Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) (18 page)

“Again with the Santa theme.”

“How do you figure?”

“You just gave me your version of a naughty and nice list.”

My head tipped back with laughter. “That’s so twisted. Now you’re just making things up.”

“Am not.” He picked up his glass of whisky and finished the last sip, his eyes falling on mine. It was like now that the moment had finally arrived, we were both taking our time.

If I believed in magic and other realities, I’d swear Derek put me in some kind of dazzling spell. Every look from him made my head spin, and every touch brought me to the brink of begging for something I would never have dreamed of months before.

He tilted his head and smiled. “Are you ready?”

“More than you can imagine.”

I didn’t know what to expect tonight, but I did know that Derek had awakened every square inch of my body to the possibilities of being loved. There weren’t any promises of something more with him, and for the first time in my life, I was okay with that. Sharing the night with Derek was enough.

As we stood in the elevator my excitement turned to worry. It had been so long since I’d been with a man, and now I was about to sleep with my teenage crush and a genius storyteller of our generation.

The pressure of it almost overwhelmed me until Derek caught my gaze.

“Don’t be worried,” he whispered.

“I’m not.”

“I can see it in your eyes.” He touched my chin and smiled as the elevator stopped to spill us onto our floor.

Of course I was nervous. I was only a few steps away from making love to Derek Binterelli.

No. Not making love.

Having sex.

It was only sex.

But it had never been only sex for me.

But this time it would be.

We wound up at his door, and he slipped his key card in.

I took in a deep breath and Derek’s eyes fell on me.

“You don’t have to do this…” his voice trailed off.

And that’s when I realized I needed to get out of myself, out of my head. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t allow the events of tonight to unfold.

“I very much want to.”

He opened the door and swooped me into his arms.

“Such service,” I said softly.

“There’s more where that came from.”

His hand slipped along my side, settling on my hip as his eyes locked on mine. The door shut quietly behind us, and my breath caught, but he didn’t give me a second to overanalyze a thing. He cradled my head in his hands and gently kissed me. The sweetness of his lips only increased my hunger for him as his tongue met mine, and the rest of my worries about tomorrow slowly slipped away.

My hands ran underneath his shirt. Feeling the softness of his bare skin in contrast to the hardness sitting underneath made my head spin with anticipation. I couldn’t wait to feel the heaviness of his body on mine. I’d been dreaming about this moment forever, and I hadn’t even realized it until now.

He slowly worked his mouth along my neck before bringing his lips back to mine. I nipped at his lower lip, and the desire in his eyes deepened as his hands slowly ran up my legs. The heat of his fingers against my skin took my breath away. I wanted nothing more than to get out of this dress and feel his body pressed against mine.

His gaze stayed locked on mine as his fingers edged along my panties, teasing and tempting me. I saw the wanting intensify behind his brown eyes, which made my body melt into his. I bit my lip as his fingers ran under the lace, and my world began to spin. The feelings he ignited were almost unbearable. The softness of his touch contrasted with the hard look in his eyes creating a passion I’d never felt before.

Derek was hungry for more just as I was. I’d never felt more desired in my life. He removed his fingers from under my panties and switched to pushing the lace down my legs. His fingers grazed my inner thigh, and the heat burned deep inside.

I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth down to mine. His lips slowly parted, and I tasted more of the sweetness, more of the desire running between us. The tenderness of his touch as he drew his fingers between my legs completely through me over the edge. I was at his mercy as his fingers began to circle inside of me. My body began trembling, my fingers clutching his shoulders. My kisses eased and I moved my lips to the side of his mouth.

“Derek,” I breathed against his cheek, feeling my legs almost give out.

Without having to say another word, he picked me up and laid me on the bed. The squish of the comforter framed my body as he slowly moved the hem of my dress up. The tickle of the cashmere against my skin with his mouth coming up behind gave the word ecstasy an entirely new meaning. A wave of shivers ran through my body as his lips trailed over my thighs, and I succumbed to whatever he had in store for me.

Every part of my body was on fire. I ached all over. I wanted more. I’d never felt longing like this before. It fired up every part of my body. Every inch of my body screamed to be touched by Derek. My skin felt electrified as the warmth of his tongue pushed into me and shook my world. I needed him to stop. I couldn’t take one more second or I’d—

Derek moved his mouth up my stomach, his tongue producing an astonishing amount of need before he propped himself on his elbow, leaving me weak with desire. Our eyes locked, and my body trembled as I attempted to calm myself down, but seeing the desire running wickedly through Derek’s eyes did the opposite. His fingers slowly ran over my lace bra before moving down my belly.

He placed a soft kiss on my stomach before he slowly slid my dress the rest of the way over my body, pooling it under my head. His eyes slipped greedily down my frame making me feel spectacular. He didn’t have to say a word. The look in his eyes told me everything. Derek found me beautiful.

He rolled over me, his legs straddling my hips as his fingers scattered along my chest, outlining my lacy bra. The heat running between my legs was agonizing. I wasn’t going to wait any longer. Just as he was leaning over to spread more kisses along my body, I unbuttoned his pants and frantically began moving them down. He let out a soft groan and shook his head.

“It’s not time. I don’t want you to ever forget this.”

“Impossible.” My hand ran under his shirt, rubbing his chest, feeling his pecs flex as he propped himself over me.

He smiled as he unfastened my bra, tossing the pink lace onto the floor. He floated his mouth along my breasts; the warmth of his breath stirred my world into a crazy mix of emotions. I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips running along my skin, nipping and taunting me.

Sensing my need, his tongue teased me endlessly, but the aching only intensified as I dreamed of Derek inside of me. The rush of feelings flooded my body as Derek’s lips slowly trailed up my belly. I tangled my hands through his hair, leading him along my body.

He kissed the curves of my waist, the dip in my stomach, the fullness of my breasts. I didn’t realize how long I’d been so desperate to feel this connection.

I cupped the side of his face and slowly brought him back up to me. I kissed him and felt the familiar burn of longing ignite into a dizzying effect of emotions. My mind spinning with everything Derek—his touch, his feel, his skin—and I couldn’t take the fabric separating us any longer. I worked my fingers down each button before throwing his shirt to the ground. He slid his pants all the way down and sprinkled soft kisses along my bare skin. I was desperate to feel him next to me, his skin against my skin. I pulled him onto me and felt the warmth of his skin on mine. The heaviness of his body felt comforting as he slid his arms under me.

Acutely aware of how special tonight was, nothing was rushed. The ease of his hands gliding across my body, the lingering kisses behind my ear and neck, the softness of his fingers teasing parts of me I’d forgotten about allowed me to surrender to him. Every sweep of his hand was thrilling, and the mystery built as we teased each other for more.

I’d made my life one big distraction to avoid feeling, and Derek was stripping all of that away. He unleashed hidden desires that now ripped through every part of my body.

His name slipped from my mouth as I silently pleaded with him for more.

I moistened my lips as his mouth found mine. My hands ran down his long, lean back, and my body relaxed as I welcomed the next step. His breathing changed, and I shifted my hips as I felt his fullness deliver me to a place that made my entire world explode into a million little pieces.

I clung to him and kissed his shoulders as my eyes fluttered shut with ecstasy I’d never experienced in my life. Derek breathed along my neck as my body shuddered in his embrace.

But he wasn’t done. His eyes locked onto mine, and I didn’t dare look away as his fingers ran along my collarbone. He slowly kissed my neck and began pressing his hips into me forcing my world to succumb to his. My head fell back as his mouth trailed down my throat. His body shuddering with mine as our worlds merged into one, if only for this second.

I wasn’t lost in the moment. I was lost in everything Derek: the curvature of his frame, the feeling of his body on top of mine, his ragged breathing as we allowed ourselves the freedom to become one, the kindness of his soul.

It’s like I’d been sedated for the last six years, and Derek somehow woke me up to the possibilities.

Being with him tonight took me to another time and place; one where Derek wasn’t moving to Montana. I felt ridiculous for allowing myself to wonder if there was a way to make this nonexistent relationship work. I knew what I was getting into by sleeping with him, a wonderful night of passion and nothing more.

Derek’s eyes met mine, and in that particular moment, I knew no one would ever come close to what we shared. I’d never felt it before, and I’d probably never feel it again. And that’s when I snapped out of my mini fantasy.

Chapter Sixteen

Derek waltzed into the bedroom with nothing more than a towel tied around his waist, and my heart nearly flipped out of my chest at the sight of him. The only thing separating me from Derek was a piece of cotton—a very flimsy one at that.

 His eyes held a tenderness I hadn’t seen until last night. It was like the first of the layers were already starting to peel back between us, and yet before I knew it, he would be off living in Montana.

“I don’t think people should be allowed to be that sexy straight from a shower.” I swept the sheets to the side and dangled my legs over the edge of the bed. If I looked anything like I normally did after a night of not wiping off the makeup and putting my hair in a braid, it was enough to scare anyone. But he wasn’t running away so either he was extremely polite or it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“I don’t think people should be allowed to be that sexy straight from the sheets,” he said, standing a step away from my grasp.

Even though my hotel room was straight through our shared door, I stole one of his shirts to sleep in and fell asleep in his arms. It might not sound like a big deal, but feeling how we fit together was a hard sensation to ignore. I needed to remember it.

“Keep it coming and today might be your lucky day.” I smiled and ran my fingers along the sheets.

“Day? It’s more like my entire year is ending on a high note.”

He certainly knew how to make me feel special.

I stood up and stretched, soaking up everything about Derek. His chiseled features, broad shoulders, and washboard abs only scratched the surface. What made him truly incredible was his kind spirit and addictive sense of humor.

But I was overthinking it.

We had a hot night that I would hold onto for a very long time, probably another six years at the pace I liked to move at.

But it wasn’t just a hot night. It was the most incredible sex I’d ever experienced, followed by conversation that literally made me view the world in a different way, a better way. What we shared was soul-connecting.

I cleared my throat and took a step forward. I ran my finger along the terrycloth of the towel, feeling the dampness of his bare skin.  His hair was still wet, and his brown eyes brooding as I thought about all the things I wanted to do to him again.

While he was in the shower, I’d spent my time staring at the ceiling and thinking about last night. Everything was perfect, and I didn’t want to do anything to taint that experience. I wanted us to end on a high note.

He was moving to Montana, and I was happy in Washington.

End of story.

I knew the feelings I felt toward him teetered on the edge of full-blown messiness. I wasn’t strong enough to go another round with him only to be left distinguishing between lust, love, and like.

There wasn’t any complication beyond the obvious.

Derek tilted my chin and took a step toward me, closing the gap between us. I drew my finger away to keep myself grounded. It would only take one tug on that towel, and I wouldn’t be able to help myself. My body tingled with merely the possibility of getting to feel him inside me again. I found myself getting hot with anticipation and had to end it. I needed to stay in the reality of the situation.