It All Started On Christmas Morning

"That sounds nice."

"Charlie has the Christmas spirit in him."

"Yes, he does. He has a big heart. He told me that next year he's not going to ask Santa for anything, maybe never again."

"Why's that, did he say?"

"He said he made a deal with Santa."

"Must be some deal, I wish I could remember that conversation."

Blane looked across the table into Cassie's eyes. Just like in the photos, she looked tired from all the day's activities, but this was a happy tired, and the smile on her face wasn't forced. That made him happy.

"It seems I've passed the kid test," he finally said.

"With flying colors, I'd say," she said with a soft laugh.

"So, I think there's just one more test."

"What's that?"

"Am I man enough for you."

"Blane James, are you asking me to judge your sexual prowess?" Cassie blushed.

"Yes, I am. I want to find out if I can make you moan my name."

"Now?"

"No, I don't think we should do that with your kids in the next room. Come away with me for a weekend. A friend of mine has a cabin in the mountains, we'll go for walks, sip hot cocoa by the fireplace, and best of all, if you moan my name only the woodland animals will hear you," he smiled.

"That sounds lovely, and even if you can't make me moan your name I at least get a weekend in the mountains," she said with a wicked grin.

Tonight, since they weren't on the front porch where the neighbors could see, Cassie gave him the kiss she'd been wanting to give. She melted against him, placed her hand on the back of his head, and pulled him to her. Their lips met and he wrapped her in his arms. Passion flowed between them. He moved one hand to her side, and then to her breast. She sighed her approval. She could feel his excitement pressed against her and moved her hand between their bodies. He moaned into her mouth as she found his manhood and gave it a slight squeeze.

Finally breaking the kiss she breathlessly asked when they could go.

"It's up to you," he said.

"I'll let you know as soon as I can. I can't wait long, Blane."

"Neither can I."

He walked to his car with a bulge in his pants that anyone on the block could have seen if they were looking. That Tuesday Cassie called him.

"I can get away this weekend, is that too soon?"

"No, I can't wait. What time should I pick you up Friday?"

"Six, but we'll have to drop the kids off with mom and dad. Will that be ok?"

"That will be just fine. I'll see you then."

Friday came and Blane bundled them all in the car and headed for Cassie's parents. Charlie was excited, he wanted to know all about the cabin and what animals Blane thought his mom might see. When he and Cassie were getting ready to leave her parents' house Charlie told him half-jokingly to not let his mom get eaten by a bear. Blane knelt in front of Charlie.

"I promise that if a bear comes after your mom that I will protect her, even if the bear eats me. I know how much your mom means to you, Charlie," and then he whispered in the boy's ear, "Santa told me."

Charlie just stood there, mouth agape, as his mom and Blane left. He wondered if Blane talked with Santa. Why else would he say that? Charlie wondered. Did Santa think Blane would make a good husband for his mom? Charlie barely slept that night, and the next night he only slept because he was so exhausted.

— — —

They arrived at the cabin after dark and Blane left her in the car to go start the propane generator that was housed in a small outbuilding. He verified the battery pack was charging and then went in the back door of the cabin to turn on the lights and start the small heater in the bedroom to take off the chill. Coming out the front door he found Cassie on the porch.

"I love it! It's so quaint and charming," she said, peeking through the window.

"Well, don't just stand there staring in the window, this is your home for the next two days so please come in. I'll get the bags."

Blane carried their bags in and put them in the main bedroom of the 2-bed, 1-bath cabin, and then joined Cassie in the great room. She was just taking it all in.

"Still impressed?"

"Very much, your friend has good taste in decor. Is she a former lover?"

Blane laughed. "No, HE is not a former lover, and before you ask, he's also not gay. If you think there's anything to be improved upon perhaps he would take you as a lover and let you decorate this place." This caused Cassie to blush.

"I took the liberty of putting all of our bags in one bedroom. Is that ok? I can take the guest room if you want."

"Seriously Blane, didn't we come here for me to evaluate your sexual prowess? How can we do that if we don't sleep together."

"Just checking. We don't have to sleep in the same bed, there are plenty of hours in the day to conduct your evaluation."

She giggled. "Same bedroom is fine until you disappoint me," she said with a grin.

"Talk about pressure to perform!" Blane laughed, "Go unpack and I'll start a fire. Are you hungry? I have some soup we can heat up."


"Soup in front of the fire sounds so cozy."

Blane started a fire and in no time the cabin was warm. He put soup on the stove to heat and then went into the bedroom to unpack. He pulled a package out of his bag and gave it to Cassie.

"What's this?"

"Something to set the mood for this weekend."

She opened the package and pulled out some flannel pajamas, a matching robe, and house shoes."

"What mood are you trying to set here?"

"Well, those are for getting cozy in front of the fire, plus they're practical for this weekend. But the real mood setter is still in the package."

She looked inside and at the bottom was another small package wrapped in tissue paper. She took it out, removed the paper, and promptly turned red, blushing more than she ever had in front of him. In her hands was a shimmering green satin babydoll nightie and matching panties.

"I hope to see you in that, I think it will look fantastic lying in that chair by the bed."

"Green is my favorite color," she demurred, "but it's so pretty I don't know if I'll want to take it off."

Of course, Blane already knew that.

"I guess I'll just have to work hard to talk you out of it."

"I have matching pajamas, why don't we change and sit in front of the fire, the soup should be nearly ready."

She changed while he put the soup into bowls and then he changed. They looked like a Land's End catalog cover as they sat in front of the fire enjoying just being with each other. Cassie laid her head back on Blane's shoulder as he put an arm around her. She thought that this couldn't be a more perfect ending to the week. Soon she dozed off. Blane sat there holding her for quite some time, enjoying the feel of her body against him. It was getting late so he finally woke her and they went to bed, no hanky-panky tonight, just more snuggles and happiness.

— — —

The next morning Cassie woke to the smell of bacon. She donned her new robe and house slippers and shuffled her way to the kitchen. Blane was there cooking up a storm, there were two plates each with fried eggs and a biscuit, and the table was set with silverware and two glasses of orange juice. He sipped a cup of coffee as he tended to the bacon that was sizzling away in a cast iron skillet. When he heard Cassie he turned and smiled, even with her tousled hair she took his breath away.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said.

"Yeah, right, more like good morning beast. I must look horrible."

"Well, you look beautiful to me. Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please."

Blane poured her a cup and added cream and sugar, just the way his report said she liked it. She sat at the table and he added the bacon to both plates and then joined her.

"You made biscuits?" she asked.

He chuckled slightly. "No, those were frozen. I didn't lay the eggs either, but I do have quite a wound on my side where I cut the bacon fresh this morning."

"Smart ass," she smiled as she slipped a piece of honey-covered biscuit between her lips, "What's the plan for today?"

"I thought I'd take you to a nearby clearing where there's another cabin, seven dwarfs live there and I thought we'd all take the afternoon to ravish you."

She laughed. "Oh god, that's my favorite movie but I'd never thought of it that way! Now I'll never be able to watch it without thinking about that beautiful young girl living with all those old men. Walt sure left a lot out!"

Blane just smiled. He thought that he'd have to give Chris a good bonus this year.

They both enjoyed the breakfast and the company, and as they sat there sipping the last of their coffee, Blane got serious.

"Cassie?" he said, looking into her eyes again, "there's something you need to know before we have sex."

"Oh?"

"I miss you when we're not together."

Cassie smiled. "I miss you too."

"Can we talk about being exclusive," he asked.

She began to laugh hysterically as he sat there looking at her. Finally, she got control and stopped laughing.

"You think I have time for another man? I have a job, I'm a single mom with two kids, and I've been spending my free time with you!"

She began laughing again until she saw the serious look on his face.

"You're serious," she said.

"I am. I get that you barely have time for me, let alone another man. I don't doubt that you're not seeing anyone else. What I want to talk about is my being exclusive to you. I haven't seen another woman for the past six weeks or so, and I don't want to see anyone else. What I'm saying is that I am going to be exclusive, only dating you. That's how serious I am about our relationship. I hope that doesn't make you uncomfortable."

She was gobsmacked. Trying not to scream out in joy she sat there reading his face. Finally, she said the only thing she could think of to lighten the mood.

"So, you've been dating other women?"

He smiled and shook his head. "That's your takeaway from what I said?"

"I — well — um — wow — I guess I can't force you to see other women."

"Just tell me that I'm not wasting my time."

She paused, still trying not to scream. She was holding her hands tightly together to hide the shaking that had come over her.

"You're not wasting your time," she said softly.

Now Blane wanted to scream. He had wanted to assure her before they became intimate that he was not going to use her for sex and then leave her, though that should have been obvious by now. The fact that she all but admitted to having feelings for him was exactly what he wanted to hear. He was not going to push her any further.

"Please tell me if that changes. And now I think we might clean up and go for that walk."

— — —

She showered while he cleaned the kitchen. When she finished she took her things to the guest room to get ready, but not for a walk. Blane showered and was drying off when he sensed someone standing in the bathroom doorway. It was Cassie, of course, and she was dressed in green.

"I thought we might postpone that walk for a bit," she said with a smile.

"We might never take that walk."

"Don't get too full of yourself, I want to visit this other cabin you talked about," she laughed.

Blane closed the distance between them, letting his towel fall to the floor, and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're beautiful," he said.

"I might believe you if you say it often enough."

"You're beautiful," he repeated, and with that, he pressed his lips to hers.

She grasped his shoulders and pulled them tighter together, melting her body against his, her breasts pooling against his chest and his erection pressed against her thigh. He kissed his way along her jawbone to her ear and nibbled her lobe as he made a purring sound, like a cheetah, happy with itself for catching its prey. She sighed and then giggled because the purring tickled.

He began to kiss down her neck, reaching her clavicle he kissed toward her jugular notch, causing her to moan softly. He then kissed up her neck to her chin, finally reaching her lips again.

Taking his cue she did the same to him, but she didn't know how to purr. It was apparent that he didn't mind because he repeatedly sighed as her lips roamed over his jaw and neck. When she returned to his lips she probed them softly with her tongue. He opened his mouth slightly, allowing their tongues to dance momentarily before he began kissing toward her other ear, purring as he reached it. She could feel her nipples growing harder with each passing minute, and she sensed a dampness in her panties. When he began kissing up toward her chin this time she laid her head back and groaned as she took his head in her hands and guided him down toward her cleavage.

"We should move this to the bed," he said as he kissed his way toward her breasts.

She broke away from him and took his hand, leading him into the bedroom. He admired her body, the way she moved, lithe, graceful as if she was floating. He'd not seen her move this way before and he was confident that it was partly due to the lack of clothing and his ability to see her body in all its sensuousness, but it also seemed that a lightness had overtaken her whole demeanor since they had arrived at the cabin. He thought it was as if the tensions of daily life were melting away before his eyes. Oh, how he wanted to give her this life of ease and luxuriousness.

At this moment, Blane knew without a doubt that he had fallen in love with Cassie Kingston. Never before had any woman captured his heart so completely.

She led him around the bed to the side near the window and pushed him slightly to sit on the edge. She stepped between his legs, grabbed the hem of her nighty, and pulled it over her head. She tossed it onto the chair. Next, she stepped back from him, turned around, bent at the waist, and ever so slowly removed her panties, tossing them onto the chair as well. He scooted away from the edge, leaned forward, and grabbed her hips, then pulled her back, seating her between his legs. There was a big mirror on the wall in front of her. They looked at each other's reflections.

"What do you see?" Blane asked.

"Us."

"Anything else?"

"Happy," she said, smiling.

"And beautiful."

"If you say so," she blushed.

"I need your help."

"Oh?"

"Show me how you like to be touched."

"What?"

"You heard me, use your hands to show me how you like to be touched."

Cassie was immediately self-conscious. She'd never touched herself with an audience before, only in the privacy of her bedroom. She reached for her nipples and gently rolled them.

"Are you sure that is where I should start?" he asked, "What about here?" He placed a hand on her neck and then spread his fingers as he slid it up into her hair, ending on the crown of her head. She lolled her head forward and moaned.

"You're right, that's a better place to start."

"So start there," he said as he removed his hand.

She made a pouty face for a moment, but took both hands and began running them through her hair. It didn't take long for her to relax and begin enjoying the sensation. She began to move her hands down her face and neck, crossed her arms, and caressed her shoulders and biceps. She moved her hands to her breasts, brushing them lightly with her fingertips, then rolling her nipples again. She focused on her breasts for several minutes as she sat there touching them, looking at Blane in the mirror as he admired her actions. She felt his erection pressed against her back. Blane thought the vision before him was one of the most erotic things he'd ever witnessed.

Moving on from her breasts she trailed her fingers down her stomach and across her thighs to her knees. At that point, she spread her legs and slowly fondled her way up her inner thighs, where she found herself dripping with arousal.

He lifted her legs and placed them over his, opening the view between her legs. As she began to touch herself he whispered in her ear.

"I need to taste your fingers."

She raised a hand to his lips as he sucked them in, his tongue swirled around them. She moaned as she watched his reflection.

"Cum for me," he told her.

She blushed, a bit embarrassed at the thought of masturbating to orgasm for him, but she put her fingers back between her legs and began touching herself. He watched her fingers closely, but when she began to moan he looked her directly in her eyes and held her gaze as she drove herself to orgasm. When she came her back arched, her legs quivered, and her toes alternated between curling and spreading as spasms wracked her body.

Spent, she collapsed back into Blane and felt a damp spot on her back where he was leaking excitement. He wrapped her in his arms and held her until her heart rate and breathing began to drop. Their reflections smiled at each other. She felt safe there in his arms.

"Did you enjoy that?" Cassie asked.

"That was the most erotic thing I have ever witnessed. Now it's my turn to touch you, we'll find out if I learned anything."

Blane began with her scalp again, running his fingers through her hair, circling her ears, and lightly caressing her shoulders, back, and neck. He could see goosebumps spread from her neck down to her breasts and she let out a sigh that segued into a low moan. She watched his reflection the entire time.

Caressing down her chest, he used his fingertips to extract more goosebumps by lightly touching the sides of her breasts and her nipples. She moaned continually as her gaze shifted between his fingertips and their reflection.

Touching herself for him had been nerve-wracking at first but she had eventually found pleasure in performing. Watching and feeling his touch was a different experience altogether, she imagined it might be what an out-of-body might be like. She was finding this experience to be excruciatingly pleasurable, and he hadn't even reached her thighs yet.

And then he did. He ran his hands down to her knees, using a firm pressure between his palms and her flesh. When he reached her knees he changed to fingertips and lightly drug them up her legs. She groaned and writhed under his touch. He repeated trips down to her knees and back several times, until she pivoted her pelvis, spreading her legs wider, and begged him to end her misery.

"Please, Blane, finish me. I don't know how much longer I can bear this," she begged as she looked at their reflection.

He smiled widely and slipped a hand between her thighs, probing her wetness. He knew that she was on the verge of cumming so he intentionally avoided her button and slid two fingers between her folds. She groaned as she watched him explore her. She hadn't been touched by a man in over two years, but she had never been touched in this way before. She felt herself losing control so she gave herself up to him, laying her head back on his shoulder, she began to quiver.

"Oh, Blane, I'm going to cum," she groaned.

He gently tapped her clit with one fingertip, bringing the wave of pleasure that had been building crashing down upon her. Her back arched, her breathing stopped, and her body was suspended above his as he rubbed her clit and she spasmed. After what seemed like a full minute she screamed his name and then collapsed into his arms. He scooped her up and laid her on the bed, and then laid down next to her and held her while she recovered from the strongest orgasm she'd ever experienced.

"Never have I," she whispered.

"Never have I," he responded.

"My evaluation of your foreplay skills earns you an A-plus."

"I'm trying my best. Are you ready to evaluate my main event skills?"

"Yes, but . . . "

"Are you not protected? I came prepared for that."

"No, I mean yes, I'm protected. It's just that I've not been with a man since Bill and I broke up."

"So I should take it slow and gentle."

"No, I want you to take me and make me yours. I want you to — fuck me hard," she said hesitating a bit.