A Midnight Clear

Lily turned back and clicked her tongue. "Duke and Diamond, back!"

The powerful horses backed up, pushing the sleigh away from the posts.

"Haw, boys!" And the horses turned left and onto the wide trail leading out to the fields. Immediately ponytail and her friends started laughing and gossiping loudly, leaning towards each other, not even looking at what was happening around them.

"That's incredible," Andrew said in a low voice. "They're just responding to your voice?"

"Oh yes," Lily replied, "they're so smart. When you're riding, they respond to the pressure of your legs and seat, but when you're driving, they need to listen to your voice for the forward commands. They know that 'gee' means right and 'haw' means left. You use the reins to steer too, of course, but a good team will respond to your voice and the reins are secondary.

"It's such an exercise of trust," Lily went on. "It amazes me every day. Horses are flight animals, their only protection in the wild is to run away from predators. So they will stand still and be bridled, and respond to voices, and trust you to lead them safely, it's such a beautiful relationship."

She could feel Andrew's eyes on her and she flushed. "I'm sorry, it's boring, I could go on and on and on."

"It's not boring in the least. It's fascinating. How long have you been working with horses?"

"Oh, I've loved them since I was a little girl. For as long as I can remember, really. My mom used to joke that I came out of the womb and looked around for a horse to pat. It's ironic, because she grew up on a farm, and she couldn't wait to get out of the country and into the city. And there I was, fighting to get out into a barn." As she spoke, she had to raise her voice against the raucous shrieks and laughter of the other passengers. She sighed and rolled her eyes at Andrew, and they fell silent.

The moon was bright and the snow sparkled as the sleigh glided up and over hillocks, around bends and into valleys. The sleigh bells rang with each stride, and it would have been the perfect romantic encounter were it not for the obnoxiously loud party happening on the sleigh. Why did they even book this ride? They didn't care about the beauty of the fields and forests, or how grand the horses looked, or how hard they were working to pull a heavy weight through the deep, soft snow.

Lily glanced back to see them sharing a flask, and she was certain the kids were getting drunker and drunker. She gritted her teeth. Twenty more minutes and she could return to the stable and get rid of them. She was furious that they were ruining what could be a beautiful time with Andrew. She caught a shadow of movement out of the corner of her eye.

Turning around, she saw one of the boys standing up on a hay bale on the sleigh, holding his arms out as if he were surfing. Lily hardened her voice to a sharp point.

"SIR. I asked you to please..."

And in that moment, the sleigh slammed to a halt, and the boy tumbled off the hay bale and into the snow. Lily whipped her head forward to look at the horses, and followed their eyeline to a fox that had bolted out of the woods.

"Easy, easy..." she cooled, relaxing her hands on the reins, letting them know that there was nothing to fear. Horses spooking was nothing new to her, they were flight animals after all. In a moment they would see that everything was safe, and that everyone was calm and...

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Ponytail screeched from behind her.

The horses bolted forward and to the right a few steps, prancing and snorting at the unexpected noise. Lily ignored Ponytail, hoping she would see what was happening and shut up. She kept her hands steady on the reins, letting Duke and Diamond feel the consistent, gentle pressure. She was here with them, she was saying, and they had nothing to fear. But Ponytail wouldn't let up, shrieking more loudly than before.

"What the fuck is wrong with your horses? They bucked Mitch off the sleigh!" And the horses surged forward again.

Lily didn't know where Mitch was, how close the sleigh was to hitting him.

"Fuck," She muttered under her breath. "Andrew, I need you to hold the reins for me. Just for a few seconds, right here. Don't tighten them, even if they move, ok? Just here."

And she leapt off the sleigh, snapped a "Be quiet!" at Ponytail and ran to the horses' heads. She stood right in front of them, filling their blinkered view. She gently took their bridles and held their heads, letting them feel her hands.

"Easy. Easy. Easy," she repeated, in the singsong voice that they recognized. Slowly, slowly, they relaxed their heads into her hands, breathing warm gusts against her.

By this time, Mitch had clambered onto the sleigh. Wearily, she walked back around and hoisted herself into the driver's seat.

"Are you okay?" she asked Mitch, "They just saw a fox..."

"You need to train your horses, lady. They're wild. This is bullshit."

Lily felt a fury rising in her. "They're animals. They're not go karts. They were surprised by a fox jumping out of the woods. And then by your screaming. It happens. It's not like..."

"He could have died!" Ponytail snapped.

Lily angry tears that suddenly prickly behind her eyes. She was tired and frustrated. Andrew would think she was hopeless. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself.

"I'm very sorry that he fell off. I feel awful. The thing with horses is..."

"We want our money back!"

"We should fucking sue your ass."

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Andrew said firmly.

Andrew. He had turned in his seat to look at the kids. He did cut quite an imposing figure and, in that moment, he looked every bit like an angry boss, confident that he was in the right.

"Lily said very clearly at the beginning of the ride that you were to stay seated and be safe. If you had, this would have felt like nothing more than a little jolt. You would not have ended up on your ass in the snow like an idiot."

"Andrew," Lily murmured, half horrified that she needed the help, half relieved that he was there to give it.

"And what's more, you have violated the waiver you signed. You were not to come here intoxicated, and you were to listen to safety instructions. It was all made very clear. So we will take you back to the stable and you will leave and that will be the end of it.

"I suggest you arrange for your Uber now," and with this, Andrew turned his back on them, "so you can leave as soon as we get to the parking lot. Lily, drive on."

Lily couldn't bring herself to say anything, but flashed him a quick look of gratitude. "Get up, boys!"

And the horses shook their manes and turned toward the stable.

Lily marvelled at his utter confidence, his presence of mind. She felt ashamed. He said all the things that she should have said. She was always in the right? Why did she always shrink from confrontation like a child?

Despite the cold, her face grew hot with embarrassment. Everything's ruined, she thought. This could have been so perfect. If only Andrew had been on one of the earlier rides, infused with goodwill and Christmas spirit. She was suddenly sick of everything: sick of these kids, sick of this night, and most of all, sick of trying to hide her desperate loneliness, this first Christmas when she was truly alone.

Thankfully, the Uber was waiting for the kids when they returned to the stable. Lily numbly hooked up the horses, letting the sneers about poorly trained horses, incompetent drivers, and online reviews wash over her as the kids stomped away. Once the horses were secured, she turned to Andrew.

"I'm sorry they ruined everything."

"What? They didn't!" he said. "Lily, I got to ride in the driver's seat in a horse drawn sleigh! On Christmas Eve! Those little twats couldn't ruin that. I very much enjoyed telling them off, actually. That was a highlight."

Lily smiled and shook her head. "You were wonderful. And the way you rhymed off the waiver! It was brilliant."

Andrew laughed. "Oh, I was just making that all up. I didn't read it either. I just signed it. And they were being so awful..."

And before she knew what she was doing, Lily flung her arms around Andrew's neck and kissed him full on the mouth. She held him for a moment, then broke away and looked into his eyes.

Wordlessly, Andrew lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her passionately. His arms moved around her body, held her tight as he languorously explored her mouth with his tongue. They kissed on and on and on, until he finally broke away. They were both breathing hard.

"How long will it take you to finish up with the horses?" he asked intently. "Can you come over for a drink?"

Lily's heart sank. "At least another hour, maybe an hour and a half," she said, shaking her head and stepping away from him. I have to cool them out and untack them and put them away. I'm sorry, I would have loved to."

"Well then, can I stay with you while you do that?"

And at that moment, Lily knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was hers.

"You can stay here with me while I finish with the horses if you stay with me here after that too." He looked at her quizzically, and she realized. "I live here, in that coach house up the hill. Please, stay here with me tonight." She reached up and kissed him again, opening her mouth for him. He kissed her back, and their embrace deepened, before he broke away.

"Well then, Miss Lily. We must be efficient so that we can get to the next part of our night. What's first?"

So Lily took him into the stable and they brought out two sweat sheets, one to cover each of the horses so that they wouldn't catch a chill. Then she unhooked the sleigh, and, leaving the horses yoked together, she took the reins at the same distance as if the sleigh was still attached and turned them away from the hitching post.

"Are you warm enough?" she asked Andrew. "I'll need to walk them like this for at least forty five minutes so that they are completely cooled down. Otherwise they can get really sick."

He leaned down and kissed her again. Slowly, searchingly. Then, "I'm warm enough. Let's go."

The walk-out was either Lily's favourite part of the ride nights or the worst. On the good nights, she felt completely at one with the horses as she walked behind them, turning up and down the path over and over while their bodies cooled. On bad nights, it felt like the loneliest job in the world, as she dragged herself back and forth, exhausted in the biting cold.

This night was perfect. The moon was bright and the snow sparkled like diamonds, and the conversation flowed so easily, like she and Andrew had known each other for years. Finally, when the horses were cooled and brushed and in their stalls, she showed Andrew how to feed them by hand, and they nuzzled him appreciatively.

"They like you!" she laughed.

They bolted the stall doors and walked to the office.

"Let me just put this ridiculous snowsuit away then we can go to my place."

"Let me."

Andrew turned Lily to him, reached under her chin to find the zip, and pulled it down to her waist. He held her eyes while he did it. He pulled the toque off her head, and pushed the upper part of the suit down off her shoulders, so that the empty arms dangled toward the floor.

Lily, who was wearing layers of sweaters under the suit, felt exposed. She was as excited as she would be if he had revealed her naked body. The pulse that had been beating between her legs since their first kiss intensified, and she felt her wetness drop into her panties.

"There you are," Andrew said softly, and leaned down to kiss her again.

It was tender at first, then insistent, then demanding. She pressed herself against his body. His hands moved over her back, then one hand slid to the nape of her neck, under her hair. Lily yelped from the sudden cold.

"God, your hands are freezing! Let's go where it's warm."

She stripped off the suit and hung it up, and they left the office and walked up the hill to the coach house.

Inside, Andrew looked around. "This is lovely. So cosy and warm." he turned to her. "Like you."

"Have a seat," Lily said, indicating the sofa. "Water? Wine?"

"No," Andrew said, and drew her to the sofa with him.

Next to each other, they kissed again. There was no gentleness now, only passion, hunger. All of Lily's shyness had gone. She needed him.

When he reached up to cup her face, she broke away.

"Your hands are still cold! Let's see what we can do about that..."

And in one swift move she threw her leg over his, straddling him.

"Here..." she said. And she took his hands in hers and pushed them up under her sweater. There were sharp inhales, hers from the sudden coldness over her bra, his as he felt the hardness of her nipples under the fabric.

"There," she sighed, and she lowered the sweater down over his arms. "Is that better honey?" His eyes fluttered closed. She looked down, and could see his hands moving across her chest.

"Mmmm. That's so much better, sweetheart," he murmured. "And maybe if I..."

And then his hands were inside her bra, moving the fabric underneath her breasts.

Lily was proud of her tits, firm and round, and the extra pressure from the displaced bra made her nipples pebble even more tightly. Andrew moaned as the palms of his hands lightly grazed her thick, distended nubs. In that position, if he stretched his long fingers, his fingertips would only barely reach her ribcage.

She looked down and could see the sweater moving. There was something so innocent, and yet so deliciously filthy, about the way he was feeling her body without ever having laid eyes on it.

"Fuck, Lily, your tits are incredible."

And with this, a new wave of arousal hit her. She loved it when men were vocal. She wanted him to talk to her, to describe to her every moment of their love, no, their fuck, their glorious fuck. She wanted to hear him whisper in her ear about her tits, her pussy, and as the filthy words swam through her mind she found herself moaning, clasping her hands on his, over her sweater, and grinding herself hard against his lap.

He noticed.

"Honey, take your sweater off for me. I need to see you. I want to taste those sweet nipples."

Lily moaned again. She reached down and pulled the sweater off, dropping it to the floor. She reached back for her bra clasp.

"No, leave that on. For now. I like the way you look half dressed. Bra on, tits pulled out. Fuck..." and he leaned forward, swirled his tongue around a nipple, sucking it gently into his mouth.

"Fuck..." Lily whispered, echoing him. He caught it, his eyes flicked open and up to hers, then closed again as he worked her nipple, sucking harder on it. She couldn't tear her eyes from him. He was so strong, but he looked so sweet and tender at her breast. Her hips ground down against him, and he flexed back up to her, returning the pressure.

Lily cried out, more loudly this time, and moved against him. She gripped the sofa back for leverage. He brought a hand up to pinch her other nipple, and the sensations shot straight to her clit. She could feel it swelling.

Her hips pushed against him with a rhythm now, the seam of her jeans riding against her clit, and she realized that she was going to come like this, still fully dressed from the waist down, dry humping like a desperate virgin. She ground against him faster, and Andrew matched his hands and mouth to her tempo.

And just as her pleasure was reaching its peak, he lifted both hands to her breasts and pushed them together. He flattened his tongue and ran it back and forth between them, stimulating both nipples at the same time. The smack of his lips and tongue mingled with his moans and her sighs and she rode and rode him and he bucked his hips under her until she came with a wordless cry.

Rounding her back, Lily dropped her head to Andrew's shoulder as she shuddered against him. He slid his arms around her and held her close. After a few moments she kissed his neck, then cheek, then a lingering kiss on his mouth before pulling away and looking into his face, all shyness gone now.

"That was incredible," he said. "I've never had a woman come so quickly like that, still half dressed. That's so fucking hot."

"I have been on the edge of coming like that for hours," she said, looking at him seriously. "Weeks, maybe. Thinking about you. Look..."

And she took his hand and moved it between her legs, to where she had soaked through her jeans. His eyes moved down to his hand, then flicked up at her with a wicked smile.

"I've been wet since you got out of that car. Take me to bed, Andrew." And she got up out of her lap and extended her hand.

In the bedroom, Andrew tenderly removed Lily's bra, jeans, underwear, socks. He unclasped the little locket around her neck and, after a confirming glance into her eyes, pulled the rings off her fingers. No discussions were needed. He wanted her entirely naked.

He sat on the bed in front of her, running his hands over her body in wonder. Lily closed her eyes and lost herself to sensation. His fingertips drifted down her shoulders, over her breasts and belly, around her waist, down over her ass, trailing gently through her pubic hair, down the outside of her thighs, around her legs, up the insides of her thighs. When he was still not close to the apex of her sex, he encountered a hot slick on her inner thighs.

"Jesus," he breathed. "You are so fucking wet. Lie down. Let me love you."

"You get undressed too," Lily pleaded. "Please. I can't wait."

Lily lay back on the pillows and watched Andrew as he undressed. Not quickly, not slowly. Methodically. No movement was misplaced or wasted. When his shirt had gone he unbuckled his belt and pushed down his pants and briefs at the same time. His cock sprang up rigid against his stomach, nearly reaching his navel. He was long and thick, bigger than any man she had ever been with.

For a moment, Lily quailed. "I haven't slept with anyone in over a year..." she blurted.

Andrew shook his head. "Hush." And he laid down beside her, running his hands over her, soothing her. "We can go as slow as you need to. Whatever you want.

"Besides," and with this, he dipped a finger into her molten centre, "you're more than wet enough to take me, sweetheart. Look..."

He dipped a finger just inside her pussy, and Lily arched her back.

"Look," he said again, and as he pulled his fingers out a shimmering strand of her come stretched between her sex and his fingers. "God, that is the sexiest fucking thing." He brought his hand down again, then left her for a moment, shifting lower on the bed, lying sideways.

He lifted her left leg up over his torso and rested on his elbow so that he could use his fingers to open the petals of her lips.

"Oh, sweetheart," he looked up at her, "What a pretty pussy. It's such a deep, fuck red." And holding her open with two fingers, he brought a finger from his other hand to run gently over her clit, down toward her hole then just inside, barely, only a hint of pressure. He looked up at her.

"Your clit, honey. it's already so swollen." And he repeated the same stroke, the clit, sliding down to her opening. The same hint of pressure. And again.

Lily couldn't hold her head up anymore. Her head dropped against the pillow and she moaned. She pushed her pussy up towards him, rocked her hips, anything to increase the pressure, the speed. She tried to time her hips so that she could force more of his finger inside her. But he was slow, relentless. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.

"Tell me what you want, Lily. Tell me what you need."

"More."

A low chuckle. "No, honey. Tell me exactly what you need. I want to hear it. Tell me what you want me to do for your pussy, your clit, your tits, your cunt, your ass. Tell me where you want my fingers, my mouth, my cock. I want to hear it. Please. I love it."