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And that was what got Emalee moving. Whatever was going on here - and she wasn’t completely certain herself - it really wasn’t appropriate in front of the kids, even though none of them had touched each other.
Shaking her head to clear it, Em clapped her hands. “Come on, you know the rules,” she responded in a voice that was neither as strong nor as commanding as it usually was. “You go and find your stockings, they have your names on, and sit down nicely, while we adults get a cup of coffee. Then we’ll take turns to open our gifts.”
The twins whooped and tore out of the kitchen. Little Nicky toddled after them on his chubby legs and after a long, last stare, Kira took his hand and told him she’d help him find his stocking.
“You go with them, Em,” Xander grated out, his voice so husky it stirred the fine hairs on the back of Emalee’s neck and sent a shiver down her spine.
Em escaped like the hounds of hell were chasing her. Not because she wanted to be out of there, but because she wasn’t sure she could trust herself if she stayed a minute longer with all that deliciousness on display.
Thankfully, kids were a great blocker and the next few hours were taken up with a mound of fun and laughter; opening presents, skipping breakfast and eating candy, early morning alcohol in the form of mimosas and orange juice and lemonade for the children while they toasted the season.
Then it was on to a massive turkey dinner with all the trimmings which had been prepared by the chef and left ready to serve. For all their wealth, the men were firm believers of allowing their staff time with their own families at Christmas, and didn’t expect to be waited on, and Em was glad for it. It was a good example for these rich children to grow up with.
After dinner there were games, though by now, even the children were admittedly sluggish, all of them exhausted after their pre-dawn start and slipping into food comas.
After a half-hearted round of charades, all of them were beat, but Kira somehow found a new lease of life and went sprinting off to find something.
She returned scant minutes later with something clutched in her hands.
Mistletoe, Em realized.
Corny bright green plastic mistletoe complete with berries and a string to hang it with.
She brandished it triumphantly and made a show of explaining its meaning to the boys before dangling it over their heads and giving them each a sweet, chaste kiss on the cheek... much to the twins' disgust.
Then she gave a wholly calculating look at the adults and stalked over to where Em sat on the couch, before swinging the cheap, garish sign* of Christmas kissing tradition over Emalee’s head.
Nicky thought it was great fun, and scrambled up on her knee to plant wet, squishy kisses all over her face. The twins rolled their eyes, but played along with a quick hug and kissy noises in her ear, before Kira herself dropped a quick peck on her cheek before looking meaningfully at Xander, Coll and especially her father.
The three men looked at her.
Looked at the plastic monstrosity.
Em felt her cheeks burn and was about to tell Kira to stop because she was causing embarrassment, but before she could get the words out, Ky was in front of her, cupping Em’s cheek softly while his eyes blazed and he dropped a soft, short but no less decadent kiss on her parted lips.
For the briefest of moments, his tongue flicked out and tasted her bottom lip and then. While she was still trying to regain her scattered equilibrium, he was gone and Coll was in his place.
The scotsman searched her eyes, then palmed the back of her neck, pulling her close for a hard but equally brief kiss that left her wanting more, before he touched his forehead to hers and murmured, “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
Finally Xander was there, staring long and hard into her eyes, the intensity of his gaze pinning her to the seat and causing her nipples to pebble painfully within the confines of her bra.
She wanted to arch into him, beg him to ease the sexual frustration which had been building between the four of them since yesterday.
Finally he dipped his head, his lips feathering against hers as he whispered against her lips, “We need to talk about this. I know you feel it too. We all do.”
Em nodded, transfixed, her lips rubbing against his until he moved away and Emalee forced herself to take a deep steadying breath while Kira looked on with glee sparking in her dark eyes.
Something told Emalee this was going to be a Christmas Day to remember.
Chapter Nine
CHRISTMAS WAS EVERYTHING any of them could have hoped for.
The children seemed to have recovered from their antics, their anxiety, their misbehavior and their sulkiness.
Santa had brought all the right presents.
The family room looked like a ticker tape and glitter bomb had exploded all over it.
