My fingers tangle in my hair as I push the sweaty strands off my face. Grimacing, I angle my head down and see that I’m still wearing my elf costume. Well, not completely. Those wedgie-inducing overalls are blessedly gone. But no wonder I’m sweating buckets, these tights are thick.
I can recall only bits and pieces of how I got home. To my utter embarrassment, I remember what led to me eating that damn apricot cookie and the resulting chaos. Luke had come to my rescue, again, and made sure I got the care I needed. He’d even driven me home. A twinkle of a memory plays across my mind. Did I say something inappropriate in the car?
I think about it for a couple seconds before dramatically throwing my hands down on the mattress. Oh, for fudge’s sake, who cares? It couldn’t have been that big a deal if I couldn’t remember. And it definitely couldn’t be as idiotic as having an allergic reaction at a kids’ Christmas party. Cookies are my life. How could they betray me like that!
Reluctantly, I push myself up, needing to use the bathroom. A dull pain shoots across my head—an effect of the drugs, no doubt. I’m lucky I don’t feel more hungover. The apartment is quiet, nothing but the faint sounds of my upstairs neighbor stomping around. My lips turn down in a small frown. I was hoping, I think, that someone would be here. Making sure I was okay.
Urg, I’m really feeling moody. The drugs they gave me were really drudging up weird emotions. I was fine on my own. The doctor at the event had helped me and given me meds. I also have a cosmetic bag full of allergy pills that will demolish any lingering side effects of my earlier episode. Everything is fine.
I make my way to the bathroom to take care of business and have a quick shower. Feeling refreshed and squeaky clean, I put on my fluffy robe and head to the kitchen. I’m desperately craving a cup of Sleigh Ride peppermint tea.
Rounding the corner, I give my Christmas tree a funny look. I didn’t think I left the lights on before I left. Same with the oven light. Huh.
Grabbing the kettle off the oven, I move to the sink to fill it. Wait, do I smell pizza?
“How are you feeling?”
I scream bloody murder and drop the kettle. The loud bang of steel on steel hitches my heart rate up another notch.
“Frigid Frosty, you scared the ever-loving hell out of me.”
“Sorry,” Luke says from over the back of the sofa. “I thought you saw me when you came in.” I watch as he places my Kindle on the coffee table. My hand is clutching the neck of my robe as he saunters over to me, his eyes full of concern.
“What are you doing here?”
Confusion washes over his face. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? You had an allergic reaction that caused you to hyperventilate. Where else would I be?”
My mouth opens but no words come out. He has a point, but still. I’m sure he has better things to do than wait on me. Christmas is days away and I thought he’d be dying to spend more time with his family, not his best friend’s awkward little sister.
“You really don’t get it, do you.” His words surprise me. What am I supposed to get?
“I just—I remember you driving me home, but I thought you’d want to be with family.”
Luke takes a step forward, both of his hands coming to my waist and pulling me into him by the belt of my robe. I’m shocked by the move and rendered speechless when I feel something hard brush my stomach. Was he…?
“It’s not my family I want to spend time with,” he whispers, warm puffs of his breath hitting my cheeks. Slowly, his nose brushes across mine until our lips are only inches away. I look up at him through my lashes, elated and overwhelmed by what’s happening. Luke is holding me, on the edge of kissing me. There are so many questions whirling in my head, but I can only voice one.
“Luke,” I say his name softly.
“Yeah,” he whispers back.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
“Damn straight I am.”
His lips capture mine, taking my breath away. This isn’t some soft kiss either. There’s no hesitation as he takes command, his tongue dancing with mine, pulling more and more out of me. And I give everything I am to him. I’ve waited so long for this and I don’t stop to think of the consequences. I give in.
As I wrap my arms around him, he deepens the kiss. My mouth parts and I slip my tongue in to meet his, the sweet taste of coffee mixed with him has me groaning. I cling to him and I know there is no way I can make it through this night without him. One kiss is all it takes to have me falling back in love with him.
“Belinda,” he says, pulling his mouth away.
“Yes,” I say without question, knowing what he’s asking. He says my name like a prayer, asking for divine forgiveness while creating sinful friction against me. I moan as one of his hands breaks free of my hair and caresses down the front of my robe. Without pulling away this time, he picks me up and begins walking.
“This is crazy.”
“Go with it, Bee.”
My body aches for him in a way I’ve never experienced. The need to touch him, taste him, consumes me and drives my every thought. We don’t make it to the bedroom before he’s pressing me up against the wall. My head falls back, lids heavy with lust as I watch him part my robe.
“I need to see more of you, Bee. Every inch of this beautiful body.” My robe slips down my arms and he helps the rest fall to the floor with a tug, leaving me clinging to him in nothing but my panties. His cock is hard against me, hot through his jeans. I tilt my head to the side to give him more access to kiss my neck, but he does more than kiss. Zips of awareness course through my body when he nips the sensitive area. My hips jerk up, rubbing against him with every pulse.
“Fuck,” he curses into my hair a second before I’m hoisted higher in his arms and we’re moving again. With every hurried step he takes toward my bed, his hard length rubs against my core, sending sparks that have me shaking.
“Luke,” I half moan, half cry. The sensations are too much.
He curses as he falls with me onto the bed. “Fuck. You’re soft everywhere.”
“And you’re very, very hard. Oh!” My teasing remark dies on a gasp when he rips my panties clean off me. Holy hell.
When my eyes meet his, they stare into hazel orbs glowing with hunger. Standing above me, with his shirt half-open and lips wet from mine, Luke is my every erotic fantasy come to life. I want to pause this moment, take a picture of him and put in on the cover of every romance novel I read for the rest of my life. But looking at him isn’t enough anymore. I need all of him.
“You’re too far away and wearing too many clothes.”
“Let’s fix that,” he says, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. I get a quick glance at his abs before the sight is taken from me. But I don’t have time to be disappointed.
Luke’s body gently falls on top of mine, our lips colliding in a soft kiss. Slowly, he begins to nibble down my neck, down my collarbone, until he’s nuzzling my breasts. When his mouth reaches my erect nipple, my back arches at the cool sensation. He teases me, licking and sucking until I feel like I’m about to scream. This feels like heaven.
“You like having my mouth on you, baby?” He moves to my other nipple, causing my hips to pump up at the new sensation.