go round."

  "I probably didn't pour in that much," Nick countered before attempting to lick off her nutmeg-tinged mustache. Then he sat down beside her, his thigh pressed to hers from knee to hip.

  No accident, that.

  No accident that her blood warmed to his intimate touch, either. Or that her mouth went dry. While she waited for the spell of lightheadedness to pass, she kept her head down and concentrated on the puzzle piece in her hand.

  Nick found the last piece of the border and flattened it in place with his thumb.

  "Good job." She turned her head to smile at him. She blinked instead.

  Nick's sensual lips were just inches from hers, and a sexy smile hovered about his mouth, his warm breath mingling with hers. She need only lift her chin to taste that smile.

  She did. Brazenly. An intense sizzle rocketed from where their lips touched right down to her toes. Instantly, her nipples beaded and she all but melted into Nick's arms.

  His hand slipped inside her robe. His thumb raked her taut nipple, then his hand possessively palmed that aching breast.

  "Nick." She moaned, wanting him with such urgent need she trembled.

  "Why don't we move to the sofa? I can touch you better there." His muffled chuckle warmed her heart.

  In her hurry to stand, she stumbled and shook the table, scattering puzzle pieces on the floor.

  "I'll get those later." Nick turned her in his arms until her lips were again on his, then walked her backwards, his mouth never leaving hers as he guided her to the sofa and helped her sit. "Better?" His fingers were already fumbling with the belt of her robe.

  "Um-hum."

  He tried to untie the belt one-handed, his other hand back inside her robe where the tips of his fingers tenderly abraded her breast. Anxious to get on with it, she pushed aside his hand and untied the belt herself.

  Her robe fell open as Eve reached for him. Her tentative touch at Nick's waist caused the muscles of his torso to clench. Croupier surged to life.

  Her palms, wide spread, must surely feel his heart's wild beat. His pu
lse was roaring in his ears as he plundered her mouth, exploring, thrusting, tasting rum and rich cream. He licked her lips.

  Sighing, Eve opened her eyes.

  Nick lowered her back on the cushions, one arm pillowing her head. "Comfortable?"

  "M-mmm."

  * * * * *

  "Good, 'cause I intend to take my time." Nick shoved the robe off Eve’s shoulders, eased her arms out of the sleeves. His mouth followed his hands, pleased he'd stocked a bathroom shelf with products certain to appeal to his female guests. Eve's skin, faintly scented by gardenias, reminded him of smooth satin heated by a warm summer breeze. But her taste...

  Her taste was just as he'd remembered. Sophisticated sin.

  He left a trail of kisses across her breasts, making Eve moan.

  "Soft," he murmured and drew the ruby crest into his mouth. So soft, like kissing a springy, heated cloud.

  When he'd suckled his fill, his hand replaced his mouth and began to fondle the fluid mound as he licked a path down to her navel, a part of a woman's anatomy he'd never considered erotic until now. Eve's dimpled one was centered by a swirl of flesh set at an odd angle. A tiny mountain that he ascended with his tongue.

  As he traced the delicate rim with deliberate strokes, gratified by her spontaneous response, she buried her fingers in his hair, tried to clutch his scalp. Nick grinned. Her tempting little belly rose up off the sofa for him to kiss, her desire-drenched pussy inches from his lips.

  He didn't immediately take what she so willingly offered. Instead, he explored the tempting indentation formed by her hipbone with his tongue. When she moaned he delved back in her navel. And smiled to himself.

  Her hands pushed on his shoulders, attempting to show him her heart's desire.

  All in good time, he silently promised, licking the depression he'd just discovered on her hip. The tantalizing convergence of muscle and dimpled flesh required closer inspection with his tongue and lips.

  He didn't stop until he'd satisfied his curiosity about that firm but yielding part of her body and caused Eve to whimper helplessly. Then, still in the mood to explore, he rolled her up on her side with her back facing him, and discovered a smaller dimple at the base of her spine. He tasted that indentation and the wondrous cleft separating her rounded cheeks, his own cheeks surrounded by those mounds of soft, seductively undulating flesh.

  When he'd had his fill, he eased Eve down on her back and let his robe slide to the floor.

  She sprawled wantonly on the couch, whimpering, looking so damn voluptuous all sane thoughts flew from Nick's mind.

  * * * * *

  Nick's gentle exploration with his tongue set every nerve in Eve’s body on fire. She gazed up at him. Bright flares of passion burned in his eyes, his magnificent erection just beyond her reach. Overwhelming need suddenly possessed her as he hesitated, braced above her. She parted her thighs in welcome, her arms outstretched.

  Nick entered her, and a deep, ragged groan seemed to start in his toes. His body shook with its force. He settled between her thighs and into her arms, strong muscles and delicious heat.

  She welcomed the slight roughness of his skin on her sensitized breasts and twined her fingers through his hair. The thick waves smelled of oak campfires and smoke, his breath of rum-laced desire. Manly, clean, and so breathtakingly handsome her breath hitched when he smiled at her, a smile that lifted his ears and crinkled his eyes.

  "What?" she asked, reading something in his gaze.

  "I was just wondering how I managed to let a whole hour go by without making love to you."

  "Seemed longer than that to me." She shifted her body beneath him to better accommodate his weight.

  He stilled her. "Keep that up, and I won't let you get dressed all day."

  "Promise?"

  She shifted again.

  With an intense groan that resonated in the pit of Eve's stomach and set her insides on fire, Nick rolled, taking her with him.

  Suddenly, she was on top, with Nick's stiff erection branding her belly. His grin widened suggestively and he shifted his hips.

  Flames licked at her mons. Eyes closed in carnal pleasure, she leaned forward, letting one of her nipples brush Nick's face. When he sucked it into his mouth her pelvic muscles tightened, her climax mere seconds away.

  Slowly she slid her body down his, her weight on her spread knees, her heated slide not ending until her wet pussy and the head of Nick's throbbing cock met. His broad hands on her hips, he tried to center her. She had allowed him to have his way with her earlier, and chose not to surrender control just yet.

  This was her turn. She had no intention of allowing him to simply ram his pride and joy home.

  With growing anticipation, she met his first determined thrust, then backed off so that only the tip of his enormous erection was lodged between her pulsating lips. Then, just by tightening her muscles, she drew him in all the way.

  * * * * *

  Nick wondered if he’d died and gone to heaven. Swamped by heat and erotic sensations so intense he could barely breathe, he could not remember ever having such incredible sex.

  He lay still, his eyes closed, each hand filled with a soft breast, his thumbs the only part of his body able to move. Back and forth, back and forth, he stroked Eve's swollen nipples while her interior muscles worked some sort of clandestine magic on him.

  Just when he feared he might explode and spoil the moment, Eve began to ride him. Up. Down. Up.

  And down. She came with a surprised intake of breath, drenching him with moist heat so incredibly exciting he drove into her hot center again and again, aimed straight for her heart. A moment later, his staccato shout of release helped muffle Eve's mewling cry.

  For the longest time he just lay there, his eyes open wide but unseeing, Eve's head nestled against his chest. His fingers were still tangled in her hair as he listened to her quick breaths. Felt each breast against his chest. Savored the closeness of the moment.

  Wanted it never to end.

  Such thoughts scared the Hell out of him.

  Chapter Eleven

  After lunch, Eve said, "About my car..."

  Nick closed his book and looked up. "That's right. I promised I'd help you uncover it."

  A delighted smile lit Eve's face. "You will?"

  "Sure. In a little while."

  Her smile faded.

  "If you don't mind waiting a little longer, I have something else in mind for us to do first."

  Eve looked appalled. "So soon?"

  Nick chuckled. "If you insist. Actually I had a less strenuous activity in mind. Ever been tobogganing?"

  Eve frowned. "Sure..."

  "Good, you can teach me." He stood, grabbed Eve's hand and helped her out of the deep leather chair she'd curled up in after lunch.

  She came to her feet so near him, it seemed natural to pull her into a close embrace.

  "Nick," she said, leaning back and looking him in the eye. "I can't go out in the snow like this."

  "Oh. I forgot." He grinned suggestively.

  He couldn't possibly forget Eve was wearing nothing but his robe. No way. Except for the shoulder seams, the soft terry fabric clung to her curves like his Ferrari hugged a mountain road. The wide shoulders had an enchanting tendency to slide down her arms. To reveal a tempting glimpse of her rounded breasts and to remind him how perfectly their softness filled his palms.

  If he was lucky, the next time she wore it, she would cross her long legs again, the lower part of her robe would separate, and his imagination would more fully come into play.

  Of course, he could simply undress her. After all, she was his.

  But the anticipation, the hope of her robe sliding off one shoulder as she dealt him a hand of cards or pressed a puzzle piece in place was something he hadn't bargained for, something he had never dreamed might tease him this way.

  Was it wise to pay this much attention to a woman who, in a few days, would walk out of his life as easily as she had walked in?

/>   He didn't know the answer to that question. He only knew he had an undeniable urge to play in the snow. With Eve.

  Play? When had he ever played? After his mother went out shopping on Christmas Eve and never returned, his free time had evaporated like steam on a dry day. His father had seen to that.

  Demanded he come straight home from school.

  Forced him to stay away from the neighbors.

  Made his life a living Hell. When the beatings started, Nick had left home, too. It was not until years later that he'd learned his father's beatings of his mother were the reason she had abandoned him.

  He hadn't been close to anyone else until he and Gary met, and that closeness caused by a war. It helped that Gary made friends as easily as soft butter spread.

  Stop right there. Thinking about Gary makes you sad.

  He ended the embrace and grabbed Eve's hand. "Come on. Let's see if we can find some warm clothes for you to wear."

  Nick stopped at the six-drawer chest beside his closet and pulled one open. "Somewhere in here there's thermal underwear."

  He shoved that drawer in, yanked open another. "Ah-ha," he said, shoving two folded garments at Eve. "Here you go. Put these on while I find you some jeans."

  "Yours?" She eyed the cozy knits with a dubious look, then turned that same look on him as her gaze traveled his full height.

  "Yes, mine." His grin wide, he took a second to look Eve over as well, then turned his attention to the drawer again. "I'll find something better than a piece of rope you can use for a belt. Wear your turtleneck under this warmer sweater of mine."

  He pulled out a soft, wooly knit that had shrunk considerably—or was it that he had filled out? For whatever reason, he had hung on to the sweater because one year Gary surprised him with it for his birthday. Nick had never received many gifts and that sweater meant a lot.

  "How about you?" Eve asked, bringing him back to the present. "What are you going to put on?"

  "More thermals. And a pair of ski pants."

  "You? Ski?" She looked him over again, this time with renewed interest.