All I Want for Christmas is Big Blue Eyes

by Claire Ashgrove

  “Yeah. Doesn’t sound like it is on your end though.”

  Her husky laugh drifted through the receiver. “I’m fine. That was the puppy.”

  Josh frowned. “Olivia, we don’t have a puppy.”

  “Oh, yes we do. Well, I do. It was lonely here. I went to the pound yesterday. My little Christmas present to myself. His name’s Charley. How’s Lexington? Are you bored out of your mind yet? I called your hotel earlier—they said you’d checked out.”

  He curled his toes into the thick rug beneath his feet. “I’m staying at Amanda’s.”

  Silence met his ears. A hefty pause that told him Olivia hadn’t expected that news. After a few moments she replied, “I think you’re addicted to her.”

  “I don’t think there’s much thinking about that. I am,” he confessed with a soft chortle.

  “So, why are you calling me at one in the morning?”

  It was Josh’s turn to be silent. He watched the lights blink and dance on the glass ornaments for several long moments.

  “You there, Josh?”

  “I’m a bit mixed up, sis. Amanda wants me to marry her. I don’t want to come back to Kansas City without her, but I’m not ready to get married.”

  “Tell her that.”

  “I did.”

  “And?”

  “And she told me to fall in love with her.”

  To his compete surprise, Olivia burst out laughing. Loud, hearty bursts that made his ears ring.

  He held the phone away from his ear and glared at it. When the peals of amusement faded, he brought it back to his ear, testing to see if she’d indeed stopped, or if she’d just quieted.

  Only the occasional airy giggle drifted through the line.

  “What the hell was so funny about that?”

  “Nothing. I’ll explain it another time. Likely after you already know.”

  His frown deepened into a harsh scowl. This was not the sort of comforting conversation he’d envisioned. “So, what do I do?”

  “You’re asking little old jaded me what to do about your relationship?”

  She had a point. Nevertheless… “Yes.”

  “Exactly what she told you to do.” The humor completely left her voice, and her sober answer sent a chill skittering down Josh’s spine.

  “I…can’t.”

  “In that case, little brother, you’ll have to figure out a way to have your cake and eat it too. Sounds like, to me, it’s all or nothing at this point.”

  All or nothing.

  Exactly what he was afraid of.

  Fifteen

  Josh woke up hard as a rock, aching for release. He opened his eyes to the light lavender hue of early morning and Amanda’s sinful fingers. Wrapped around his cock, they gripped and slid with such perfection he barely had time to realize he was awake and not living some fantastic dream before he was on the brink and grasping at her wrists to drag her atop his chest.

  She evaded his hands, but lifted limpid blue eyes to his and stilled long enough to slide her body up his side to draw him into a long, leisurely kiss. Long enough he relaxed a little, and the threat of immediate orgasm diminished. Although it certainly wouldn’t take much to bring him right back to the edge again. Particularly given she still had a firm hold on him, and her motionless hand only taunted. While he didn’t want to climax like this, he wanted her to move. Do something. Anything but lay there holding him and letting him imagine what she might do.

  Drawing back, she broke the kiss and flashed him a mischievous smile. “Good morning.”

  “Mm. You can say that again.” He nuzzled his nose against hers. “What are you doin’, baby?”

  “Waking you up.”

  If up was the operative word, she’d done a damn good job of it. He raised his hips, coaxing her to move that goading hand again as he lifted his head, seeking her mouth. But before he could taste those sweet lips and the minty flavor of her toothpaste, she disappeared. Snaking her naked body down his, she pressed kisses over his chest, his abdomen, and trailed the tip of her tongue around his belly button.

  Josh sucked in a sharp breath as his cock twinged against her soft breasts. He grabbed at her shoulder in an attempt to stop her descent. If she went any lower he’d…

  Oh, Lord...

  His body jerked as her soft lips slowly closed around his hard shaft. Her mouth’s moist heat sent a streak of fire racing through his veins. Unable to think, he exhaled on a long hiss, closed his eyes, and slid one hand into her hair.

  Her caresses unraveled him. Chained him to the electricity that sparked up his erection and wound his gut into a tight coil. Guiding her, he pushed and slid, the only thought he could find, her name. He murmured it silently, calling out to her in his mind, unable to make his throat work with sound.

  Ecstasy nipped at him, the promise of sweet splendor if he’d only let go completely. His body tightened, his breath hitched. Christ… He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth against the fiery inferno washing through him.

  “Amanda…come…with me.”

  With one last lingering suckle she eased away. Her eyes burned deep indigo; her cheeks stained a pretty pink. She skimmed her hands up to his chest as she wended her way along his body to straddle his thighs.

  Josh held his breath. If he dared to even twitch, what remained of his restraint would fracture.

  Amanda’s soft wet flesh slid over his slick shaft, the contact eliciting a shudder that rolled through her body and vibrated against his. She rose up, caught his hands, and laced her fingers with his, then lowered down on him, drawing him into the feminine haven he hungered for.

  His world convulsed. The measured way she moved, taking him with painstaking leisure, derailed his senses. It was too much, too damn much. The need to be deep inside possessed him, and he freed his hands to fasten them at her hips. He thrust up, grinding her down against him as he plunged in where he ached to be. Her swollen flesh clutched him tight, quivering with her arousal.

  She cried out, but he arched forward, capturing her face with his hands to kiss her and stifle the sound. Her tongue tangled with his, needy whimpers rising to the back of her throat to get lost in his.

  When she rolled her hips, lifting away, his body followed hers urgently. Filling her again, his cock swelled. So close, so damnably close. Good God, he was going to break into pieces if he tried to hold back much longer.

  Her slick sheath squeezed around him, and he sucked in a ragged breath, falling back into the bed and fisting his hands in the covers. There was nothing more he could do but hold on. As she lifted again, angling her hips to rub her sensitive nub against him, he surrendered. Rapture flooded through him, robbing him of the ability to move. Dimly, he felt her flesh pulse, sensed her body soften. He spilled himself, filling her with everything he was as she sank down to rest her cheek against his chest.

  Josh lay there boneless and exhausted. He wanted to touch her, wanted to wrap his arms around her delicate body and hold her tight. But he simply couldn’t move. His arms felt like lead, his head swam, and he struggled to breathe.

  Sweet Mary, there weren’t words for that kind of release. In all his years, he’d never lost the very ability to function during sex. If it weren’t Amanda who lay here with him, he’d be so embarrassed he’d want to run away. But it was Amanda. Sweet Amanda who turned his world upside down. Amanda who made him feel undefeatable, like he could stand on top of the world and touch the moon as long as she was there to hold his hand.

  She turned her head, grazing her cheek over his damp skin, and looked up at him with a smile that sent skitters of delight rippling through his veins. That strange, uncomfortable feeling in his gut stirred again.

  He moistened his lips.

  “I have to go to work,” she whispered. Yet she made no attempt to disentangle herself.

  Gradually, his breathing returned to normal, and the excess weight in his limbs faded. He ran his palm over her back, surprised to find
her skin just as damp as his. When she let out an appeased sigh, he brought his other arm up and hugged her tight. Words licked at his mind. There was something he should say, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.

  Long lashes dropped. As they lifted, the corners of her eyes crinkled, and her sweet mouth curved again. “Have lunch with me today?”

  “Mm. Where?” Except, he remembered with an inward groan, today he had to meet with Sandra. With three days left before Christmas, he better do some shopping too. A far more daunting, and important, task than a redundant business meeting. “Oh, wait, I can’t. I have some things to do in town today.”

  “Things?” She pushed up and eased off him to sit on the edge of the bed.

  Rolling onto his side, he trailed a solitary finger along the length of her spine. “Christmas is coming, honey.”

  “Oh. Right.” Her light laugh rang quietly through the stillness. “Okay. Well, Emma has school. Lucas picks her up on his way to the bank. I get her from school, and she stays with me until the shop closes around dinnertime. I promised her tonight I’d take her to see Santa.”

  “Want company?”

  “Absolutely.” She stood and headed for the bathroom.

  “Will you let me take the two of you to dinner?”

  Halfway across the room she paused with a grin. “If you want to, I won’t protest. I’ve got a lot of orders to fill today. Cooking doesn’t particularly thrill me tonight.”

  ****

  Amanda stared at her reflection in the mirror, stifling a groan. Great. Another thing to consider for the holiday—Christmas presents for Josh. Lucas and she had already agreed they wouldn’t exchange gifts this year. What he’d intended to spend on her was to go to Emma, and vice versa. But she couldn’t tell Josh that. Even if she did, he wouldn’t listen. The last Christmas they’d spent together, he started saving right after Halloween. That year, he bought her a sapphire pendant on a gold necklace. Although it hadn’t been monstrous in size, it had been gigantic in meaning, and she still had it in her jewelry box.

  She couldn’t just let him get her something and not try to find something for him, either. Which meant she’d have no choice but to borrow more money from Lucas. For this, she’d ask. He’d understand. It wasn’t for herself, and while she hated the idea of being further indebted to him, the prospect of the loan being for a gift made asking easier and lessened the guilt.

  But what to get Josh?

  Dragging a brush through her tangled hair, she considered the options. Everything even remotely in her price range he likely already had or could easily purchase for himself. She needed something special, not something expensive. Although he probably had what he needed, maybe she could find a set of tools or utensils that he used for work.

  She’d have to ask Lucas. He spent enough time in the business world to know what might interest Josh. While Lucas didn’t have the intimate knowledge of Josh that she possessed, Lucas could get her thinking in the right direction.

  No, that felt like cheating, she resolved as she dabbed on a touch of lipstick. Josh wouldn’t ask anyone for input, and she wouldn’t either. There had to be something…

  The light filtered into her bedroom, washing over him as she passed the foot of the bed. She held in a giggle, taking in his already-sleeping form. Seeing him completely surrender like that had been erotic as hell. Nothing less than a round-trip, first-class ticket to immediate orgasm.

  Whatever provoked it, incredible fell short of describing the experience appropriately. Out of this world was close, but still not right. Could it be possible he’d do it again?

  At the thought, a little shiver of excitement pricked goosebumps down her arms. She reached for her jeans, sliding into them as she imagined what she could try next to elicit that kind of response from him. Shower? He’d always liked the shower.

  No, no shower, she decided as she pulled her heavy sweatshirt on. The shower was nice, but never someplace she’d really enjoyed.

  Letting out a laugh, she shook her head. What was she doing? She was a grown woman, for God’s sake. Turning on Josh shouldn’t be the focal point of her morning. There was Emma to wake up, breakfast to make, and work to be done. Already her little rendezvous between the sheets made her thirty minutes late. If Janie hadn’t agreed to open the shop today, she’d be in a world of hurt.

  Janie was another luxury Amanda would have to sacrifice as soon as New Year’s passed. Though the high school graduate was prompt, extremely reliable, and showed a definite eye for floral arrangements, Amanda simply couldn’t afford the extra expense. Janie’s twenty hours a week would cover the costs of Amanda’s entire grocery budget for the month.

  Five hundred dollars, give or take a few, would go a long way.

  Amanda wandered into the hall to hear Emma talking in her room. With a curious tip of her head, she approached the closed door and eased it open. Emma was never up early without help. It usually took a good thirty minutes to get her convinced she wanted to go to school.

  “Morning, sweetie. Did you pick out your clothes? We’ve got to hurry so we aren’t late,” she called out quietly.

  “Mommy, I want Prince Josh to take me to school today. I want to show everybody you have a real prince.” She jumped out of bed, leaving her dolls behind, and skipped to her dresser.

  Tenderness warmed away the old house’s early morning chill as it welled inside Amanda’s heart. “Maybe tomorrow. Josh is still sleeping. Wear your jeans today, it’s cold out.”

  “How cold?”

  “Real cold. It’s supposed to snow again tonight.” Ice too, but Amanda wouldn’t tell Emma that. Ever since she’d learned about her father’s car accident, any time the roads iced over and the news reported it, Emma worried. Something she shouldn’t ever have to do at her age.

  Emma tugged and pulled, and with a grunt got her jeans on. She glanced down her legs, let out a theatrical sigh, and rolled her eyes melodramatically. “I can’t wear these. They don’t fit.”

  She was right. The faded pair of blue jeans she’d worn all fall came up a good inch above her ankle, exposing her plain white socks. Add that to the list of things Amanda needed to buy—clothes for Emma.

  “If you wouldn’t grow so fast, twiggy, they’d be perfect. You’ll have to wear them today. I haven’t done laundry.”

  “Mo-om! Everyone will laugh at me.”

  Amanda folded her arms over her chest. “Emma Rose, don’t be silly. You get that from the TV. No one in your kindergarten class is going to notice. I promise. Now hurry up and come downstairs. I’ll make you some cinnamon oatmeal before Uncle Lucas comes to get you.”

  Scowling, Emma sulked back to her closet and pulled out a light blue sweater, along with her tennis shoes. Tennis shoes that also needed to be replaced, Amanda observed as she took in the scuffs and raggedy condition of Emma’s favorite pair.

  One thing after another—it never ended.

  “Uncle Lucas is boring. He’s not a prince,” Emma muttered as she dropped down to her floor to put her shoes on.

  “You act that way, young lady, and Josh won’t take you to school anytime before Christmas break.”

  Emma was still muttering when Amanda left and went downstairs, only to discover Lucas sitting at her dining room table, waiting.

  “You’re late, ‘Manda,” he said over the rim of his traveling coffee mug. His eyes twinkled with good-natured humor.

  “I—ah—” she faltered, before settling on, “Yeah. You want oatmeal?”

  “Please. Got fresh coffee too?”

  Damn. She’d forgotten to set the automatic timer on the pot last night. “No. Won’t take but a minute though.”

  From the kitchen doorway she called over her shoulder, “By the way, beware the child. She’s grumpy.”

  Lucas smoothed his paper flat, not bothering to look up as he asked, “Why now?”

  “Well, don’t you know, Lucas? Josh is the only real prince arou
nd. We non-royals don’t amount to much these days.” She entered the kitchen, heading straight for the cupboard and the tub of Folgers ground coffee.

  Smirking, Lucas shook his head subtly as he bent over his financial review columns. “Where is Mister Habitually-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn right now, anyway?”

  “In bed.” Lord, that had a nice ring to it. Like it was the most natural thing in the world for Josh to be asleep in her bed while the rest of the house was awake. Like he belonged there. However, it only served to remind Amanda that she needed to discuss a loan. “By the way, Luc, I need to talk to you later.”

  “’Bout?”

  “Christmas.”

  “What about Christmas?”

  Amanda’s hands stilled over the coffeepot. God, how she hated admitting she needed his help. Particularly financial help. “I, ah, need to borrow some money.”

  He didn’t so much as cock an eyebrow. Still looking at his paper he asked, “Finally decide to let me pay off the taxes, did you?”

  Never.

  “No. That’s not your responsibility. I’ll figure that out. The shop will cover it.”

  They both knew it was a lie, but Lucas had too much tact to argue the point. A comforting fact that made her financial distress a little easier to discuss with him.

  He always let her believe she could fix this mess on her own.

  “Well, what for?”

  The sound of little feet pounding down the stairs stopped Amanda from answering and brought her to the cupboard once again for the canister of oatmeal. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  Sixteen

  Three days until Christmas.

  As Josh gathered his leather-encased notepad and hurried out the door, the thought preoccupied him. Three days to find Amanda the most important gift he’d ever purchased. And he didn’t have the slightest inkling where to start.

  Not to mention, this damnable meeting would cut precious hours out of his shopping time. He’d have to keep it simple, discuss the details while he and Sandra ate, instead of waiting until after their meal. With a little luck, and a lot of quick words, he’d have the entire afternoon to locate the perfect something, as well as one black and white spotted pony. Emma would have her pony, taxes be damned. He’d find another way to correct that. Lucas worked at the bank. He might have contacts that would reveal what Amanda owed.