It Must Be Christmas Read online

  “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.

  “Nothing’s funny.” He rolled over to his side and opened his eyes. “That was just … spectacular.” He grinned at her. “Who knew you were so bendy, Chuckles?”

  She should take him to task for calling her Chuckles right now. And she would, except … well, she liked it. From him, anyway. “I’ve done a lot of yoga.”

  “I hear it’s supposed to be good for stress.”

  If he only knew.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Anytime you want to try. Naked yoga is liberating.” His eyes widened and she laughed as she teased him. “Nothing like getting in touch with your spirituality when it’s just you and the mat.”

  “Eeeew.”

  Her lips twitched.

  “You’re teasing.”

  “I am.”

  He reached over and grazed his fingers over her hip. “I like it.”

  She did too. He was the most comfortable-in-his-own-skin man she’d ever met. It was more than the boneless bliss she was feeling after a thorough lovemaking. It was a freedom, a lightness that she suspected came from living in the moment rather than from an agenda.

  She shivered and Dave reached toward the bottom of the bed, pulling up a blanket to cover them. Then he lay on his back and opened his arms wide. “Come here,” he said quietly. “We can huddle up to keep warm.”

  She was still naked. She suspected she should be feeling if not bashful, at least a little self-conscious. But she wasn’t. She slid over next to him and rested her head along the curve of his shoulder, draped one arm over his ribs, and lifted her knee, settling it along the length of his leg.

  “God, you’re a cuddler,” he murmured, squeezing her close.

  She never used to be.

  “Is that okay?”

  “Yeah.” There was this texture to his voice that she would never tire of. A bit deep, a bit husky, 100 percent masculine and sexy. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

  “You know, I’m kind of sorry I stopped things that first morning. If I’d known this was waiting for me…”

  He chuckled and the vibration rippled through her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  Her hand ran up his back and encountered smooth scar tissue. It reminded her of what he’d been through … the parts she knew about and the parts she didn’t. She traced her finger along its path. “What is this from?”

  He shrugged. “Oh, one of my many badges of honor. No big deal.”

  “It doesn’t hurt?”

  “Not anymore.” Then he smiled wickedly. “Wait. If I said it did, would you kiss it better?”

  She swatted his shoulder.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “I’ve just had mind-blowing sex and a gorgeous woman is naked in my arms. What do you think?”

  She smiled in the darkness. “Obvious distraction, but I still have to ask. You think I’m gorgeous?”

  “Are you kidding?” His wide palm curved over her hip. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

  She relaxed further, sinking into his embrace, twining her legs with his and running her toes up one of his calves. “Hey, Dave?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I needed that.” After she said it she realized it was a bit ambiguous. She could have been talking about the sex or the compliment. Truthfully, she thought she rather needed them both.

  He kissed her forehead. “I know.”

  She wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she was too mellow to ask. He felt so good. Warm and strong. The blanket was soft on her skin and he’d turned off the light, so the room was gray and dim. The woodstove in the next room had been stoked and the heat of it made her feel lazy. She was going to doze off and she was completely okay with it.

  She curled into his embrace. “It’s so warm and toasty in here. I never realized how great wood heat was. So much nicer than a furnace or radiator.”

  He nodded against her hair. “A stove can really crank it out. Plus, if the power goes out, I can stay warm. Cook. It’s a bit rudimentary, but convenient.”

  She imagined being snowbound here with him and the idea held some merit. The stove meant he had to split wood, she thought. She took a moment to appreciate the image in her mind of him with an axe, his muscles bulging and shifting as he split logs. When had she started going for the physical labor kind of guy?

  She snuggled in closer. She supposed that happened when she’d first seen him on the docks in the fall, all work boots and broad shoulders and a ball cap.

  “Charlie?” His voice was soft in her ear, sending ripples of pleasure down her spine.

  “Mmm?” She answered lazily.

  “Stay a while?”

  She turned in his arms so she could look up at him. His hair, just a touch on the shaggy side, was ruffled and mussed, and his jaw held a hint of stubble after the long day. He was so attractive. So … virile.

  “I wish I could. But Daniel’s staying with Josh’s mom and I should get back soon.”

  “Right. Damn.” His fingers slid along the soft skin of her arm. “Maybe just a little while longer?”

  “A little while,” she agreed.

  She hadn’t realized he was tense until his shoulders relaxed. “Cool.” His fingers ran up and down her arm, an absentminded gesture that Charlie reveled in.