All He Ever Dreamed (10 page)

Josh slid his hands under her back and she felt the bra’s clasp give way. Seconds later, he pulled the black straps down her arms and closed his mouth over her nipple. She arched her back, biting her lip to keep from making any sound. He sucked harder and she dug her nails into his shoulders.

His hips pressed down on hers, holding her still against the floor while he turned his attention to her other breast. She whimpered, unable to stop the sound, and
finally
, he peeled her underwear off and tossed them onto the dress. He grabbed his jeans and pulled a condom out of the change pocket before stepping out of his boxer briefs.

Her breath caught in her throat as he knelt over her, his gaze hot in the twinkling lights as he rolled on the condom.

When he moved between her parted legs, Katie caught herself holding her breath and forced herself to breathe.

“I can’t wait anymore,” he said. “I’ve waited too long already.”

He’d
waited too long? She almost laughed. He’d waited all of a week and a half. But then he reached between their bodies and guided himself into her and everything left her mind but that delicious sensation. She lifted her hips as he pressed into her, withdrew slightly, then pushed a little more. It was excruciating and she put her hands on his hips, trying to pull him deeper.

But Josh refused to be rushed. With small, teasing strokes, he slowly filled her completely, and then he stopped. He looked down at her, his eyes full of heat and tenderness, and she lifted her head to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned against his lips as he began to move again.

With stroke after stroke, he pushed her closer to the edge, and she tucked her hands behind her knees, lifting her legs. Deeper and faster he filled her, until her back arched and she bit down on the side of her hand to keep from crying out.

Josh groaned against her neck and his body jerked as he came, thrusting again and again through the orgasm.

Katie held on to him until the tremors passed, stroking his hair as his breath came in hot, rapid puffs against her cheek.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered, and she had to stifle a laugh. “Beats the hell out of coal in my stocking.”

“Merry Christmas.” It was certainly one of the happier holidays
she’d
had.

They lay there for a few more minutes, naked in the colorful glow of lights, but she had just closed her eyes when Josh rolled away. It was probably a good thing. If they fell asleep, her mother would have had quite the shock in the morning.

She heard the rustle of the discarded condom wrapper, and a few seconds later his zipper. When she opened her eyes, Josh was gone. She grabbed the dress and pulled it over her head just to have something on, leaving the undergarments on the floor with Josh’s shirt and socks.

When she went into the kitchen, he was just downing the last of a glass of water and he smiled when he saw her. “We didn’t finish cleaning the kitchen.”

“We saved the chocolate cake.” She scanned the counter and shrugged. “There’s nothing left to put in the fridge and the dirty dishes will keep until morning.”

“I’m going to go around and lock up, then. It’s time for bed.”

She nodded, but hesitated because she wasn’t sure if she should just walk away or what. He solved the dilemma by crossing the kitchen to her. His kiss was sweet, especially since he took both her hands in his.

“That was amazing, Katie. I wish I could take you to bed and do it again.”

But his bed was right across the hall from her mother’s bed, which was awkward. “It
was
amazing. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Katie grabbed her underwear and went up the stairs, carefully avoiding all the squeaky spots. Being caught in the hallway with her bra and panties in her hand wouldn’t be an easy one to explain.

When she closed her bedroom door behind her, Kate leaned her head back against the wood and heaved a happy sigh of utter contentment. That had been one hell of a Christmas Eve party.

Chapter Ten

Despite the lack of a full night’s sleep, Josh woke up in a very holly, jolly mood. Waking up
alone
after the most incredible sex of his life wasn’t ideal, but last night had been, in fact, the greatest Christmas Eve party ever thrown.

And, Jesus, when he thought about all the years he’d wasted having sex with women who weren’t Katie, he could weep.

His eyes widened when he looked at the clock, and he threw back the covers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept until eight o’clock, but it felt pretty good. Or maybe it was the sex. Either way, he was whistling Christmas carols while he took a quick shower and threw on some clothes.

All he needed now was coffee. He went down the stairs and found Rosie and Katie sitting on the couch, both of them cradling coffee cups. There was an awkward moment when he felt like he should say something more than good-morning to Katie and couldn’t with Rose sitting beside her, so he wished them a merry Christmas and kept on going to the coffeemaker.

“Have you guys been up long?” he asked once he was settled in the armchair with some coffee in him and a full cup on the side table.

“I was up at six, as usual,” Rosie said. “But Katie got up just before you did. Sleepyheads on Christmas morning.”

Josh looked at the twinkling tree instead of Katie, because he was afraid if he looked at her, he might laugh. It might appear as if they’d slept in to somebody who didn’t know when they’d gone to bed.

Rose played elf this morning, since she wasn’t still sucking down caffeine in a desperate attempt to wake up. She gave Josh her gift to him and then handed Katie hers, even though she grimaced a little when she had to put her coffee down.

She’d knit Josh a pair of his favorite gloves. They were cut off at the fingertips, but had a flap that folded over. His hands could be warm, but he could also flip back the flap if he was working on something that required some fine motor skills. He got up to kiss her cheek, pausing to admire the zip-up wool sweater she’d made for Katie, and then handed Rosie her gifts from them.

Katie had gotten her a slow cooker, which he wished he’d thought of. She’d been complaining for so long that hers didn’t cook evenly anymore, that he might have started tuning her out. Missed gift opportunity. He, of course, gave her a gift certificate to the yarn store, this year hidden in the bottom of a box holding new slippers.

That left two presents under the tree, and Katie was smiling when she handed him the oddly-shaped one from her. He wanted to pull her down onto his lap and give her a very thorough Christmas-morning kiss, but he had to make do with brushing his fingers along hers as he took his gift.

It was a five-gallon bucket, complete with a sponge, a bottle of car wash, a chamois cloth and a tub of wax.

“You’re too much, Davis,” he said when he’d stopped laughing.

“Look under the sponge.”

He rummaged at the bottom of the bucket and found a small, wrapped box. After tearing off the paper, he opened the lid. It was a small snow globe with a picture inside of him and Katie.

It had been taken on the nineteenth of January in 2002. It was shortly before his dad passed away, and Josh and Katie had worked their asses off getting tickets to the last game the Patriots would ever play in Foxboro Stadium. It was the only game they’d ever seen in person. It had been cold and snowing, but it was a historic night and the Patriots beat the Raiders by three points. Katie had gotten a fellow fan a few rows up to take a picture of the two of them with the snow-covered field as the backdrop, and the excitement and happiness of the night lit them both up.

When he shook it, the snow fell in front of them, almost as if it was turning the photograph into a living memory.

“That was one of the best days of my life,” he said softly, shaking it again.

“Mine, too.”

“You have to open mine now,” he told her. Then he smiled at Rosie. “Things are gonna get weird.”

Katie gave him a questioning look, but he only shrugged and gestured for her to open it. Inside the box was a huge sponge, specially made in a jumbo size for washing trucks, according to the label. She laughed and threw it at him.

The second item in the box was wrapped, just as the snow globe had been. She tore the paper off and he wasn’t surprised when her mouth fell open in surprise.

“You can’t be serious,” she said.

“What is it?” Rosie asked impatiently.

She took a plaque out of the box and held it up for her mom to see. It had been designed to commemorate the final game at Foxboro Stadium, with a photo of the snowy field and a smaller plaque with the games details. The bottom half had a photo of the field at the shiny new Gillette Stadium, as well as the pertinent details of that September 2002 game. Also a win for the Patriots, and over the Steelers, which was even better. The plaque was made complete with trading cards for Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi mounted under plastic protectors.

“You’re right,” Rosie said. “This is a little weird.”

“I was remembering that day and how amazing it was while I was shopping, and when I saw that plaque, it seemed like the perfect gift.”

“It is,” Katie whispered. “The absolutely perfect gift.”

Their eyes met and he could see that she wanted to throw her arms around him and thank him, but she was holding herself back. He winked and gave her a smile, because they could thank each other later, when they had more privacy.

“What’s with the car wash stuff?” Rosie wanted to know.

“Why was it so funny that Mitch gave Josh a splitting maul?” Katie countered, and the women were at a standoff.

Josh was tempted to explain the splitting maul, but Rosie might find it odd he’d so freely share the story of working off his sexual frustration by splitting wood with the woman at the root of that sexual frustration. He’d have to tell her later—once again, when they had some privacy.

“I’m going to bring the muffins in here so we can pick at them.”

Rose went into the kitchen and, as soon as she was out of sight, Josh and Katie met in the middle of the living room. He kissed her for as long as he thought he could get away with it, and then rested his forehead against hers.

“Thank you for the snow globe.”

“Thank you for the plaque,” she said in a soft voice. “I guess we both treasure the memory of that day.”

“Always.”

When Rosie came back into the living room, carrying a basket of warm muffins, they were both back in their seats. Josh smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

Best Christmas ever.

* * *

“Amazing.” Katie licked powered sugar off her fingers and reached back into the box.

“The sex or the doughnuts?” Hailey asked.

They were sitting on Hailey’s couch with their feet on her brand-new coffee table and an open box of powered doughnuts between them. It was something of a Boxing Day tradition. They weren’t sure how it was done in England, but they always had a box of something delicious the day after Christmas.

“The sex,” Katie clarified. “But the doughnuts are pretty amazing, too.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t call me immediately.”

“I wanted to, but since it was about one o’clock on Christmas morning, I thought I should wait. Plus I fell asleep.”

Hailey sighed and gave the doughnut in her hand a mournful look. “I don’t think these are amazing. They’re not bad, but I think you have that really annoying happy afterglow that great sex gives you.
Everything’s
amazing after an orgasm or two.”

“That explains the coffee. Mine isn’t usually as good as what mom makes, but it was really good this morning.”

“I kind of hate you a little right now.”

“Have another bite of your doughnut.”

She did, and then washed it down with half her mudslide. “So what now?”

“No more doughnuts. I’m done.”

“With Josh. Where did you sleep last night?”

“In my bed.” Katie paused, and then grinned. “After we snuck out to the barn for a little while.”

“The barn? Isn’t it a little cold for barn sex?”

“It’s heated. The guests like that, I guess. Heated storage for their snowmobiles.”

“Beds are more comfortable, no matter how heated the barn is.”

“Not when both beds are within earshot of my mother.”

“There are tons of rooms in that house. Do the sex grand tour.”

“We already made up the guest rooms for people coming in Friday. If we have sex in one of the beds, I have to change all the bedding again. Easier to sneak out to the barn.”

“So tell me, besides being amazing, did the sex also stop the weirdness?”

Katie thought about that. “Mostly. We’re fine with each other, I think, but it’s a little weird being around my mom.”

“Is it really a big deal if she finds out?”

“I don’t think so. She might even be happy about it. But I think Josh needs some time to adjust to us before he has to deal with his relationship with my mom changing. It’s a lot.”

“You’re probably right.” Hailey covered her eyes and groaned. “Take the doughnuts away, Katie. They need to be out of my reach.”

She picked up the box and set it on her end of the table, far out of Hailey’s reach. “I don’t know how you can even think about eating another doughnut.”

“Because you’ve had amazing sex two nights in a row. I haven’t. Not even one night of mediocre sex. And no, don’t mention Max Crawford.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Actually, she was, but Hailey didn’t need to know that.

“I need salt after all that sweet. Potato chips. I need chips.”

Katie leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep the past two nights, not that she was complaining. And she definitely wouldn’t complain to Hailey.

It still blew her mind that she and Josh had not only managed to become an almost-couple, but had turned out to be so deliciously compatible in bed. Or on the floor and in the barn, as the case may be.

But, in her mind, they’d stay an almost-couple until everybody knew they were together. Yesterday morning, she’d waited with her mom on the couch and, when Josh got up, took her cues from him. It was pretty clear he didn’t want Rose to know their relationship had taken a turn for the intimate.

“I bet having guests running around the lodge will really put a cramp on you guys hiding in closets,” Hailey said, plopping down on the couch with an open bag of chips. She offered it to Katie, but she shook her head. She didn’t know how her friend could eat another bite.

“I know. Tomorrow we have to drive to Brookline and back, to help Ryan and Lauren with the last trip from her house. Then the next day, guests are arriving. We might have to sneak away to my apartment, which wouldn’t be fun since I have the heat turned down to fifty while I’m at the lodge. By the time that old boiler heats it back up, we’d be done. Or I could just let
him
warm me up, I guess.”

“I think you’re too salacious for me now,” Hailey told her. “I’m not sure I can be your friend anymore.”

Katie laughed and snatched the bag away from her. Maybe a few chips wouldn’t hurt.

* * *

Rose was curled up on the couch, feeling about as content as she’d felt in a very long time. The Christmas tree lights were twinkling, the fire was crackling and Andy’s arm was warm and snug around her shoulder.

“I know you said Katie went to Hailey’s, but where’s Josh?”

That was another reason for her deep sense of contentment. “He’s taking a nap.”

Rose was fairly sure she knew why Josh wasn’t getting enough sleep at night. It was obvious in the way he and Katie had been looking at each other since yesterday morning. The very air between them felt different. And, in her mind, the fact they’d both chosen gifts for each other that honored one of the happiest days they’d ever shared together was a sign they were meant to be together.

“You may have noticed I didn’t bring you a gift Christmas Eve,” Andy said.

She had, though she’d tried not to be disappointed by it. “I wasn’t expecting a gift. Just your company.”

“I had it in my pocket, but I wanted to give it to you like this. When it’s just us.” He pulled a small, flat box out from under a throw pillow, where he must have hidden it earlier. “Merry Christmas, Rose.”

Her hands shook a little as she unwrapped the paper. That embarrassed her a little, but she was anxious about what she’d find—something he hadn’t wanted lost in the chaos of the entire family.

She lifted the lid off the box and her breath caught in her throat. “It’s…oh, good lord, I’m going to cry.”

Andy pulled his arm free so he could lift the charm bracelet out of the box and fasten it on her wrist. With tears running unchecked down her cheeks, she touched each silver charm, one by one. A pair of scissors for Katie. A tiny ball on a chain for Mitch. She supposed it was probably meant to jokingly represent the old “ball and chain,” but it looked like a miniature wrecking ball. A hammer for Ryan. A combat boot for Sean, who’d served in the army. A coffee mug for Liz, and a tiny snowmobile for Josh.

It was a perfect choice for him, she thought. She’d almost expected a little house, but the lodge didn’t represent Josh. No matter where he went, though, he would always love sledding.

“Mitch almost did me in,” Andy said. “They don’t make explosives for charm bracelets that I could find.”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered. “So very perfect.”

When he slid his finger under her chin to tip her face up, she didn’t resist. The kiss was soft and sweet, and as perfect for her as the bracelet.

“Merry Christmas, Andy.”

He put his arm up and she snuggled back against his chest again. It was a very nice way to spend the day after Christmas.

“So when are you going to let Josh and Katie know they don’t have to sneak around the place like teenagers?”

She laughed. “When I stop enjoying watching them do it.”

“Do you really think she’ll be able to keep him here?”

“I hope so.” It was a sobering question, taking a little of the shine off her mood. “Paige brought up the possibility Josh might leave and talk Katie into going with him. That worries me.”