by Leighton, M.
How have I not seen this before now? Ginger’s a flirt, sure. So is Gavin, but this is…is…more. She might actually be into Gavin.
“Psshhh,” she hisses, waving me off with her hand as she looks anywhere except at me.
“Don’t you ‘psshhh’ me. You do! You like him!”
She squirms in her seat again then looks down to study her suddenly-interesting fingernails. “He’s okay.”
“Ginger, ohmygod! Why didn’t you say something?”
She turns dubious eyes to me. “To you? And have it get back to him? Or worse, have you try to set us up? Ummm, thanks, but no.”
“But why not? You two are perfect for each other!”
“He’s a baby! I’m probably a good 5 years older than he is.”
“So? I get the feeling if anybody’s man enough to take on an older woman, it’s Gavin.”
“If he’d even be interested, which he probably wouldn’t.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
“And make it weird when we’re all together? I think not.”
“It won’t be weird. Even if you two just hook up, we all love both of you. That will never change.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But nothing. He’ll be at Christmas dinner. So will you. Wear something irresistible and be your normal, charming self. Just see what happens.”
She tries to act nonchalant with her shrug and her casual, “Meh, we’ll see,” but I know the wheels are already turning.
And Ginger just gave me something to look forward to, something to take my mind off my own problems. Even if it’s just for a few days.
CHAPTER FOUR- CASH
Dec 25
Olivia comes skittering onto the dance floor from where she was decorating the Christmas tree in the back corner of Dual. “Stop!” she yells. Nash, who’s on the other end of the table I’m carrying, stops so suddenly I nearly lose my grip on the edge and drop it. Gavin and Darrin, Olivia’s dad, are carrying the second long table. They stop, too, Darrin just smiling and shaking his head. I’m sure he loves seeing his daughter orchestrating her first Christmas dinner as much as I do. I love that she’s so determined to have one big, happy family holiday. Even though the rest of us are pretty sure it’ll be a disaster in one way or another. “I need to put the rugs down first.”
I help her spread out the two twelve-foot-long red rugs she got to go under the tables and protect the dance floor from the chair legs. She stands back to make sure they’re in exactly the right position before she smiles at me and nods. “Perfect. Proceed.”
She looks so damned satisfied and adorable, I have to grab her around the waist and drag her into my arms for a hard, loud kiss. If it’s anything less playful, we’ll end up embarrassing the shit out of her in front of her father. While that might not bother me, I feel sure it would mortify her. So, I stick with quick and fun. But it doesn’t stop me from thinking about more.
“Find me when it’s time for your shower,” I whisper in her ear before I let her go.
Her lips are curved when she looks up at me. “Okay.”
Just like that, I’m already looking forward to this afternoon.
We men start stringing up lights once the tables are positioned and, after the tree is finished, Olivia, Ginger and Marissa swoop in to decorate them. They spread Christmas covers over the tops and start arranging all kinds of useless decorative stuff on them–greenery and sparkling ornaments, candles and sequined balls, Christmas dishes and folded napkins. I have to admit the end result is pretty damn nice, though. It looks like we’re having our family dinner on the set of a magazine rather than in the middle of my empty nightclub.
Dual isn’t exactly the ideal place to have a dinner, but it was really the only place with enough space for everyone. The house Olivia and I are having built isn’t near enough to completion for us to host something like this, but she was determined to have a big gathering. So, here we are. In Dual. For Christmas dinner. But I’ll be damned if she isn’t knocking it out of the park despite the unusual circumstances.
But I’m not surprised. She never ceases to amaze me.
When everything is ready except the food, which I talked Olivia into having catered since we don’t really have the facilities to make and store a feast of this size, I find that I’m waiting anxiously for her to get rid of everybody so she can get herself ready. I couldn’t care less about everyone else’s plans for the couple of hours until dinner starts. The only thing on my mind is getting my wife naked in the shower and then devouring every inch of her wet body right up until she has to put her clothes on.
CHAPTER FIVE- OLIVIA
Whether my conversation with Ginger yesterday or the emotions of the seasons, I’m not sure, but I’m a giddy mess! I feel like a high school girl counting the minutes until she can meet the quarterback under the bleachers for some alone time.
All day, I’ve found my gaze drifting to Cash, even more so than usual. And at least a dozen of those times I’ve found him watching me, a hungry look in his black eyes. I love those eyes. I love that look. I always have. Even now, after being loved by him a zillion times, it makes me feel all dewy and squirmy, like we aren’t in a room full of our closest friends and family.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Cash and I have always had an amazing sex life, and I’d rather be wrapped up, naked, in his arms than anywhere else in the world. But today…for some reason…the heat is turned up.
No one has ever affected me the way he does. He possessed me, heart, body and soul, a long time ago. And I’ve never wanted more to be possessed.
He’s never far from my thoughts and his touch is always enough to turn my brain to mush and my body to a quivering puddle of pure lust. What we have is exceptional and amazing, and it’s the most important thing in my life. He’s the most important thing in my life.
But today, I’ve found my gaze gravitating toward him even more than usual. Time and again, I’ve watched the muscles in his shoulders bunch as he lifted and repositioned tables for me. I’ve watched his strong legs carry him up and down ladders as he hung lights for me. I watched his shirt ride up to show off a wedge of his flat stomach as he stretched up to hang the mistletoe. My fingers have itched and tingled with the desire to touch him, to feel his smooth, warm skin. And my body…God, my body has ached since he grabbed me and kissed me and made me promise to include him in my shower.
He’s a dreadful tease, I’ve decided. I think he did that on purpose, knowing how the images and the thoughts would torture me all day long. Because they have. Sweet mother, have they ever!
Finally, I shew everyone out the door, giving them strict orders to go and get ready and be back here by six o’clock. I’m practically vibrating with anticipation when I close and lock the front doors and turn to find Cash.
He’s nowhere to be found, which causes me a pang of frustration, so I go in search of him. I find him when I go through the office into the apartment where we are still living in until the house is finished. We split time between this place and the condo that Cash used when he was “Nash”.
All the lights are off, but the room is suffused with the soft, golden glow of Christmas lights. Long strings of them hang from the ceiling in decadent, sparkling swags that criss-cross. A clump of mistletoe is holding the strings together in the center over the bed, which is covered in dozens of rose petals. The air smells warm and romantic, and my insides are on fire. I feel like I’ve waited a thousand years to get my husband alone.
“Cash?” I call quietly. It’s not a big room. He should be able to hear me from any corner of it.
“In here,” comes his husky reply. The skin on my arms pebbles and my breasts throb with my want of him.
I walk toward the bathroom. Again, all the lights are off. The flicker of candlelight paints the walls and I see that every available surface in the room is set with dozens of white pillar candle. The air smells warm and sweet, and another, complementary floral aroma is rising with the ste
am pouring out of the nearly-overflowing tub. And in the center of the room, shedding the last of his clothes, is my husband.
His bronze skin gleams in the low light, like brushed satin. The muscles flex and shift underneath and this time I don’t try to resist the urge to touch. Walking to him, I start at his collarbone when he straightens and I run my fingertips over the bulge of one pectoral, circle one erect nipple then following the ridges of his abdomen to his navel.
I dip my thumb inside, reveling in the way Cash’s stomach contracts against my hand. After all the times we’ve made love, he still reacts to me. He still wants me. Every bit as much as I want him.
“What’re you doin’ in here?” I ask, my voice already hoarse like I’ve repeatedly called out his name in ecstasy. I guess it knows what’s coming, too.
“Making you the best bath known to man,” he explains as he starts unbuttoning my work shirt.
I move my hand lower to wind my fingers as far as they’ll go around his enormous erection. His fingers still right between my breasts and air hisses through his gritted teeth.
“You don’t wanna poke the bear right now, sweetheart, or you’ll never see the inside of that tub.”
“Oh no?” I rub the smooth tip of him and then slide my palm down his length. “And why is that?”
“Because I’ll have your back against the door before you can blink.”
“Promises, promises,” I tease, leaning in to nip his chin with my teeth.
In movements so quick I really don’t have time to blink, Cash has stripped my jeans and panties off and is lifting me effortlessly off my feet and onto him. My legs wrap automatically around his waist, opening me to his sweet torture. I feel him prodding at my entrance as he takes the three big steps that bring my back up against the cool wood of the door.
I’m breathless and dripping with need when he pulls one bra strap down and takes a nipple into his mouth with a sharp tug. He moves his hips enough that the crown of him strokes between my folds, back and forth, bringing me closer to an edge I hadn’t realizes was approaching.
His lips nuzzle, his tongue flicks, his teeth graze. His fingers reach under my legs where he holds me to spread me wide, wide for the smooth touch of his broad head. The muscles of my sex clench, sucking wetly at him, a plea for more. I crave all of him and he seems content only to tease.
“I could feel your eyes on me today,” he admits, his voice rough with need. “I couldn’t concentrate because all I could think about was what it feels like to be inside you. What it feels like when you come around me. So tight. So wet. So hot. It’s my favorite thing in the whole world.”
I gasp, my ache for him nearly painful. My mouth is dry from panting, but still I try to lick my lips. I need to be able to form words. I need to be able to beg him to end this, to put me out of my misery.
But before I can plead, before I must plead, Cash simultaneously sucks hard on my nipple and drops my body onto his. I crash down on him, sliding effortlessly over him, sheathing him until he’s seated deep within me.
“Ahhh, God,” he groans, flexing his hips to rub the most sensitive spot inside me. I gasp again, my head swimming with pleasure and abandon. “You. Feel. So. Good.”
Cash withdraws from me slowly, both of us savoring every slick inch of him. But then, as though the sated beast turns suddenly into a voracious animal, he growls and slams violently back up into me. He steals what’s left of my breath with a kiss as he drives his body into mine, nailing me against the door like a silk-and-steel jackhammer.
I break apart long before his back slicks with sweat, every thrust of his body prolonging the most intense waves imaginable. I know when he’s close. I hear his velvety voice as he drags his mouth over my skin. He whispers, “You’re mine. All mine. I love you. I love you.” He always talks to me before he comes. Always.
I feel the first pulse of him just as my phone rings. The ringtone indicates that it’s my mother calling. And just like that, the bubble is burst.
Cash stills, his body rippling inside mine, warmth gushing up through me, then he raises his sparkling onyx eyes to mine. In them there’s a quiet dread.
I know she’d only be calling if there was a problem. And my wonderful husband knows me well enough to know that our moment is officially over. That woman has a way of ruining everything without even trying.
Cash raises me off his length and lowers my feet to the floor. He holds me, a small, satisfied smile curving his wicked mouth, until my knees decide to start working again. When they do, he reaches for my jeans and hands them to me before he moves to collect his shaving supplies from the cabinet. I perch naked on the edge of the tub, my eyes glued to him as I listen to the ring on the other end of the line.
She answers with a shrill question.
“Olivia, where were you?”
I sigh. She’s in a twirl already and she’s not even here yet. And I feel a headache coming on, even though she’s not even here yet.
“Sorry, Mom. I couldn’t get to the phone before it stopped ringing.”
My husband had me pinned to the wall when you so rudely interrupted, I add silently.
“Well, you need to keep the phone nearby. Lyle is terrible with directions and this…this…place isn’t exactly in the best part of town.”
I bite my tongue and close my eyes, massaging the aching muscle between my brows. “Mom you’ve been here before. It’s easy to find.”
“Don’t get hateful with me, Olivia.”
I was far from hateful, even though I’d kinda like to be.
“I’m not. I just meant…just follow the directions, Mom. You won’t have any trouble.”
“We’ve already had trouble, smarty. One of the street signs is as old as Methuselah and I couldn’t read it, so we missed a turn.”
My frown deepens. “You’re already in Atlanta?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?”
“You didn’t have to be here for almost two hours.”
“Well, if we aren’t welcome, we can certainly find somewhere to–”
“Of course you’re welcome, Mom,” I declare in exasperation. “I-I just wasn’t expecting you so soon. I haven’t even had a shower yet.”
“Well, you’d better get on the ball then, young lady.”
The note of disapproval in her tone, the condescending way she treats me like I’m a silly child rather than a married woman grates on my nerves, but I do my best to ignore it.
“I’ll see you shortly then, Mom.”
“Keep your phone nearby,” she reiterates in her snappy way.
“I will.”
I hang up and meet Cash’s eyes in the mirror. His cheeks are lathered with shaving cream–he knows my mom likes it best when he’s clean shaven and he knows that when she has less to complain about, I’m happier–but that doesn’t stop him from turning and squatting down in front of me. He rubs his hands up and down my legs in a soothing arc.
“Just breathe. Hop in the shower and do what you need to do. I’ll take care of your mother when she gets here. And then I’ll fix us all a drink. A very strong drink.” His wink is mischievous. It makes my heart swell. He makes my heart swell.
“Where will you get the liquor?”
“I’m sure I’ve got a bottle or two stashed somewhere.”
He starts to get up, but pauses to brush my lips first. It’s a short, sweet kiss, but it carries all the love and support of a kiss to my soul.
He pulls the plug in the bottom of the tub and I’m sad to see the steamy, scented water circle down the drain.
“So much for a perfect Christmas.”
I knew it would be a challenge, what with all the different personalities, but I thought maybe, just maybe…
But I was wrong. So, so wrong.
Cash pulls me to my feet and tugs the rubber band from my hair. “As long as you’re here, it’s already perfect.”
He finishes undressing me, sprinkling butterfly kisses across my neck and shoulders. That famili
ar heaviness settles in the lowest part of my belly. Desire. Hot and moist. It’s never far from the surface when my husband is near, even if he’s just quenched my thirst. My need of him, my want of him knows no limits.
When I reach for his waist, his erection bumps my wrist. He’s ready again. Always, it seems. The thought sends a pang of anticipation shooting through my sex.
“You know, her mood is already sour. It won’t be any worse if she has to wait in the car for a few minutes.”
He raises one brow at me, his lips twitching with understanding. “We’d probably be doing her a favor if we make your mood as sanguine as possible. And I’m willing to take one for the team. You know, pound you into a better state of mind.”
“If you look at it that way, it’s our duty to do this again. For her. For Christmas.”
“Our duty. For Christmas,” he says.
I start to respond, but the words are muffled by his mouth.
CHAPTER SIX- CASH
The taste of my wife’s luscious body is still lingering on my tongue as I make my way to the club’s double front doors. I’m smiling when I unlock one side. Even seeing my mother-in-law’s scrunched up face awaiting me does nothing to ruin my mood.
I’d never give this woman a passing thought if it weren’t for Olivia, but what bothers her bothers me. And Olivia’s mother bothers her. A helluva lot. Tracey never misses the chance to take shots at Olivia. She’s like a grumpy dog nipping at her daughter’s heels. I don’t care that she doesn’t approve of me, but being so vocal about it–and about every other damn thing that she doesn’t like about the world–hurts Olivia. And that pisses me off .
“Ma’am,” I say, nodding stiffly as I step back from the door to give her room to enter. She does so, her haughty head held high. She passes me in a wash of expensive perfume, followed closely by her weak-as-dishwater husband.
When he passes, he nods and I nod. I extend a hand, which he takes. I wonder sometimes if he’s as miserable as I picture him to be. Probably not since he stays with her, but I could be wrong. I don’t even pretend to understand the dynamic of couples like this.
