Home for the Holidays Ch. 08-10

Chapter Eight

The door squeaked softly as I pushed it open. I paused, listening for noise of anyone else stirring in the silence of the house. When I was sure I was the only one awake, I slid through the small crack I'd created, slowly closing it behind me.

The hall was empty, so I crept down to my old bedroom, avoiding the creaky board in front of the door at the last minute. I didn't knock; I wanted to surprise him with his present, since we'd decided not to exchange gifts. But I'd found this comic book at a garage sale and couldn't resist. Nicky was a comic book geek from way back and I'd know he'd die when he got his hands on the one that lay protected inside of a plastic bag in the small box I carried.

The door unlatched with a tiny click and I pushed it open further, taking a deep breath and slipping inside. I sat the box down on one of the night stands and just stood staring down at him. He was so incredibly handsome.

In sleep the worry lines on his forehead were gone and his face took on a much younger mien. His hair lay tousled upon the pillow and I knew I'd have to force him to get a haircut before we went back to work. His chest was naked and my fingers just itched to touch him, to make love to him again, this time in a bed—where I wouldn't get frostbite in strange places.

"Are you planning on staring at me all night or did you want to come in here and kiss me?" he said suddenly. His eyes opened and he grinned unrepentingly up at me.

"Oh you ... Why didn't you tell me you were awake?"

"I thought you were having too much fun molesting me with your eyes." He sat up and held out his arms to me, even though I'd turned and headed back to the door. "You can't come in here and just leave without a kiss. Come here, baby, I have a desperate need to kiss you."

Okay, how could I resist that? I turned, though now I held the box with his present in it in my hands. Sitting on the side of the bed, I curled my hand around the back of his neck. He was warm from sleep and smelled so good; I closed my eyes and let him kiss me.

His arms wrapped around me and I felt him drag me across his lap until I was lying down on the bed, Nicky on top of me. His mouth was hot, his tongue sweetly investigating my lips and teeth. He lifted his head once. "Merry Christmas, baby," he whispered before I drew him back down to me.

"Back at you," I whispered against his mouth. I heard wrapping paper wrinkle and looked down, seeing the box I'd so carefully prepared being smushed between us. "Whoa," I whispered. "You're going to break your present."

"My present?" Nicky said, his eyes looking down at the box as well. "What happened to not having enough money to make the trip and buy presents as well?"

"This one I could afford." I wasn't about to tell him that it had cost me a quarter at a garage sale. Obviously the owner hadn't known what he was sitting on and maybe I was wrong to take advantage of the man that way, but it was for Nicky.

He narrowed his eyes at me and took the box out of my hands, dropping another quick kiss on my lips. Pulling off the wrapping paper, he opened the lid on the box and pushed aside the tissue paper. "Oh wow," he breathed, lifting the comic with the delicate hands of a surgeon holding a replacement heart. "Oh wow," he said again. "How ... Where ... When did you ... Oh wow."

"I take it you like it?" I said, laughing. I sat up next to him on the bed as he inspected the cover and the pages.

"Like it?" he whispered. "Baby, I love you. This is fantastic."

Warmth rose inside of me as he slid the comic back into its plastic bag, carefully setting it on the night stand where it wouldn't be injured. "I thought we weren't exchanging gifts," he said while his back was turned.

"I know, but when I found that, I just couldn't not get it for you. If you want me to take it back..." I let the question linger, I already knew his answer.

"No, no, that's okay. I guess you'll just have to forgive me for this one then," he said, turning and handing me a small box. It was beautifully wrapped and I knew the store must have done it. Nicky's idea of wrapping usually had something to do with yesterday's newspapers and a lot of tape.

"Nicky," I started to argue with him but he pressed two fingers against my lips.

"Hush, this is an important gift, one that I wouldn't, I couldn't, give to anyone but you. Now open it. It comes with a question."

I carefully slit the tape, pulling apart the wrapping paper and setting it aside. There was plain cardboard under the paper and I opened it, spilling the box inside into my hand. My heart started to race and I looked up at Nicky. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Do I look like a mind reader?" he teased. But I could see beyond the banter and cuteness. Nicky was nervous and was trying to hide it. "Open it," he urged.

I slowly lifted the top of the blue velvet box. Against a black satin backing, a huge diamond solitaire glittered madly.

"You always said you liked the princess cut, right?" he asked me.

Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at the beautiful ring. "Is that the question that comes with this?"

"No," he said, growing serious. His hands came up to cup my cheeks, his thumbs carefully brushing away the tears that fell. He took the ring out of the box and looked down into my eyes.

"I've loved you since the first time I saw you, Kenna. I almost lost you once. I can't have that happen again. I want you to marry me, live with me, have my children. I want to love and cherish you for the rest of my life." He held up the ring and then took my left hand. "Will you?" he asked as he slid the ring on to my finger.

"Yes," I said softly, then found myself engulfed by his arms. He kissed me until the world seemed to spin, then sat up and pulled the ring off my finger and sat it back in the box.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I've already talked to your father about this and I don't think it would be fair to the man to have you sneaking into my room in the middle of the night and my asking you. I think he and the rest of the family deserves to be there, don't you?"

How did he know me so well? How could he realize that having my family around me when he asked would make this even more perfect? Tears began in my eyes again. "You spoke to my father?"

Nick nodded. Then a boyish grin broke across his face. "The man is terrifying when it comes to his daughters. He told me that if I hurt you, he'd break me in two."

"He did not," I scoffed. When Nicky kept looking at me, I started laughing. "He did? Oh my."

"But he agreed that you belonged at my side and the sooner the better."

"Sooner? Did you have any ideas when you wanted to do this?"

"New Year's Eve." Nicky asked. "Just think of the tax breaks we could get for this year."

"Ha ha, funny, Nicky. How the hell could we get married that quickly?"

"Do you still have the cupcake dress?"

"Not funny, Nicky," I growled, my fist coming up to threaten his nose. "You'd want me to wear a dress that another man picked out for my marriage to him?"

"Hell no, but I figured with all that material, you could come up with something." He lay back against the sheets and pulled me against him. "I guess I'm just in a hurry to make you Mrs. Nicholas Evans."

"That would be a great way to introduce me to your parents. Oh Mom, Dad, this is Kenna. We're getting married New Year's Eve. Hope you don't mind holding the reception." She shook her head, cuddling closer to the warmth of his body. "What if they don't like me, Nick?"

"They'll love you, but even if they don't, it doesn't matter. You're marrying me, not my family."

"They kind of come with the license, don't you know. It's a contract thing. I take you, I take your family and any foibles they might have."

"Foibles?" he asked, laughing at me. "My family has foibles?"

"Shut up," I growled, nipping at his chest with my sharp teeth. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, but I think you're worrying too much."

"Didn't you once tell me that your family didn't approve of what you were doing in Lapeer and that you'd almost been kicked out of the family when you moved?"

Nicky's hand stroked my cheek and he seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Kenna, I guess I have something I should have told you a long time ago. I just didn't think it would matter much to you."

He paused and that told me that he actually was worried about what I would think of him when he got done speaking.

For a moment, I didn't want to hear whatever secret he was getting ready to divulge. I wanted him to be Nicky Evans, the man who would come over and fix my shower at two in the morning, or bring me meatball subs when I was upset and needed cheering. I wanted him to stay my cookie taster, the man who took me to chick flicks without bitching ... too much. I knew what he was about to say would change all that and I didn't want to hear it.

Before he could speak, I rolled over on top of him, lying against his body so that he could feel me. I found his lips with mine, fear sending my passion into overdrive. I could stop him from speaking and I did, my lips hot on the softness of his, parting his and letting my tongue stroke inside his mouth, pausing to tangle with his.

When he tried to pull away, my mouth found his jaw, leaving nibbling kisses against the whiskered roughness of his skin before following the line to his ear. I suckled his earlobe before biting gently, then licked the whorl of his ear, tempting him to forget about talking because our mouths could be doing so many other fun and interesting things.

Sitting up, I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and whisked it off my head, hearing him groan in the semi-dark room. My breasts pressed against his naked chest, eliciting another groan and then his hands came up, pressing gently against my back as he found my mouth with his.

When he rolled me over to lie on top of me, I knew the crisis was averted.

Whatever he wanted to say would wait until later. A lot later if I had my way.

Maybe that was cowardice on my part, but he'd just asked me to marry him.

He'd talked to my father about it; something he knew was very special to me. He'd bought me the perfect ring. I wasn't about to let him spoil that with some sudden and mysterious thing he had to tell me.

"You aren't already married, are you?" I asked, pulling my mouth away from him.

"No," he growled, his hands running over my body to play with the tips of my breasts. "My family is..."

My mouth found his again quickly. He wasn't married. I didn't need to know anything else. I pushed aside the blanket that kept us separated, feeling him push my thighs apart. He pressed against the soft flannel of my pajama pants. I teased him, moving so that my flannel-covered sex rubbed against him.

He groaned into my mouth and I pushed him back against the mattress again, wrestling with him to see who would be on top. He didn't fight too hard and I welcomed the grin that came to my face. Nicky would never hurt me, either physically or emotionally. I could feel it in him. I tore my mouth from his, giving him a wink before I moved lower, teasing his throat with nibbling kisses and tiny bites. Lower still I went, playing with the hollow of his collarbone before licking my tongue across his flat male nipples.

They grew hard instantly, and I teased with my finger nails until he was rigid under me. The hard muscles of his stomach enthralled me next and I couldn't help but try to nibble on him. Try was the right word. His skin was so taut, I couldn't get enough to nibble on. I tickled his navel with my tongue. He hissed as I moved lower so that I could nuzzle against the softer skin under it. His cock brushed against my cheek, hard and eager.

I captured it in my hands. He groaned as my small fingers barely met around the base. Tilting the rounded head toward my soft lips, I slowly let him push inside my mouth. I could taste him on my tongue; feel the heat of his flesh in my mouth. At his pleasured sigh, I pushed forward until another inch or two was inside of my mouth, feeling it bump against the back of my throat.

My tongue was eager to taste him, flicking around the shaft as I drew him out. I suckled upon the head of his cock before taking it deep into my mouth again.

His hands found my head, his fingers dipping in to tangle in my hair. He held me still as his hips moved under me, thrusting into my mouth. He did it carefully, never ramming or gagging me.

All the while, he spoke to me, telling me how great what I was doing felt. I could feel him beginning to swell and knew he was close to coming. I wondered if he'd tell me or if he'd just come in my mouth. I wanted the latter.

But instead he pulled out, his breathing hard as he lay back. His cock glistened with my saliva and the tip was almost purple.

"You could have," I said harshly, looking up into his face.

"I know, but I wanted to be inside of you. I want to feel you come on my cock first." He reached down, cupping my face and bringing it up to his. "Take off the pajamas, Kenna. I have this need to make love to you in an actual bed."

"You've made love to me in a bed," I argued though I did manage to slip out of my pajamas and my underwear, lying on his chest so he could feel all of me. His hands slid down my back and over the rounded curves of my buttocks. Grabbing the back of my thighs, he parted my legs, his fingers sweeping up and between my thighs to tease the wetness he found there.

"You really enjoyed sucking on my cock, didn't you?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes," I answered simply. "I love you, Nicky, making you feel good makes me feel good."

His finger stroked over my clit and I shivered, the contact sending one tiny climax through me. He could feel the added wetness in my pussy. "I want you," I whispered urgently.

"Far be it for me to deny my lady anything," he groaned, rolling until he was between my legs, the head of his cock entrenched in my core.

"Then don't," I growled, my ankles coming up to lock in the small of his back, urging him on. He split my delicate flesh, filling me perfectly. It was as if we were two halves of a whole. Sparks seemed to flare to life inside me, igniting such heat that I felt scorched.

"Fuck me," I begged, wrapping my arms around him to hold on. "Fuck me hard, until I'm so tired I can't lick my lips." A small cry escaped me as he did just that.

Sound, people, everything that was outside of my old bed disappeared as if it had never existed at all. We were alone, cast away on that bed. We would die if we couldn't continue with what we were doing. I had to have him, I had to feel him inside of me and I knew he had to feel me around him. He lost his rhythmic thrusting, his body starting to jerk as he rutted deeply.

A scream built in my throat; one of pleasure, of completion, of feminine climax. I could feel it, the power of it coming to take me. A thrill of fear added to the feeling and I grasped for it, wanting it so badly. My toes began to curl and a moan was torn from my lips. My nails scored down his back, my hands cupping his thrusting ass and pulling him in deeper. "Make me come," I growled. "God, Nicky, you're going to make me come!"

My words redoubled his efforts and I could feel him battering inside of me, his balls hitting my ass with every thrust. He dragged my legs over his shoulders, burying himself deeper in that position. "Yes," he hissed against my ear. "Come for me, baby."

It started there, where he was buried. A wave of heat flowed over me, bringing prickles of pleasure to my skin and gooseflesh rushed over me. The next wave was even more intense and Nicky found my lips just as I started to scream, the sound muffled in the depths of his mouth. My nails dug into his ass and I felt his last, final jerk as he let loose, filling me with the potent heat of his seed.

When I could finally open my eyes, I stroked my hands up and over his back, letting my fingers tangle in the damp curls at his nape. "I love you," I breathed. "That was..."

"Incredible?" he offered when I didn't say anything more.

"I was thinking more along the lines of mind blowing."

I could feel his smile against my skin as his lips followed the line of my hair before sliding down my nose to my mouth.

"Yep, definitely mind blowing," he said in agreement, kissing my lips gently before dropping his head beside mine on the pillow. I could feel the small tendrils of curls moving against my skin with his harsh breath and shivered.

We lay like that for I don't know how long; entwined, sweat cooling on our bodies, Nicky still firmly entrenched inside of me. I felt my eyes grow heavy and didn't fight it. He would make sure I was up in time to dress and get back to my room. I knew he would. He kept me warmer than any blanket. I turned my head toward him as I let sleep take me.

It was almost light when I felt him shaking me gently. "Hmmm, what?"

"Santa's been here and I hear your dad stirring. Time to get up, gorgeous."

"You're dressed," I moaned disappointedly, making him laugh.

"One of us has to keep up pretenses," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against the warmth of my neck. "Though, you can sleep in my arms any day."

"How about every night?" I asked, sitting up and letting the covers fall around my waist.

"Every night is great," he moaned, his hands shaking slightly as he reached out to touch me. Before he could, Dad's big bass sounded from the staircase.

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads. We've got cattle to feed and milk to bring in before breakfast."

Nicky's hands dropped even as a moan of disappointment left his mouth.

"May I say, your father has the worst timing in history."

I giggled. "If he knew, he'd say he had the best timing. I don't know what you've done to me, Nicky." I moved closer, lifting his hand and putting it on my breast. "I just can't seem to get enough of you."

"Good." He played with my nipple for a moment before moving his hand away and eliciting my own moan of disappointment. Kissing my pouting lips, he smiled. "Get up and get dressed, my love. Let's get chores done so we can get a ring on your finger. I don't want anything stopping me from showing the world that you're mine." He rose, wiggling his fingers at me.

"Come on. I'll go out and help your dad."

He blew me a kiss from the door and I waited ten seconds before falling back into the warmth of the bed and hugging his pillow.

Chapter Nine

The wind chapped at my cheeks, freezing my nose. I pressed my face against the warm side of the cow I was milking. She mooed softly. "Sorry, Betsy love, but I can't feel my cheeks anymore."

"I'll finish up here," Daddy said, coming up behind me. I jumped, startled. "You go on inside and warm up. I'll be in after I finish up with old Betsy. Tell your momma to make extra pancakes. A man's got to have extra fuel to make it through this cold."

"'Kay, Daddy," I said, rising to let him take my place on the stool. I blew on my fingers before covering them with the mitten part of my gloves.

"Mara should have the chickens fed. Take that pail of milk in for your momma to use, okay?"

"Anything to get out of this cold," I said, my teeth chattering and a shiver starting to take me. I picked up the bucket, careful to hold it out so that it didn't splash me as I made my way down the path Dad had shoveled out to the barn. As I walked, I could see Nicky mucking out Queenie's stall and I whistled to get his attention.

"You almost done?"

"Another ten minutes should do it," he shouted back, stopping to rest against the handle of the hayfork.

"Okay, I'll be inside."

He nodded and went back to work and for a moment, I couldn't help but wish it were summer and he was doing the job without the hampering coat and shirt. I knew what that chest looked like, I knew how he smelled and tasted. God, how I'd love to see it damp with sweat tanned a golden brown, muscles moving under his skin with his exertions. Phew, I was feeling warmer already.