This Holiday Magic

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  While she was sitting at the desk, she looked around for the brochure that explained how to operate the TV and how to get an internet connection. Finding it, she turned to the page with instructions pertaining to the internet. Five minutes later she was online.

  Two minutes after that she was looking at the YouTube video Trudi had told her about. She blushed when she saw the passionate manner in which she and Adam were kissing. It was easy to see how a moment like that would be hard for anyone to resist capturing. You couldn’t fake those emotions.

  The picture was so sharp, she could see the expressions on both their faces. Adam looked...well, he looked as though he adored her. And the tender way she touched his face as he bent to kiss her made her heart skip a beat. They looked like a couple very much in love. She was getting warm just watching the two of them.

  As a testament to Adam’s popularity, there were already more than a million hits. She calculated the time that had passed since kissing Adam yesterday. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet. She moved down the page and read a few of the comments. Most were positive, but some were disrespectful to Adam. She supposed she was saved from their vitriol because no one seemed to recognize her.

  And then she had a horrible thought. If AOL had posted the video on their site, her mother had probably already seen it. Patricia Andrews treated AOL like her morning coffee. She didn’t come fully awake until she’d logged on.

  Sage minimized the YouTube page and opened her email. There were emails from her mother, Jim and several other friends. She opened the one from her mother first.

  Sweetie, Millie and I are so happy to see that you and Adam are a couple again. That was some kiss!

  The one from Jim she read next.

  Wow, Sage. I guess the wunderkind has more going for him than a giant brain. Looks like you two are really into each other. Sha-Shana and I were grinning from ear to ear when we saw you on YouTube. We’re happy for you and Adam.

  Sage found herself smiling as she read their messages. It was heartwarming to know she had family and friends who wanted to see her happy. Was she being too cautious about letting Adam back into her life? Did she, as he’d accused her last night, subconsciously want revenge for his breaking her heart? She didn’t want to believe she could be so petty. She’d gone on with her life. She hadn’t been pining away for Adam for nine years. So why couldn’t she trust her own emotions and let down her guard?

  She didn’t have time to dwell on it because someone knocked on her door and she knew it had to be Adam. She hurried over to the door and opened it. Adam took one look at her in her bathrobe and laughed.

  “Am I early?”

  “No,” she said, pulling him inside and closing the door. “I’m late. I got distracted right out of the shower.”

  They kissed briefly. “It shouldn’t take me long to get dressed,” she continued as he followed her into the room. She gestured to her laptop on the desk. “Have you seen it?”

  Adam frowned when his gaze fell on the laptop. “I was hoping to be the first to break the news to you,” he said regretfully. “Who told you?”

  “Trudi phoned. But, Adam, I’m not—”

  “Listen, Sage,” Adam interrupted her, a grim expression on his face. “You don’t have to worry about this. I’ve already taken care of it. They’re taking it down as we speak.”

  Sage looked at him in amazement. “Adam, I wasn’t about to complain. I was going to say I don’t think whoever uploaded the video did it out of malice. They just couldn’t resist their fifteen minutes of fame. You’re much more experienced with this sort of thing. So if you think it needs to come down, okay. But I’m not offended by it.”

  Adam brightened. “You’re not?”

  She smiled up at him. “Of course not,” she said. “My first time on YouTube could have been a lot worse than being caught kissing a hot guy.”

  Adam laughed as he pulled her into his arms. “You’ve got a good heart.”

  Sage peered up at him. Smiling sexily, she said, “You’re my hero. You were ready to defend my honor.”

  “I’ve already tracked down the culprit,” Adam assured her. “But if you don’t want me to take any further action, I won’t.”

  “Let the poor guy off with a warning,” Sage said. She was curious as to who was behind the video, though. “Who was it?”

  Adam grinned. “Trudi.”

  Sage burst out laughing. “That little sneak!” she cried. “Why would she do that?”

  “She said she thought Cupid needed a nudge,” Adam said, laughing, too. “To quote her—‘Adam, you’ve never been caught kissing anyone in public. If this isn’t proof enough for Sage that you love her, I don’t know what is.’”

  He gently kissed her mouth and then raised his head to look her in the eyes. “She meant well, darling. Can you forgive her?”

  “‘Forgive her’?” Sage asked. “She can be my matron of honor.”

  * * *

  Adam, for all his intelligence, had to allow her words to sink in a moment. “You mean you’ll marry me?” he asked excitedly.

  Sage was nodding and smiling. “I love you, Adam. I was a fool not to recognize that I avoided you for more than a year because I didn’t want to risk having all those feelings rush back and then find out you didn’t feel the same way about me. I was afraid of getting hurt again.”

  Adam rained kisses on her beloved face. “But I do feel the same way! You don’t know how frustrating it’s been seeing you every day and not being able to talk to you, hold you and make love to you. I’ve been in misery!”

  “I believe you,” Sage told him. “Because I’ve been going crazy wanting to hold you, too. But I’ve got to apologize to you first.”

  “You don’t need to apologize...” Adam began.

  Sage smiled indulgently and interrupted him with “I do, Adam. So please be quiet and listen. I let fear of getting hurt again harden my heart to you, instead of going on faith and opening up to you after everything you did to be with me—moving back to New Haven, all the messages, flowers, jogging by my office practically every day. You were right when you said I wanted to exact some kind of revenge for dropping me. It was a childish attitude. And I’m ashamed for behaving that way.”

  Adam pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, inhaling in her essence and exhaling. He could finally breathe again.

  “You’re not the only one who was afraid,” he said softly in her ear. “After realizing I still loved you, I was so scared that I’d never be able to convince you of that fact. What finally won you over?”

  “You never asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement. I gave it some thought after Trudi mentioned you usually ask women you date to sign one. I’m a lawyer, and I know how people in your position have to conduct their personal affairs nowadays, just to protect their privacy. But either you trusted me implicitly, or you simply didn’t care if I talked about our relationship.”

  Adam laughed. “Honestly, it never even occurred to me to ask you to sign an agreement. We’ve known each other since childhood.”

  Sage was smiling at him, her love for him reflected in her eyes. “And you can trust me until the day you die.”

  “Which will hopefully be years from now, after we’ve been married forever and have many, many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Adam said with a grin.

  Sage took a step back, but Adam held on to her hand, reluctant to let go of it. She pried her hand free, though, and smiled seductively, her hands going to the sash of the robe she had on.

  Adam’s gaze was riveted on her. Sage didn’t immediately doff the robe. She untied the sash and exposed one naked shoulder and then provocatively stuck one long leg out.

  Adam’s heartbeat quickened and a certain part of him started hardening. He removed his jacket and let it fall to the flo
or. He kicked his shoes off next.

  He began walking toward her. Sage smiled saucily as she slowly backed away. Her large brown eyes lowered to the bulge in his pants. “What about the summit?”

  “They can manage without me,” Adam said huskily. He had removed his tie and was unbuckling his belt.

  Sage didn’t reply. She simply let the robe fall from her shoulders and pool at her feet. Adam paused in unzipping his pants. He’d been waiting for this his whole life. He was still as a statue as he drank her in, every inch of her. Her tall, fit, golden-brown-skinned body exceeded every fantasy he’d ever had about her, and he’d had many. She had breasts that were full and firm and a tapered waist with a flat stomach. Her butt was high and round, like a juicy peach, and curved into a pair of legs that were long and shapely.

  His eyes lingered awhile on the V where her thighs met, and he found that he was salivating in anticipation.

  “My God, Sage, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, his voice awe-filled.

  Sage smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”

  By the time Adam had finished the visual tour of her body, he was harder than he’d ever remembered being.

  Sage must have been impatient with how slowly he was undressing because she stepped forward to help him. The moment she was within arm’s reach, though, Adam couldn’t resist pressing her body against his, and then they were kissing. His hands were everywhere, greedily touching her soft, fragrant skin. His mouth was relentless, demanding pleasure as he gave pleasure.

  When they came up for air, he greedily let his eyes rove over her. Her golden-brown eyes had a dreamy aspect to them. He realized he’d never witnessed how her physical being changed while in the throes of passion. She was beautiful. Her skin glowed with vitality. Sensuality pervaded every part of her. He would be happy watching her all day. But she impatiently pushed out of his embrace. “Adam, get undressed now!”

  Adam was breathing hard as he broke out of his daydream and did as he was told. His eyes never left her as he quickly removed his pants, hopping on one leg then the other as he took them off. Sage unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it off him and threw it over her shoulder.

  Adam pulled his T-shirt off and now he was in only a pair of black boxer briefs and a pair of black socks.

  Sage’s hands were at the waistband of his boxer briefs. Their eyes met and held. They didn’t speak as Adam reached down and rolled the briefs off his hips and past his muscular thighs. He stepped out of them, and Sage got her first glance of him.

  He heard her soft gasp of delight. Her nipples hardened further, and he could have sworn she was blushing. She looked back up into Adam’s eyes. “My God, you’re beautiful, too!”

  That was Adam’s call to action. He bent and hurriedly took off his socks, and they went the way of the rest of his clothes.

  Then he smiled roguishly at her, picked her up and carried her to the bed. After he’d placed her on the mattress, he said, “Condoms?”

  “Nightstand,” Sage said, her gaze going to the top drawer only a few inches from her head. Adam bent and retrieved a condom from the drawer, hastily closed it and set the one condom atop the nightstand for easy access later. Then he gazed down at her and said, “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was sixteen.”

  Sage laughed. “Me, too,” she assured him.

  They kissed between giddy bursts of laughter; they were so happy to finally be naked in bed together.

  Laughter aside, though, the lust was in full evidence because their bodies, so long denied this closeness, reacted with fierce sexual desire. After a while the laughter was replaced by moans. Adam kissed, nuzzled and licked Sage’s breasts. He was intoxicated by her silken skin and fascinated by the taste of her. He wanted to kiss every inch of her body, and he worked his way from her forehead to her navel. When Sage gave a little start when his tongue flicked out and touched the most tender spot between her legs, he merely smiled and said, “Open up for a starving man, my love.”

  She relaxed and let him feast. She writhed with pleasure, murmured “I love you” over and over again until she exploded and trembled in release.

  Having satisfied Sage, Adam got up and put on the condom and entered her. She wrapped her legs around him as he thrust deeply, exulting in the wonderful warmth and tightness of her welcoming body. Sage held on to the backs of his arms, his muscles playing against her palms, which only turned him on more. Her beautiful face mirrored her pleasure. He could not tear his eyes away. When she wet her lips and started panting, Adam knew he was hitting on just the right spot. Her hips rose off the bed as she met his thrusts.

  There it was. She moaned loudly. She’d had her second orgasm. Soon afterward Adam climaxed, and his release was so powerful that he was unable to muffle the sound, even though he shoved his face in her shoulder. Sage smiled with satisfaction. Adam hoped he hadn’t disturbed any of the other guests of the palais.

  Adam rolled off her and onto his side. Sage turned in bed so that they were facing each other. They smiled. He touched her cheek and softly said, “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, and if you’ll let me, I’ll love you forever.”

  “Make it so,” Sage said, and he knew she was remembering his love for Star Trek: The Next Generation and his favorite Enterprise commander, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. “Make it so” had been the good captain’s favorite choice of words when issuing an order.

  Adam grinned. “You know me so well.”

  Sage kissed his lips and snuggled closer to him with a contented sigh. “I’m finally where I belong, in the arms of my favorite nerd.”

  Adam laughed softly and murmured in her ear, “At last.”

  * * * * *

  A Family

  for

  Christmas

  Felicia Mason

  For Denise and in memory of Leon

  Chapter 1

  Trey Calloway wasn’t the least bit interested in learning how to do macramé. But Kelly had her heart set on it. And if it made his daughter’s six-year-old heart happy, Trey would master the craft and be a better man for having done so. But first he had to untangle the mess of threads he’d created.

  “Daddy, your snowflake doesn’t look like a snowflake.”

  “I know, baby,” Trey said as he tried to dislodge the knots and tangles that did not at all resemble the ones the instructor at the craft store demonstrated.

  Trey was the only testosterone in a veritable sea of pink Hello Kitty hair bows, T-shirts and miniature handbags.

  After four years of being a single dad, he was used to it. But he didn’t think he was ever going to grasp the fine art of macramé.

  “Aunt Henrietta is gonna like my snowflake,” Kelly announced, the curls in her high ponytail bobbing as she bounced. “I’m making this one for her for Christmas. Who are you going to give that one to, Daddy?”

  “The trash can,” Trey wanted to say. Instead he said, “I don’t know yet, princess.”

  “Mine is pretty,” she said, holding up her handiwork.

  Trey studied it for a moment. “Yes, it is.” He then held up his blob.

  Kelly wrinkled her nose. “Maybe you should start over, Daddy.”

  “Yes, Daddy, that sounds like a good idea.”

  A laughing voice that didn’t belong to Kelly. He knew that because it was mature, sexy and belonged to the one woman he wanted to get to know a whole lot better.

  Over the past couple of weeks Trey had become adept at noticing his new next-door neighbor’s comings and goings. It helped that his home office faced her driveway and backyard.

  “Hey there, neighbor lady,” he said, standing to greet Renee Armstrong.

  “Look what I made!” Kelly said.

  “You did a good job,” Renee told the girl.

  Trey glanced around, looking for
Renee’s shadow, her daughter a couple of years older than his own. He couldn’t remember the girl’s name, but it was something with a K. He remembered that much because of his own, Kelly.

  “Did you and your daughter come for the macramé class?” he asked. “It’s almost over.”

  “No, I didn’t know about it. But I came to find something that might interest her. Do you have any suggestions, Kelly?”

  The little girl held up her snowflake. “I like macramé.”

  Trey groaned. “That makes one of us,” he muttered under his breath loud enough for only Renee to hear.

  She smiled. “Well, I’m going to get going. Keisha is over in the art-supply section. I may have a budding Picasso on my hands.”

  Keisha. That’s her daughter’s name.

  Trey didn’t want Renee to leave. Not yet. He was enjoying her scent of vanilla and—oranges? He’d smelled it before in her house a couple of days after they’d moved in. Whatever kind of perfume it was, it was turning him on as much as the formfitting red sweater with little white snowball puffs that hugged her curves.

  “We’re going to be baking Christmas cookies tonight,” Trey said. “Would you like to join us?”

  If she took him up on the invitation, it would give him the opportunity to see her again…and in his house to boot. So far, he’d been in her next-door home along with his toolbox to level and hang pictures for her and to fix a leaky sink.

  A moment later, though, Trey remembered.

  Renee was a package deal. The irascible Keisha came with her. Renee and her daughter had been living next door to him for only a month, and in that short span of time he’d realized that Renee had little control over the girl who was prone to foot stomping, pouting and back talk. That very thought set his teeth on edge.