Anthology - The Night Before Christmas

by Foster, Mccarthy, Shalvis, Love, Garbera, Adams

  He slowly traced the same path upward again. This time his fingers feathered under the demi-cups of her ice-blue bra. Barely touching her nipples. Both beaded and a shaft of desire pierced Krista. Shaking her.

  She scraped her nails over his chest. Traced the muscled ridges of his stomach and dipped her hand lower. Teasingly scraping one fingernail along the edge of his belt.

  His breath rasped out and his stomach clenched. She watched his erection grow against his zipper. She slid her fingers down his length. He widened his stance, allowing her fingers to slip between his legs.

  She needed more. She wanted more. Her heart beat so swiftly and loudly she was sure he could hear it. She hooked her fingers around his belt buckle and led him to the bed. Once there, she pushed him down first and he sprawled on his back. He moaned and the sound rumbled up from his chest. He leaned back, bracing himself on his elbows.

  And let her explore.

  His muscle jumped under her touch. She circled his nipple but didn't touch it. Scraped her nail down the center line of his body. Following the fine dusting of hair that narrowed and disappeared into the waistband of his pants.

  His stomach was rock hard and rippled when he sat up. He reached around her back and unhooked her bra and then pushed the cups up out of his way. He pulled her closer until the tips of her breasts brushed his chest.

  "Krista," he said her name like a prayer. Holding her against him.

  His hard-on nudged her center and she shifted on him, trying to find a better touch but it was impossible with the layers of cloth between them. Her skirt was hiked up but it wasn't enough.

  He kissed his way down her neck and bit lightly at her nape. She shuddered, clutching at his shoulders, grinding her body harder against him.

  He loosened the fastening of her skirt and slipped his hands under the cloth. His big hands slipped into her panties, cupping her butt and urging her to ride him faster. Guiding her motions against him. He bent his head and his tongue stroked her nipple, and then he suckled her.

  Everything in her body clenched. She clutched at Jackson's shoulders, rubbing harder and faster against his erection as her climax washed over her. She collapsed against his chest. He held her close. Krista hugged him to her and closed her eyes.

  Jackson had never seen anything more beautiful than the woman in his arms. She was so responsive to his touch and he wanted more.

  She was the best Christmas present he'd ever had but he wouldn't say those words out loud. He'd wanted her but until this moment, he had not realized how fiercely.

  She pushed his shirt off his shoulders, and he tugged it off, tossing it away. She shrugged out of her blouse and bra. She was exquisitely built, soft, feminine. Her breasts were full and her skin flushed from her recent orgasm.

  He ran his hands slowly over her torso, almost afraid to believe that she was really here.

  Her nipples were tight little buds beckoning his mouth. He'd barely explored her before and he needed to now. He needed to find out how she reacted to his every touch.

  "I'm so ready for you," she said. Her voice was pitched low and a slight blush covered her cheeks and neck.

  There was something very fragile inside this ultra-competent and professional woman. He pulled her more fully into his arms. Cradling her to his chest with one arm. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his neck. Each exhalation went through him. God, he wanted her.

  He was so hard and hot for her that he might come in his pants. But he was going to wait. Then he felt the minute touches of her tongue against his neck. Her hand sliding down his chest and opening this belt, unfastening the button at his waistband and then lowering his zipper.

  Hot damn.

  Her hand slid inside his pants and his boxers. Smoothly her touch moved up and down his length. He tightened his hands on her back. He glanced down his body and saw her small hand burrowed into his pants. Saw her working him with such tender care and he had to grit his teeth not to end it all right then. But he wanted to be inside her the next time one of them climaxed.

  Glancing down he saw her smiling up at him. She knew exactly what she was doing to him and was enjoying every second of it. Little minx.

  "That's it, honey," he said, his voice raspy.

  She pushed off the bed and slowly eased out of her clothing. His breath caught in his throat. She was exactly as he dreamed she'd be. Nipped in waist, long slender legs and full breasts. She put her hands in her hair and fluffed it out around her face.

  "Like what you see?" she asked.

  "Hell, yes. Turn around."

  She did, slowly. Stopping when her back was to him and glancing over her shoulder. She had a sweet ass and he longed to caress her again. He reached out and touched her. She stood still and let him.

  "Bend over," he said.

  She leaned forward, bracing her hands on a dresser that was against the wall. He slipped his fingers between her legs. Felt her wetness against him and felt his own body harden even more. He needed to be inside her.

  He pulled his hand from her body. "Come to me."

  She did, crawling on top of him. He nudged her over on her back. Leaning down and capturing her mouth with his as he shoved his pants farther down his legs. She opened her legs and he settled between her thighs.

  The humid warmth of her center scorched his already aroused flesh. He thrust against her without thought. Damn, she felt good.

  He wanted to enter her totally naked without a condom, at least this first time. But that was a huge risk and one he knew better than to take.

  He pushed away from her for a minute, fumbled with his pants, taking them all the way off along with his boxers, then found the condom he had put in the pocket earlier today.

  He glanced over at her and saw she was watching him. The fire in her eyes made his entire body tight with anticipation. He put the condom on one-handed and turned back to her.

  "Hurry."

  "Not a chance. I'm going to savor you."

  "Betcha can't," she said.

  "You really want—"

  "I really want you, Jackson. Come to me now."

  She opened her arms and her legs, inviting him into her body and he went. He lowered himself over her and rubbed against her. Shifted until he'd caressed every part of her.

  She reached between his legs and fondled his sac, cupping him in her hands. He shuddered. "Not now. Or I won't last."

  She smiled up at him. "Really?"

  He wanted to hug her close at the look of wonder on her face. "Hell, yes."

  He needed to be inside her now. He shifted and lifted her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.

  He held her hips steady and entered her slowly. Thrust deeply until he was fully seated. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his hips as he started thrusting. Holding him to her, eyes half closed and her head tipped back.

  He leaned down and caught one of her nipples in his teeth, scraping very gently. She started to tighten around him. Her hips moving faster, demanding more but he kept the pace slow, steady. Wanting her to come again before he did.

  He suckled her nipple and rotated his hips to catch her pleasure point with each thrust, and he felt her hands in his hair clenching as she threw her head back and her climax ripped through her.

  He started to thrust faster. He leaned back on his haunches and tipped her hips up to give him deeper access to her body. Her body was still clenching around his when he felt that tightening at the base of his spine seconds before his body erupted into hers. He pounded into her two, three more times, then collapsed against her. Careful to keep his weight from crushing her, he rolled to his side, taking her with him.

  He kept his head at her breast and smoothed his hands down her back. Knowing his instinct had been right and this woman was the one meant for him.

  Chapter Six

  Jackson knew his entire world had changed in the last few minutes. He couldn't think or analyze an
d that worried him. He could always do an analysis. Always—but lying in Krista's bed, her naked body pressed to his, he couldn't.

  She sighed. "That was nice, Jackson. You know how to keep your blackmailer happy."

  "I do my best," he said.

  "I'll say. So have I reformed you?"

  "Was that your intent?"

  "Yes."

  "No," he said. He knew he wasn't reformed. He was still going to demand that everyone on his staff earn every dollar that went into their paycheck.

  "Oh," she said, slipping from the bed and taking her robe from the closet. "I…"

  "I'm still going to be a demanding boss, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be working round the clock any more, sweetheart."

  "What will you do to occupy yourself?"

  "Hopefully spend some time with you."

  She gave him a brilliant smile. "That's been my plan."

  He closed the gap between them, caging her face between both of his palms. Tipping her head back he stared down into her wide brown eyes. He felt something he couldn't describe when he looked at Krista. His gut clenched and his groin tightened but his heart also beat a little faster and there was this feeling deep in his soul that if he lost her … things would never be right again.

  Her mouth was made for long, drugging kisses and he took his time tasting her. Getting his fill of this woman who'd come so unexpectedly into his life.

  "I'm not going anywhere," he said when he lifted his head.

  She bit her lip and pushed away from him. "Don't stay because I blackmailed you."

  "That's not why I'm staying."

  "I'm not so sure."

  "Well, hell, woman I am. And I'm the boss."

  "Not ton—"

  He cut her words off with his mouth. Bringing his lips to hers and making her stop talking. He'd never met a woman so damned frustrating as this one. He damned well knew that he wasn't going anywhere and neither was she.

  Jackson's kiss overwhelmed Krista. He thrust his tongue deep in her mouth. When she tried to angle her head to reciprocate, he held her still.

  This was his embrace and she felt the fierce need in him to contradict what she'd just said. She'd lashed out at him to save herself. To remind herself that men didn't fall in love with her this easily.

  And now she was finding the proof she was searching for that Jackson was different from every other man she'd ever met.

  Her nipples tightened and her breasts felt too full as he pulled her fully into his embrace. He canted his hips toward hers. The ridge of his erection bumped against her. She moaned deep in her throat and clung to him.

  His biceps flexed as he shifted her in his arms, pressing her back against the dresser while he ran his hands down her back.

  His mouth moved down the column of her neck, nibbling and biting softly. He lingered at the base of her neck where she knew her pulse beat frantically. Then he sucked on her skin. Everything in her body clenched. Not enough to push her over the edge, just enough to make her hungry—frantic for more of him.

  She scored his shoulders with her fingernails. His skin was hot to the touch and she wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him closer to her.

  He pushed her robe off her shoulders. He pulled back, staring down at her. Then he traced one finger around her nipple.

  She shook with need. Couldn't wait for him.

  She reached between their bodies, caressed the hard length of his erection, then reached lower, cupping his sac in her hand. His breath hissed out.

  His mouth fastened on her left nipple, suckling her. She undulated against him, her hips lifting toward him.

  He lifted her leg up around his hip. Then he shifted his body. She felt him hot, hard, and ready at her entrance. But he made no move to take her. She looked up at him. "You're mine."

  She couldn't respond to that.

  "I…"

  "Watch me take you, Krista, and know that this is real. Not blackmail or holiday crap. But real fire and passion."

  He thrust inside her then. Lifting her up, holding her with his big hands on her butt as he repeatedly drove into her. He went deeper than he had earlier. She felt too full, stretched and surrounded by him.

  He bit her neck carefully and sucked against her skin and everything tightened inside her until she felt her climax spread through her body. Her skin was pulsing, her body tightening around his plunging cock. A minute later he came.

  Crying her name and holding her tightly to his chest.

  She rested her head on his shoulder and held him. Wrapped completely around his body, she realized the truth of what he'd said. They belonged to each other.

  He staggered back to the bed and lowered them both onto it, adjusting their bodies so that she was cradled on his lap with his arms around her.

  "You do us a disservice when you say something like I'm with you because you blackmailed me."

  "It's true, though."

  "The only truth is that I've wanted you for a damned long time."

  "Then why did I have to make the first move?"

  "I'm not that kind of guy, Krista. But now that you have my attention I'm not letting go."

  She didn't know how to respond to him. She'd made a fool of herself once for love and the last thing she wanted was to be proven wrong again. Especially now.

  He cupped her face so gently, rubbing his forefinger along her jaw. "I'm not good with words. I can't say it the way you'd want to hear it but I want you."

  "That's sex."

  "Yes, sex. I want you in every way I can think of until neither of us has any energy left. But I also want your smile and your laughter over the dinner table every night."

  "I can't cook."

  "I can."

  "Why am I not surprised?"

  She felt dazed by all he'd said. By his kisses, his actions and his sweet seduction. How had he gone from Scrooge to an odd kind of Santa Claus giving her the one thing she really wanted for Christmas?

  "And you're mine."

  "Yes. We'll take this slow if we have to but I'm not going anywhere."

  "I'm not going to let you. Not now that I've found you."

  "Hey, I want credit for this. I found you. I lured you into my lair and seduced you."

  "Whatever you say," she said.

  "I like the sound of that. Why don't you shift around here so I can make love to you again?"

  "What are you going to do for me?" she asked.

  "Everything. I'm going to keep you happy for the rest of our lives."

  February 14

  Krista saw an immediate response to her e-mail to Jackson. She knew he was still at the office. It was almost six and they had plans for the night but she knew he wouldn't want to leave until the last report was finished.

  She opened the e-mail. I'm out of the office until February 22. Please direct all inquiries to Marsha Graham at mgraham@northernsports.com.

  Where was he?

  A rap on the door frame made her look up. She saw a bottle of Korbel and two long-stemmed glasses. One of the glasses had a black velvet ribbon tied at its base.

  "Come in."

  "Still working, sweetheart?"

  "I'm waiting on some numbers from you."

  "I've got them but it'll cost you."

  "Really?"

  "Yes," he said, sauntering into her office and hooking one hip on the edge of her desk. He popped the cork on the champagne while she saved her document.

  "What's the price?"

  "It's very steep."

  "I'm listening."

  He handed her the glass with the black ribbon on it and as she took it she realized there was a ring attached to it.

  Her hand shook and a drop of bubbly spilled on it. Jackson took the glass from her, licked the back of her hand and smiled down at her. He loosened the ribbon holding the ring and dropped to one knee in front of her.

  "Marry me, Krista. Promise me all the Christmases of the future as well as a life filled with love, laughter and hard work."

/>   "Yes," she said, pulling him to his feet and wrapping herself around him. "Oh, definitely yes!"

  Acknowledgements

  For the sassy, sophisticated ladies of Minks Only…

  Lea Barton—Artist, fashionista, ferociously fearless. She's a Brooklyn girl by way of a small Mississippi town. But listen up. Because she always has something to say.

  Jennifer Hall—A locomotive in lipstick and high heels. Caution: When this girl wants something, give it up or get out of the way. Because she will prevail.

  Janet Scott—If ever you needed living proof that fifty is the new forty, then look no further than this tall, blonde, gorgeous, fabulously fit, pistol-packing sharpshooter.

  Rita Wray—She knocks down goals like ninepins and does it with the kind of cool, super confidence that makes everyone in the room want to be her when they grow up.

  Men vote with their feet. If his shoes are pointed toward you, so is the thing in his trousers.

  —Diane Farr

  FROM: tinababy@aol.com

  TO: peri@earthlink.net

  SUBJECT: DON'T BOOK THE BAND!

  Peri,

  There's really no delicate way to put this, so I'm just going to come out with it. Your fiancé, Mike Mason, is a scumbag. And I've got proof. It's not pretty. In fact, it's pretty ugly. But you have to see it. As much as it may hurt. Unless you want to be like most girls. You know, the ones who continue booking the band, ordering the flowers, and scheduling the fittings no matter what, because the prospect of having an idiot husband seems better than having no husband at all. But I know you're not that girl. Last night I got an e-mail from my ex, David. He's the guy I dated for a few months before I met Kent. You might recall that I broke up with him over his addiction to Internet porn. Anyway, David came across Mike on one of the sleazy sites he frequents and remembered him from that time the four of us went to the Dave Matthews Band concert. I attach the link below only for your own good. Call me if you need to talk. Tina

  htm://bankersgonewild.com/talesfrommestrip/mike.video

  Chapter One