Kissing Kris Kringle (6 page)

Kris pulled back and looked at her quizzically. “What happened?” he asked in that deep, husky voice that turned her into a warm puddle.

When she fixed her gaze on the collar of his shirt and nodded, he reached out and tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. Inside the swirling greens, she saw sincerity, frustration and desire barely banked.

“I don’t know what kind of head games Martin played with you, but I’m not going to do the same. I want you Holly. I think of you all day and most of the night. And I’m not thinking of you standing in front of the stove, if you get my meaning. When I look at you, I’m seeing a beautiful woman—not a girl who’s playing grownup. A woman, with a mind and a generous heart. I’m seeing a woman whose body—”.

Deliberately, he took her hand and pressed it to the front of his pants. Her eyes widened at the long, hard length of him. He couldn’t fake
that
. And if that was the barometer of his desire, then…what he said had to be for real.

He smiled wickedly. “I’ll let you analyze it later. But right now, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. I’ve got feelings for you, Holly. Feelings I’ve never had for another woman. I don’t understand half of them. All I know is that I can’t be around you without wanting to touch you. I can’t stand near you without needing to breathe you in. I want to be with you.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I want to be there for you.” His mouth moved to her cheekbone. “I want you to be mine.” He kissed the hollow of her throat, the fine collarbones revealed by her blouse. “You’re what I want for Christmas, Holly.” His mouth hovered over hers. “For New Year’s.” His voice dropped until it was barely a whisper. “For…forever.”

A dam within her broke at that and she threw her arms around him and kissed him back, muttering words that made no sense but somehow communicated all that she felt. She kissed him for the years they’d lost. For the years that were yet to come.

When he lifted her up, carrying her as easily as he had Joy, she didn’t fight. She didn’t worry about how much she weighed or if she was too heavy. She gave herself over to the bliss of this Christmas miracle. She gave herself over to Kris.

“Lock the door,” she said after he set her on her bed.

Kris’s smile held sin and Holly thought she might combust from the power of it. After he’d locked them in, he kicked off his shoes and joined her. His big hands roved over her and pulled her tightly against him. She felt the hard length of him pressed against her belly and groaned.

“I like these pants,” he muttered, his hands slipping over the silky fabric. “Take them off.”

He was already unbuttoning her blouse as she shimmied out of them and then he had her stripped bare. She felt a blush that seemed to cover every inch of exposed skin as he stared at her in the muted lamplight. He trailed his fingers down the fine bones of her chest, over the peak of her breast, light and teasing on her pebbled nipple and then down to the rounded planes of her belly. She wanted to cover herself and hide from his probing gaze, but she couldn’t. Instead, she watched the play of emotion on his face. He looked like he’d just opened the most perfect Christmas present he’d ever gotten. In his expression she saw need and satisfaction, pleasure and yearning. He didn’t find her lacking at all.

Then he looked up and smiled and Holly’s heart almost broke from how full it felt. He tugged his shirt over his head, shucked his pants and then he pressed all that naked, glorious skin to hers and kissed her. Kissed her with heart and soul, kissed her deeply with the spice of emotions neither of them could define…not yet. The feel of his tongue against hers, the soft sucking of his lips, the rough scrape of teeth…it turned Holly into a sensuous mass of nerves, sparking feelings and sensations.

He moved to her breasts, licking, nipping, sucking until she felt like she would scream from the pleasure of it. And then he slid between her thighs and all thought fled as her entire existence arrowed down to the point where he would become one with her. She stared into his eyes, catapulting over the edge of sanity, knowing he would catch her when she fell. Slowly—
God, so slowly—
he entered her, inch by inch, burying himself in the hot center of her body.

She gasped his name and he answered with a deep rumble of hers. And then he began to move, creating friction and excitement. She felt the tension in her body coil tightly and she arched into it, turned herself over to it, surrendering as he claimed her.

He plunged deeply, seating himself to the hilt and then he took her face in his hands. “Look at me,” he breathed and she did, letting him see all of her thoughts and feelings. Letting him have the honesty he demanded. In return he gave the same and Holly caught her breath as she saw love glimmering in his eyes.

“That’s right,” he murmured and then he moved, building speed and tension, mating his hardness to her softness. Setting her ablaze and then reforming her into the woman he saw. Beautiful. Powerful. Seductive.
His.

She cried his name as release took her, hurled her into a world of sensation and fervor. He followed an instant later, muffling her shouted name against her shoulder as he came. Holding her tight as both of them returned to the room, the bed, each other.

With a shaky laugh, he rolled over and pulled her tight to his side. “You’re never getting rid of me, Holly,” he said. “I hope you’re okay with that.”

Holly laughed too, happier than she’d ever been in her life. “It’s a sacrifice, but I’m pretty sure I can live with it.”

Chapter Five

The snow had continued throughout the night and this morning it lay like a glittering blanket over the ground. The snowplows had been out already, clearing the streets, drivers waving merrily at everyone they saw. The Santa suit now hung in his closet—awaiting another year, but Kris carried his filled Santa bag. He took Cupid and stopped by the bakery where Jenny and Rudy seemed to be cooking up more than just pastries. They both looked flushed and happy as they wished him Merry Christmas.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be open this morning,” Kris said.

“Well, Jenny’s been baking Santa’s favorite cookies,” Rudy answered, watching Jenny with an unmistakable look of love as she bustled behind the counter. “Can’t eat them all ourselves.”

“Nope,” Kris agreed. “You can’t do that.”

Rudy gave Kris a dozen cookies, along with a bag of pumpkin muffins, four doggie bagels, two cups of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate. As Kris paid, the two men exchanged a weighted glance. They didn’t need words. Kris knew he wasn’t alone in the Christmas miracle that had taken over his life.

Whistling, Kris left and headed for Holly’s house. He arrived at her front door a few scant hours after he’d snuck out the night before.

“Cupid, you ready?”

The pup gave him a doggy smile and let Kris tie a big bow around his neck and gently set him in the Santa bag on top of the other gifts he’d bought for Holly and Joy.

Finished he stood and knocked. He heard delighted squeals from the other side and then the door flew open and there stood Holly and Joy, both still in their pajamas, hair mussed from sleep and big smiles on their faces.

Joy opened up the bag and screamed with excitement as Cupid popped out. Laughing, Kris turned to Holly. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I’ll be here to help you take care of him.”

“How could I mind that?” she whispered, stepping into his open arms. “It’s the best Christmas present anyone ever gave me.”

He smiled at that. “Well then, hang onto your stockings, sweetheart. There’s more where that came from.”

Like the ring in his pocket that he planned to give her when they were alone. Like the key to his house, where he hoped they’d live for a long time to come.

Like his heart, which was hers forever.

About the Author

Erin Quinn is an award winning author. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence.

She lives in Arizona with her husband, two daughters and three dogs (all of whom have made debuts in her stories—the dogs, that is, not the husband and kids.)

Erin Quinn loves to talk to readers. If you have a book club or reading group and would like to discuss one of her books, let her know! Please contact Erin for more information by using the contact form on her website. http://www.erinquinnbooks.com/

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