Mating Season

About to turn thirty-six, he hoped she wouldn't think he was too old for her, because he didn't think so. She was so bright and articulate, and easy to talk to she seemed more mature than a lot of women in their thirties he'd dated.

Then he wondered if she was seeing anyone. "So, there's no one in your life right now that you could take home, just to get the heat off?"

"No," she said, looking straight into his eyes. "Because if there was, I obviously wouldn't be here with you now, would I?"

He nodded, pleased to hear that she wasn't the type to cheat, since he'd been burned by that before, and it was one thing he hated.

Then he smiled, and told her, "Funny, I thought I came from a big family, seeing as I'm the second eldest of four. And since all three of my sisters are married with kids, I know what you mean about getting the third degree about when I'm planning to settle down every time I go home. But Christmas has got to be the worst, since everyone but me has got kids who really get into the holiday, squealing over their toys and making everyone laugh, while I just sit there and smile. Of course I love my family, but I just wish they'd back off and quit trying to convince me that it's time I got serious and got myself married so I can start a family, like my sisters. And of course produce a Hanson heir to carry on the name and follow me in the family business."

Claire nodded. "I hear you. Last Christmas my eldest niece, who just turned nine, told me she was sorry to hear I was an old maid, and I couldn't believe my ears, considering I'd only just turned twenty-three!"

Chuckling, he said, "Then you must have been pretty young when you finished college."

She took a swallow of her drink. "I was. I graduated high-school at fifteen, having skipped a few grades, and I couldn't wait to start my studies at college. I think it's the only reason my family hasn't tried too hard to match me up with anyone from back home, since I'm the only one in the family who's gone on to get my master's degree. And I guess they know I enjoy having a career, and that I'd never be happy living my life on a farm like the rest of them."

Impressed beyond words, taking another sip of his drink, he eyed her a little more closely. Gorgeous, funny, sexy as hell and incredibly bright; turns out she really was the whole package. And if possible, he was finding himself even more intrigued by the little ray of sunshine he'd always enjoyed making small talk with, whenever they'd bumped into each other at the office.

But before he could say another word, there was a knock at the door, and then their food was being wheeled in.

Claire's eyes went big when she noticed the cart was loaded top and bottom with too many dishes to count. "Are you serious? This can't be all for us."

Greg shrugged, trying not to laugh at the look on her face. "Couldn't decide what to order, so this way we get to try a little of everything."

But then she smiled when she noticed the whimsical sprinkling of tiny candy canes scattered around the tray, a thoughtful little homage from the kitchen for the holiday. But they were soon forgotten when her stomach started to growl the moment Greg came back from tipping their server and began lifting the domes off all the different dishes, filling the room with one delectable aroma after another.

"Wow, everything just looks so good, I don't know where to start," she said, wondering if they'd collapse into a food-induced coma after chowing down on such a massive feast, without ever making it to bed.

He pulled out a chair at the small dining table for her, dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and suggested, "Then just try a little of everything, I'm sure it's all good."

He was right about that, seeing as she shamelessly moaned over every bite. The prime rib was the most tender, tastiest slice of beef she'd ever had. And the chicken in a creamy mushroom wine sauce was so good she almost came in her pants. And the fork-tender lamb, covered in a delectable mint sauce, had her eyes rolling, it was just so amazing. The mashed potatoes were so creamy, and all the vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned. But it was just so much food she knew they'd barely be able to put a dent in it, before they were full.

By the time Claire finally put her fork down and pushed her plate away, deciding she couldn't possibly eat another bite, she laughed noticing that Greg was making a face and doing the same. "It was good though, wasn't it?" he said, reaching for his wine to wash it down.

She nodded as she wiped at the corners of her mouth with the white linen napkin she had in her lap, still rolling her eyes, just thinking about how good it all was as she patted her tummy. "Definitely the best meal I've ever had. But I don't know how I'll ever be able to dig into another yucky frozen dinner when I get home to New York again, after feasting like that."

As Greg topped up her wine glass, he wondered if she'd consider seeing him again when they got back home. Surprised to discover she was delightful enough to enjoy even with her clothes on. He wondered if just maybe they could spend some time together that didn't necessarily have to involve sex.

Which was something he seldom did, was enjoy a woman without hoping for the evening to end with them tangled in the sheets, and banging each other silly, mostly because he hadn't had time for a relationship in years. Not that he intended to turn down the chance to get naked with her now, but for some strange reason it occurred to him that she was getting to him in ways no other woman had before, like they'd known each other forever.

Casting his gaze from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, he thought it could be because she was so easy to be with, and wasn't going out of her way to try and be sexy, because she just was.

He eyed the last covered dish, wondering if he should bother with it. "You have any room for dessert?" he asked as he lifted off the top and eyed a plate of delectable looking sweets. "Because I also got us a dessert platter that looks like it's got a little sampling of everything: fresh fruit salad, cherry cheesecake, some kind of chocolate fudge thing, a fruit flan and crème brulee, that we could share."

Claire looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "You have got to be kidding. If I eat even one more bite, I think I might actually explode -- no joke." She pointed at him. "And you would be one that would have to clean it up."

Greg chuckled and put the cover back on the dessert platter. "Maybe later, then."

Rolling her eyes, heaving a few breaths, still patting her stomach, she nodded. "Much later, like maybe sometime next week providing I'm still not feeling this stuffed by then."

Seeing as they were a little too full to do much more than try and digest what they'd eaten, Greg reached for the remote and put on the TV, and smiled when he noticed it was the classic, "A Christmas Story." Then he laughed when he saw it was the iconic scene with the leg lamp that the father was trying to convince his wife was perfect for their front window. "Oh, wow, I love this movie, and I haven't seen it in years," he told her, and took a seat on the couch, patting the spot beside him so she'd come and join him.

Claire had gotten so comfortable with him, without even thinking, she curled into his side and he hugged her close as they both enjoyed the movie. Looking down at her, wiping at her eyes, at one really funny scene, he decided he really liked her infectious laugh, not a supressed little giggle, but a full belly laugh, which had him in stitches, laughing right along with her.

Till finally when it was over, they looked at each other, and could tell they were both wondering how they'd managed to spend the whole evening together doing nothing more than enjoying each other's company, while still fully clothed.

But since they'd both been pretty eager when they'd first got in the room, and he hadn't forgotten why he'd invited her up, Greg leaned in, tipped up her chin, touched his lips to hers and asked, "So, are you ready for bed?"

Smiling into his eyes, she nodded, tracing a finger down over his nose, and circling his gorgeous mouth with the tip of her finger, she told him, "Yes, definitely."

Relieved, Greg stood up, took her by the hand and led her into the bedroom. Then he smiled into her eyes once they'd reached the bed, and told her, "You know, I had such a good time with you tonight, that this feels like icing on the cake."

Claire stepped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist, and whispered against his lips, "I know just what you mean. I had a really nice time with you too, and I'm glad you invited me up."

He tipped his head, looking down at her. "But you still want to get naked though, right?"

She laughed. "Oh, yeah. I think that goes without saying. Because there's no way I'd be happy going back to my room, without discovering what we'd be like together."

His kind of woman, not shy about telling him what she wanted, especially seeing as he wanted the same thing -- to get them out of their clothes so he could finally explore all the secrets of her gorgeous body.

But since he hadn't turned off the light on the nightstand, they coyly smiled into each other's eyes as they stripped each other off. As he pushed her white silk blouse off her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes, he told her, "You know I really like you, Claire."

Warmed by his words, she smiled, feeling the same way about him. "And I like you, too. To be honest, I never thought we'd have so much fun together just hanging out. Now I'm glad I decided to just go for it and come up here with you."

His gaze dropped, and it finally occurred to him that she was standing in front of him in only a white lace push up bra, that gave her the most amazing cleavage, and a tiny pair of white lace panties that had his dick thickening just at the sight of her. And he knew he'd never wanted anyone more than her right now. Not only was she the sexiest woman he'd ever seen, and undoubtedly the most beautiful, knowing her the way he did now, what they were about to do suddenly felt like something more than just sex. It felt like they'd be connecting on a whole other level. And he could hardly wait to discover just how good that would feel.

His eyes on hers, he tugged her into his arms, and took his time savoring her lips, sliding his hand into the back of her panties he squeezed her ass, groaning as she circled his thigh with her leg, grinding herself against his erection. Damn, though he'd been with plenty of women, it struck him that it had never felt this good before, just to be able to kiss her and hold her. And now the anticipation of finally getting inside her was almost killing him.

So naturally the feeling of her slipping her hand between them, cupping him in her hand, and starting to stroke him up and down, had his eyes rolling all the way back in his head. For some reason, just knowing it was her hand, felt a million times hotter than he ever dreamed. Never in his life had he ever been as aroused or more stoked to finally get it on, and now that it was finally going to happen and they were about to make love, he knew he'd never felt so ready.

As he filled his hands with her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs, Claire happily moaned into their kiss. There was just something about him touching her that just felt so incredible, like a whole new experience. It was like he already knew her body, and just what she liked.

Reaching behind her, he unclipped her bra, letting it fall to the floor. Gazing down, his eyes popped at the sight of her gorgeous full round, perky breasts, her dusky pink nipples standing proudly erect, practically begging for his mouth, he muttered without even thinking, "Damn, Claire, you've got to have the prettiest tits I've ever seen," and she laughed.

But when he dropped to his knees, keeping his gaze on hers as he slid her panties down over her legs, groaning at the sight of her tight little pussy with the most delightful little tuft of golden curls on top, her breath caught in her throat and she stopped laughing.

Parting her thighs, lashing out his tongue, as he sunk into her deep, teasing her with little flicks, gently suckling at her clit, she had to hang on tight to his shoulders just to keep from collapsing, sure she was about to come where she stood, what he was doing just felt so insanely good.

Slamming her eyes shut, breathlessly licking her lips, she couldn't believe how everything just felt so much hotter with him. And now she couldn't wait to find out how good it would feel when he finally filled her up with what was straining against his boxers, seeing as he already had her moaning out loud and her legs trembling as he took his time, feasting on her pussy.

Lordy and he knew just what to do with her, too. Sliding two fingers inside her, giving her a nice little finger fucking, the way he suckled at her clit, with teasing little flicks all around it, was enough to have her nearly ripping out his hair. Every inch of her shuddering, her heart nearly beating out of her chest, throwing back her head, she screamed his name and came all over his tongue. Clinging to his shoulders, trying to remember how to breathe, she'd shocked herself because she'd never screamed like that in her life.

Savoring every drop she gave him, Greg smiled as he looked up in awe at the way she was shivering, deciding that seeing her fall apart like that had to be one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen, and definitely the hottest. Desperate to hold her, he got to his feet, wrapped her in his arms and slid his tongue into her mouth, letting her have a taste of herself as he ground his erection against her. As the kiss went on and on, neither of them wanting to pull apart, worried she was getting him so pumped that he might not make it inside her before he lost it, he finally pulled back. His voice gruff, he told her, "I've got some condoms somewhere in my luggage, but I swear I'm clean, so we can go without if you're okay with that."

Anxiously nodding her head up and down her chest still heaving pretty hard, Claire whispered breathlessly, "I'm clean too, and I'm on the pill, so no worries." All she knew was that she wanted him inside her -- and she wanted him now.

Relieved, softly chuckling, he rolled his eyes, picked her up and carried her over to the bed. And the moment he had her on her back with her legs parted, he knew he'd found perfection. As he stroked his erection in his hand, she just looked so beautiful and so unbelievably sexy with her lips parted and her full breasts heaving, he wondered if once he got himself buried inside her, if he'd ever want to pull out.

And damn, he was right. The moment he sank into her hot little pussy, sliding his tongue into her mouth, he held himself still for a moment, just to savor the feel of her. She just felt so good, so tight and warm around him, it was like she was made for him, and he realized one night with her would never be enough.

Smiling into her eyes, he told her, "You feel amazing."

Claire ruffled his hair, grinning. "And so do you." And did he ever, seeing as she'd never felt so overwhelmed or as overjoyed being with anyone before.

Taking his time, Greg pressed kisses to her lips as he slowly slid into her body and then eased his back out, blown away by how incredible it felt to be with her like this. Somehow it felt like so much more than just sex, and already he knew he wanted more.

When she started whimpering into their kiss, squeezing her legs around him, digging her heels into his ass, urging him to take her even deeper, with his weight on his hands, his heart pounding, he picked up his pace and gave her all he had. The feel of her warm, soft body wrapped around him, tightly clenching him deep inside, over and over like a warm, tight glove, it didn't take long till they were both shuddering and moaning as they came together in a rush.

Greg kissed her hard on the mouth, both of them trembling, he felt himself letting go as the most indescribable wave of pleasure washed through him, shooting right down his spine. He thrust his hips and stilled, feeling himself pulsing inside her, he muttered, "Damn, this feels perfect with you, Claire," and she just grinned, nodding her head, too overwhelmed to even answer. Smiling into her big green eyes, he knew she had to be the best he'd ever had. And he just couldn't imagine this being a one-time thing.

Still slightly shivering, when she finally caught her breath and said, "Wow," he laughed and nodded his head in agreement, because he felt so blown away, that he hated to pull out and lose the feeling of having her so close.

Eventually he reluctantly rolled to her side, took her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. Staring up at the ceiling together, their chests slightly heaving, neither of them said a word, too overwhelmed to even voice what they were feeling.

After she'd gone into the bathroom and cleaned up, taking a moment to admire him, Claire smiled at the sight of him on his back, looking very relaxed and pleased with himself with his hands behind his head, the rumpled sheet barely covering his package, with a sexy dusting of golden hair trailing a path from his chest to his abs, she decided he had to be the sexiest man alive.

But suddenly feeling a little awkward, she shrugged and murmured, "Well, guess I should be going," since she imagined he was done with her, and would expect her to go back to her room.

Greg sat up in bed, a little surprised that she wanted to leave. "Why not stay and sleep with me tonight, because there's plenty of room in here for two."

She bit into her lips. "I don't know, I thought this was..."

"What? A one and done kind of deal? No way." He patted the bed beside him, smiled and said, "I'd love to wake up with you in the morning, Claire, unless you're trying to tell me that you'd rather go back to your room."

She shook her head, and started to grin. "Actually, I'd love to wake up with you, too." And when he pulled back the sheet for her, she crawled in beside him, touched her hand to his chest and pressed a kiss to his lips, happily sighing as he wrapped her in his arms. At least they'd have one more night together, and tomorrow she'd be off to see her family and he'd be going to see his.

And then once they got back to work after the holidays, Claire imagined that would be it, and it would be over.

But when she woke up in the morning, tucked in nice and close, smiling at the feel of him hard as a brick against her backside, she also got the feeling that he'd watching her sleep for a while. And when she opened her eyes, turned her head and realized that she was right, she smirked. "How long have you been watching me sleep?"

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Not long, only a half hour or so. But I had an idea, and I hope you don't think it's too crazy. When does your family have their Christmas dinner?"

She blinked, looking confused. "Tonight, Christmas Eve, why?"

"Well, I was thinking, since my family does the turkey on Christmas day, what would you think if I went home with you and pretended that I was your boyfriend, so that your family lays off you about finding someone? And then you could return the favor, by flying home with me for Christmas day and we could tell everyone that you're my girlfriend, to get the heat off me."

Claire blinked a few times, wondering if she'd heard him right. Leaning on her elbow, she looked up at him. "I think I'm still half asleep. You want to run that by me one more time? Because I could have sworn you just suggested that we should try and fool both our families into thinking that we're involved with each other."