It Must Be Christmas: Three Holiday Stories

His breathing grew ragged, all from her simple touch. It amazed her that she had that sort of effect on him, and it fed her female vanity.

“You drive me crazy,” he said, sliding his lips over her cheek and pulling her earlobe into his mouth. When making out in the kitchen was no longer enough, he wrenched his mouth from hers and picked her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing.

Swoon-worthy. The guy had gone into total alpha mode and she loved it. She linked her arms around his neck and let him carry her down the hall to his bedroom.

“You took the ‘sweep me away’ thing seriously,” she said softly, looking up at him as he laid her gently on the bed.

“I’m just getting started,” he answered, flicking on the bedside lamp, reaching into the night table drawer for a condom.

Oh God. They were really doing this. And she was going to get to enjoy that body, have it all to herself. What a giddy thought.

Dave sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her. She sat up and moved into his arms, losing herself in the feeling of having him surround her. He gently pulled the elastic from her hair and sank his hands into the heavy mass of it, pulling her head back as he undid the braid, the weight of it falling over her shoulders. With her head tipped back, he took full advantage and dipped his head, running his tongue over the sensitive flesh of her neck. When his fingers slid from her hair and traced a gentle path down the side of her face, goose bumps broke out over her skin.

“You’re sure?” he asked, and she loved the way his gaze searched her face. Hungry, but not reckless. She was hungry too. Hungry for him.

“I’m sure.” Slowly, she reached for the buttons of her shirt. One by one she undid them, slipping them from the buttonholes, pulling the tails out of her trousers. Dave took over then, pushing the soft fabric off her shoulders until she was sitting before him in her bra. She was doubly glad she’d worn the black one today, with the scalloped lace around the edges. Right now she realized the push-up padding wasn’t necessary. Her breasts strained against the material, the peaks hard and pointed in anticipation of his touch.

“Wow.” His grin slipped sideways, teasing her. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

“Likewise,” she answered, and this time he pushed her back into the comforter and she got to feel the heat of his skin pressed against hers. She was pretty sure it was the most erotic feeling on earth, this skin-to-skin thing.

He reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra with one hand, then pulled it down her arms and dropped it on the floor. “It’s pretty,” he murmured. “But not as pretty as this.” He cupped a breast in his hand and then let his mouth follow.

She was going to die, she was sure of it. But if this is what it felt like, she was totally okay with it. When he licked her nipple, a moan slid from her throat.

After that everything seemed to speed up. Hands hurried, stripping off the last of the clothing, scattering it on the floor until they were both naked on the bed. His hands and mouth seemed to be everywhere, igniting her senses until her whole body was on fire. Charlie reached out and took him in her fingers and he groaned. “We need to slow down,” he said, his breath hot in her ear. “Or I swear to God it’s going to be over before it gets started.”

She giggled with the sheer elation of pure feminine power.

He reached for the condom. “You’re prepared.” Her heart hammered against her ribs. This was where all the foreplay was leading. To him. Inside her. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted to grab the packet, rip the foil, and get on with it. Never in her life had she felt this pounding need for fulfillment.

“After what happened at your place … I wasn’t going to take any chances. I knew this day was coming.”

She watched, intrigued, as he took care of putting it on. Then all she could do was lose herself in the overwhelming sensations of being completely and thoroughly pleasured by a lover, once, twice, and a third time that left her so weak and sated she could barely move. Then, and only then, did he release the hold on his control, growling her name as he pushed her up the bed until she felt the headboard against her skull.

Moments later, the harsh sounds of their breathing began to temper and the sweat on their bodies cooled. Charlie lay on her side, looking over at him, marveling that they’d just done everything they’d done.

There’d been no choice to make once he’d touched her. She’d been incapable of stopping. They had simply lost themselves in each other. He’d possessed every square inch of her body and now she felt gloriously limp in the afterglow.

Then she heard it … a low, satisfied chuckle that reached in and warmed her from the inside out.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, unable to keep the smile from her face.

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