What Happens During the Holidays: A Holiday Anthology

by Lucy Gage

  “Up you go,” he told her at the same time he lifted her so her ass was perched on the edge of the island.

  His fingers made quick work of tugging the clothes down her legs until she was bare to him. Following his lead, she pushed her robe off and pulled the tank top of her head. In the morning light, her body on full display for him, he felt like a kid struggling with early ejaculation. She was a sight to behold. Long fluid curves made for exploration. He would gladly spend the rest of his life and then some taking his time to map each one.

  “Spread your legs,” he instructed her.

  When she did, he leaned forward and ran his tongue along her slit. She squirmed a little when he probed her clit. A quick gasp left her mouth when he sucked it between his lips and tugged.

  His hands ran from her knees up her thighs, pushing her legs even wider to make room for him. When he buried his head and began feasting, she held on to his head for support.

  “Jake,” she shouted, her hand fisting in his hair almost to the point of pain.

  He wanted to tell her to say it again. He really did. But he couldn’t force himself to stop. She tasted too good and he was suddenly starving. So he kept at her—inserting first one finger and then two deep inside her, allowing him to focus his oral attention on her plump clit.

  “Shit… Fuck,” she screamed right before she detonated, coming on a long wail. Her body shook and convulsed under his ministrations and it made him feel like a damn king.

  He clamped his hands on her hips, holding her in place while he gentled his touch and slowly brought her down. When she slumped back, her hands behind her on the counter to hold herself up, he peppered kisses on her inner thighs and then up over her hip, on her stomach, even further north on each nipple—circling a tongue around each before moving on—until he reached her lips.

  She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and he just about came in his boxers. She was dirty when she got into sex. He loved how uninhibited she was with him.

  “I forgot how good I taste on you,” she said right before kissing him.

  The smell of bacon had him pulling away long enough for him to turn the oven off. When he came back to her, she was biting her lip and smirking. She looked so young and carefree in that moment. So much like the girl he fell in love with nearly twenty years before.

  Cupping her head in his hands, he rested his forehead on hers. “I love you so damn much, Sam.”

  She kissed him again, showing him rather than telling him the feeling was mutual. Then her feet hooked in the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down his hips and freeing his length. Her small hand wrapped around him, pumping a few times before guiding him to her opening.

  Breaking the kiss, she placed her mouth next to his ear. While she teased her clit with the head of his cock, she whispered in a husky voice, “You’re the only man who knows how to make me come so hard I see stars. I want you. Inside me. Now.”

  “Fuck,” he said right before he pulled her hips to the edge and slammed into her.

  “Yes,” she cried out. Her head flying back and her nails gripping his shoulders so tightly he figured she would draw blood before they were done.

  With their bodies flush against one another, he thrust in and out of her tight sheath quickly. His intentions of taking this one slow and savoring each moment were out the window. He was too close to the edge to have any finesse. Sam didn’t seem to mind. No, she was right there with him. Her pussy tightening around him like a vise, threatening to pull him under far sooner than he wanted.

  Dragging her so her ass was only half on the island, he used gravity to harden the force of each thrust. Sam’s legs wrapped tightly around him. His thrusts now becoming quick jabs that had her moaning.

  “Fuck, Sam,” he growled when he felt the first signs of her imminent release.

  “God, Jake,” she echoed. Her lips latching on to his neck. Her hold on both his shoulders and his hips tightening.

  “Oh no you don’t,” he told her. “Look in my eyes when you let go. Give me the sparkle.”

  And she did. No sooner did her gorgeous green eyes lock with his, did her pussy seize around his length. Her breath hitching and then stalling as her teeth dug into her bottom lip.

  He had no choice but to let go and follow her into the abyss. She milked every ounce out of him. It was a wonder he was still standing when the dust cleared. With his forehead on hers, he struggled to catch his breath. To catch himself. He’d never felt so at one with anyone other than Sam. It was overwhelming to experience that kind of bond with anyone—where you’re unsure where you start and they begin. He could only pray he was man enough to keep it this time around.

  “I remembered you like ketchup on your eggs.” Setting the ketchup on the table, I took my seat across from Jacob. Picking up my fork, I pushed my scrambled eggs around the plate a little while avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t as if we’d never had sex before. So I wasn’t sure why I was feeling shy and self-conscious all of a sudden.

  “Sam.” His words startled me, so lost in my attempt to hide myself that I didn’t realize I was doing the exact opposite.

  My head rose and I focused on his shoulder. His lean yet muscular shoulder. The one I could see nail marks in.

  Oh God.

  I did that. What the hell was I thinking?

  “You need to get out of your head, baby.” His tone was gentle and my eyes immediately went to his. “This is us. You and me. You don’t have to be nervous around me. And you can tell me anything.”

  “I’m scared,” I blurted out and then clamped my hand on my mouth. I hadn’t meant to admit that.

  “I get that. I’m scared, too. We’ve made a mess of this before and I’m downright terrified one day you’ll walk away from me again. But it’s you and me,” he stressed, “We belong together and we owe it to ourselves to try to make this work.”

  “I scratched you,” I insanely commented.

  He smirked and looked down at his shoulder. “I know.”

  “Who does that?”

  “My sexy as hell woman who becomes a hellcat when I’m making her come.”

  That got a shiver and a twinge between my legs. I squirmed in my seat and he chuckled, so I threw a napkin at him.

  “Stop turning me on!”

  “Oh I plan on turning you on every chance I get, baby, so be prepared.” That rogue grin of his made me laugh and we both knew this freak out was over. I was sure the next one was just around the corner. But Jacob would get me through it. I had to believe that.

  Jacob picked up the ketchup and squirted it on his eggs before digging in. Even the way his jaw muscles moved when he chewed was sexy. And the sensual way his Adams apple bobbed when he swallowed made me want to lick it.

  God, he was turning me into such a hussy again.

  “I thought you’d only use Heinz Ketchup,” he commented. His fork gesturing towards the bottle of generic brand sitting on the table.

  I squirmed again but for an entirely different reason.

  Money.

  No one liked to discuss it.

  Jacob waited.

  I stewed under his detective stare.

  Jacob waited some more.

  I finally cracked.

  “I’m a single mother,” I practically shouted. “Name brand went out the window when I took that title on.”

  “Whoa, whoa! Okay. No big deal. Just wondering.” He looked thoughtfully at me and just when I was about to snap at him to stop, he went back to his food.

  Crisis averted.

  We were in the last stages of tidying up the kitchen when I finally decided to say the words that had almost left my mouth all through breakfast.

  “You need to meet my daughter, Tessa.”

  Jacob stilled—the antibacterial cloth he was using to scrub the countertop clean where he fucked me earlier that morning dangling from his hand—and gave me a blank look.

  “What?” I squeaked, on t
he verge of another freak out. Had I ruined things already with my suggestion? I really hoped not, because I was all in on this one and he needed to be, too. Tessa and I were a package deal.

  He set the cloth down and began to stalk me. I retreated until my back hit the fridge. It was then his arms caged me in and he leaned into me. Our noses touching. His eyes heated.

  “I’ve been wondering when you were going to give me that. That last special piece of you. Been praying I wouldn’t have to push it.”

  “Jake,” I whispered. My throat suddenly clogged. Tears welling behind my eyes.

  “I love you, Sam. I love you and I already love that little girl. I want us to be a family.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I don’t know if you know this, but I saw Michelle the day Tessa was born. Thought maybe her being born early meant she was mine. When I saw a picture of her, it damn near broke my heart in two that she looked just like Aiden.”

  It was then the tears began to leak down my cheeks. I had no idea my best friend, Michelle, had seen him. She never told me. Probably because she didn’t want to open up that wound. Especially if Jacob had told her what he just told me.

  “Tonight,” I croaked out. There was no sense in waiting to start our happily ever after. The sooner we were all together, the better. Tessa was going to love Jacob. There was no way she wouldn’t. She was her momma’s girl.

  “Tonight,” he agreed. “Now, turn around and put your hands on the fridge.”

  His order had all my girl parts standing at attention.

  “What are you going to do?” I breathed.

  “First, I’m going to frisk you. Then we’re going to see if you’re still as spectacular with your mouth as I remember. Any objections?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  When I did as I was told, he set about to frisking me.

  And when it was my turn to touch and taste, he learned I only got better with age.

  Jacob Matthews wiped a sweaty palm on his jeans before knocking on Sam’s door. His heart was pounding harder than normal and he was having trouble swallowing. I guess you could say he was a little nervous. Understandably so since he was meeting the pint size tyke that owned Sam’s heart. It was essentially a make or break type of situation. If Tessa didn’t like him, everything would go south and he wasn’t ready to face that possibility.

  The door swung open and his breath was taken away once again from the beauty that was Sam. He would never tire of her. Of that he was positive.

  As soon as she smiled at him, all his nerves seemed to ease. He knew right then that everything would be okay because they were a team. They’d find a way to make things work. Having gone through losing one another, they knew what was at stake if they ever took this thing between them for granted.

  “Hey,” she breathed and gestured for him to come into the house.

  She took his coat and hung it up while he removed his boots. When he picked up the package he had brought with him, she eyed it suspiciously.

  “It’s for Tessa,” he explained.

  “You didn’t need to get her anything,” she reminded him.

  Before he left earlier that day, she had made him promise he wouldn’t try to buy her daughter’s affections. She wanted their introduction to be organic, whatever that meant.

  What Sam seemed to be forgetting though was that he had two nieces so he knew what little girls liked. Besides, Tessa was far too young to be bribed.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Fine,” she reluctantly conceded.

  “Where is she?”

  “In the living room watching Daniel Tiger.”

  “Who’s Daniel Tiger?” It had been a minute since Candace and Grace were Tessa’s age so he was definitely out of touch with children’s programming.

  “It’s like the modern day Mr. Rogers. Drives me insane but it keeps her preoccupied.”

  “Ah, gotcha.”

  Sam led him into the living room where he saw the cutest little thing staring raptly at the television. With her curly blonde hair in a halo around her head, she looked like a tiny angel.

  “Tessa,” Sam called and the girl turned towards her with a giant smile on her face. It was just as beautiful as her mother’s.

  “Momma,” she said in an endearing high pitched cadence and right then and there Jacob was a goner for her.

  “Come here, sweetie.”

  The girl ran to her with a little giggle and jumped into her arms, clearly excited that she was now with her mother. His eyes burned as he watched unconditional love at its finest. And he felt a twinge of sadness that he hadn’t been able to give this to her.

  From over Sam’s shoulder the little girl spied him. She eyed him curiously with her big blue eyes.

  “Hi,” he told her with a smile.

  She studied him for several moments before smiling back. That’s when he figured it was time to show her the present he brought.

  Taking the package, he knelt next to Sam and held it out for Tessa. She appraised it, unsure of what to do with it. Just as she seemed to not know what to do with this new stranger.

  “Let’s open it.” Sam set her on the floor and placed the gift in front of her. She began tearing a corner of the wrapping paper. Tessa quickly picked up on what to do and began grabbing it herself.

  “Bahbay,” she screamed with delight when she finally unearthed her prize.

  Jacob made quick work of getting the doll out of the package—not exactly easy with all the clips and ties they put on them these days. When he handed it to the girl, her eyes lit up and she hugged the doll to her chest.

  “I think it’s safe to say she likes it,” Sam noted with a shake of her head.

  Tessa stood and walked the few feet to where he sat on the carpet watching her. She held out the doll to him and shouted, “Bahbay!”

  He laughed, but quickly sobered when she plopped herself in his lap and put the baby to his lips for a kiss. “Mmmmm muah!” She mimicked the sound of a kiss and then giggled.

  His eyes sought out Sam’s and he saw she was trying to hold back tears—albeit unsuccessfully.

  “I love you,” she mouthed.

  “Marry me,” he mouthed back.

  Her face showed her astonishment, but she didn’t get to answer because Tessa was demanding her attention. It was okay though. He’d waited this long for her. He’d wait a little while more.

  “All girls like me.”

  I shook my head as Jacob sung his own praises after my daughter took to him like a fish takes to water. I still couldn’t believe she wanted him to help put her bear to bed. Part of me was a little sad since that was our thing, but I chose not to focus on the sting. Tessa and Jacob had to forge a relationship, which meant I was going to have to share her.

  “So you say,” I teased.

  We were on the couch, an empty wine glass and beer bottle in front of us. My head was on Jacob’s lap and his fingers were running through my hair. A fire was lit and I was wiped. A night full of sex coupled with a toddler will do that to you.

  “I have money, Sam. Lots of it, actually.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

  “So no more generic brand shit. You buy whatever you want and I’ll take care of it. The way I see it, we’ll be living together soon anyway so…”

  “I don’t want to have this conversation right now.” He was killing my mellow vibe and I didn’t care for that one bit.

  “Okay,” he relented. “I’ll say this once though and you’re going to listen. I’m going to take care of you and Tessa and any other blessings that come our way, so you’ll have to get used to not being so damn independent all the time.”

  “Fine,” I snapped, choosing to ignore his alluding to us having more kids.

  I wanted that. Like a lot.

  Jacob thankfully left the subject alone and started rubbing my head again. Eventu
ally, I relaxed and allowed the soothing motion to lull me. It was noble of Jacob to want to care for us and I’d let him—to a degree. I was never going to fully rely on a man again. I had spent the better part of a year learning to stand on my own two feet and be the primary caregiver for my daughter. He’d just have to find a way to deal with that.

  “You keep massaging my scalp, I’m going to fall asleep on you,” I warned.

  “That’s okay. I’ll carry you to bed if you do.”

  He was always so sweet. I didn’t have the energy to tell him that though.

  My eyelids were getting heavy, but they sprang open when he said, “I bet you’ll make a beautiful bride.”

  “What?” My heart started racing as my mind remembered the words I thought he had mouthed to me earlier that night. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten.

  “I can just picture it. You in a white gown with flowers in your hair.”

  “Jake,” I whispered.

  “My ring on your finger,” he went on.

  I sat up and with my heart in my throat asked, “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying it doesn’t have to be today. It doesn’t even have to be tomorrow. We’ll do it whenever you’re ready. Just say you’ll marry me.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Never been more sure of anything.”

  “And Aiden?”

  “Will find a way to deal with us being together.”

  “He is sleeping with another architect at his firm… Rocky something or other. I hear she’s a slut.”

  “Then there you go,” he chuckled.

  “I need time,” I told him.

  “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. You tell me whenever you’re ready to take the next steps—whether that’s living together, getting married, whatever. I told you, I’m in this for the long haul.”

  I climbed in his lap and straddled him. Taking his head in my hands, I placed a kiss on his lips before saying, “I love you.”