A Very Dirty Christmas Read online

  "Cookies," Rose says, handing a plate to Kate. "Go sit."

  "I can stand, Rose," Kate says. "I'm pregnant, not bed-ridden."

  "Don't sass me, Katherine Harrison," the housekeeper says, her back to us already. "Your father is in the office with Ella. I'll go get them."

  "What?" I ask. "Ella is here?"

  Kate wrinkles her brow. "I thought she wasn't coming until later this week."

  "You know Ella," I whisper. "She's a free spirit."

  "I can feel my ears burning," Ella says, striding into the living room, her long sweater rippling behind her like a cape. "What were you saying about me?"

  I hug her, before she moves me aside, kissing Kate on the cheek. "How are you, darling? What do you need? Are you feeling okay? How's the sonogram looking?" Ella looks at me. "Why aren't you massaging Kate's feet? The mother of my grandchild should be pampered."

  "Yeah, Caulter," Kate says, smirking. "Pampered."

  "I pamper her," I say. "I pampered her this afternoon, even."

  I get a perverse sense of satisfaction when a blush rises to Kate's cheeks.

  "The two of you," Ella says, shaking her head.

  "Hi, dad," Kate says, changing the subject quickly away from our sex life.

  The Senator hugs her. "How is everything?" he asks. "What do you need? How are you feeling?"

  Kate laughs. "Seriously, you guys," she says. "I'm fine. Everything is absolutely fine."

  "How far along are you now?" Ella asks.

  "Thirty four weeks."

  Ella shakes her head. "You have to keep your stress level down," she says. "Planning a wedding so close to the due date is going to send your stress level through the roof."

  "Ella," I warn, and Kate puts her hand on my arm.

  "I'm just trying to help!" Ella protests. "I was going to suggest my wedding planner. She's fantastic, and I can pull her on short notice, I'm sure. With the publicity from my television show right now, any planner would jump at the change to do your wedding. My planner has done…let's see…about five weddings for me."

  "And a lot more engagement parties," I can't help but add.

  Kate slaps me on the arm, but Ella just laughs. "And…seven engagement parties," she says. "That's not terrible. Is it terrible?"

  The Senator clears his throat. "Ours was one of the weddings," he says, his face impassive.

  Ella turns and puts her hand gently on his arm, beaming at him, and his expression softens when he looks at her. "That was my favorite wedding of them all."

  Kate looks at me, mouthing "what the fuck?"

  I think the last time Ella and the Senator were together, Ella was throwing a vase at his head. She's always been chilly when I've mentioned the Senator, and now suddenly they're cozy?

  Senator Harrison puts his hand over hers. "It wasn't so bad," he says. "Other than…"

  "Our scandal?" I ask.

  My voice interrupts whatever the hell that little moment was between them, and Ella moves her hand like she was just shocked by electricity. "Oh, that's old news," she says. "No one's even interested in that anymore. Now, you go unpack, Caulter. Kate, I want to hear all about the wedding plans."

  The Senator raises his eyebrows at me. "This seems like our cue to leave, Caulter," he says. "I have a couple of nice cigars and a bottle of Scotch in the office."

  What the hell? The Senator has been cordial with me the past year or so, but we're definitely not best friends. I've never smoked cigars or drunk scotch in his office. We don't hang out. All the friendliness radiating from the Senator and Ella is weirding me the fuck out.

  "Scotch and cigars sound perfect," I say, glancing at Kate. She winks at me from the sofa and gives me a little "go away" gesture with her hands, as Ella begins to pepper her with questions, demanding Kate model her wedding dress.

  I get out of there as quickly as possible, before I'm sucked into hours of conversation about floral arrangements or seating.

  ***

  "Did you have fun with my father?" Kate asks, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She's freshly scrubbed, her cheeks flushed pink, damp brown hair piled on the top of her head. She's wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and a thin tank top made of material so thin it barely covers her breasts, her nipples on full display under the fabric. It's dressed down and comfortable, and...sexy as hell.

  I walk up behind her and pull her against my hardness. "He's not my favorite person in the world, but yes, it was fine."

  She turns her head slightly, and I press my lips against her neck, breathing in deeply her scent. She squirms when I kiss her neck, goose bumps dotting her arms almost immediately to my touch. "Talking about my father turns you on?" she asks.

  "Seeing you in that little tank top turns me on," I say. "How was Ella? Did she behave herself?"

  Kate sighs. "She wants her wedding planner to come in and help," she says. "I mean the wedding planner would be kind of nice. Everything is really all planned, but the last minute stuff adds up. She says it would ease my stress."

  "Are you stressed?" I ask, my hands on her belly, meandering up to her chest.

  She moans when I touch her breasts. "They're so sore now," she says.

  "You know, a massage is great for stress relief," I say, cupping her breasts in my hands. They're heavier, so much more swollen than during the first part of the pregnancy, and completely arousing.

  "By massage, you mean 'sex,' right?" she says, laughing. But her voice hitches at the end.

  "I mean a full-body rubdown," I tell her. "I promise to spend extra time on your breasts."

  Kate laughs. "You know I might fall asleep if you do that."

  During the last trimester, Kate has been so tired she's practically narcoleptic. I swear the woman can nod off standing up now. She fell asleep during our meeting with the minister officiating the wedding – snored too, right in his office.

  "I'm definitely aware of that," I say. "Strip. I require nudity for my massages. I promise, no funny business. I won't even try to hump your leg."

  Kate laughs, but she's naked and lying on the bed before I've even taken off my shirt. I make good on my word, too, rubbing her back as she lies naked on her side, her leg slung over her giant pregnancy pillow. It's big enough to be a third person in bed, so we call him Bob. Bob the pillow.

  I think she might be more fond of him than me.

  "What Rose said earlier, about the baby being low," I say. "You don't think the baby will come early, do you?"

  "Huh-uh," she murmurs, moaning when I rub her neck. "We're totally okay. Rose is superstitious."

  "I'm going to call the obstetrician just to check," I say.

  "He already cleared us," she says softly, as I pull her up to a sitting position, and then back against me, my legs wrapped around her. She lies back on my chest, and the moans she lets out when I bring my hands to her breasts is practically painful.

  "Am I hurting you?" I ask.

  "No," she says. "Oh God, don't stop."

  My cock immediately springs to life, hard against the small of her back. "Does that feel good?" I ask, cupping her breasts in my hands, squeezing and massaging them as gently as I can.

  "It feels amazing," she says, her head against my chest. She doesn't say anything for a few minutes, then speaks out of the blue. "Are you nervous?"

  "Of course not," I tell her. "I have no doubts about the wedding or you. We talked about this earlier."

  "That's not what I mean," she says. "Are you nervous about being a father?"

  Did I just internally panic when Rosa hinted that the baby might come early? Yes

  "No," I start. "Okay, a little. I've never been around babies. What if we can't change his diaper? Or we drop him?"

  Kate laughs, the sound melodic and certain. She's suddenly the epitome of calm, a hundred and eighty degree turn from earlier when we were driving. "We'll figure it out," she says, her breath slow and regular, her chest rising and falling under my hands. "Wait. Do you think it's a boy?"

&n