Cole For Christmas Read online

  “I’m definitely a fan of baths.” Somehow we had turned so we were both lying on our sides. “I’d never had a bath like that before, and I must say you massaged all the kinks from my body.”

  “I hope I didn’t smooth all your kinkiness out. I was kind of looking forward to finding more tonight.”

  “Promise?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I’m excited.”

  “I’m impatient.”

  “You’ll have to wait.”

  “Pure torture”

  “For both of us.”

  “Are you ready to go downstairs?” I wasn’t ready, but his family had come a long way to see him. I couldn’t keep him all to myself, even though that was exactly what I wanted. “Oh, by the way, your sister is too observant. She knows.”

  “Knows what?” He lifted on his elbow, a look of concern on his face.

  “That I’m a vegetarian.” The look of relief completely erased his concern.

  “So, that’s the secret that’s safe with her. You know, no one would think less of you if you came out of the vegetarian closet.” He tucked a rogue curl behind my ear before he brushed his thumb over my kiss-swollen lips.

  “You’re losing track of the situation. We aren’t pretending I’m not a vegetarian, we’re pretending I’m your girlfriend, who just happened to be an excellent cook.” Everything had become so muddy the last couple of days.

  “I don’t feel like I’m pretending anymore. This is real, Cici.” He pulled me into his body, and it was a good thing because after hearing him say he didn’t feel our relationship was pretend, I felt like I was flying. His firm embrace held me steady. Maybe getting Cole for Christmas was a good thing after all.

  “It feels real. My heart wants it to be real, but I’m scared that after the holidays are over things will go back to normal. I’m okay if this is just a one-off kind of thing. Knowing what this is helps temper my attachment to you.”

  “I’m not going to be like your ex. I’m not using you for what you can bring me. I’m getting attached to you, Cici, and I’m not likely to let you go.”

  My heart bounced with happiness around my chest. He wasn’t going to let me go. “Maybe your family can fend for themselves for a while after all.” My hands slipped inside his shirt to brush across his stone-hard stomach. He hissed the minute my fingers skimmed up and over his nipples. Slowly, he pulled my hands from his chest and brought my fingers to his mouth. His tongue grazed my knuckles, sending shivers straight to my sex.

  “Actually, this surprise is more for you than it ever was for them.” He pushed himself to a sitting position and looked at me like a dieter looks at a hot fudge sundae. He wanted to devour me, but I wasn’t on the menu. Yet. Something told me he would have an immense appetite later. And knowing that allowed me to drag myself from the bed.

  Once he was completely “ready”, we walked hand in hand down the stairs. It must be hard being a man. Pun intended.

  Gretchen sat at the Christmas tree, counting the packages like a little kid. Uncle Fritz and Clint were on the sofa reading. Maggie and Izzy were sitting in front of the window, eating truffles and looking at the bowl in front of them. I was so happy I’d added the extras his family was enjoying. My presence and contributions were valued.

  The moon was just peeking over the mountain, its silver glow reflected off the white snow. It was almost Christmas.

  “Everyone needs to go to the entertainment room or as Cici refers to it as ‘the man cave.’” Elias herded his family like a well-trained border collie. On the bar in front of every seat was a gingerbread man. Bowls of candies and bags of icing were placed between each monster-sized cookie.

  “Are we having a contest?”

  “Yes. Cici loves Christmas more than anyone I know, but she also has a competitive streak in her. Note the ugly sweater. I thought we could decorate these things and vote on them.” He had set this whole thing up for me. “Whoever wins gets to choose next year’s Christmas location.”

  I can’t remember a time when a man had shown me that kind of consideration. It was probably the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given me. I turned and wrapped my arms around him. “This is going to be so much fun.” My voice sang out about an octave higher than usual.

  He pulled a barstool out for me and lifted me into it. “Let’s have some holiday fun.” His lips brushed lightly against mine. I wanted more. I wanted to grab his hand and race him to the bedroom. However, his family was taking their seats along the bar and everyone seemed ready to go.

  Elias filled the air with Christmas music while we attacked the gingerbread men. Even Clint and Uncle Fritz gave it their best shot. Uncle Fritz seemed to get in touch with a 1970s muse. His man was dressed in a leisure suit and long hair. Grandma Izzy was a traditionalist. She used round chocolate candies for buttons and white icing for flourishes at the hands and feet. Clint went for an abstract design. He could have given Picasso a run for his money with the way he skewed the eyes. I would have never thought of putting a mouth at the neck, but it worked in a fun and disturbing way.

  Maggie and Gretchen were hell-bent on winning. Maggie went for the fifties blue-jeans and leather-jacket look. If James Dean were a gingerbread man, he would have looked exactly like Maggie’s cookie. Gretchen had more of a metrosexual thing going on. She bedazzled the shirt with a rainbow of nonpareils. Her gingerbread man sported short shorts and thigh-high boots. I didn’t ask questions.

  Mine was inspired by how I felt. I had warm fuzzies, and my heart filled with joy. I decided to create a sweater for my cookie. Its background was blue like Elias’s eyes. Tiny hearts followed tiny rows of snowflakes until the entire sweater was complete. My cookie smiled knowing there was an entire evening of passion that lay ahead. Jeans and my best attempt at ski boots covered the lower half. The skis made from licorice would cement the win for me.

  Elias kept his gingerbread man under wraps. At the big reveal, he presented his simple design. A big heart drawn in the center with red icing. A slice had been removed and in its place was my name. I’d taken a piece of his heart. There was no way I couldn’t vote for that. A tear of happiness slipped from my eye.

  When we were finished, Elias lined the treats up along the back of the bar and numbered them. We were all given a blank piece of paper and pen, then everyone wrote their choice on the tiny piece of paper and dropped it in the wine glass he sat on the counter.

  There were seven votes to be had, and six went to Elias. One to me. Seeing his heart was open to love, his family voted unashamedly. Who could blame them? They loved him dearly. Was that what was happening for him though? I truly hoped so and was more than willing to look after his offered heart. He had already claimed mine.

  He took a bow before he gave me a kiss. A hot passionate kiss in front of his entire family. At first, I was embarrassed, but then I got lost in his heat, and his family was forgotten.

  Chapter 12

  The night was full of celebration. The wine flowed freely, and so did Elias’s kisses. I wasn’t sure I would ever get enough of him. My heart said he was for real, but my mind kept telling me I was hired and he was the boss—a journey I had ventured down once before with horrible results. By his tenth or so kiss, I’d forgotten all about our scheme and had settled into the role of the beloved girlfriend.

  We watched A Christmas Carol and when it was finished we played cards. I was awful at card games but could crush anyone in Monopoly. Next year we would have to get out the classic board game so I could bury them all. I had no mercy when it came to Monopoly. I bought property with abandon and traded with reserve. When it came to playing pieces, most people wanted the racecar. Not me, I was always the thimble. It was a sign of creativity, and it protected you from life’s pokes.

  Just after midnight, everyone hugged and exchanged Christmas greetings. Gretchen wanted to stay up and open presents. She was my age but managed to retain a child-like quality. We had begun to see her reasoning when she talked about sleeping
in, but tradition won out in the end. So many Christmases had been missed, and there was no way to get them back. Besides, I was itching to get upstairs and begin where Elias and I had left off after dinner.

  He had my ugly sweater off before I could close the door. “I’ve been craving you all night.” He pressed against my body, pushing me toward the bed until my knees hit the mattress, and I fell back onto the soft comforter. It didn’t take him long to remove my shoes, unbutton my jeans, and divest me of all clothing.

  “Not fair.” I lay naked in front of him, and he was fully clothed, again. “Why are you always dressed and I’m always naked?” I wanted him naked, too.

  “Because I like you naked.” He stood back and drank me in like an expensive wine. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt. It was like my own private striptease. If I’d had any singles, I would have been shoving them in his pants.

  I leaned up on my elbows and watched him discard his shirt. I reflexively licked my lips as soon as he popped the snap on his jeans. The zipper popped tooth by tooth until it was completely undone and his jeans hung from his hips.

  “You like?” he asked as he stuck his thumbs in the waistband of his pants.

  “I like.” I nodded my head and bit my lip. He was like a present that unwrapped itself.

  When he pulled his pants and boxers off together, I was in awe. He was ready for me in all his fabulous glory. With muscles that reached from his ankles to heaven, it looked as though he had been chiseled from stone.

  I sat up and began to explore him. Every inch. My tongue began to taste him. Slowly. I sank to my knees before him and worked my way up until I felt his knees weaken. The minute I took him in my mouth, his granite thighs seemed to crumble. I coaxed him to the bed where I laid him down and gazed at him like he had me. His body was perfection. Gutters ran between the sinewy muscles of his stomach, and when I pulled him deeper into my mouth, the hills and valleys became more pronounced.

  He held his breath. I wanted to memorize every vein, every dip, and every curve of him, so I took my time. He panted and moaned and squirmed and reached. When it all seemed too much, he pulled me up his chest and crushed his mouth to mine. In between breaths, he told me the things I’d always wanted to hear.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with. Inside and out.” He nipped at my neck and down to my breasts. “I haven’t enjoyed a holiday like this in a decade, maybe a lifetime. Who would have thought, I’d hire a decorator and get a girlfriend in the bargain?”

  “Girlfriend? Wasn’t that a word we had promised not to use?” My hands explored the vast muscles of his chest and arms. These were the muscles that had carried the burden of disappointment for years. It was his turn to experience holiday bliss, and I would do my part to give it to him.

  “It was banned when it wasn’t true. What do you think you are to me, Cici? Like I said earlier, this is more than either of us could have imagined.”

  I spread my legs and straddled him, sinking onto his length. We both groaned. He filled me with more than his hardness. He filled me with desire. He filled me with hope for a future. He filled my mind with the notion we could have it all. Heavenly.

  “What happens when I fall hopelessly in love with you?” I pressed my hands against his chest and raised and lowered myself in a slow rhythm. Every inch was give and take. I would give, and he would take. I would take, and he would give. Neither of us giving more than taking or vice versa. We were equals, sharing a moment to be remembered for all time.

  “I will try to make that happen.” He rolled us over, and this time he determined the pace. We made love in a languid fashion. He kissed me like it happens in the movies—that perfect kiss that melts your soul and ruins you for others. There would be no one else.

  When he pulled out, his absence was felt immediately. I clawed at him, trying to go back to where we were seconds before, but he had other thoughts.

  “It’s my turn to worship your body.”

  I sucked in a gulp of air as his tongue slid down my neck, across my peaked nipples, and straight to the moisture between my thighs. Hot strokes made me thrash on the bed. I fisted handfuls of his comforter as my body pulsed beneath him. The build-up, exquisite. The time he kept me there, torture. Close to hyperventilating, he pulled my swollen flesh into his mouth and drew the most intense climax from my body. He didn’t release me until every shudder had been sucked from my depths. He drew his tongue once more across me and climbed back up my body.

  Settled between my legs, he entered me again, and our connection was complete. With every nerve ending on fire, I soared to new heights until he shuddered his release, and we landed safely together.

  He collapsed next to me, drawing me close.

  “Amazing.” I was short on words but long on emotion. I could have wept at the connection I felt with him. I didn’t think I’d ever truly made love to anyone until now. It required a leap of faith I’d never had with Ryan. The intimacy Elias and I shared scared me. What if he wasn’t being completely honest with me about his feelings?

  “Mmm.”

  “Am I the rebound girl?” It wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to say. I wanted to say something like you’re the best lover I’ve had. Hoping he would reciprocate, I didn’t want to set him up.

  He jolted, then turned to his side to look at me. “Cici, what I feel with you is more in every way than I felt with Becca. She has no place in our bed or our lives. We had a few dates. We slept together. I think we both tried to fill a void. There is no comparison to what she and I had and what you and I have.”

  I wanted to say I love you, but it was too soon. So I said, “I love that you feel that way.” I kissed him gently and fell asleep tucked in the safety of his arms. I prayed I hadn’t set my heart on a platter to be carved and served cold.

  The morning sun broke through the window and lit up the room. I lay where I’d fallen asleep, in Elias’s protective embrace. A glance at the clock on the nightstand showed it was early, only seven o’clock. Why I woke so early I couldn’t imagine until I felt his erection press against my bottom.

  I wiggled against him and listened to him groan. Was he up for round three? I was.

  “I hope you slept well.” His hands traveled my body, waking up my nerve endings one at a time. By the time he cupped the neatly trimmed juncture between my thighs I was tingling from want. I wanted him in the best possible way. Inside me. Immediately.

  By his stone-hard presence, he needed no coaxing. He gave me what I wanted again and again until a kaleidoscope of colors shattered behind my closed eyes. Yesterday I was falling hard down a mountain, today I was falling hard for a man.

  My body ached in the most delicious way. Every muscle throbbed, but I couldn’t decide if it was due to the fall or the extracurricular activities we’d enjoyed over the last twenty-four hours. So much had happened in a day.

  “I’ll start the shower; you make the tea.” With my arms stretched to the sky, I twisted and turned trying to unkink my muscles on the way to the shower.

  “I’ll be right back with your Earl Grey. Make that water hot. My body hurts.”

  “I cartwheeled down a mountain, and you’re sore?” I looked over my shoulder and saw him watching me.

  “I’ll hurry.” He tugged on his jeans and ran from the room. I don’t think he could have moved faster even if I had lit his ass on fire.

  The jets pulsed over my sore muscles. I poured his body wash into my hands and lathered myself from top to toe. After a lifetime of waiting, I shut off the water, dried off, and dressed. No Earl Grey tea on the counter. Maybe he’d gotten distracted by his family. It was probably Gretchen, and she had most likely torn into the presents.

  Dressed in jeans and a pretty cashmere sweater, I trotted down the steps with more energy than I knew what to do with. My life was finally going in the right direction. There was hope for a happy ending in my personal and professional life. Yes, I had slept with the boss, but it had turned out well. More than well, I
felt . . . content.

  Standing at the bottom of the stairs was the entire Cole clan minus Elias. They all seemed to be staring at the front door. The hinges of their jaws hung open and a look of surprise was fixed on their faces.

  When I followed their gazes, my heart was wrenched from my chest. Standing under the mistletoe was a beautiful blonde woman with her lips pressed to my man’s lips.

  Chapter 13

  Elias pushed the woman away. “What are you doing here?”

  Six of us stood together at the base of the stairs. The scene in front of us played out like a bad soap opera. “I changed my mind, Elias. You were counting on me, and I couldn’t let you down. I came to meet your family and cook you dinner. We can work this out.” The blonde’s hand slid up the bare chest I had slept on. Her fingers brushed against the wisps of hair that had tickled my cheek only an hour ago. My stomach twisted as bile rose to choke me.

  “Elias, who is that woman?” Izzy hadn’t pulled any punches. Her question was direct and succinct. She wanted answers and, by her tone, she wanted them now.

  The blonde stepped forward. “I’m Becca, Elias’s girlfriend.” If sound could be sucked from the air, it happened. The atmosphere crackled with questions, but not a soul moved or breathed.

  Moments later, all heads turned to me. Accusations were ripe in their eyes. I’d gained their trust through lies and deceit. I looked at Elias standing barefoot, dressed in jeans and nothing else. His eyes were filled with regret. Was it regret he’d been with me? I couldn’t be certain. I’d caused too much pain to this family, and it was time to exit.

  I pleaded silently for Elias to say something—anything that would cut through the tension. He stepped toward me, but Becca’s hands halted him. Her fingers dug into the muscular arm I had lovingly caressed that morning. Taking two steps at a time, I ran upstairs to our room. His room.

  I heard Elias tell Becca to go to the office. He called after me but there was nothing left to say. What we had was built on nothing but sexual chemistry and lies. I’d let myself get sucked into a fantasy. When would I learn? Why was my reality so . . . awful?