Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
I let it go on and on until I need to take charge, until I need to taste Holly myself.
She makes a soft sound of protest when I firmly push her shoulders and a pout plumps her lips.
“I’m not finished.”
“You’re finished,” I say gruffly. Flipping her on her back I take a second to enjoy the view of her body. Running my hands down her sides to follow the curve of her narrow waist to where it flares out to her soft hips, I grip her flesh and spread her legs.
Her murmur of approval quickly evolves into a cry of arousal when I press my lips to her clit. Then it’s my turn to use my tongue to torment her. She’s uninhibited in her response, opening farther for me and tangling her fingers into my hair, pressing me closer.
“Luke.”
The way she says my name makes me want to work harder, makes me want to give her everything she desires. Makes me want to forget my conviction to remain a bachelor and try to become a better man not just for my family, but for this woman.
When she has an orgasm, it’s beautiful to feel, to hear, to see.
Once she quiets, her back sinking down onto the mat, I shift up and join us. I pause, wanting to savor her, to enjoy the feel of her wrapped around my cock, to appreciate and remember the light pressure of her nails into my back. I stare down at her, locking my gaze with hers.
Then I move, taking her in a hard, steady rhythm.
Our moans are in sync, her hips rising to meet me.
Restraining myself until she shatters, her eyes flying wide, her lips parting, I drink it all in, the flush of her cheeks, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, and the way she pulls me in, closer to her.
When I explode, I know I’m in some serious trouble.
I’ve walked away from a lot of things in my life, sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity.
It’s going to be hell to walk away from Holly.
I fall next to her with a satisfied sigh. I need to keep touching her, so I place my hand on her stomach and stroke the underside of her breast.
“We’re a mess,” she whispers, then giggles.
“The whipped cream was a stroke of genius,” I say, meaning that really damn sincerely. “Worth the mess.”
She turns on her side so that she’s facing me. I cup her cheek and kiss her.
Holly is searching my face, studying me. But she doesn’t say anything. She just nods, as if she’s satisfied by what she sees, and then lays down with a little hum of pleasure. I take my jacket and wrap it around her before covering us both with my shirt. The fire is warm enough that I don’t feel the cold, not with Holly’s body warm against mine.
Within a minute, she’s asleep.
I stare at her, I stare at the fire. The ceiling. I try to stare into my soul, but it’s empty. Or maybe it’s just dark in there.
Maybe when the sun rises…
Eventually, I close my eyes and assume sleep will arrive at some point before morning. And maybe I’ll be visited by one of the ghosts of Christmas, whichever one will show me what to do with this woman who’s well on her way to owning my heart.
Chapter Ten
HOLLY
There’s a loud banging happening somewhere and not the good kind.
I pry my eyes open, my entire body stiff from sleeping on the floor, and groan in protest at the morning light stabbing into my eyes. My nose is cold and my brain frozen, making it impossible to make sense of all the slamming sounds filling the air.
When I attempt to shift out from under the weight of Luke’s hand and arm, he seems to be stuck to me.
Whipped cream.
I smile and turn my head.
And scream.
Elliot Ratcliffe is standing in the lobby’s front door, his mouth gaping open.
Luke jerks awake from my shriek and sits straight up. “What, what’s wrong? Are you okay? It’s not a horror movie?”
Scrambling to ensure Luke’s jacket wrapped around my very naked body, I can only manage to say, “There. Door. Brother,” and point.
“Oh, damn,” Luke’s other brother, Bran, says as he skids to a stop in the entrance behind Elliot, apparently summoned by all the racket.
A head pops up between Elliot and Bran, peering around the doorframe. It’s Misty Sykes, the mayor of Jingle Bell Junction, who lets out a cry of dismay as she takes in the scene.
“Back up, you don’t want to go in there,” Elliot says, turning and spreading his arms like he’s protecting the innocent from a crime scene.
Which it just might be. Luke certainly spent the night murdering my vagina.
Huddling behind Luke’s suit coat, I check again to make sure everything is covered. Then I glance over at Luke and wrinkle my nose. “I guess we’ve been saved. Yay?”