Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella (14 page)

“So next we need a fire, some wine and the movie,” she said, keeping her tone light.

“Yes, okay. I’ll work on the fire. You find the wine.”

“Great.” Some space would be nice. At the moment, she was pretty equally torn between the urge to just strip and see what he did and the urge to get in her rental car and speed out of town without a look in the rearview mirror. This Christmas wasn’t supposed to be like the others—no heartbreak, no regrets.

The thing was, she was now in too deep to not miss him like crazy when it was over anyway. But she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to work up actual regret about any of this.

Her mind shifted through her thoughts and feelings faster than she could keep up. She went to the fridge, then the cupboards and the pantry but came up empty handed in the wine department.

“All I could find was this jar labeled Booze,” she said, coming back into the living room several minutes later. The glass quart jar was full, the top sealed and a big red ribbon around it with a tag that read “Cranberry”. That sounded Christmassy.

“Booze sounds good to me,” Levi muttered, sitting back on his heels in front of the hearth. He sighed and looked up at her. “The fireplace doesn’t work.”

“Really? That’s weird.” She hid her grin. It was not a gas fireplace. There was no on switch. It was clearly a real wood-burning fireplace and it obviously worked. There were blackened logs in it and tools that were clearly not for show.

Kate was willing to bet that Levi hadn’t ever lit a real fire in his life. Hell, she only knew it was possible because she’d read about it in books and seen it in movies. It wasn’t like the guys she hung out with regularly went around building fires all the time. Nor did any of them have a need to do such a thing.

Levi wasn’t the outdoorsy type and she didn’t care a bit.

Was Travis Bennett sexy in his work boots and gloves? Sure. But Travis would have been sexy in a burlap bag. It was the guy, not what he wore or did that could push Kate’s yum button.

And Levi pushed it. Hard.

Levi was a guy more used to ties than denim, and that was just fine with her. A guy who could fix and build things from scratch with his own two hands was nice. Even sexy in some ways. But she could hire someone to get all of that done.

Give her a guy who could make her laugh, who wanted her to be happy and would do everything he could to make that happen, who could make her tingle right down to her pinky toes and kissed her like he’d never get enough.

She wanted Levi exactly as he was. She didn’t think he was perfect, but she was as interested in his imperfections as she was in everything else.

“There are other ways to keep warm.” She set the Booze down on the coffee table and went to grab a blanket from the seat of the rocking chair.

“I could call Travis,” Levi said. Though he didn’t sound thrilled with the idea. “Maybe he could come over. Or he could send Tucker. I’m sure they know how to light a fire.”

Kate giggled before she could swallow it. She did refrain from saying, I’m sure they can.

Levi narrowed his eyes anyway.

“Sorry,” she said with a grin. “Seriously. It’s fine. Don’t call anyone. We’ve got blankets and body heat. And Booze. It’s all good.”

He was willing to call in another guy to do something he couldn’t. That lack of ego to give her what he thought she wanted was amazing. How could she not want him? She couldn’t remember another time when someone had been so about
her
. Everything growing up had really been about her mom and, at least so far, Kate had consistently chosen men who were pretty into themselves.

Levi got to his feet. “But it’s not perfect.”

Kate turned on the TV, got into the Netflix account and pulled up the movie
Elf
. She stopped it on the opening scene and turned to face him. “It’s not what we planned. But I’m learning that sometimes the stuff we don’t plan
is
perfect.”

It took a second, but finally he smiled and she could tell he’d really heard her. “Okay.”

“And we’ll be plenty warm, because we’re not just going to be watching
Elf
.”

“We’re not?”

“No.” She shook her head and took a step closer to him. “We’re playing a game.”

His eyes darkened slightly and he took a step toward her too. “A game?”

She nodded. “It’s called strip
Elf
.”

Chapter Seven

Levi thought about her answer for all of one second. “I love this game.” He came closer to her and Kate had to tip her head back to look up at him.

She laughed. “Want to know the rules?”

“If it results you in fewer clothes, then it doesn’t matter.”

His voice alone was warming her right up. That low, husky tone made little flares of heat dance along her nerves from head to toe.

“Every time someone in the movie says Santa, I take something off. Every time someone says Christmas, you take something off.”

“Kate,” Levi said, low and husky and hot.

“Yeah?”

“Push play.”

She did.

Within only a few scenes of the movie, they were both down to their underwear and were a third of the way through the jar of cranberry Booze.

Kate didn’t know what was in the stuff for sure, but every drink was like swallowing cranberry-flavored liquid fire.

And still she found herself reaching for the jar again and again.

Levi reached over and hit pause on the movie as Santa was again uttered. It was time for Kate’s bra to come off.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

They were cuddled together on the couch. Between the blanket around them, the Booze and Levi’s hot body, she felt like she was basking in the sun on a beach in Florida. The Booze was probably contributing to her feeling loopy, but she knew that a lot of her warm, fuzzy feelings were about the man next to her.

He shifted so he could see her better, but she tipped over when he moved. He chuckled and put her upright again. “You’re down to panties and bra, and I want to be sure I’m paying complete attention when these come off.”

Kate was adorable when she was a little drunk and laughing at a goofy Christmas movie.

And drinking hot chocolate.

And looking at Christmas trees.

And decorating Christmas trees.

Levi was certain he’d never used the word adorable in his life, even in his own head, and definitely never in regard to a woman he wanted to sleep with.

But Kate really was.

She’d been sitting next to him, nestled against him as if they’d done this a million times. The way she fit against him felt completely natural and he was actually enjoying cuddling for the first time in his life.

But then she’d started getting naked.

They used the word Santa a lot in this movie. Christmas too. He was in only his boxers and feeling warmer and warmer with each article of clothing that ended up on the floor.

Now things were about to get really good.

When Kate tipped over and giggled, he laughed and grabbed her. He moved her onto his lap, straddling his thighs, facing him. It was much like the position they’d been in last night in the truck.

Was that just last night? That couldn’t be right. It felt like they’d been together for a year. In a good way.

“Let’s go, Katie. They said Santa.” His heart was pounding and his mouth was dry.

You’d think he’d never seen a woman’s naked breasts before, the way he was acting.

She held his gaze as she reached behind her. She seemed suddenly completely sober. She unclasped the bra and let it fall down her arms.

He’d felt, tasted and kind-of seen her breasts in the truck, but that was nothing compared to seeing them in full light. They were…perfect. And if he knew nothing else, he knew breasts.

He breathed in and out slowly.

She didn’t shy away. She didn’t blush. She did nothing but sit and let him look for several long moments.

“Hey, Levi,” she finally said softly.

“Yeah?”

“Christmas.”

The word that would require him to remove his boxers. It was cheating. It was supposed to be in the movie. He didn’t care.

He scooted her back off of his lap and stood swiftly, shedding his boxers.

Her gaze was greedy as she took in the sight of him completely naked and fully erect.

Now she was the one breathing in and out slowly, as if trying to gain some self-control.

“Santa,” he said gruffly. “Fucking
Santa
, Kate. Get those panties off.”

There was no protest or hesitation from her. Her thumbs went to the top of her panties, her eyes still on his cock. She wiggled her hips and pushed the scrap of silk to the floor, stepping out of them and moving closer to him.

He reached for his pants and pulled three condoms from the pocket, tossing them onto the coffee table.

She reached for her pants and pulled three candy canes from the pocket, tossing them onto the coffee table beside the condoms.

He groaned.

She went to her knees.

“Kate—”

“Shh,” she told him. “I dreamed about this last night. It woke me up. I had to give myself an orgasm to get back to sleep.”

The breath of air he’d taken jammed in his lungs. Kate had given herself an orgasm last night thinking of him? Right upstairs from where he’d been lying on the couch resisting doing the very same thing thinking of her in the truck, coming apart around his fingers?

She looked up at him from her kneeling position, and Levi bit back a groan. There was very little in the world more erotic than a gorgeous woman on her knees in front of a raging hard-on.

Watching his face, she wrapped her fingers around him.

Pleasure ripped through him. From that one touch. He was probably going to die sometime during this blowjob.

Kate stroked her hand up and down his length, squeezing slightly, running her thumb over the head when at the top and brushing her thumb over his sac when at the base.

She repeated the pattern a few times and Levi’s breathing grew more and more ragged. “Kate…”

Without a word or a change in rhythm, she reached for the coffee table and picked up a candy cane. She lifted it to her mouth and pulled the wrapper off with her teeth, continuing to stroke him. Then she bit off the curved top of the cane. As she chewed the peppermint candy, she continued the handjob, increasing her pressure and pace.

Levi couldn’t tear his eyes from her. The desire in her eyes was addictive, and as the scent of peppermint drifted up to him, he knew he’d forever get hard when he saw the red-and-white-striped mints at the front entrance of every restaurant he went into.

“Kate—” He tried again. Though it wasn’t like he wanted her to stop. But he felt like he should say something. Something like, “I’ve never felt this way before.” Or, “Where have you been all my life?”

He bit the words back though. At least he knew enough to know that a woman would be skeptical about the sincerity of any romantic words said during a handjob.

Still, it was a phenomenal handjob.

And then it got even better.

She swallowed the candy in her mouth, lined the remaining peppermint stick up along his length and leaned in.

His hand instinctively went to her head, sinking his fingers into her silky hair as she took him and the candy into her mouth at the same time.

Mentioning the candy canes last night had probably been the smartest thing he’d ever said in his life.

She sucked and then ran her tongue up and down both lengths. She took both nearly all the way in, sucked lightly, then harder. Levi curled his fingers into her hair. He resisted adding his other hand and taking over the rhythm of his cock sliding in and out of her mouth. Barely.

She was making some very nice noises as she sucked and licked even faster, and Levi didn’t care if she wanted to include food in every blowjob she ever gave him from this moment on. The sight and sounds of this woman greedily tonguing and sucking him was something he’d gladly do anything to perpetuate.

But he was nearly at his breaking point.

He was absolutely positive he could get it back up again in a short time if he gave in to his orgasm now, but the first time he went over that cliff with Kate, he wanted to be buried deep, and he wanted her right there with him.

With impressive will power and in one fluid motion, he pulled her mouth off him and pivoted to back her up to the couch. He nudged her down onto the cushions on her back, grabbed her hips to position her and spread her knees.

“My turn,” he said gruffly.

She still held the cane in her fingers and he took it from her, sliding it into his mouth, wetting the length with his own tongue. He kept his eyes on hers as he drew the candy around her nipple and then leaned in to suck and lick the hard tip. He repeated it on the other side, then licked the candy cane again and drew the sticky sweetness down her stomach, following the candy trail with his tongue. When he got to her bare mound, he again wet the candy. He slid the cane down over her clit, loving the way she hissed at the contact. The scent of peppermint and aroused woman surrounded him and his whole body clenched with the need to have her. Levi forced himself to go slow though, drawing the candy cane along her cleft, circling her clit and then doing it all again.