White-Hot Christmas (8 page)

She drank steadily as the evening progressed, knowing she was getting tipsy but finding it the only way to cope with her increasing agitation as the night wore on. Why the hell wasn’t he just a meathead? Why did he have to be all suave and charming and funny? And why on earth had she slept with him? Now she couldn’t get the thought of him kissing her out of her head. And the way he had thrust so deep inside her…
Oh dear God
…the thought made her grow wet between her thighs and that was
not
good news when she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

Jake now teased Neon about his work, and she remembered he’d been on shift that day. “No, no, Neon’s job is very important,” Jake protested to everyone around them. “I’m telling you, when the one fire in a gazillion years happens in this town, the phone call will wake him right up in his office and he’ll be raring to go.”

Everyone laughed. Neon gave him a reproachful look, pointing a finger at him. “Now I’ll have you know there are cats around here that would still be stuck up trees if it wasn’t for me.”

Something about his self-deprecating manner blew Merle’s mind. Lust swept through her like a tsunami, roaring through her veins. She was so hot for him she was going to supernova.

At that moment he looked over at her as he sipped his beer, and electricity fired through her as sure as if he’d scuffed his feet on a carpet and touched his finger to her damp skin.

Cursing, she got to her feet and went inside, carrying her wineglass. She shouldn’t drink any more, but she was desperate to stop the fire rushing through her veins and maybe, if she drank enough, she’d be too numb to feel anything.

She poured herself some wine, smiling as the woman next to her held out her glass, gesturing for Merle to fill hers up too.

“There you go.” Merle finished off the bottle.

“Thanks.” The woman smiled. She was in her early fifties, slender and beautiful, her brown hair peppered with grey and cut into a neat bob. “You must be Merle.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Merle shook the other woman’s hand as it was offered. “I’m sorry, you are…?”

“I’m Julia. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You too,” said Merle, wondering who she was.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh?” Merle raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Good things I hope.”

Julia gave a small laugh. “Oh yes.” She didn’t elaborate, but her eyes smiled, crinkling at the edges as she sipped her wine.

“And what are you two talking about?” Neon walked up to the table and poured himself a Coke.

“Nothing.” Julia’s face was the picture of innocence. Merle looked from her to him and back again. The two of them were staring at each other, some message passing between them, although it remained unspoken. Neon gave Julia a glare followed by a slight shake of his head. She tipped hers in reply, her eyes dancing.

“Go away.” He turned Julia around and pushed her toward the garden. Laughing, she acquiesced, casting a last look over her shoulder, winking at him.

Merle raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t very polite.”

He shot an exasperated look in Julia’s direction, then looked back at Merle and sipped his Coke, his other hand on his hip. “She’s got a naughty streak—I was avoiding disaster.”

Merle stared at him, puzzled. “What’s going on?”

He finally realised she didn’t know who Julia was and sighed, pointing with the hand holding the glass toward the older woman. “That’s my mum.”

“Your mum? Oh shit!” Eyes wide, Merle clapped a hand over her mouth, laughing. “How the hell did she know who I was?”

He looked uncomfortable. “I might have mentioned something about meeting a hot girl the other night. I guess Jake filled her in on the rest.”

“Oh for the love of… She’s going to think I’m a right hussy.”

He started to smile. “Well, if the wide-brimmed hat fits…”

She glared at him but couldn’t stop a smile creeping onto her face. She had taken off her shoes and now, in spite of the fact that she was tall for a woman, he towered over her, taking her breath away. There were very few men around who could make her feel small, but he definitely fit into that category.

He glanced at her breasts, which were outlined nicely by the tight pink top, the nipples standing out like embroidery on the cloth. She didn’t try to cover herself, but bravely let him look, waiting for his gaze to come back to hers, which it did eventually, his eyes warm and lit with the mischievous look she was beginning to know and love.

For a long moment they studied each other. Desire swept through Neon, which was unsurprising as he’d been watching her all evening, unable to stop thinking about their night in the tent. That evening had imprinted itself on his mind. He’d been captivated by her luscious curves and her incredible sense of fun that had kept him laughing all night, until she finally drove him to the point where his body had taken over. She’d enjoyed sex more than any woman he’d ever been with, and he’d been with a few. Maybe it had been because she hadn’t expected to see him again, and it was easier to be open and abandoned with a stranger. Would it be that way if they had sex again?

As he looked at her, he wondered what was going on behind her cool blue eyes. He could tell from the way her body reacted to him that she wanted him, but he was well aware your body and your mind could desire two completely different things. However, the urge to drag her off somewhere and re-enact their previous encounter crowded his mind like too many people trying to get into a lift, and he was going to have to act on it, even if it meant getting shot down in flames.

He glanced over at his family sitting outside. Actually he hadn’t mentioned to his mother exactly what had happened at the beach, although he’d admitted to her on the following day he’d met a girl he liked. She’d put two and two together, knowing her son well enough, and had teased him about his ability to charm women on first sight. She’d then been intrigued by his offhand comment that Merle was “special”. Seeing the light in her eyes, he’d immediately tried to correct himself, but had been too late to stop her being interested and then had to endure half an hour of grilling as to exactly why he’d found this English girl so entrancing. Unable to answer her, he’d eventually lost his temper and stormed out, but she’d merely seemed to take that as a sign that this Merle had somehow got to him in a way no other woman had lately.

Shaking his head, determined not to get dragged into such womanly scheming, he noted currently he and Merle were the only ones inside the house, and nobody seemed to have noticed they were missing. He looked back at Merle. She sipped her wine, her eyes gleaming, a small smile curving her lips behind the glass.

He cleared his throat. “Would you like to…maybe…”

“Oh, thank God.” She put her glass on the table. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Laughing, feeling a surge of pleasure, he grabbed her hand and led her across the room, heading for the bedrooms at the far end of the house. She followed him on light footsteps, her laughter echoing behind him, and he grinned as he pulled her into the right-hand bedroom, closing the door behind them. He went to lock the door, only to realise it had no lock.

“Shit.”

She glanced over her shoulder, saw the en suite bathroom in the corner and headed over to it, taking him with her.

“Merle…”

She pulled him inside and shut the door, twisting the button and locking it. When she turned around, her eyes were alight with amusement.

“Are you serious?” He glanced around. It was a nice bathroom, fairly large, and he rather liked the tiling, but it was still a bathroom, not the most romantic of settings he would have chosen. “Here?”

She began undoing his shirt buttons. “I’m so aroused I was close to doing you in the living room. Get your clothes off, Carter.” Releasing the last button, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. “We’re going to have to be quick.”

“Speed is not a problem, believe me.”

She started laughing, and he joined in, letting his shirt drop to the floor, desire making him hard as a rock. He pulled her to him and nuzzled her ear. “Are you drunk?”

She ran her hands up his chest, sighing as her fingers brushed his defined muscles. “I might have had a couple of glasses. God, you’ve got an incredible body.”

“I don’t know that this is such a good idea…” He didn’t stop kissing her neck, though. Her compliment pleased him, made him glow a little.

“What are you talking about?” She pressed her hips against him and looked up, her eyes hot. “I can tell you want me.”

“Well, duh. But I don’t like the idea of taking advantage of you like this.”

She pulled back and frowned at him. “Jeez, you sound practically Victorian. Neon, I’m not hammered, if that’s what you’re thinking. I know perfectly well what I’m doing.”

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.” He wanted her so badly he didn’t think he could have stopped even if she’d wanted him to.

She gave an exultant laugh and slid her arms around him. “Good.”

He pushed her back until her legs met the hand basin, kissing her hot and hard, running his hands over her breasts. She went to pull off her top, but he stopped her. “No don’t. You’re all soft like this…” Her breasts were heavy in his hands, and his fingers slid over the fabric easily as he brushed his thumbs across her nipples.

“You’re not.” The words came out breathless as she moved her hips against his.

“The perfect combination.” He started to hitch up her long skirt. When it got to her knees he ran a hand up the outside of her thigh, reaching around to cup her ass.

“Whoa.” He pulled back and stared at her as his hand found only skin.

“What?” She grinned. “I was hot.”

“Oh God, you’re telling me.” He lifted her skirt up so he could cup both cheeks with his hands.

Merle rested back on the hand basin and shot up again with a squeal. “Jeez, that’s cold!”

He laughed and moved her to the side, kicking the laundry basket away to make room. She met the wall with a bump and gasped, pulling his head down, kissing him deeply, opening her mouth to accept his tongue, matching it stroke for stroke with her own.

Sighing, he pushed a knee in between her legs, nudging them apart, then slipped a hand beneath her skirt. He knew better than to worry about lubrication this time and, sure enough, as he brushed his fingers through her hair, he found the warm folds of her skin already slick with moisture, his fingers sliding easily.

He gave a half laugh, half groan. “God, you’re sexy.” She laughed and he kissed her as he stroked her, slipping two fingers inside, sighing at the wetness and the heat of her.

She pushed his hand away, however, fumbling at his shorts. “No time for that. Come on, I want you inside me.” She stopped, staring at him. “Oh crap, I forgot…”

Grinning, he pulled back, putting a hand in his pocket and drawing out a condom.

She looked up, raising an eyebrow. “You came prepared?”

“I knew you were going to be here tonight.”

Her eyes widened. “You assumed I’d have sex with you again? That’s a big assumption, mister.”

Uh-oh.
He shrugged. “Hoped, not assumed.”

She studied him for a moment. He could see her deciding whether or not she should be insulted. Clearly she then realised how ridiculous that would be and grinned. “Fair enough.”

He laughed, relieved, and tore open the packet, pulling down his shorts a little, sliding the condom on. She lifted a leg around him, moving herself into position, but she wasn’t quite where he wanted her.

Placing both hands beneath her backside, he lifted her, wrapping both her legs around his waist. She squealed, flinging out an arm for balance, knocking several bottles off the nearby shelf as she did so. He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

“Neon!” She clutched hold of him. “I’m heavy—you’ll drop me!”

He looked at her wryly. “Sweetheart, I have to be able to lift a hundred and five kilos, and I can do almost double that. I don’t think you weigh
quite
that much.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed. “I keep forgetting you’re a firefighter. Wow.” She ran her fingers up the tight muscles of his arms, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Can I slide down your pole please?”

He chuckled. “Absolutely, but stop making me laugh or we won’t get anywhere.” He pressed her against the wall, his arms tight around her, pushing the tip of himself into her warmth. “Now relax.” He kissed her deeply, waiting until she felt safe enough to let go of the tight grip she had around his neck, her thighs slackening. Slowly he lowered her, sliding right into her warm velvet skin until she was completely impaled on him.

“Oh my.” Her pupils were so dilated her eyes looked black. She linked her ankles behind his back, slipping her hands through his hair, which was damp with sweat. She pulled his head forward and he kissed her again as he began to move, starting slowly, worried about hurting her, but after a while, she tightened her legs around him as he pushed forward, encouraging him to deepen his thrusts. Before long, he was past thinking, past caring, driven by instinct and a desperate hunger for this wild and beautiful woman.

“Oh God…oh God…oh God…” she started to say each time as he thrust even harder, making him smile in spite of his rising passion.

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“I…can’t…help it…” She tipped her head back. “It feels like…you’re trying to…spear me…through the wall!”

“Do you want me to stop?”
Please, please don’t say yes
.

“It’s…too late…for that…” She panted, unable to kiss him now, to do anything but breathe in big gasps. Her eyes drifted shut. “I think I’m…going to…oh!”

Her muscles tightened around him, squeezing him as her orgasm started. “Open your eyes,” he demanded, and she did so, blinking as she tried to focus on him, small cries escaping her soft, bruised mouth. At that moment, her head tipped back on the wall, her eyes wide with pleasure, he’d never seen anything so beautiful and erotic.

It was too much for him and his own climax started, his muscles pulsing as he felt the familiar rush and focus of his whole being in his groin.

At that exact moment, just as they reached their peak, someone knocked at the door.