It Must Be Christmas Read online

  His temper had been redirected into passion. Raw, visceral, completely untamed. His mouth slanted furiously over hers, and Nate took her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking greedily before he pulled away, letting his teeth scrape over the delicate skin. Chloe’s arms flew around his neck as she kissed him back, her own passions mounting to a nearly uncontrollable level. They could’ve toppled down the stairs with one misstep, but her tongue plunged into Nate’s mouth; she couldn’t be bothered to worry about anything as trivial as a broken bone or two.

  With a grunt, Nate shoved Chloe’s pants down over her thighs. She toed off her shoes and shimmied out of them as best she could, unwilling to part their mouths while she kicked her jeans and underwear somewhere down the stairs. Nate broke their kiss and his breath heaved in his chest as he stripped his own shirt and tossed it down to join hers. He took her hips firmly in his grasp and spun her around. “Get on your hands and knees.” The words were nothing more than a husky growl and another rush of wetness coated her thighs.

  Chloe did as he told her. The carpeting that covered the stairs wasn’t exactly a cushion, but she didn’t care. Nate spread her legs wide and tilted her hips so that her ass jutted up in the air. “Nate?” She turned to look over her shoulder and watched as he laid himself out on the stairs. “You’re going to kill your back laying like that—Oh. God.”

  Nate’s mouth sealed over her pussy in a wave of delicious heat that caused Chloe to shudder. He gripped her hips in his large hands, holding her right where he wanted her as he circled her clit with the tip of his tongue. Nate’s hands ventured lower. Chloe gasped as he dragged the flat of his tongue over her lips. His fingers traced a path down the crease of her ass and lower still. He slid one finger through her slick arousal and guided his finger back up into the crease and the tight ring of nerves, circling the area while he sucked her clit into his mouth.

  The sensation stole Chloe’s breath. Virgin territory to be sure, no one but Nate had ever been bold enough to go there. She gripped the edge of the stair above her as she rocked on her knees, grinding her hips as she rode Nate’s mouth. He let out a hungry groan and eased his finger past the tight barrier as he increased the pressure of his tongue and swirled it over her clit.

  The orgasm took her without warning.

  Chloe sobbed her pleasure, her hips jerking in time with each delicious throb of her pussy. Nate continued with his ministrations, long passes of his tongue and slow, gentle thrusts of his finger that drove her crazy with desire. The waves of pleasure seemed never ending, cresting and ebbing only to crest again. Her voice grew hoarse in her throat until she couldn’t utter another sound if she’d wanted to. Chloe leaned her head on her arms and let out a slow breath. Her body was weak, shaky, and completely spent. And still, it wasn’t enough.

  NINE

  Nate’s breath puffed in his chest as though he’d run a marathon. His heart pounded, not from exertion but excitement, and his body hummed with the overwhelming physical need he had for Chloe.

  Her honeyed taste lingered on his tongue as she leaned against the stairs, her own breath racing. The orgasm had rippled through her into him and Nate still felt the aftershocks in the satin-smooth skin of her thighs that caressed his cheeks. He pushed himself up to sit and shucked his pants whip-quick. He dug in his pocket for his wallet and before he sent it rolling down the stairs, snatched a condom from inside. With shaking hands, he rolled it onto his erect cock and let out a moan as his hand stroked down to the base. He was so damned wound up, it wouldn’t take more than a few strokes to get him there. No woman had ever driven him as crazy as Chloe did. With every passing minute, he only wanted more.

  Chloe let out a squeal of surprise as he reached around and seized her by the waist, dragging her around until she was settled in his lap. He loved her lush curves and soft flesh. Loved that she wasn’t some waifish stick that might break if he so much as jostled her. He lifted her up and settled her on his cock, leaning back on the narrow staircase so he could enjoy the view. Fucking breathtaking. Her cheeks were flushed and her nipples stood erect and rosy from the pale swells of her generous breasts. She reached out and gripped the banisters on either side of her as she began to ride him. Slow, easy strokes that ended on a flick of her hips that teased the head of his cock perfectly.

  “Just like that, darlin’. Don’t stop.”

  Her eyes became hooded as her head lolled back on her shoulders. Nate reached up and pinched her nipples, eliciting a gasp from Chloe that ended on a low, drawn-out moan. “Do that again, Nate.”

  Who was he to deny her? Nate rolled the stiff peaks and her pace increased. She used the banister for leverage, lifting her body up and off of him before plunging back down, taking him as deeply as she could. Ninety percent of Nate’s pleasure came from watching her. He was fascinated with the dreamy expression on her face, the soft parting of her mouth, her hooded eyes and pink tongue that darted out to lick her lips. The soft sway of her breasts as she moved on top of him and the way they quivered when her breath left her chest in a shuddering rush. Every moan, every cry was music to his ears.

  He’d never get enough of her. Would do anything to keep her. Hell, he might even … love her. Nate hadn’t loved anything or anyone, aside from his brothers, in a long goddamned time. In a matter of days—little more than a week—she’d managed to work her way into that black pit in the center of his chest that he thought had died. Chloe had brought him back to life with her passion, fire, and compassion. He reached up and cupped her cheek, guided her gaze to his and held it.

  “I want you looking at me when you come this time.”

  The play of her shapely body flexing and contracting as she moved fascinated Nate. Chloe took him deep and tilted her hips, sliding her hands farther up the banister as she ground her hips against his. What started out slow and measured increased into a wild frenzy. Nate’s fist wound in the length of her auburn hair and he rose up to meet her, putting his mouth to hers. “Harder, Chloe. Fuck me harder.”

  She met the wild thrust of his hips and her mouth parted on a silent moan. He couldn’t stand her silence and so Nate tilted his head to the swell of one breast and sucked her nipple into his mouth. “Nate. Oh, god, Nate. I’m coming!”

  He pulled away and took in every detail of her beautiful face. Her inner walls squeezed him tight, pulsing around his cock until it pushed him over the edge. They came together, a harmony of sounds and sensations. He gripped her hips and thrust deep as wave after wave crested over him. Every ounce of worry and stress siphoned out of him, leaving nothing but calm, peaceful bliss. He wrapped his arms around Chloe and hugged her tight as he placed kisses on her shoulder, neck, and collarbone.

  “You drive me crazy, Chloe,” he said on an exhale. “I can’t get enough.”

  He felt her smile against his skin. Her tongue flicked out at the sensitive skin at his neck and Nate shivered. “It’s me who can’t get enough. Every time you touch me, I lose my mind and can’t think a rational thought to save my life. How’s your back?”

  Nate chuckled. “You haven’t broken me yet. I wouldn’t say no to a long, hot shower though.”

  Chloe sat up and studied him, a smile flirting with her lips. “What about the sweet little calves still waiting for their shots?”

  Ah, shit. He still had five calves to vaccinate and his legs were about as reliable as cooked noodles. “I’ll make you a deal. You start dinner, I’ll finish up with the calves.”

  “And afterward?” Chloe asked archly.

  “Afterward, I’m going to wash you from head to toe. Slowly.”

  Her smile was enough to stop Nate’s heart. “That hardly seems fair.”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” he teased. “You’ll be washing me when I’m finished. And I expect you to be thorough.”

  “Anything for my hardworking cowboy.”

  Nate’s chest tightened to the point that he didn’t trust himself to take a breath without choking on the intake. It wasn’t just the sensual purr of he