Wonder: A Soul Savers Collection of Holiday Short Stories & Recipes (17 page)

Chapter 4

Scarecrow didn’t let me go to the mysterious location with him, so I gave him specific instructions on how I wanted everything arranged. As specific as possible anyway, considering the only thing he divulged was that we had some kind of place of our own to be alone for the night.

Anticipation built as afternoon became evening. We enjoyed a festive dinner with everyone except Jax and Blossom who had already left for Australia, then we gathered in the sitting room to exchange presents. Although Sophia’s tradition was theirs only, and not one for all of the Amadis, everyone who stayed in the mansion had stuck to the rules of giving only something of our own or something we’d made. Pieces of art, baked goods, and knitted scarves were exchanged, along with a few more creative items. Dorian gave me a leather cuff he’d tooled, with some help of course, and a tear rolled down Alexis’s cheek when she opened the painting our son gave her.

“
Thank you
,” she said in my head as she smothered Dorian in a hug.

That’s Dorian’s gift
, I said, but she knew he’d had my help.

“
Are you ready for yours?
”

My gaze swept over to the 15-foot Christmas tree.
There are no more gifts.

She smiled. “
Mine wouldn’t fit under there.
”

Mine either
. I winked when her eyes came back to my face after she stole a glance at my lap. Her expression glossed over for a moment, her eyes filled with adoration.

She blinked, then stood up so fast, her form was a blur. “Wow, I’m so tired. I think it’s time to head upstairs.”

“Already?” Dorian asked, and he scowled when he looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. “It’s only eight o’clock.”

Alexis stretched and forced a yawn. “Really? I’m exhausted.”

“Maybe you’re getting sick, Mom. You should go to bed. You don’t want to be sick on Christmas.”

“Yes, little man, I think you’re right.” She bent over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Me, too,” I said, quickly rising to my feet. “I’m not feeling well, either.”

“Probably because you can’t stop kissing Mom,” Dorian said, bringing a laugh out of everyone in the room.

“I’ll take care of him,” Sophia said with a knowing smile.

We made our escape, but instead of going upstairs to our suite, Alexis grabbed my hand and led me into the darkness outside. We flashed to the pier and hopped into one of the speedboats. The stars sped by overhead as we passed through the island’s shield, but instead of having us flash, she told me where to navigate the boat. A small island, a dark shadow at first, came into view. Alexis pointed to the boat dock, and then she disappeared. I studied the area while tying up the boat. A house stood on the edge of the beach surrounded by foliage, and I sensed Alexis inside.

“
Stay on the beach
,” she instructed me.

I had no problem with that. I’d found Owen’s set-up out there, waiting for me. I adjusted the arrangement of canvases into a semi-circle and tapped the pattern out Blossom had given me to lift her spell. Several renditions of my wife in various states of arousal came into view. With a flick of my fingers, I lit the candles scattered about: pillars on metal stands near the paintings, votives in the sand, and tea lights floating in the water of the quiet cove. As I appraised the scene, a gasp sounded behind me.

“Tristan! I did this for you, and you made it ... even more perfect.”

I turned and sucked in my own breath at the sight of her. She stood in the center of the circle of paintings, her hands over her mouth and her eyes glistening, wearing a dress that looked very much like her wedding dress. She moved closer to the first painting, and I flashed to stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her.

“They’re ... amazing,” she breathed as we moved to the next one. She praised each one at first, but grew silent as we proceeded and the paintings became more intimate, more erotic. “Um ... wow. Do I really look that good when we’re doing it?”

I laughed out loud, then leaned in and pressed my lips to her exposed neck. “You are the most beautiful creature in the world,” I whispered against her ear, “especially when we’re doing it.”

She shuddered, then turned to face me. Her hand swept over her dress. “Looks like we were thinking along the same lines.” She stood on her toes to deliver a kiss that made my dick jump in my pants, then she took my hands and pulled me inside the house. Into the bedroom, specifically, which appeared to be very similar to our Caribbean room in the Keys. “Owen helped me make it look just right. It’s just an illusion, of course.”

“It’s a perfect gift,” I said.

“Oh, this is only the beginning.” She pushed me to the edge of the bed, forcing me to sit, then she took two steps backwards, away from me. I reached for her but she shook her head. “Blossom helped me, too. For example, this dress is only an illusion.”

“I like it, all of this, reliving our honeymoon.”

She giggled. “Not exactly, though. See, I was pretty innocent and naive then. I’ve grown up quite a bit ... learned a few things ...”

With a glint of naughtiness in her eyes, her fingers swirled in the hem, and the dress disappeared. It didn’t expose her naked body, though. She suddenly wore a black leather corset, a black thong, and Blossom’s hot-pink stilettos. With a snap of her fingers, music filled the room, and a pole appeared.

“This is your real gift,” she said.

Her body began to move to the music, and I quickly realized she wasn’t dancing randomly, but performing a choreographed routine. As if I wasn’t already turned on, I grew hard as a rock watching her work up and down the pole like an expert. Where did this come from? I hoped it wasn’t a one-hit wonder. By the time the music stopped and she stood in front of me, the top of her corset was loosened and her thong was gone. With a yank of my finger, the string came away from the first several eyelets, and those magnificent tits sprang free. My hands enclosed her waist, and I jerked her to me, ready to ravage every inch of her body.

“You are so damn sexy,” I said against the soft skin between her breasts.

She placed a hand on my chest and pushed me away. She shook her head, and then pointed at my pants. “And you’re still dressed. Didn’t I tell you what I wanted for Christmas?”

I moved fast, but she was even faster. In a heartbeat, my clothes were on the floor, I was pressed against the headboard with leather straps tying my wrists to each post, and my dick stood hard and tall, at complete attention for my wife. She climbed onto the bed and, slowly, so painfully slowly, she crawled over to me on all fours with a wicked smile that made every muscle in my body jerk toward her. The leather ties dug into my wrists. I could easily break through them, of course, but I played along. For now.

She teased me with her mouth on my jaw, then my throat, to my chest, down my stomach, and back up again. Her tongue thrust into my mouth as she kneeled over me, swirling her hips only centimeters above my cock, making it dance with her, straining to get inside. But instead of lowering herself onto it, she rose to her feet and stood on the bed, towering over me, her tits like soft globes over the top of the corset, her nipples long and hard. Her slit right in front of my face. My fingers twitched, wanting to touch it. My tongue slid over my lips as I gazed at it, yearning for the salty-sweet taste inside.

“Mmm ... me first,” she said, her voice thick and husky and her eyelids hooded. But she didn’t mean what I thought.

Again faster than even I could track, she’d spun around and was on her knees in front of me, her fingers wrapped around my shaft. Her fist moved down, and her mouth followed.

“Oh, damn, Lex,” I moaned as her tongue swirled around the head and her lips slid farther down, taking me in.

My body began to tremble as she licked and sucked and made love to me with her mouth, all the while her ass bent over right in front of me, divulging all of her wet exquisiteness. Nearing the brink of no return but not wanting to come yet, I jerked my wrists and broke the leather ties. I grabbed her round ass and buried my face, finally tasting the delicacy that was my wife.

Neither of us would last long like that, and she knew it. She flipped around and up, once again straddling my lap. But this time she lowered herself down and around me as she leaned over and covered her mouth with mine. I palmed her breasts as she rode me until she threw her head back and screamed my name while slamming down hard. I bucked against her several times, then flipped her onto her back and pounded into her with all that she would take until we both cried out with the explosion of complete and utter bliss.

I collapsed next to her, both of us panting. She rolled over onto her stomach, her body pressed against mine, and closed her eyes. We drifted off for a few minutes, and when I opened my eyes, she was staring at me with so much love, more than I ever deserved. The corners of her swollen lips lifted in a grin.

“Again?” she asked with a teasing lilt.

“Always,” I said.

We made love like we hadn’t been able to for weeks, and now that we’d taken the edge off, we were able to keep going for hours until we collapsed once again.

“We should go back soon,” she said when we finally rested. “For Dorian.”

I pulled her closer with her back to me and buried my face in her hair, inhaling her sugary scent. Her silky skin pressed against mine from ankle to shoulder. My fingers traced lightly over her bare stomach, making it quiver.

“Wish we had forever, though,” she added with a sigh.

I kissed the tip of her ear. “We do, my love. Maybe not always like this, but we will do it again.”

She squirmed until I loosened my hold and she could turn over to face me. “I don’t think I can right now.”

I chuckled. “You might kill me if we tried.”

She laughed. “You’re invincible.”

“I’m still a man in many ways.”

Her fingers trailed over my chest. “How about New Year’s Eve, then?”

I leaned in for a long, languishing kiss that would have to hold us over until then. “Meet me at midnight?”

“Of course.”

As if in response, somewhere in the distance, the sound of church bells carried over the water, ringing in midnight.

“It’s officially Christmas. Thank you for my presents. The paintings couldn’t be more perfect.”

“Ah, thank
you
,” I said, and I kissed her temple. “You made them perfect. But time with you, being in your presence, especially like this, is always the best gift.”

She sighed again, this time the sound one of agreement and content.

“Merry Christmas, my sweet Tristan,” she said softly.

“Merry Christmas,
ma lykita
.”

CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Were Brownies

Submitted by Kelly Victorine

This is for Tony, who just stuck with me. This recipe is my husband’s that he made when he was a child, and still makes today, so I thought it was something Tony would like.

Ingredients:

4 Eggs (slightly beaten)

1 cup Sugar

¾ cup Brown Sugar

2/3 cup Oil

½ cup Cocoa Powder

1 ½ cup Flour

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Water

2 tsp. Vanilla

1. Mix by hand in order given.

2. Bake in 10 x 13 greased pan at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.

3. Cut while warm. Enjoy!

Vanessa’s Old Time Oyster Stew

Submitted by Wendy Jahnke

A favorite stew at Christmas time, so perfect for Vanessa’s Miracle story.

Ingredients:

1 gallon milk

¾ stick butter

½ tsp. pepper

2 small cans oysters

1. Pour milk and both cans of oysters into pot.

2. Once milk is warm, add butter and pepper. Stir until boiling.

3. Remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Vanessa’s Sweet as Blood Meatballs

Submitted by Heather Brandt

A delicious, blood-like sauce that Vanessa would love in Miracle.

Ingredients:

1 lb. uncooked ground beef

1 egg

1 ¼ cups bread crumbs

2 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. ground cloves

1 can pineapple chunks or rings

24-oz bottle ketchup

1 cup of brown sugar

2 large mixing bowls

1 cooking pan with lid

Cooking spray

1. In a mixing bowl, add ground beef, egg, allspice, ground cloves, breadcrumbs, and quarter of pineapple juice (save rest of pineapple juice for later). I usually mix by hand, but you may do this however you like. Add more breadcrumbs, if necessary, to make sure meat will stick together for meatballs.

2. After everything is mixed, spray pan with cooking spray. Make meatballs to desired sizes and cook on medium heat until outsides are completely brown.

3. While meatballs are cooking you will make the sauce. In another mixing bowl, pour the rest of the pineapple juice, brown sugar, and ketchup. Mix together and add brown sugar or ketchup as necessary to achieve your preferred sweetness in sauce.

4. Once meatballs are cooked on the outside, add sauce to pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered. This should cook the meatballs the rest of the way on the inside.

I normally serve this with beef rice, corn, and sweet Hawaiian rolls.