Countdown to Christmas: (A Christmas Romance Novella)

by Betty Shreffler

  Anya is so prim and proper, I have a hard time imagining her in a collar, on all fours, yipping, howling, or whatever crazy dog sounds she’d make. The thought turns my cheeks red, and I’m grateful Mick returns with the wine just then. Raising my glass, I accept his offer of wine and drink enthusiastically in an attempt to forget the images gallivanting through my mind.

  With our glasses full, the guests nibble on the appetizers while Mick and Anya bring in the Christmas dishes. Mick slices the ham and places some on everyone’s plates. With side dishes added, our conversations slow as we enjoy the delicious food. Conversation picks back up when the desserts are served. I barely ate all day, so I could enjoy Anya’s desserts. First, it’s the red velvet cake, and as I spoon a mouthful, I moan.

  Jaxson looks over at me, his brow rising as his mouth twists up.

  “Like that, do you?”

  “Goodness, yes.”

  With another bite, I moan again, and Jaxson’s hand slides up my thigh as he leans over to my ear.

  “You’re giving me a hard-on moaning like that.”

  “I can’t help moaning when something gives me pleasure,” I whisper back.

  Grazing my ear with his tongue, he moves his hand farther up my thigh, quickly swiping his fingers along my underwear, exciting my desire for him. Removing his hand, he sits back in his chair and watches as my cheeks grow warm. My eyes widen, and I give him a pointed look.

  “Behave,” I giggle.

  With a naughty grin, Jaxson throws an arm around my chair, and Mick’s attention goes right to it. He and Mick look at each other, and something passes between them, leaving me with a question for later.

  As dinner finishes, more desserts are brought into the living room as we gather in it. Anya stands by the tree and gathers our attention.

  “We have a few games planned if you’re sticking around. We’ll be doing an ornament guess.” She points to the ten-foot, elegant white and gold Christmas tree that looks like it easily has three hundred ornaments on it. “Closest guess gets a fifty-dollar gift card,” she enthuses. “Then we’ll play a game of Two Truths and One Lie, followed by Christmas charades if we’re good and tipsy.”

  No one makes any effort to leave, so Anya hands out little pieces of paper and pens. Jaxson quickly writes a number on it and tosses it into the basket being passed around. With the pen to my lips, I stare at the tree, trying to get a good look and guess at how many there are. Writing down 275 and my name, I toss the paper and pen into the basket.

  The basket is returned to Anya, and she opens the pieces of paper and reads them aloud.

  “The winner is Rayna with her guess of two hundred and seventy-eight. There are two hundred and eighty-two ornaments.”

  “So close,” I whine.

  “What’d you guess?” Jaxson asks.

  “Two seventy-five.”

  Anya picks a gift card off their coffee table and hands it to Rayna. Motioning her hands, Anya offers for us to sit on the couches and chairs. Jaxson and Chris sit on either side of me on one of the couches while others fill in the rest of the seats.

  “Make sure your glasses are full, and we’ll begin with Mick,” Anya smiles. “He’ll say two truths and one lie. If the person next to him guesses which is a lie, Mick has to drink. If you don’t guess right”—she points to Sheila sitting left of Mick—“then you drink. The game will continue in a circle with the person to the left of you guessing your lie.”

  With nods, we give our understanding.

  “All right,” Mick begins, looking at Sheila. “Anya and I have vacationed in Denver, Colorado. My right leg is shorter than my left leg. I have never been on a rollercoaster.”

  “Ooh, those are good,” Sheila retorts.

  Smiling behind my glass of wine, I keep quiet. I know he has one leg shorter than the other and wears specially ordered shoes, and I also know he’s been on a rollercoaster because his family went to Disney, and he said he and his kids enjoyed the Forbidden Mountain rollercoaster at Animal Kingdom.

  “You’ve never been on a rollercoaster?” Sheila questions with hesitation.

  “Incorrect,” Mick replies. “We have not vacationed in Denver, Colorado. Drink up.” Mick grins.

  The next few guests take their turn, then it’s my turn to guess Chris’s lie.

  “I’m colorblind. I have over ten plants in my house. I used to be afraid of elevators.”

  The elevator fear has to be true. I swear he cringes just before stepping into the elevator in our building. It’s fifty-fifty on the other two.

  “You don’t have over ten plants in your house.”

  Chris takes a drink. “You’re right. I don’t have any.”

  “You don’t have any in your office, so it was a guess you might not have any in your house.”

  “Good observation,” he praises.

  Looking at Jaxson, the corners of my mouth lift. This is going to be tough. He knows a lot about me.

  “Ready?”

  “Yeah,” he grins.

  “I’ve broken my wrist. I’ve never told a man, I love you. I hate dirty dishes in the sink.”

  Jaxson quirks a brow. “I know you don’t like dirty dishes in the sink. You clean them right away.” His brows tighten. “Hmm, the lie is you’ve never told a man, I love you.”

  “Wrong,” I tip my wine glass toward his. “I’ve never broken either wrist. Drink.”

  Shock fills his face, and he dips his chin before lifting his glass.

  “Really?” Rayna questions, surprise in her voice. “You’ve never said the I love you words?”

  “No,” I shake my head. “I take those words seriously. In all of my past relationships, I’ve never felt it was right to say them.”

  “She’s waiting for the right guy,” Mick chimes in. I catch him wink at Jaxson behind his wine glass, and now I know for sure there have been prior conversations between the two of them.

  “Are you a virgin?” Rayna mouths, her dark, bouncy curls falling forward as she tilts her head and gives me wide eyes. Clearly, alcohol is making her more comfortable. She’s not usually this outspoken.

  “No, Rayna,” I laugh. “I really enjoy sex.”

  A few chuckles ensue before glasses are lifted to mouths to hide their smiles. Jaxson’s cheeks are a brighter hue, and I find it entertaining.

  “Your turn.” I pat Jaxson’s leg.

  Facing Anya, he begins. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hockey player. I used to have a crush on my ninth-grade English teacher. I dislike dogs.”

  Truth. Truth. Lie. I know he likes dogs and wants to get one. I also know he wanted to be a hockey player growing up, and that’s why he and Joe are in a hockey league together. Which leaves the truth about having a crush on his teacher. Giggling, I take a sip of my wine, and he glances at me with a knowing smirk.

  “Mmm, the lie is about not liking dogs,” Anya answers.

  Jaxson takes a drink. “Correct.”

  “You’re too nice of a guy not to like dogs,” Anya adds.

  “Which means he had a crush on his ninth-grade teacher,” I laugh.

  Jaxson watches me giggling, a humored smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

  “What? She was really hot.”

  “I had a crush on one of my teachers too,” Mick’s friend, Rodney, shares. “Back then, the teachers always wore skirts. Her legs…” Rodney angles his head and blows out a breath. “They were long, lean, and attached to a hot ass.”

  As everyone laughs and his wife rolls her eyes, I leave the group to use the restroom before the next game begins. As I’m washing my hands, the door begins to open.

  “Someone’s in here.”

  The door opens wider, and Jaxson slips through, closing it behind him.

  “I know.” Putting his arms around my waist, he backs me toward the sink. Sliding his hands down, he cups my ass, my fingers gripping the collar of his shirt as he lifts me onto the counter.

  “What’s everyone doing?”

  �
��Busy starting charades.”

  Lowering to my lips, he fuels my desire. Pressing his erection into me, I moan through our kiss.

  “What if they hear us?”

  “Then we need to be quiet.”

  “Are we really going to have sex in our boss’s bathroom?”

  Spreading my legs wider, he rubs his fingers against my clit through my underwear.

  “Are you telling me to stop?”

  “No.” My hands reach for the button and zipper of his pants, hastily opening them and freeing him from his briefs. With his stretched cock in my hand, I guide it between my legs. Holding my underwear to the side, he thrusts into me and covers my mouth with his.

  Slick heat warms me below as he holds my ass tight and pounds into me. Each moan I elicit is smothered by his passion-filled kiss.

  Taking me harder, he keeps one hand around my ass as he grips the sink edge. Pleasure intensifying, I drop my head back as the sensation of an orgasm begins. The door cracks open, and my body tightens, my mounting orgasm fading. Mick catches sight of us, then chuckles as he closes the door.

  “Lock it next time,” he says through the door, his voice fading away.

  “Oh my God.” My face burns hot, no doubt red.

  Jaxson laughs, reaches back, locks the door, then slowly increases his thrusts.

  “He knows now for sure. No point in stopping.”

  With a giggle, I accept his kiss and grip his ass, tugging him, so his cock goes deeper. Smiling against my lips, he thrusts harder, working my pleasure back to its peak. He kisses along my cheek then my neck as I grip his arm and shoulder, shuddering through my orgasm. Several more thrusts, and he groans, resting his head against mine. Pulling out, he winks at me with a wicked grin.

  “I love being with you.”

  “I feel the same.”

  Helping me down off the sink, he squeezes my ass, then adjusts himself, and tucks his dick back in his briefs.

  “I’ll go out first.”

  “That’s fine. I need a minute to clean up.”

  He leaves, and I bite my lip as the residual pleasure lingers.

  When I return to the living room, Mick smirks behind his fresh glass of wine as I sit next to Jaxson, who puts an arm around me. I give Jaxson a kiss on the cheek, and Chris and Rayna notice, their expressions showing their surprise.

  Rayna points a finger between us.

  “Are you two together?”

  Jaxson, chin in his hand, smiles as he looks at me.

  “Yes,” I tell her. “We are.”

  “About damn time,” Chris jokes.

  “Mmm-hmm,” Mick agrees.

  “I always knew there was something between you two,” Rayna shares. “It’s good to see you both so happy.”

  Jaxson rubs my back, rests his hand at my neck, and brings me to him for a kiss. “Really happy,” he says aloud, his eyes filled with adoration.

  An hour later, Jaxson is holding my coat out for me to slip into it. Mick approaches us and shakes Jaxson's hand goodbye, then brings me in for a hug.

  “Bets off,” he whispers. Pulling back, he gives an approving nod to us. “It’s good to see the two of you together. You have my approval.”

  Jaxson puts an arm around me. “Thanks for having us. We had a great time.”

  The corner of Mick’s mouth rises. “I bet you did.”

  We share a smile, then take the other’s hand as we leave.

  Chapter 11

  CHRISTMAS DAY…

  Hearing Jaxson enter my room, I turn over to face him. Laughter rolls out of my belly as he walks in with nothing but whipped cream on his cock and his lopsided Santa hat.

  “That’s sexy, baby.”

  “I thought you’d like it.”

  As he nears the bed, I sit up. Swiping my finger across the whipped cream, I gather some, and slowly lick it off my finger. Jaxson’s cock rises, his erection growing.

  “That all needs to come off before we have sex.”

  “I was hoping you’d help me with that.”

  He winks, and I lower my mouth, licking some of the whipped cream off of him.

  “I’ll definitely help you.”

  Gathering my hair, he holds it in his hand as I lick his cock, cleaning off the whipped cream. When enough is gone, I put him into my mouth and suck.

  “Best Christmas ever,” he says between moans.

  Several thrusts into my mouth, and he’s fisting my hair tighter as he reaches his orgasm. Stepping back, he places his hands on my arms and pulls me from the bed.

  “Let’s take a shower together.”

  Wrapping his hands around my ass, he lifts me. I put my legs around his waist as he carries me to the bathroom. Letting my legs down, he turns the knob on, removes his Santa hat, tossing it to the floor. Stepping into the shower first, he follows me in. Gathering soap in my hands, I lather his cock and clean it. Once he’s rinsed, he places his hands on my ass, lifts my thighs, and wraps them around his waist. With my back against the wall, he kisses me into delirium as he thrusts into me. My back slides up and down the wall as he takes me harder, pounding against my G-spot, making me cry out as I reach my release.

  Lowering my legs, he feathers kisses along my neck, bringing his lips to mine.

  “Are you ready to open your presents?”

  “Yes.”

  Together, we dry off, and I enter my room, searching for my blue sweater and matching knee-high stockings. With no underwear on, I join him in the living room. He’s making us hot chocolate and stops when he sees what I’m wearing.

  “No underwear?”

  I shake my head, and his mouth curls.

  “Just how I like it.”

  Handing a mug to me, he puts a hand under my sweater as I begin to walk away and squeezes my ass. Biting my lip, I give him a wayward glance. On the couch, I snuggle against the back cushion and sip my hot chocolate as he gathers two boxes and brings them to me.

  “Open this one first.” Handing me a pretty blue box with a silver ribbon, he sits next to me. Untying the ribbon, I lift the lid, my eyes expanding as I stare down at a pair of white gold and diamond stud earrings.

  “They’re beautiful.”

  Removing them from the box, I put them on.

  “How do they look?”

  “You’re already stunning, they just add to your beauty.”

  Coming forward, I hold his face in my hands.

  “Thank you. I love them.”

  He nods to the second box.

  “Not yet,” I tell him. “Open one of yours. That one,” I point to the five-and-a-half-foot box. With questioning eyes, he walks over to it and begins peeling the wrapping paper off. When it’s off enough for him to see what’s inside, a smile stretches across his face.

  “You got me a hockey stick!”

  “It’s one of the new ones out.”

  “This is… this is perfect, Soph. Thank you.”

  Setting the box down, he comes over to the couch, takes my mug from my hand, and sets it on the coffee table. Sitting next to me, he hugs me, then kisses me with an expression of gratitude that seeps through his kiss.

  “Open your second box,” he insists.

  “Okay.”

  I take the box he hands me and untie the gold bow from the red box. Lifting the cover, I discover a white-gold charm bracelet. Bringing the bracelet out of the box, I take a closer look at the charms—a cookie, key, locket, and a circle charm that reads, Cherish The Memories dangle from the sparkly chain. Opening the locket, I find my grandmother’s initials. Tears fill my eyes as I look up at him.

  “Jaxson, this is incredibly special.” Touching my finger to the key, I hold it up. “What does the key represent?”

  “The key is for giving me a key to your apartment, which opened the door for us to begin a relationship.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdraws another charm. “I had to go back and get this one.” He puts the tiny stocking in my hand. “This is for the first time we were intimate, and I knew I loved y
ou.”

  Tears spill, trickling down my cheeks. Putting my hand on his face, I caress his cheek, looking into the eyes of the man my heart belongs to.

  “I love you.”

  A brief smile raises the corner of his mouth before he gathers the bracelet and box to set on the coffee table. Lowering on top of me, he hugs me to him, kissing me with sensual affection.

  “Every moment with you is a memory I never want to forget. I love you, Sophia.”

  Epilogue

  NEARLY ONE YEAR LATER…

  Entering Mick’s office, I set a cream box with a red bow on his desk. “Merry Christmas.”

  Mick lifts the box and gives it a light shake. “What did you get me?”

  Sitting in the chair across from him, I grin. “Open it and find out.”

  Pulling the bow off, he lifts the top, brings the card out, and reads the front.

  “Isn’t this wonderful?” He smiles. “You are cordially invited to the wedding ceremony of Jaxson Parker and Sophia Ward,” he reads aloud.

  “Look under the card.” I point to the box, and he looks down and lifts two tickets. “Season hockey tickets. What are these for?” he asks, surprised.

  “You knew all along Jaxson and I had feelings for one another. It was your matchmaking, your insistence we live together that brought us together. Jaxson told me he’d confided in you how much he cared for me. That bet never mattered to you. You knew we’d be intimate because of how we felt about each other. So, we thought of a way to thank you, and this was the best we could think of—a gift that would keep giving and an activity we know you would enjoy.”

  Mick sets the tickets and invitation on his desk.

  “This is a great gift, but the wedding invitation is even better. You two deserve happiness, and I’m grateful you found it with each other. The love you share is something special. I watched it blossom over three years, and when I saw the opportunity to bring you together, I had to take it.”

  “I’m thankful you did. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Mick’s mouth curls. “He said the same thing about you.”