A Knight Before Christmas

by Alicia Dean

"Oh, please, oh, God, Heath, yes, please," she muttered as

  he brought his free hand up to give her opposite nipple a

  gentle twist.

  It took all his will power to step back and away. But he

  wanted to look at her. Wanted to see the vision that made his

  dreams seem pitiful and colorless. He shoved the nightshirt

  off her shoulders. His gaze tracked its tumble to her feet,

  where it gathered in a pool of ivory. One crimson toe darted

  out to kick the shirt aside.

  Long, lithe legs led to a flat belly and a waist narrow

  enough he could span his hands around it. He nearly cried out

  when he saw the tiny wisp of black panties that contrasted

  against her honeyed skin. He reached out, traced the

  minuscule strap of elastic, and slipped a solitary finger

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  beneath the scrap of silk. One touch, and moisture met his

  fingertip. Heat soaked into his hand.

  Her hips ground into his palm, and Heath choked back a

  groan. At this rate, he'd never get the chance to savor her.

  The jagged catch of her breath, the demanding press of her

  body, said she was racing right along with him. If he waited

  much longer, he'd beat her to that cataclysmic finish. And by

  all that was holy, he didn't intend to turn tonight into an

  embarrassment he'd never forget.

  Withdrawing his hand, he cupped her cheek and sought

  her mouth once more. But Nicolette evaded his kiss.

  Scattering feather-light kisses across his chest, she worked

  his jeans down his thighs. The wash of cool air as she did the

  same with his briefs sent a shiver rolling down his spine. His

  erection bobbed against his abdomen, and then warmth

  flooded into his veins as her fingers closed around him.

  "Baby," he gasped. "You've got to—" His words caught as

  she slid a cool palm down the length of his erection.

  "Got to?" she teased, the hint of a smile playing at her lips.

  She lifted to tiptoe, mindless of the havoc she was working on

  his senses, and her teeth grazed the side of his neck. "What—

  stop?" Trailing the tip of her tongue to the lobe of his ear, she

  whispered, "I don't intend to stop. I want to feel you deep

  inside me. I've wanted this for too long."

  Christ! How was a man supposed to say no to that? Or

  hell, hesitate for that matter? On a hoarse groan, he scooped

  her up and carried her the few steps to the bed. He tumbled

  into the covers with her, blanketing her with his body. A

  shudder ran through him at the enormity of this moment. At

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  what was about to happen. For several heavy heartbeats, he

  held her gaze, questioning her in silence. Was this right?

  Would the friendship they'd built over the years fall into ruin?

  Was tonight what she really wanted?

  When she slid her hand to the back of his neck, and drew

  him into a hungry kiss, he found all the answers he needed.

  Nicolette's entire body trembled. Blood hummed through

  her veins like a live current. She wanted to scream at him,

  "Hurry, please, please hurry." But the heady sensation of his

  skin against hers made her want to hold on and treasure this

  fleeting moment for a lifetime.

  His large, warm hands roamed over her body, now covered

  by only her panties. His confident touch, his inquisitive

  fingers, stoked her desire to intolerable limits. Her skin felt

  aflame, like at any minute she might combust. He dipped his

  head down and latched onto a nipple once more, his tongue

  doing those delicious things he'd done moments before. She

  arched off the bed, biting her teeth into her lower lip to

  silence a cry. Swear to God, just that velvety brush was

  nearly enough to make her orgasm.

  His hand moved between them, skated down her stomach,

  and her entire body tensed with anticipation. Please. The

  thought ricocheted through her head.

  His fingers brushed over her panties, then moved to the

  thin band at one leg. She shimmied her hips, helping him as

  he pushed the garment down her legs. When it caught on her

  ankle, she kicked it onto the floor with a shake of her leg.

  Cool air puffed over her skin, and then heat infused her. He

  cupped her feminine flesh and slipped a finger inside. Slow

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  caresses stirred her growing need. Parting her legs to give

  him more room, she closed her eyes and murmured, "Yes."

  What she thought was heaven, turned into unimaginable

  bliss as the moist heat of his mouth replaced the warmth of

  his hand. She arched off the bed, her fingers digging into his

  shoulders as sparks of light lit behind her eyes. His tongue

  teased and taunted, taking her up higher, lifting her to a

  plateau she'd never known before. Feeling intensified, built

  until it exploded and robbed her of all thought.

  "Oh God," she cried as release rocked through her. Her

  nails bit into his skin, and she held on as something deep

  inside fractured into pieces. She was afraid if she let go, she

  might splinter right along with it.

  As sensation ebbed, and she spiraled down from the

  heights of sensation, she opened her eyes to look at Heath.

  The strong lines of his face hardened with his effort at control.

  His breath came in hard gasps that matched hers. But the

  intensity that gleamed in his golden eyes stirred a feeling so

  unique she shuddered. Even Rudy, in all the times they'd

  been together, had never looked at her with such blatant

  appreciation. Heath made her feel womanly. Protected.

  Cherished.

  "Nicolette..."

  He closed his eyes on a deep breath. When he opened

  them again, he'd tempered some of that feral gleam, but it

  lingered just beneath the surface. Appeared in the rigidness

  of his shoulders. She let him go and tumbled back into the

  bed, watching all those fantastic muscles bunch and pull as

  he shucked his boxers, then positioned himself over her.

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  Bracing his hands on both sides of her shoulders, his gaze

  searched her face. In slow motion, he lowered his head.

  Touched his lips to hers. As his body melded against hers, he

  deepened the kiss, exposing her to the full onslaught of his

  fierce emotions. Hungry and possessive, his mouth demanded

  her full response, and Nicolette gave without hesitation.

  His erection pressed against her, and she shifted to better

  accommodate him. In one breath-stealing thrust, he slid in

  deep. Nicolette cried out, but Heath swallowed the sound, his

  own cry vibrating between them. His hips retreated for a brief

  moment, then he plunged in deep. And then they moved as

  one. In sync, as if they'd done this their whole lives. No

  fumbling. No struggle over who would give pleasure and who

  would receive. The perfect dance of their bodies, the


  instinctual rhythm, defied the bliss of any practiced act.

  Wholly natural. As if their very thoughts blended in the same

  spectacular fashion.

  Heath tore his lips away from hers. "I'm going to come,"

  he growled.

  "Yes. Please."

  "I want you to," he gasped between words, holding back.

  "No, please, I need to feel it, please." And she did. Before

  she could fully succumb to the vulnerability Heath exposed,

  she needed him to give her courage. To tell her without words

  he'd be there to catch her.

  "Come with me," he murmured against her mouth.

  That was all the encouragement Nicolette needed. She

  shoved her hips upward, grinding her pelvis against him as

  Heath thrust in deep and hard. His arms came around her,

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  lifting her close as his body tensed. An orgasm raced through

  her body, blending with the trembling of his. In time with his

  ragged gasp, she called out his name.

  Surely Heath had died and gone to heaven. Burying deep

  into Nicolette's soft warmth was the single best feeling he'd

  ever had. He pumped once, then twice, and the blood from

  his body rushed to his groin as he exploded inside her. She

  gripped his hips with her knees, taking all of him in as he

  poured into her like he'd never stop. Finally, the last of the

  spasms shook him and he collapsed, using his elbows to keep

  most of his weight off her.

  He shifted to lie beside her, holding her soft, warm body

  close. "I can't believe I just scored with Nicolette Brandon,"

  he murmured.

  She laughed softly. "What do you mean by that?"

  "All the guys in college wanted to. We were all jealous of

  Rudy. Now, I finally got to."

  "So," she lifted up on an elbow to look down at him, "how

  was it?"

  "Better than I ever dreamed."

  She smiled and bent to give him a long, sensuous kiss.

  "Right answer."

  He laughed. They lay for a moment, talking in the dark

  and Heath was close to drifting off when he felt her move.

  He opened his eyes as she climbed out of bed, searching

  the floor for her clothing.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I'm going back home."

  "You're not staying?"

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  She paused and turned to him, holding the sleep shirt one

  of them had tossed to the floor. "I can't stay over here with

  you, all night."

  "Why not?"

  Shrugging, she turned away and pulled the nightshirt on.

  "People will talk. Word might get back to the authorities."

  "Who the hell's gonna talk? We're the only ones here."

  "I don't know." She stood and looked at him beseechingly,

  begging him with her eyes to understand. "I'm just not sure

  what might happen. I can't take the chance."

  He nodded, although he wasn't completely certain he

  understood. Without another word, she slipped back through

  the door. He threw an arm across his forehead and stared

  unseeing at the ceiling. His heart felt heavy, and he already

  missed her warmth. A frustrated groan issued from his lips.

  What kind of man did it make him that, even after

  incredible sex, what he really wanted was to hold her while

  she fell asleep?

  Heath slowly opened his eyes and squinted against the

  shaft of sunlight coming from the bottom of the window

  where the shades weren't completely pulled down. He looked

  beside him, at the empty spot where Nicolette had briefly

  lain. Her scent was still there and he just barely stopped

  himself from burying his nose into her pillow. His groin stirred

  just thinking about her, and he growled in frustration. Fool.

  Loser. Love-sick asshole.

  Luckiest man alive.

  He had, after all, made love to Nicolette last night. Even

  though it had meant more to him than it had to her, even

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  though he was the one who'd spent fifteen years dreaming of

  doing that very thing, he wouldn't let it mar his happiness. No

  matter what happened from this day forward, he now knew

  what it felt like to kiss those lips, to share that intimate,

  timeless dance. To physically possess the woman he'd only

  had in his fantasies up to now.

  For Christ's sake. He did sound pathetic. He shook his

  head and threw back the covers, heading to the shower, not

  able to erase the goofy smile he knew must be plastered on

  his face.

  He was drying off when a knock sounded at the adjoining

  door. His groin tightened and heated. The last time she'd

  knocked...

  Get hold of yourself, man. He threw a towel around his

  waist and went to the door. He wanted to jerk it open and pull

  her into his arms for a repeat of last night, but he had no idea

  how she felt about what had transpired between them, and

  he wasn't going to rush things. Wasn't going to blow it with

  Nicolette. Whatever it was.

  "Heath?" Nicolette said through the closed door. "You up? I

  made breakfast and coffee. Come on over if you'd like."

  He grinned. "I'd like. Let me throw some clothes on, I'll be

  right there."

  There was a pause before she responded, her voice light

  and sounding almost as goofy as he felt. "Sure. Great. I'll see

  you in a minute."

  He had a feeling she'd considered telling him not to bother

  with the clothes, but maybe he was reading too much into her

  hesitation and upbeat tone.

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  When he'd dressed, he went through the door and found

  Nicolette in the kitchen.

  She turned and gave him a shy smile, and her eyes told

  him things were still cool between them. Impulsively, he

  walked over and planted a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled

  and handed him a cup of coffee.

  This felt good. Felt right. Like an old married couple

  sharing their morning.

  Except, they hadn't shared a bed. He had to remember

  that. Just because they'd made love and she was making him

  breakfast, didn't mean they could suddenly step into a life of

  happily ever after. Nope. Lots of obstacles still stood in their

  way. The main one being, judging from her flight last night,

  Nicolette apparently didn't want any more than sexual

  satisfaction.

  He took a sip of the coffee and watched over the rim as

  she scooped pancakes onto a plate. She was already dressed,

  and her faded jeans hugged her bottom like an old glove. It

  made him think of the night before, when his hands had

  cupped that same delectable bottom.

  Yep. Sexual satisfaction wasn't exactly a bad thing.

  She joined him at the table, placing a stack of pancakes in

  front of each of them. He noticed her stack was as high as

  his, and he hid a smile. Apparently, she'd worked up an

  appetite last n
ight.

  She reached for a jar of peanut butter. He frowned as she

  knifed out a dollop and spread some on each of the pancakes,

  lifting them one at a time with her fingers.

  "You eat peanut butter on your pancakes?" he asked.

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  "Sure. Don't you?"

  "No. I've never thought about that. I use syrup."

  She grinned and picked up the bottle of maple syrup,

  tilting it until the cakes swam in the brownish liquid. "Me,

  too."

  He laughed. "Okay. I'm game."

  He spread peanut butter on his pancakes and added the

  syrup as she had. The combination was surprisingly delicious.

  They ate in silence, washing their breakfast down with ice

  cold milk, until his plate was empty and hers nearly was.

  She dropped her fork and pushed back from the table.

  "Stuffed," she groaned.

  "Me, too. That was a great breakfast. Thanks."

  "No problem. Just pancakes from an add-water mix. I'm

  not exactly Julia Child."

  "Still. They really hit the spot." He stood and refilled his

  coffee cup, then took a gulp of the hot, strong brew. "And the

  coffee's great. Strong, just like I like it."

  "Strong coffee and now peanut butter on pancakes. Guess

  we have something in common."

  She rose from her chair, and he put the mug down. He

  took her hand and tugged her to him. "After last night, I feel

  like we have tons in common."

  She smiled and relaxed against him. Reaching up, she

  cupped his face in her hands. "That, my friend, was the best

  of all."

  He grinned, trying not to let the emphasis she put on

  'friend' stab him too hard. "You mean the sex was better than

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  strong coffee and peanut butter pancakes? Geez. I'm

  touched."

  Still holding his face, she planted another kiss on his lips.

  "You should be. Up to now, very few things topped those."

  Her eyes lost their mischievous glint, and her mouth turned

  down in a frown. "Are we okay? I mean, after last night..."

  "I don't know about you, but I'm more than okay. Last

  night was the most amazing night of my life."

  Her lips tilted in pleasure. "Yeah?"

  "Oh, yeah. Want me to show you how much I mean that?"

  She laughed breathlessly and pulled back. "Although I