Festive Seduction: The Holiday Engagement Series (3 page)

Philip pressed his lips against her mound. He held her gaze while he created a trail over her pelvis with his mouth, kissing and nipping, sometimes following the lines of her tattoos, sometimes not. Her channel clenched and her abdominal muscles tensed in anticipation. He felt so good inside of her.

Jade curled one leg over his waist, reveling in the feel of his muscles rippling as he continued to shift, creeping up her naked body. Well, naked except for her socks and the Christmas lights still around her chest.

She hated and loved the slow trek. The way he savored her body made her feel desirable, cherished. He traced her waist, nipping the sensitive curve. She gasped as the synapses fired off warnings of impending pain that never came. Philip smoothed over the imagined hurt, smothering a chuckle against her ribs.

Jade narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but the disproving expression had no impact on her lover. Philip nuzzled the underside of her breast and all was forgotten. She pushed her hands into his hair, ignoring the protest of her sore muscles.

He gently bit the full curve, several times in a line, teasing her. She undulated, rocking her hips up against the hard wall of his body.

Jade gasped, pleasure and pain radiating from her other breast as he tweaked the pert nipple between his fingers. She raked her nails over his back, urging him on, arching her back. Philip accepted the offering, taking the stiff peak in his mouth and sucking it, while he continued to abuse and toy with the other. He switched his attentions to the other breast, his teeth abrading her sensitized flesh.

Arousal flooded her pussy. She wanted him. Needed to be as close to him as she could.

Finally, at long last, Philip slid up her body, the slow drag of her damp nipples on his chest was almost too much. Her eyes rolled back into her head as he lowered his mouth to hers, sealing her pleasurable misery with a kiss. It felt as if a million air bubbles swirled around her head, her toes curled and she clung to his shoulders, seeking more contact.

Philip pushed to his knees. She whimpered at the sudden loss of him, but knew the look in his eye. It was the same hungry monster eating her from the inside out. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She sat up, reaching for the elastic band of his shorts and paused.

Jade pressed a kiss to his chest, just over the pink line of a scar. “May I, Sir?”

He fished a condom out of his pocket. Always the pragmatic one. “Go ahead.”

She drew his shorts and boxers down, freeing his cock. Since he’d given her permission, she took liberties, grasping his hard length and pumping it. She watched his reaction as she gave the end a little squeeze. His cheeks sunk in and the fire in his gaze intensified.

Philip tore the packet open with his teeth and nudged her out of the way.

“On your knees,” he said in a low, lust curled voice.

Jade rolled over, more than happy to comply. She fisted the edge of the rug in either hand and rose to brace on her elbows. This was her favorite position, something about the angle meant his cock touched every sensitive area in her pussy. It was also one of the easiest ways to make love after the scary parts of his recovery.

Jade closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his hands. He parted her folds and inserted his finger into her channel, curling the digit. She moaned, wanting more. The fire popped and crackled, disguising his muttered words. Alternating waves of cold and heat swept her as he continued to stroke her inner walls, enticing more arousal from her depths.

She bit her lip and held her breath as he withdrew his finger. The blunt head of his cock notched against her entrance and everything inside of her stretched taunt, all her muscles holding still, her soul straining for him, her heart beating to his rhythm.

Philip thrust into her slick channel and she sucked in a deep breath. She’d always thought the adage,
it gets better with time
, was a load of shit—until Philip. He withdrew and thrust again, harder, sending her rocking forward a bit. Her muscles rippled as he hit the right spot deep inside her and she moaned. Each slow drag of his stiff length across her sensitized flesh sent off little fireworks behind her eyelids.

Better. Every. Damn. Time.

He eased into her, deeper with each thrust, nothing hurried at all about his movements.

Jade thumped her foot on the ground, desperately wanting to urge him faster, harder, but loving the slow, savoring sensation of each inch.

His hands gripped her hips, holding her tight, preventing her from moving against him. As much as it frustrated her, she reveled in his strength, the way he held them both in perfect control. It was what made it so easy to lose herself in their play, knowing he did each act, every touch with purpose.

Philip grasped the cord of lights around her ribs. A few of the bulbs poked her chest, but she didn’t care.

He thrust harder, and again in quick succession, sending ripples of pleasure through her pussy.

“Oh, yes,” she whispered into the rug.

Philip kept one hand wrapped in the cord, the other at her hip, no longer restricting her movements. She thrust back to meet him, gasping as he plunged deeper. The sounds of their labored breathing and lovemaking filled the tiny cabin. Across the room, the clock began to chime, beating out a counter rhythm.

Jade felt as if her core were a spring, squeezed too tight. Philip spurred her toward the summit. She shot over the edge, her internal muscles clamping down as Philip continued to piston in and out of her body. She was vaguely aware of his shout mixed with her pleasured moans as he stroked her through the orgasm. She dug her nails into the carpet, squeezed her eyes shut and held on as she soared through a maelstrom of sensation, zipping through her body, lighting up the synapses and stroking her core. Through it all, she sensed Philip, as if their spirits twined together.

His motions became rough, jerky even. All at once he froze. For an instant they seemed to hang in the balance, two weights, perfectly equal. The inner storm died down until she felt a sense of utter contentment and love settle around them.

The clock ceased its chime, as if all time stood still for this moment.

God, she loved him.

Philip moved first, crumpling forward over her and pressing kisses to her back. She smiled, savoring the sweet moment. He pulled out and helped her lay on the rug instead of collapsing as her muscles were want to do. She rolled to her side, pillowing her head on her arm and watched him. He rose a little shaky, she liked to think it was the bone shattering orgasm’s fault. His stride was smooth as he walked to the bathroom.

Jade stretched out next to the fire and traced a twinkling light bulb resting on her chest, listening to Philip move around the room, doing whatever it was he thought just had to be done right now. There was no deterring him, so she merely let it happen, content to drift in the luxurious sensation of post-orgasmic bliss.

She loved Christmas, even before it had brought Philip into her life. The decorations, the joy, the time spent with family. Having Philip with her only made it more special.

“Sorry about that.” Philip knelt next to her, clothed once more in a pair of shorts.

He dropped two pillows and a throw blanket on the floor next to her and knelt on the rug. He removed the last few coils of lights from her chest before spreading the blanket over them and positioning the pillows just so. She took comfort in the way he had to make sure she was as comfortable as possible before folding his body around her.

Silly man. All she needed was him.

Jade buried her face against his chest, savoring this beautiful moment. In the kink world, afterglow often coincided with aftercare, the practice where a Dominant would help their submissive return to the real world. Subspace was an addictive high, which made the transition difficult for some. Jade merely liked it for the ample amount of snuggles and kisses Philip lavished on her.

The act of playing within the BDSM structure had given them a language to rebuild their lives following the accident. Without it, she wasn’t sure they would have come back to each other.

“How you doing, sweetheart?” She felt his mouth on the top of her head and smiled.

“Mm, good. You?”

“Fantastic.” He kissed her brow. “Hey, sit up for a second?”

She groaned her protest, but did as he requested.

Philip pulled the gold tinsel garland from her hair and tossed it in the pile of other abused Christmas decorations. There were tiny stress lines marring his brow and around his mouth. Her heart pulsed painfully in her chest. What was wrong? What was going on?

The fire popped and cracked, burning merrily. Outside, she could hear the wind picking up again and flakes of snow hitting the windows. Tiny details like those faded into nothing when they played.

Philip lifted his hand from under the blanket. Nestled in his large palm was a little jeweler’s box. The world seemed to freeze for a second. Jade’s heart leapt into her throat, her lungs burned for oxygen and tears prickled her eyes.

She’d seen the box before. A long time ago. So long she’d thought she must have dreamed it.

He lifted the top of the box and the firelight glinted off a gold antique emerald ring, surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds. The same ring she’d seen at a store in Aspen on a mountain bike trip they’d taken the first year they’d been together.

“Marry me.” He didn’t ask, but Philip rarely did. It was the confidence and authority she loved about him.

“Really?” She folded her hands over her mouth. While she’d always known Philip was her rough-around-the-edges Prince Charming, she hadn’t expected this. Not now. She’d always assumed he needed more time.

“Yes, really.” He freed the ring from the box, letting it drop to the floor.

Jade couldn’t form words. They caught in her throat, all wanting to tumble out at once. Instead, she thrust her hand at him and held her breath as he slid it on her finger. The cool metal and the weight of the stone were real. Not figments of her imagination. This wasn’t another daydream. Philip was asking her to marry him. Well, telling her, but that wasn’t the point.

“It fits,” she said in wonder.

Philip smiled at her, his hair sticking up on one side, an ease settling around him that had been missing these last few weeks. The stress lines disappeared, and for a moment, he was the man he’d become and that reckless boy she’d fallen for all wrapped up in one.

“You still haven’t said yes, yet,” he reminded her.

“Yes. Yes! Are you crazy? Yes.” Jade launched herself at him. He caught her and they rolled on the rug until they bumped into the sofa, limbs and bodies entwined. This was the perfect Christmas.

Philip sat down
on his side of the bed and stole a glance at Jade, curled up on her side. She stared at her finger, wiggling the ring with her thumb, unable to leave it alone.

As much as he wanted to be happy and in the moment the truth weighed on him. He had to be totally and completely honest with her. If they were going to take this next step of their lives together, she deserved that much.

He eased the boot of his prosthetic leg off and propped it against the wall next to the bed. He rolled the sock off the remaining part of his leg and knee, and laid it on the floor. Those two tasks drawn out as long as possible, he slid between the sheets and rolled toward his fiancé.

Fiancé. He liked that word, but not as much as he’d like calling her his wife.

“Hi,” she whispered, snuggling closer until she could peck his lips.

Losing himself in her kisses sounded like a great idea. It was also a perfect way to put off what he had to tell her. He gently pushed her back, so he could see her face in the starlight coming in through the window next to the bed.

“I want to tell you something, and I understand if you’re upset with me.” It felt as if his stomach were churning rocks in his gut. He hated this.

“Okay.” Jade blinked up at him, her gaze open and trusting.

“I was going to propose to you last year. If the accident hadn’t have happened, I’d have asked you a few days later. I hadn’t planned it out, but I was going to. Afterward, it wasn’t that I didn’t love you, I just couldn’t ask that kind of commitment of you. I didn’t know what the future would be like…” Words failed to capture the sense of loss and anguish, doubt and self-hatred he’d struggled through in those early weeks. If she’d have left, he wouldn’t have blamed her. Hell, he wanted to leave himself sometimes, but she’d kept him there.

“Sh.” Jade kissed him briefly. “I knew you had the ring.”

“You—what?”

“Who do you think gets the mail, silly?” In the near darkness, her eyes danced with mischief and secrets.

“You knew?” And she’d stayed with him. Patient. Loving. His greatest cheerleader. She’d seen him at his worst, when he wanted to pull the plug on his future, and she’d stuck with him.

“That’s what I said.” She smoothed her hand over his cheek. “If you’d have asked me to marry you after the accident, you’d have been asking a different person than I am now. We’ve changed. We’ve gotten closer. We’ve seen the best and the worst of each other. And we’re still in love. I love you more now than I loved you then. I don’t care that you waited. All that matters is you are the man I want to spend the rest of my life jumping out of airplanes with, diving off cliffs and climbing mountains. You are my hero.”