Winter Kisses (A 3:AM Kisses Novella Book 2) (11 page)

She gurgles out a dark laugh and pulls me in by the tie. “Are you ready, cowboy?”

My lips twitch with a brief smile. Twice she’s called me that. I might have to go out and get us a matching pair of boots and some spurs just to keep her in line. I lash my tongue over her neck while making my way to her sweet, perfect ear and whisper, “A big storm’s coming from my region. Are
you
ready?”

Laney lets out a groan as I work my fingers over her perfect tits. Her nipples harden beneath me, and I pinch her bra down until she springs right out of it.

“I was sort of hoping a big earthquake would strike my neck of the woods soon,” she whispers into my mouth.

“That’s funny, I was just about to arrange for multiple tremors. You’d better brace yourself, I hear the big one’s coming.”

“Maybe you should hold me down and keep me safe?” She bats her lashes at me. “You know, pin me beneath you—that way I won’t roll off the desk and hurt myself.” Laney reaches down and circles the tip of my dick over her heated slick, and I let out a fierce groan that wrenches from deep inside me. I’ve fantasized about Laney Sawyer for years, and not one time did any of those fantasies involve a piece of latex dividing her body from mine. This is it, the real deal. I’m going to feel Laney’s body from the inside for the very first time.

“It’s okay”—she whispers directly into my ear, and a fire rips up my spine—“I want you to.”

That’s all the green light I need. My body plunges into hers, slow and careful.

“Oh shit,” I give it as a heated charge right over her lips. “You’re so fucking tight,” I pant. She wasn’t kidding. She’s a bona fide virgin again, and it’s a slice of Heaven.

I can
feel
her. My eyes spring wide as I take in the slick sensation that I’ve been deprived of hundreds of times before. Her body conforms to mine like an oven-heated glove, and my dick straightens like a pool stick.

“You feel incredible.” She rubs her lips over my ears in a heated rush as I give a pronounced thrust into her.

“
You
feel incredible.” I sweep kisses over her features, quick and pressured. “You’re the best damn gift. I’m glad you’re in my life. This is Christmas right here.” I land my lips over her forehead a moment before plunging into her the way I want. “You’re going to come for me.” I reach down and find her with my finger, easing my movements in order to create small circles over that tender part of her.

Laney lets out a groan that has the ability to rattle the windows.

“
Ryder
.”

I lift her tit into my mouth and suck down hard until she’s clawing at my back. I launch an assault on her poor body that has her panting, and moaning, and creating those cute noises with her vocal cords that make me certifiably insane.

“Shit.” I’m right there, and I don’t think I can hold it for another second. I work my fingers over her fast and furious and land a soft pinch over her folds until Laney loses it, and so do I.

I come for weeks, for years, pouring out all of my desire for the only woman I love, right into her beautiful body.

Her heart knocks against my chest like it’s begging to be let in, and I give a little smile right over her lips.

“I love you,” she pants into my ear.

“I love you, too, Laney.”

Laney holds me down by the back of my neck and lounges her tongue in my mouth like it’s setting up shop, ready to take up residence for years.

A dull clapping noise comes from the north end of the desk, and Laney and I both look over at the same time.

An orange light blinks on and off and, “Holy fuck.” I slap at it until the damn intercom shuts off. It flies off the desk, and I pull at the wires until it loosens from the plug.

Crap.

Laney touches her hand over her mouth. “You think they heard?”

“Every damn thing.” I hold back the laugh already brewing in my chest. “At least they were polite enough to applaud our efforts.”

“Not bad for our first live performance.” Laney bites down over my lower lip.

“First and last.” I dot each of her lids with a kiss. “I like the idea of it being a private show.”

“Personal invite only.” She runs her hands over my bare ass and gives a squeeze.

I gaze down at her, admiring the glow that’s rising to her cheeks. “Did you pack your bags?”

She nods with her lips pressed tight. “We can put them in your trunk before the show, that way we can go straight to your place after your mom’s.”

My stomach grinds for a moment. “That’s a great plan.” Not so much the part about going to my mother’s. I’m not too sold on the idea she’ll mind her P’s and Q’s. My mother isn’t one to go down quietly. If she’s got a beef with someone she pretty much likes to hold onto it, and God knows she has a beef with Laney over just about everything.

Last Christmas Eve comes to mind, and I’m quick to push it away. Going back to that night is like stepping in front of an oncoming train, time and time again, and expecting different results. It doesn’t do any good. But I know Laney and I should go there at least one more time just to make sure we’ve sealed that door shut tight. Damn Meg—and my mother—for everything that went down.

I rub my eyes for a moment as I lie next to Laney on the unforgivably cold, hard desk.

“
Aww
,” she coos, kissing the side of my face with a tenderness I don’t remember ever seeing from her before. “Do you need a little nap?” She wraps her arm over my waist, and I cinch her in close.

“You know what I need?” I bury a kiss in her neck. She’s adjusted her bra back into position, and her skin glows from under the red lace. Her Santa hat is still firmly in place, and she looks adorable as hell. “I need a couch in here so we can do this all the fucking time.”

She bubbles out a laugh.

“You’re lewd and crude, you know that? And I wholeheartedly agree about the couch. In fact, we should shop for it together—test it out, right there on the showroom.”

“Sounds like a repeat performance might be necessary.”

“We can practice later tonight.”

“Every night,” I counter.

“Every single night.” Her lips fall over mine. Laney and I love each other with our mouths fused together until the sun goes down.

This is shaping up to be the best damn Christmas ever.

Later that night, Laney shines on stage. Her performance is stunning, as is Laney, herself. Once it’s through, I jump to my feet and clap the loudest and longest. The stage may be filled with the entire ensemble, but I can’t take my eyes off the girl who stole my heart. Her hair is ratted out, her dress is torn and disheveled, and she’s covered with soot from head to toe, but, God almighty, Laney Sawyer outshines every person in this room.

Afterwards, I wait outside the theater with a bouquet of two-dozen bright red roses. My trunk is already locked and loaded with her things, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of winter break with her in my penthouse—with me—right where she belongs. And, if I get my way, she’ll be a permanent resident.

“Hey!” She squeals as she treks over in her killer high heels, her down to there and up to here little black dress. Her hair is smoothed out in perfect waves, and there’s not a trace of soot over her porcelain features.

“These are for you.” I hold out the flowers as she jumps into my arms.

“They’re beautiful.”

I lean back and take her in. “Wow.” It’s the only word that can accurately describe how sublime she looks right now.

“Wow, yourself.” She pulls me in by the collar. “Have I ever told you how much I love you in a suit?”

A lazy smile slopes up my cheek. “Have I ever told you how much I love you naked in my bed?”

“Mmm,” she purrs into me with kiss. “By the way, as much as I do love you in a monkey suit, I love your naked penis a whole lot better. That felt incredible this afternoon.”

“That did feel incredible.” I pull her in and grind my hips over hers so she gets the full effect of the attention my lower half so desperately wants to give her. “And is the naked penis a thing now?”

“Hell
yes
.” A tiny dimple goes off in her cheek. I swear, Laney gets cuter by the minute. “I think it’s always been a thing. Your thing.” She reaches down and rubs her hand over me. “And now it’s sort of my thing, too.”

I narrow my gaze into hers while bringing my hands up to her nipples and rubbing my thumbs over them. “I like sharing things with you.”

“What’s mine is yours.” She laughs into her kiss. “Let’s get to your parent’s house so we can wrap this night up. I’m already looking forward to the big finish starring the Big N.P.” She gives my crotch a gentle squeeze.

I huff a laugh. “I won’t lie, my ego likes that you put the word ‘big’ in front of N.P.” Laney’s dirty mouth coupled with her wit and charm are what drew me to her in the first place.

“Nice touch right?”

“It’s all you.”

She bubbles with a laugh. “I’m always looking for a classy move to impress you.” Laney gives a playful wink because I happen to know she thinks the word “classy” is a joke.

“I like the sound of that.” I pull her in by the waist as we make our way through the parking lot. “The Big N.P. can’t wait to hook up with your Red River Valley.”

“
Eww
and no to the not-so-cute moniker.” She swats me over the arm with her flowers. “How about the Door of Life?”

“Too formal.”

“Grandest Canyon?”

“I think we’ve safely determined you’re more of a tight little ravine kind of a girl.” I plant a kiss over her forehead. “How about, Slice of Heaven?”

“
Aww
. I love that.” She tightens her grip around my waist.

“Just a few more hours, and I’ll be in paradise.”

“Me too, Ryder.” She leans her head on my shoulder, and the roses crush between us. “I’m always in paradise with you.”

My mother has a habit of going all out for the holidays. She puts most public displays to shame with her extensive and thorough ninja decorating skills. Of course, she didn’t lift a finger to actually deck the halls. She has a small army of staffers who live to grace the house with miles of garland, lights, enough trees to qualify it as the Capwell forest, and, of course, a thousand little knickknacks anywhere and everywhere you’d think to look in the event you forgot it was Christmas. Green, red, silver, and gold—it’s all here, present and accounted for, along with miles and miles of garland.

We bypass the oversized nativity on the lawn, with the manger still empty, waiting for the little king to make his debut tomorrow at midnight.

“You ready?” I nod at the cut glass doors. Even from this vantage point we can see a room full of people, the laughter of the crowd echoes right through the walls.

“I’m more than ready,” she assures, pulling me forward as if she were looking to get this over with, and, truth be told, I couldn’t blame her because so am I. The next stop after this is Heaven, and I can’t wait to plunge inside those pearly gates.

I pull her in for one last embrace before we descend the gates of, for a lack of a better word, hell.

“Let’s do it.” I don’t bother knocking, we just head on in, and the sound of holiday music and laughter goes up several octaves. The scent of fresh cut pine and cinnamon infiltrate the air, and the hint of something delicious and far more packed with protein is layered just beneath that—prime rib. “You want to grab a bite?” I’m already pulling her toward the buffet.

“I’m not that hungry.” She looks around at the crowd, and you can practically see the nerves jumping in her eyes. Figures. Laney can perform to a crowd of thousands, and yet the thought of being in a room with my mother has her crawling out of her skin. “Maybe we should say hi to your mom first?”

“You always were the smart one.”

“Says the one who runs a multi-billion dollar company.” She gives my hand a squeeze.

“Not quite, but someday.” It’s true. I’ve been grinding the gears down at the farm since middle school, and I know damn well how to make Capwell Inc. run like a fuel-efficient machine. In addition to that, I’ve bought and traded enough stocks and assets over this last year alone to create a nice financial cushion for Laney and me. A smile tugs at my lips at the thought of a future with Laney. I’m already living the dream.