AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t tempt me.” The wanton lust coursing through me made its way to my mouth, taking over my every word and making me speak things I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d have said three weeks before. My relationship with Aaron had been tepid and mild and…boring. Everything with Brendan was hot fire laced with a mutual respect and affection that seemed to grow by the minute, only compounded by the fact that we spent nearly every waking moment together between work and home. Not falling in love with him was far more unthinkable than my reality—that I was already wholly and completely devoted to him in every way possible.
He pushed part of my robe to the side with his free hand and slid two fingers between my already-heated folds. He leaned forward, his lips hovering so close that his breath tickled my neck. “Haven’t you learned yet, Leah? All you need to do is ask nicely. Bringing you pleasure is an addiction I’m never going to break.” He licked the shell of my ear and nipped the lobe. “Come on, sweetheart, just say please.”
I leaned harder against the wall, desperate for the support and whimpered. As good as he was with teasing and tormenting my body, he was even better at using his words to kick my internal temperature up unnecessarily. “Please.” It was a broken, desperate plea wrapped up in a single syllable.
Brendan hummed his satisfaction at my request and added a third digit inside me, thrusting in and out faster and faster until my thighs trembled. He sucked on the sensitive flesh at the base of my throat where my pulse was pounding in overtime. The errant thought that he was going to end up giving me a hickey that would be nearly impossible to conceal floated through my mind, but disappeared before I could dwell on it too much as the swelling tide of ecstasy loomed close enough that I knew it would break over me if only…
“Please!” This time the request came out on a frenzied shout, all my need pouring into the word. In such a short time, the man knew how to play my most tender spots like a finely tuned instrument and, without even fully articulating it, he’d give me exactly what I wanted.
And he did. He pushed as deep inside me as he could, curling his fingers and tapping my swollen nub with his thumb, plunging me deep beneath the tidal wave of bliss, dragging me to the depths of euphoria. I screamed on the climax so loudly that I was grateful for my own private home. If I’d been living in an apartment, we likely would have scared most of my neighbors and possibly traumatized several young children with the noise.
As my breath regulated, he pulled his hand from me and peppered kisses along my jaw as he released his hold on my wrists. “Hurry up, sweetheart, before breakfast gets cold.”
And just like that he sauntered out of the room, whistling a Christmas carol, supremely proud of himself.Arrogant bastard. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled on underwear, leggings and a hoodie, as if being pushed against a wall and pleasured was just a normal, average start to my day.
A variety of pastries lined a large platter in the center of my kitchen table, and I looked over at Brendan with a raised brow. He set a steaming mug of tea on the smooth surface and offered a guilty smile.
“There’s a chance I picked these up yesterday and just warmed them this morning,” he confessed. “I didn’t want to ruin our first Christmas by setting off your smoke alarms if I tried to cook.”
My heart warmed at his earnest intentions as I took my seat. The tea was the perfect temperature, and I sighed as I took the first sip. “Good choice.” I grabbed a bear claw and sank my teeth into the flaky crust with a groan as a sugary eruption blanketed my taste buds. “This, in particular, was avery, very good choice.”
Still in a slight haze of post-coital bliss and now compounding that with the delicious flavors of the warm pastry, I barely registered as he excused himself from the table until the doorbell chimed. I frowned at the final piece of the bear claw tempting me from the plate. With a reluctant sigh, I stood. “Apparently someone must have locked themselves out.”
But instead of a chagrined Brendan on my front porch when I opened the door, it was a small gift bag. I quickly gathered the item and shut the snowy air outside. As I turned away from the entrance, Brendan was waiting with an unreadable expression on his face.
My cheeks burned with embarrassment that I was holding a gift from a secret admirer right after Brendan had made it clear that the holiday was all about me. It felt like a form of cheating, even though I’d never hidden any part of it from him. “I’m sorry.”
His neutral and stoic countenance melted into a warm grin as he crossed the space between us. “Now, is that the right response to a gift?”
I drew my brows together and my gaze bounced from the present to his twinkling eyes, a bright green today. “Yes, it is when your boyfriend has done so much to make a day you dreaded last year something special this time around and…a stranger sends you a surprise package.”
Brendan’s smile widened as he plucked the tissue paper from the top, reached inside and produced a jewelry box. “If that were the case, then this would be hella awkward, but since I’m your Secret Santa—again—I think it’s okay.”
Relief and elation washed over me. “It’s you?” When he nodded, I launched myself into his arms as tears coursed down my cheeks. “I wanted it to be you.” I hiccupped, my voice breaking on a sob. “I wanted it to be you. Every. Single. Time.”
He stroked his hand up and down my back, making soothing noises as I cried in his embrace. “You promise you don’t hate me for keeping it a secret? I wanted to tell you so many times, but the way your face lit up and the unfiltered reactions… I just couldn’t help but let the mystique continue.”
I leaned back far enough to grip his face. “Never. You’re a bit arrogant and annoyingly charming, but I could never hate you.” I kissed his lips, my heart and body agreeing that we needed the connection. “Especially not when I love you this damn much.”
He closed his eyes and released a slow exhale, then stepped back. Only then did I remember the still-unopened box in his grasp. “That is the best news I’ve had all day.” He lifted the hinged lid to reveal a ribbon-shaped pendant on a matching silver chain with a large diamond in the center. A small card tucked into the top had my name written across it in the beautiful, scripted font he’d used for other notes.
My hand shook as I pulled it free and opened it. The tears that had barely subsided cascaded once more as I read the message.
I may not be your first date or your first kiss or even your first love, but I want to be your last everything. I love you yesterday, today and forever.
Again, I threw myself at him, my arms tight around his neck and my mouth devouring his. “You are such a showoff.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, sweetheart.” He winked and claimed my lips again, deepening the kiss with an unspoken promise that it wouldn’t end there.
Epilogue
Brendan
Lanza Broadcasting’s first New Year’s Eve show was not just something that we managed to pull together despite the last-minute Bryce-created drama, but it was a record breaking, smashing success. Just the initial numbers for the first sixty minutes of the multi-hour special had already shown a marked difference compared to our competitors, who had previously been staples for viewers, and each additional sampling had since continued to climb.
Whether that held in the coming years was still yet to be seen, but my father’s subtle, yet clearly pleased reaction to hearing we were a breakout hit would make every long day behind the finished product worth it. Although I was thrilled at the public’s viewership, nerves ate at my gut as I paced the small room Leah had created for my father and me to wait in between our time live on camera.
“You’re going to create a hole in the carpet if you don’t relax,mi hijo.” My father was the picture of serenity, sitting back in the stuffed leather chair, one leg crossed over the other, sipping on his whiskey. “Take a seat. Have a drink.”
