“This isn’t how unwrapping presents usually goes,” she said as he sank his teeth into her shoulder next to her bra strap.
“Mmm, are you sure? Because I think the rest of the world is doing it wrong,” he said as he worked open the button on her jeans.
Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers dipped into the waistband. “I can pay attention to this later,” she decided, sliding the box away and reaching for him.
“Open your present, Sam, and let me open mine.” His gray eyes glittered in the soft light of the fire, the tree. Dangerously romantic, she thought. Then he maneuvered her onto her hands and knees, and she was left with just dangerous.
Her heart hammered away in her chest as he knelt behind her and slowly slid her jeans down her trembling thighs.
His laugh was soft, ragged, as he traced one finger lightly over her underwear. “Mistletoe here too, Sparkle?”
She shivered. “I don’t make the rules,” she teased, her voice quivering.
“And I love to follow them,” he said softly. She could feel his breath on her back. Held her own as he deftly unhooked her bra, then ran a palm down her spine. His fingers snagged the band of her underwear and dragged them slowly down to her knees.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she squeezed her eyes closed. She was bared to him, vulnerable to him.
“Open,” he growled.
She wasn’t sure if he meant the box or her legs. So she did both and was rewarded with two of his deft fingers sliding into her entrance.
Her breath released on a strangled cry, and she felt his teeth graze the curve of her hip. “Look at your gift, Sam,” he ordered.
She forced herself to open her eyes and stare down at the papers neatly stacked in the box. She shook her head, trying to clear it.
“Are these—”
But the thrust of his fingers was replaced by the stroke of his talented tongue. She nearly collapsed to the floor. Her elbows shook with the effort to keep her upright.
“Ryan,” she breathed.
“What are they, Sam?” he whispered, kissing her again where she needed it most.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” she chanted. He was expertly driving her toward an orgasm while expecting her to carry on a conversation. Her entire core was trembling now. She felt him slide back from between her legs and heard the hasty removal of clothing, the tear of a wrapper.
“These are my grant applications,” she whispered.
“That’s right,” he said, stroking over her back, her hip, the curve of her backside.
“They’re filled out.” She managed to get the words out as he notched the head of his erection at her entrance. She was going to cry and had no idea if it was from being so wound up sexually or so bowled over emotionally.
“And submitted.” Ryan said the word tenderly.
“All of them?” she asked on a broken groan as she felt the blunt crown nudge at her sex.
“All of them, my sweet Sam,” he whispered, clamping his hands on her hips and thrusting home.
30
Tuesday, December 24, an ungodly early hour
* * *
She woke with a crick in her neck and a heavy arm locked between her breasts, anchoring her to a hard body. Dawn was breaking outside the windows, and it was still snowing.
It was Christmas Eve, and she was waking up naked under a Christmas tree next to her former one-night stand.
“Magic,” she whispered.
Ryan grumbled something into her hair, and she smiled to herself.
“Stop poking me in the face,” he said sleepily.
“I’m not poking you in the face.”
They both looked up. Perched on the couch cushion above them was a fat orange cat glaring down at them.
“Hi, Hans,” Sammy yawned.
“Oh, thank God,” Ryan murmured. “There really is a third cat.”
She snickered as the orange ninja vanished above them. “You were willing to commit to me for a year when you thought I had an imaginary cat friend?”
“That’s how into you I am, Sparkle. Don’t forget it.”
Sammy rubbed her eyes and stretched luxuriously. Ryan’s arms belted around her again, pulling her back against his heat, his hardness. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Her smile was so wide it hurt her face. “Absolutely nowhere,” she promised.
“Good. We can start establishing a morning routine,” he said, nestling his erection against her behind.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she sighed happily.
“Neither one of us is allowed to come to our senses,” he insisted.
She laughed. “Do we have to tell the Beautification Committee?”
“First, you have to explain to me exactly what the Beautification Committee is because they seem less about maintaining common spaces and more about meddling in love lives,” he told her.
“You just answered your own question.”
“I don’t see how they could take credit for us. They wanted to match you with my idiot cousin. Technically, you’re being very rebellious right now.” He rolled her on to her back.
“Mmm. I like being a rebel,” she said, taking his lower lip between her teeth.
He groaned his approval.
The knock at the door startled them apart.
“Ow!” Ryan held a hand to his lip.
She winced. “Sorry.”
“Whoever is at your door is the one who’s going to be sorry,” he growled.
She jumped up and wrapped a fuzzy blanket around herself.
Ryan rose and snatched a Merry Kiss This pillow from the floor and held it in front of his hard cock.
She gaped at him. “You are not going anywhere near my door like that,” she hissed as he stalked toward the front door.
“Our door, Sam. And whoever it is deserves what they get for showing up unannounced at seven-thirty in the morning on Christmas Eve.”
She made a run for the door but tripped over Holly. The cat shook her jingle bell collar in derision.
Ryan yanked open the door.
Ellery stood on the front porch in a gray plaid cape trimmed with faux black fur. She cocked her head and took in the view. Her purple lips curved. “High five, Sammy!” She held up a skull gloved hand.
Sammy felt a little like high fiving the entire town and obliged… promptly losing her grip on the blanket.
Ryan grabbed it and tucked it back in place.
“We’re about to have sex. This better be good,” he announced.
Ellery clapped her hands in glee. “See? We totally needed a town grump! Everyone is going to love you. I am so excited this worked out.”
Sammy put herself in front of Ryan, who looked like he was ready to slam the door in Ellery’s face.
“This didn’t work out,” Sammy reminded her. “You got the wrong Ryan.”
“Oh, sure we did,” Ellery said with a wink. “Silly us! Anyway, I wanted to give you both your Christmas present in person.” She held out a flat package wrapped in black paper with a silver-and-black bow.
With more than a little reticence, Sammy accepted it.
“Ellery, go away,” Ryan insisted.
“Not until you open your gift,” she said firmly. “It’s the least we could do since you pulled your accountant magic and filed that audit extension for the town.”