Author: Lorelei James

Nick snickered against her pelvis. “That good, huh?”

“What?”

“You just asked me to marry you.”

Holly jackknifed up. “Shit. I said that out loud?”

“Yep.”

Talk about embarrassing.

He stood and reached for the unopened box of (magnum sized!) condoms on the nightstand and she couldn’t help but stare at him. Drool, really. Wonder if she ought to buy a lottery ticket because, hot damn, it was her lucky night. Fully clothed, Nick was magnificent. Completely naked, he was flat-out a god.

A god who’d had his face buried between her thighs for the last twenty minutes.

Definitely lottery ticket material.

Nick ripped open a condom and had it rolled on before she cleared the fog of lust from her sex-addled brain.

“…on one condition.”

She managed to tear her gaze from his impressive hard-on (two erections? in thirty minutes?) and met his eyes. “Umm. Sorry. I didn’t hear all of that. What did you say?”

He flopped on the bed beside her. “I said any woman I marry needs to know how to ride.” He brushed the hair from her face. “So mount up and show me whatcha got.”

That telltale warmth spread across her cheeks again. “But I—”

“Goddamn it’s a turn on to see you blush.”

Holly’s gaze dropped to his groin. “Doesn’t look like you need any help in getting turned on.”

“All your doin’, darlin’.” Nick placed his hand in the middle of her back and urged her forward. “Straddle me.”

Nerves had her biting her lip as she threw her leg over his, startled by the molten heat radiating from his body.

Nick swept her hair away from her face and tilted her chin up. “Holly? What’s wrong?”

She blurted, “I’ve never done it this way before.”

Pause. “Well, you’re just loaded with surprises tonight.” Nick twined a section of hair around his finger and tugged her closer. “Kiss me. I can’t get enough of this mouth.”

“But what about—”

“We’ll get there. No hurry.” Nick gave her another slow, bone-melting kind of kiss. Complete with long, sweeping caresses of his work-rough hands up her legs and torso, over her shoulders and down her spine to her buttocks. He didn’t push or pull her toward his erection. He seemed content to touch her and learn every nuance of her mouth.

Holly slipped her lips free from his and flicked the sexy dent in his chin, loving the rasp of his stubble against her tongue. She used her teeth to nip the intriguing angle of his jawbone until she reached his ear. “I’m ready for my riding lesson, cowboy.”

He chuckled. “Scoot back. Feel me?”

“You mean that big, hard, thick thing sticking up?”

“Again with the sweet talkin’. When you’re ready, pop ’er in and commence to ridin’.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep. You set the pace. You’re in charge.”

“Do I sit up? Or lay across you?”

“Either way. If you sit up I can reach your clit. But I ain’t gonna complain about having them beautiful tits rubbing on my chest.”

She rose on her knees, aligned her pelvis to his and held the rigid shaft straight up with one hand as she braced her free hand on his broad chest. Heat darkened his eyes as he watched his c**k slowly disappearing into her body.

Holly took her own sweet time and was pleased Nick didn’t grab hold of her h*ps and force her down.

Once he was fully seated inside her, he closed his eyes and groaned. “Ah, hell. You feel good, Holly. Warm and tight and perfect. I could get used to this.”

Nick’s sweet words gave her pause.

“You okay?”

“Are you?” she countered.

“Never been better. Do what you want, darlin’, you have the reins.”

She experimented with lifting and lowering. Loving the deep push at the end. But she missed that skin-on-skin contact. She angled forward, placing her hands beside his head and shimmied down. “Oh.”

“Like that do you?”

“God yes.”

“Let me help. You’ll like this even better.” Nick grabbed onto her butt cheeks and squeezed, gently rocking her.

“Oh, that’s…I really like that.”

“Thought you might. Don’t tense up. Another good thing about you laying in this position? I can kiss you and run my hands all over your soft skin.”

Holly rocked on him, amazed by the sense of power of being on top. Amazed by the control Nick freely handed over. Amazed by how his lazy, wet kisses were deceptively seductive. She hadn’t had many lovers in her twenty-eight years, and none of them showed this trust and playfulness, sometimes even after months of dating, that Nick had shown her in just a few hours.

He kissed his way down her throat. “Whatcha thinkin’ about so hard, darlin’?”

“Sorry. I-I tend to overthink things.” She quit moving on him. “Are you mad?”

“No. Just curious as to what drew your attention away from this.” He flexed his hips. “’Cause it’s mighty fine.”

She groaned. “It is. I was thinking about you. How much…you don’t mind that I’m not…you’re so patient… You’re just so great and I’m really happy to be here with you.”

“Holly. Baby.” His voice was gruff. “C’mere.”

Nick’s kisses intensified and she began to push back onto all that male hardness. Sliding belly to belly. The scrape of his chest hair on her ni**les sent shudders down her spine, which he chased with fingertips soft as raindrops.

The continual graze of his pubic hair on her cl*t brought forth a short, but powerful orgasm that left Holly gasping as she ground against him. He muttered against her throat, nonsensical masculine words of encouragement through every sweet pulse.

He fastened his hands to her ass and thrust up. “Right there. Just like that. Yes.” Nick arched his neck and she eased back to watch his face as the orgasm washed over him. God he was sexy, lost in the moment, a moment of passion she’d brought to him. Another feeling of sexual power emboldened her to scatter kisses across his chest.

He blinked his eyes open with a small, surprised smile. “Whoa.”

“I’ll say. Does that mean you want me to stop?”

“Never.” He followed the outline of her jaw with a shaking fingertip. “I think you like being on top.”

“Mmm-hmm. I think you’ve created a monster.”

“Just wait until you see what I’ve got planned for the hot tub.”

Chapter Five

“There’s a hot tub in here?”

Lord, Nick loved Holly’s wide-eyed look. Innocent, yet interested. “More like a deep bath with whirlpool jets.” He toyed with her hair. “Sound like fun?”

“Everything sounds like fun with you.” Holly smooched his nose and slid forward until his softened c**k slipped from her body.

“Where you goin’?”

“To get a drink.” She winked. “All that ridin’ worked up a powerful thirst.”

Nick grinned. “Would champagne quench it?”

There was that owl-eyed expression again. “You bought champagne?”

“Came with the room. You up for a glass or two?”

“Absolutely.”

He hopped off the bed. “Let me clean up while you take the bottle of bubbly out of the fridge.”

As soon as he stood, Holly wrapped her arms around him from behind and nuzzled the middle of his back. “Thank you.”

“For?”

No response, but as she’d burrowed deeper into him so sweetly Nick didn’t press her for an answer. He merely squeezed her arm and said, “You’re welcome,” before continuing on to the bathroom.

When he returned, soft music drifted from the TV through the closed cabinet doors. Holly had donned a complimentary hotel robe and was curled up in the corner of the couch with her feet tucked beneath her. Strange. He’d expected nakedness wouldn’t bother her. To set her at ease, he snagged the other robe she’d draped over the back of the chair.

She pointed to the bottle and glasses on the coffee table. “I’m not so good with things that have the potential to explode. It’d be just my luck if the cork hit me in the eye.”

Nick loosened the wires and peeled the foil back. A couple of deft twists, a loud pop sounded and the cork released. A thin tendril of steam ghosted from the neck of the green bottle as he poured the sparkling liquid into the glasses.

“You’re good at that. Popped a few tops in your day?”

Handing her a glass, he sat beside her. Right beside her. “The only top I’m interested in blowing is yours, darlin’.”

Holly blushed and ducked her head. “I think we’ve established you’re an expert in that area.”

“Hey.” He tipped her chin up. “Regrets?”

“Not a single one.”

“Good. Then let’s toast. To Christmas wishes coming true.”

“I’ll drink to that.” She chinked her glass to his and downed every golden drop as he struggled to finish his mouthful.

“Like champagne, do you?”

She held the glass out for more. “Mmm-hmm. I tend to be a glutton since I never get it.”

“Don’t you have guys clamoring to buy you whatever drink your heart desires every night at Sugar Plums?” After Nick said it, he wished he’d kept his fool mouth shut.

Her cute freckled nose wrinkled. “No offense, but can that place be off the topic for discussion tonight?”

“Sure. As long as you answer one question for me first.”

She squinted at him suspiciously. “What?”

“Is Christmas your favorite holiday?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I mean, it’s okay, and my attitude isn’t because of work. There are so many expectations with that time of year. Buying the perfect gift for everyone on your list. The pressure to sacrifice vacation time to be with your family, and then once you get there you’re sorry you ever came. The constant temptation to eat too much, to drink too much, to spend too much.”