Holiday Inn Bed (A Blazing Little Christmas)

by D'Alessandro, Jacquie

She shook her head. “No. In this whole situation. In how badly it’s turned out. I always imagined this one big, happy family scenario—gatherings, holidays, cookouts. And instead it’s one big unhappy mess.”

  “As long as you and I aren’t a mess, that’s all that matters, Jess. Your mother and Kelley will just have to fight it out without us. After the wedding, everything will settle down.”

  “I keep telling myself that—”

  “Good.”

  “—but I’m not sure I can stand this for another two months. At least not without the benefit of a morphine drip.”

  One corner of his mouth twitched, but remnants of worry still lurked in his

  eyes. “We have the next few days all to ourselves. No pressure, no arguments. Nothing to worry about except us.”

  He brushed his mouth over hers, once, twice, softly, and her weariness melted away, replaced by a sudden, fierce need to feel. A need to feel Eric. To recapture the magic between them. To rediscover how good they were together. To remember what they stood to lose if they were foolish enough to let it all get away from them. A need to forget everything and simply drown in sensation.

  “Nothing except us sounds really nice,” she whispered against his lips, slipping her hands over his shoulders and twining her arms around his neck.

  He leaned back and his gaze bored into hers. “Do you love me?”

  The uncertainty reflected in his beautiful eyes shamed her, filling her with a hollow ache she couldn’t name that he’d felt it necessary to ask. That she’d made him doubt her feelings. While there was no doubt she hated this situation, there was also no doubt she loved him. And she was so afraid it was all slipping away.

  A surge of fierce love rushed through her, coupled with an almost desperate need to reassure him, to not only tell him, but show him how much she loved and wanted and needed him. Now.

  Rising up on her toes, she pressed herself against him and pulled his head down for her kiss. “Yes. God, yes. I love you. So much—”

  His lips silenced hers in a hot, deep, passionate kiss that left her breathless. “Love you so much,” she repeated, sprinkling kisses along his jaw to his ear where she raked her teeth against the lobe. “And I miss you. It’s been so long…”

  “So long,” he agreed, tunneling his fingers through her hair. “Too damn long.”

  Her hands slipped beneath his sweater to run up his smooth back, and he groaned.

  “Are you trying to seduce me?”

  “Yes.” She rubbed herself against him. “Is it working?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter 5

  Eric looked into Jess’s eyes and his body hardened to instant attention at the heat simmering in her chocolate-brown depths. She certainly didn’t need to put much effort into seducing him—she could accomplish the task with a mere look. A lone touch. A single word. A fleeting smile.

  Need, sharp and edgy, scraped him, overwhelming him with the desire to yank her into his arms and spend the next few days blocking out the last few stressful months, specifically the last few stressful hours. All he wanted to do was drown in her.

  If he lived to be one hundred he’d never forget the first time they made love. It had been after a dinner and movie date. His place. A cold March wind blew outside, a stunning contrast to the burning desire they’d both felt. No woman, ever, had felt like Jess. Had suffused him with such a complex mix of emotions, leaving him vulnerable yet stronger than he’d ever felt. One night with her had reduced every other sexual encounter he’d ever experienced into a distant and hazy memory. He’d known without a doubt that he’d never want or need to touch any woman other than her for the rest of his life.

  Looking at her now, a powerful wave of tenderness flooded him. This woman meant everything to him. And he wanted, needed to show her that, make her remember how perfect they were for each other. How they absolutely, positively belonged together.

  “Jess.” Her name sounded like a hoarse rasp, filled with all the love and want and need she inspired. The instant their lips touched, he was lost. His mouth melded with hers in a deep, hot, wet, tongue-mating kiss that perfectly imitated the act his body craved to share with hers. Without breaking their kiss, he lifted her straight up and walked the few steps to the bed. When the backs of her legs hit the mattress, he trailed his lips and tongue down her neck. God, the way this woman tasted…a heady combination of heat and spice and vanilla that never failed to leave him hungry for more. No woman, ever, had tasted like her. Felt like her. The first time he touched her she’d all but left him shaking.

  He interrupted their kiss only long enough to pull her heavy sweater over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and the sight of her rounded breasts, topped with hard, rosy nipples rumbled a growl in his throat.

  He kissed her plump lips again then dragged his mouth lower, down her scented neck, over her delicate collarbone while his hands skimmed down to her jeans, which he quickly unfastened. His tongue slowly licked around one plump nipple before drawing the taut bud into his mouth while his hands slipped beneath the lace of her panties to cup the sweet curve of her bottom. She gasped and arched her back, offering him more, an invitation he instantly accepted. While his lips and tongue laved and teased her breasts, he pushed the denim and her underwear over her hips. Licking a trail down the center of her torso, he lowered himself to his knees, bringing her jeans down with him. He helped her step out of her clothes, removed her socks then looked up the long, curvy length of her gorgeous body, into her eyes that glittered with arousal.

  Reaching up, he teased her taut nipples, still damp from his mouth. She moaned and combed her fingers through his hair, arching into his touch. Pressing his face against her belly, he traced the tip of his tongue around the indent of her navel. He breathed deep and the musk of her arousal invaded his senses, making his head reel. His hands cruised down to her hips and he urged her down, until she sat on the bed, then ran one hand up her body and gently pressed her back until she leaned on her elbows.

  Grasping her knees, he spread her legs, wide, his avid gaze drinking in the sight of her glistening sex. He slipped his hands beneath her and dragged her closer, setting her thighs over his shoulders. Leaning forward, he gave her slick folds a long, lazy lick.

  “Eric…” His whispered name ended on a feminine sigh, one that deepened into a groan when he slipped two fingers inside her and slowly pumped while his lips and tongue pleasured her, licking, teasing, sucking, flicking, swirling.

  His other hand skated up to her breasts and he rolled her taut nipples between his fingers. She lifted her hips, writhing against him, seeking more, her breaths quickening into erratic puffs. He felt her body tensing, her arousal tightening, until with a sharp cry she came. With tremors still shuddering through her, he slipped a third finger into her wet heat and drew her clitoris into his mouth. She gasped and arched her back as she peaked again.

  This time when the tremors subsided, he kissed his way up her body, then shifted her higher on the mattress. When he rose to his knees, intending to strip off his shirt, she leaned up on her elbows and shook her head.

  “Oh, no,” she whispered, her eyes glittering. “Now it’s my turn. Stand up.”

  He shot a glance down at the bulge in his jeans. “Already done.”

  Her gaze followed his and she licked her lips, a gesture that did nothing whatsoever to calm him. “I meant on your feet.”

  After he obeyed, she rose from the bed to stand in front of him then grabbed the

  ends of his sweater and drew it upward. He raised his arms to help and by the time he’d dropped the garment to the floor, she’d unfastened his jeans. Dark need slithered through him at the knowledge that she clearly felt the same stabbing need as he.

  Easing her fingers beneath his waistband, she pushed the denim and his boxer briefs down his hips, freeing his straining erection. His sigh of relief turned into a long groan when she instantly dropped to her knees and drew him fully into her mouth. No preliminaries, no te
asing caresses, just a sudden, unexpected, deep wet engulfment.

  A jolt of hot pleasure sizzled through him, and with a groan, he looked down and feasted his eyes on the erotic sight of Jess’s plump lips gliding over him. Her tongue swirled, dragging a deep growl from his throat, while her hands, damn, her hands were everywhere. Dipping into the crease between his thighs. Cupping him. Teasing him. Trailing up and down the backs of his legs, over and around his hips. He sifted his fingers through her mass of shiny disarrayed curls and watched her lean back, until her lips only surrounded the head of his penis. The silky stimulation of her circling tongue and clever, magic hands drove him quickly to the brink of detonation.

  “I won’t last much longer if you keep that up,” he managed to say between ragged breaths.

  Instead of stopping, she made a low, rumbling sound of approval and once again drew him in deep. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, shuddering as she repeated that long, slow, slick glide, again and again, until he was mindless. He held off coming by sheer will, but each erotic draw of her mouth, each long lick, each flick of her tongue pushed him closer to the edge. And when he went over, he wanted her with him. Wanted to feel all of her wrapped around him. Wanted to watch her come.

  He gently urged her up then lifted her into his arms. With his gaze locked on hers, he lowered her to the bed and followed her down, settling himself between her splayed thighs. He brushed his erection along her silky, wet folds, then entered her in one long, deep stroke. The heat of her body clamped around him, dragging a groan from his chest.

  Gritting his teeth against the intense pleasure, he withdrew nearly all the way from her body, then again sank deep, grinding his hips slowly against hers. He shuddered at the sensation of sinking into her tight, wet sheath, then withdrawing, again, again, the erotically slick friction jolting pleasure to his every nerve ending. His thrusts quickened, deepened, each one propelling him closer to the edge. Jess wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper, countering each thrust, her fingers digging into his tense shoulders. The instant she arched beneath him, he let himself go, burying his face in the soft curve of her neck and pouring himself into her, each hot pulse of pleasure ripping a harsh groan from his throat.

  When his heart rate returned to something resembling normal, he kissed the soft skin behind her ear then lifted his head. She slowly blinked and he looked into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. And as happened every time he did, he fell in love all over again. “That’s the way it should be between us. Always.”

  “Yes.” Her fingers sifted through the hair at his nape, shooting a tingle down his spine. “I feel soooo much better.”

  “Me, too. Your fault.”

  One corner of her mouth twitched. “You know, I owed you one—”

  “Consider yourself paid in full. I think steam actually pumped from my pores.”

  “Good to know. But as far as any weekend getaway score-keeping goes, I’m still ahead three orgasms to one. Which means I now owe you two.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  She shot him a mock severe look. “At this rate I’ll never even the score. You need to keep your hands to yourself and allow a girl to pay her debts.”

  “No can do,” he said, running one hand up her torso to palm her breast and brush his thumb over the velvety tip. “Those thirty-two days damn near killed me. Never again. Besides, you’re way too touchable. Even if I start out with good intentions, I’ll soon be defeated.”

  “Hmmm. We’ll just have to do something about that—and I know just the thing.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “It’s a surprise.” She waggled her brows. “To go along with another surprise I have planned for you.”

  “Perfect. Because I have a surprise for you, too. One that involves a bottle of champagne and a picnic in front of the fire.”

  She lightly pinched his butt and rolled her eyes. “Way to ruin my surprise.”

  He smiled into her shining eyes, and she grinned back, creasing the dimples in her cheeks that he loved. This is the way he loved seeing her. Smiling. Happy. Relaxed. Eyes filled with love and mischief. Not with her face tearstained, eyes bleak, looking sad, weary and defeated as she had when he entered the cabin. Seeing her like that made him feel as if he had a hole in his heart, and it was something he intended to do his damnedest never to see again.

  After dropping a quick kiss to each shallow indent, he eased off her and stood. Holding out his hand, he said, “Why don’t you hop in the shower while I get the fire going? I’ll join you in a minute. Help you wash your back.”

  “Just my back?”

  “For starters.”

  “Are you trying to make me say yes?”

  “Absolutely. Is it working?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They exchanged a light kiss, then he watched her head toward the bathroom. Whew. No doubt about it, the woman had the sexiest, most incredible walk he’d ever seen. If there was an Olympic medal for Most Scrumptious Ass, Jess would bring home the gold.

  Feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks, he quickly got the fire going, then pulled his picnic supplies from his gym bag—blanket, which he spread before the hearth, bottle of champagne, which he popped into the cabin’s already filled ice bucket, plus the assortment of goodies he’d brought from the restaurant. Satisfied, he headed toward the bathroom where he heard the shower running and Jess singing. A grin tugged his lips. Just another quirky thing to love about her—the woman was completely tone-deaf. I’ll have to sing the lullabies to our kids. He was fond of teasing her. You can sing to them if we’re mad at them.

  Kids…just another bright spot shining in his future with Jess, and something he’d never been able to see clearly with any other woman. But looking into Jess’s eyes, he saw it all and a few years down the road, after they’d settled into married life, they planned to start a family. Two, maybe three kids. She was going to be an absolutely fantastic mom.

  She hit a particularly bad note and a half groan, half laugh escaped him. Yikes. He needed to get into that shower and give her something else to do besides sing before the people in the other cabins called the main lodge to complain.

  Heh, heh, heh. He knew just the thing to keep her occupied.

  Smiling, he’d just started toward the bathroom when the phone rang. He shot a frown at the instrument and gave himself a mental slap for not requesting that all calls go straight to voice mail. If this was anyone other than Helen or Roland Krause calling to check on their accommodations, he was going to be seriously pissed off. It sure as hell had better not be one of his sisters or Jess’s family. He reached the phone in three quick strides and snatched up the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Eric, it’s Kelley. I wanted to tell you—”

  “Hold it right there. Is anyone bleeding?”

  “No, but—”

  “Anyone on their way to the hospital?”

  “No.”

  “Then I don’t want—”

  “But that’s the point, Eric. No one’s on their way anywhere. With the severity of this storm, travel conditions are hazardous and getting worse. The airport has canceled all flights and most of the secondary roadways are already virtually closed. There’s also been a ten-car pileup on the interstate.”

  She made a short, impatient sound, then continued. “So the bad news is I’m stuck. Here. At the Happy Wedding Lodge. Yippee. I just finished registering and I’m in cabin number twelve—two down from yours. And before you complain about it, just know that I’m not any happier about this than you are. Based on the weather reports coming in, I’ll probably be stuck here all day tomorrow and maybe Monday as well.”

  “Is there any good news?”

  “Nope. In fact, it just gets worse. In case you haven’t connected the dots yet, this means that Carol and Marc are stuck here, too.”

  Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn. His and Jess’s romantic getaway plans were sinking faster than a bowlin
g ball tossed into Mirror Lake. “You’re right. That’s worse.”

  “And just to put a cherry on top of this crappy snow-covered dessert, I just dropped fifty bucks in the lodge gift shop on essentials.”

  “What essentials? Your cabin should have all the shampoo-type basics.”

  “Chocolate. Chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, chocolate-covered pretzels, dark chocolate fudge and homemade triple-chocolate brownies. If ever there was a time that required chocolate, this disastrous outing is it.”

  He frowned. “I thought chocolate was your cure for man problems.”

  A few beats of silence followed his words. Then she gave a quick laugh that sounded somewhat forced. “Man problems, wedding problems, family problems—chocolate helps solve them all. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’m here. I’ll try to keep out of your hair, but with so many plans to finalize and me being trapped here, the effort is really going to cost me.”

  “Well, bite the bullet. Cover your mouth with duct tape if necessary. I love you, kiddo, but I really don’t want to hear from you.”

  “I know. And I love you, too. Most of the time. I’ll just feed my chocolate addiction and try not to cave and call you.” Her voice softened. “I know I can be a little…”

  “Overbearing?” he supplied in a teasing tone.

  She laughed. “Yeah. Sometimes. But believe it or not, I only want you happy. And Jessica, too.”

  “I know.”

  “I already said this at the lodge, but I’m sorry Jessica got so upset. I’ll put on my halo and say that the fault was mostly Carol’s, but I can see I didn’t help matters. When it comes to overbearing, that woman makes me look like a preschooler.” She hesitated. “And speaking of overbearing…how did things go at the bar with Marc?”

  “I think ‘overprotective’ describes him better. Culling him from the Hayden brother herd was…enlightening. I think he may actually be human.”

  “Oh? Are you saying you…like him?”

  “Like might be a bit too strong a word at this point, but I do think he’s a decent, hardworking guy who cares about his family. Obviously he’s misguided where I’m concerned, but as much as that irks me, it stems out of love for his sister, and being a brother, I can relate. I don’t agree with him, but our conversation gave me some hope that things might turn around.”