'Tis The Season Read online

  Her hazel-colored eyes darken to the color of chocolate. She opens her legs and grabs a fistful of my shirt, tugging me closer.

  “I can’t promise you anything, but I can tell you I’ve spent the past few months in a constant state of unfulfilled arousal. I would not mind your help with that.”

  “I could.” I lick my lips. “You want to be friends with benefits?” I clarify.

  “To start.” Her hopeful expression leads me to believe there’s room for growth, and though we just met, I’m positive that’s a chance I want to take.

  “We should test the waters out before we agree, don’t you think?” I bend over her, gripping her hip as she leans back in the seat and tilts her head back.

  “Most definitely.” Her eyes stare into mine as our lips meet. Goosebumps rise over my body. Heat pools in my belly. She parts her lips, and my tongue dips in. Her eyes drift shut as I learn the flavor and feel, restraining myself from roaming her body. She sucks on my tongue. Growling, I angle my head to deepen our connection as our tongues tangle, and her nails dig into my chest. My lungs scream for oxygen, and I move back.

  She whimpers. I bury my fingers in her hair and tighten them, tugging her head back to bare her neck. Nipping at her flesh, I kiss my way down the curve of the breasts that have been taunting me. I suck on her collarbone and trace the scoop neck of her shirt. She shudders, and I move lower, burying my nose between her breasts. She gasps, and I pull back. “Too much?”

  “More.”

  Kneeling, I push up her shirt and brush my fingers over the round curve of her belly. She moves her hands to cover it, and I grunt, forcing them away.

  “Don’t hide from me. Every single part of you is beautiful.” I kiss my way up to the breasts, begging for my attention. Swollen, the nipples protrude, straining against the black lace bra scarcely containing them. I suck one stiff peak into my mouth as I cup the other one. Groaning, she arches her back, forcing more into my mouth. I hum, mindful of how hard I suck. She shudders, and I suckle, plucking its twin gently. The wanton sounds spilling from deep in her throat have me straining against my zipper. I release her with a pop.

  “No,” she protests.

  “Shh. You deserve to be ravished in a better setting.”

  “Is that what you’re doing?” she whispers as I stand and lift her into my arms.

  “I have months to make up for, right?”

  “Yes.” She growls, pulling my lips down to hers. Nipping hard, she soothes the sting with her tongue and scratches the back of my neck, earning a moan. Her lips curve up against mine, and she repeats the action. Elbowing the door open, I move into my room and place her on the bed. I pause to admire the sight she makes splayed over my buffalo plaid flannel sheets. Crawling onto the bed, I remove her top and bra.

  “Is this okay?”

  “Very.” She nods, tugging on the bottom of my shirt. “But now you’re overdressed.”

  “My apologies.” I remove my top two layers, and she trails her fingertips down my chest. Her thumbs brush my nipples, and I jerk. She circles them, teasing me. Fast learner.

  “Lay back, let me take the edge off. I’m safe. I was tested after my last relationship, and I haven’t been with anyone since.” Her body tenses. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” I rub her hip with my thumb. “I only want to make you feel good.”

  She nods, sinking down. “I’m safe, too. I had a workup when I discovered I was pregnant.”

  Hooking my thumbs beneath the straps of her underwear, I tug them down her tone lips, drinking in her neatly trimmed pussy. Her slit glistens, begging for my tongue. The scent of her arousal hits me, and my mouth waters. I toss her soaked scrap of lace to the side and part her legs.

  “Hold on to the sheets, Faye. I’m going to eat you whole.” I slip her legs over my shoulder and lick up her slit. Her musky honey coats my tongue, and I find myself starved. Keeping her legs parted with my shoulders, I eat my dessert. Her walls flex around my tongue as I alternate between diving deep inside of her, flicking her bundle of nerves, and sucking her slick lips. I can’t get enough of her flavor or the husky way she calls my name. Her hips buck. I cup her ass, angling her so I can go deeper.

  “Right there, James. Don’t stop.”

  Slurping, I blow on her clit. She cries out. “Come on my tongue, Faye.” I plunge into her once more.

  “Yes. Oh, God.” Her body tenses and her walls flutter.

  I know she’s close. Thrusting in once, twice more, I suck on her clit. Screaming, she explodes, drenching me with a flood of nectar I can’t swallow down fast enough. I ease her down with gentle laps before I move to collapse beside her.

  “W-What about you?” she pants.

  “Oh. That was just a warm-up. We’ve got all night.”

  “Christmas came early after all.” Her satiated smile makes my heart beat faster. I’m already in trouble.

  I glance at the clock and see the red digitized 12:20.

  “Or right on time.”

  Chapter Three

  Faye

  My phone rings insistently, yanking me from the warm oblivion of sleep. I burrow my head from beneath the heavy blanket of sleep and freeze as I feel the press of something thick and hard against my ass. The previous day replays in my mind on fast forward. I snuggle closer into the body attached to the heavy arm looped beneath my breasts. His other hand cups my belly protectively, and for a split-second, I allow myself to pretend. It’s a dangerous thing to do. Flora isn’t his, and our arrangement is tentative and questionable. I was thinking with my hormones, not my brain. However, the way he looks at me is worth any heartache that might follow.

  The phone rings again, and I groan. I’d spent the night woken intermittently by hot hands and an even hotter mouth. Not that I hadn’t done my own exploration. I slap the nightstand beside me and grip the phone, bringing it to me.

  “Where the fuck are you?”

  I cringe. Preston is not the first thing I want to hear after a night of sexual bliss.

  “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  “I’m at your place. It looks like you were never here.”

  “That’s because I wasn’t. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “You’re my fiancée who’s carrying my child.”

  “Ex. Those two letters make a huge difference, and don’t even try to use her as a way to control me.”

  He snarls. “Why don’t you just invite me to your parents’ house so we can all be together.”

  Thanks to you, I’m not comfortable there. An evil plan strikes me. “You can go there if you want to.”

  “Finally.” He hangs up without waiting for me to say more. Self-satisfied, I stretch like a cat.

  “Morning.”

  The sleep-worn, deep voice sends a jolt of excitement racing through me. I roll over to face him. “Morning, James.”

  “I couldn’t help but hear the ex called.”

  “He’s about to get a Christmas morning wake-up call.” I grin.

  “You’re wicked.”

  “I thought I proved that last night.”

  He chuckles. Things had never gone past third base, but I wasn’t keen to let another person I didn’t know well inside of me. Especially when that space was already being shared. I yawn, and my jaw pops from the workout I’d given it, swallowing down his thick dick.

  “As much as I’m enjoying myself, we can’t stay in here all day.”

  He sighs. “I know. How about a shower, breakfast, and we’ll figure things out from there?”

  “I like it.” I slip from bed and stretch once more, unashamed of the body he’d learned every inch of. He’d given me more than orgasms. I have newly gained confidence when it comes to my ripening frame. His lids lower, and he goes from half-mast to full mast.

  “Maybe I can help you out with that?” I nod toward his erection.

  “It is on the top of my Christmas Wishlist.”

  I giggle and palm his base, squeezing him li
ghtly. He twitches in my hand. I start a slow, firm stroke I learned he preferred. Our lips press together, and our tongues dance as he slowly backs me into the en suite.

  “Can I fuck your tits?” he rasps.

  “You are kinky, Doctor.” I release him and cup my breasts, pushing them together.

  “Is that a yes?”

  I lean back, resting my head against the mirror. “Slip between my breasts and find out.” His eyes darken, and he thrusts upward. I stick out my tongue, caressing his dripping head as he moves.

  “Shit. You’re so fucking sexy, Faye.” His eyes burn into mine.

  I spit to add more lubrication. He swells, growing impossibly stiff. My core drips in response. Knowing I affect him like this is intoxicating.

  “Are you going to come for me, James? Paint me all white?”

  He grunts, moving faster. His body tenses. “I’m going to—”

  “Yes.”

  Hot liquid coats my skin. The sight of his white droplets coating my skin has me clenching my pussy.

  “Since I got you dirty, it’s only fair I clean you up.” Helping me stand, he kisses me on the forehead. There’s so much sincerity and care in everything he does. It highlights what I missed with James. Gifts were great, but this was priceless. After starting the shower, he rubs my thickening hip. “I’ll step in first. I don’t want you to slip.”

  I start to protest and let the words die on my tongue. If James wants to be sweet to me, I’m not going to stop him. I’ll hold the kind words and care close on those lonely nights when it’s all I can do to make it to my bed to collapse. Those days could be a lot less lonely if we keep up this bargain.

  Stepping into the shower stall, he holds out his hand. I take it, getting in. It’s only the steam and hot water weakening my knees.

  “YOU THINK YOU’RE HILARIOUS, don’t you?”

  The voice ruins my good mood. “What are you doing here?” I turn to face him with Monty in my arms.

  “Waiting.” Preston looks over at the car where James gathers the extra supplies he had lying around and gifted for Monty’s use. “Are you serious? You hooked up with the guy from the drugstore?” He sneers. “If you’re trying to make me jealous, it isn’t working.”

  “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Preston.” I roll my eyes and fish out my keys to unlock the front door.

  “You made me look like a fool in front of your family.”

  “No, you did that yourself. Maybe this will be a lesson about not forcing yourself into places where you aren’t invited.”

  His lips thin into a line, and the color fades from his face. “They were happy to see me and wondering where you were.”

  “They have my number.” I won’t let him use my family against me.

  “They’re worried about you, just like I am. Neither of us understands what you’re trying to prove.”

  I shake my head. “Nothing. This is about doing what I feel is right for my child and me. You’re the one turning it into a stressful process.”

  “I don’t get dismissed by nurses who come from nothing. You will not make me.” He reaches for my wrist. I back into the corner, wedging myself between the door and the wall. His hand is stopped by James.

  “Is there a problem?” James moves in front of me, forcing Preston back. They’re evenly matched in size, but James has a dangerous edge Preston couldn’t pull off on his best day.

  “I don’t know. You tell me,” Preston says. “I’ve never seen you a day in my life, and you’re pulling up with my—”

  “Nothing.”

  Preston’s mouth momentarily drops open at the interruption. “Excuse me?”

  “The mother of your child and nothing else. For a doctor, you don’t understand basic concepts very well.”

  Preston bares his teeth. “Is this supposed to be a joke? Did you hire him as your holidate? Whatever she’s paying you, I’ll double it.”

  “Is he serious?” James turns to me.

  Exhaling, I cover my face with my hand. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “I get a say about who my daughter is around. If you pick up some random man off the street who does God knows what for a living, I’m going to protest.”

  “Let me set your mind at ease. I’m a doctor.”

  Preston’s eyes bulge. “W-What? Where do you work?”

  He gives a shit-eating grin. “I have my own practice.”

  “Were you seeing him before we broke up?”

  “Finally, you admit it.” I toss my hands in the air.

  “Is Flora even mine?”

  My jaw drops.

  “You are way out of line,” James barks.

  “It’s all very coincidental, isn’t it?” He gives a fake laugh. “No wonder you didn’t want to stay with me. You had another doctor in the wings. Look at all the things he’s bringing you for the baby.”

  “It’s for Monty, you cunt. I’m the vet who found him.”

  Preston blinks. “An animal doctor?”

  “That’s usually what a veterinarian is, yes.” James nods.

  “Well, then I suppose I owe you my thanks for finding the runt. Faye was quite upset about his disappearance.” His features smooth over seamlessly as he hides the demon that lurks inside of him.

  “Right,” James says dryly. I want to jump for joy. A person other than me has seen the dark side he keeps hidden. “If you’ll step aside, we’re going to get Monty settled in.”

  “I thought the days of house calls were over,” Preston snarks.

  “It all depends on the area, but believe me, this one is on the house.” James wraps his arms around my waist, and I allow it. For once, it’s nice to not fight this never-ending battle on my own.

  Preston looks from James to me. “I see.”

  “I hope so. Because I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

  If only he meant that. James is a catch. Eventually, he’ll get tired of me, the drama I come with, and the responsibilities that will always take precedence over him. Enjoy him now. Don’t expect more.

  “You’ve always been engaging. Even for your charms, this is a bit much for someone you just met. What did you do to incite such loyalty?”

  “The same thing that keeps you unable to let her go, I’d imagine,” James drawls.

  “I’ll be sure to let your parents know you were too busy with company to come by.”

  I grit my teeth. “You’re going to say what you want regardless.” I shrug, feigning a nonchalance I don’t at all feel.

  Preston’s eyes darken. “I leave in two more days. We will talk before then.”

  “What’s left to say? You were at the appointment, and you don’t want to sign any paperwork. Hanging around, trying to figure out who is in my life, and what I’m choosing to do with my time off isn’t part of the co-parenting plan.”

  “So brave and brazen, aren’t we?”

  “No. I’m tired. Flora is constantly resting on my bladder, I’m carrying fifteen extra pounds, and my body is rapidly changing to expand to house her.” I sigh. “I want to get things settled, so I’m prepared to focus all my attention on her.”

  “You’re the one keeping that from happening,” Preston says coolly.

  I shake my head, saving my breath. “Let’s get inside. Monty looks cold.”

  I finish unlocking the door and let James step inside. “Preston, we don’t have anything to talk about unless you change your mind. Because I can promise you, I won’t be changing mine. I hope you have a safe flight home.” Once I move inside, James stares Preston down and closes the door in his face.

  James remains at the door. “I don’t like him.”

  “I’m not particularly fond of him myself these days.”

  “You need to have a plan for the day your words aren’t enough. Bullies don’t stop until they’re made to.” I shift my weight. He isn’t saying anything I haven’t thought of before, but hearing it from a third party is disconcerting.

  “I’ll handle it if it comes to that.
”

  Not if, when.

  JAMES

  “Hey, bro. I’m glad you could make it out,” Daniel says, clapping my back after I sit beside him at the bar.

  “Me too. How was Christmas?”

  “Shelly and Jackson had a blast. Laura and I used gratuitous amounts of coffee to stay awake after being up all night assembling items Santa will take credit for.”

  I laugh as he rolls his eyes. The three and five-year olds are cute as a button but full of endless amounts of energy.

  “Laura says hi, by the way. She practically kicked me out the second I mentioned your name.”

  “I feel honored.”

  “Don’t. She has some Tupperware party. I think I was cramping her style.”

  I shake my head. “Is Mikey joining us?”

  “If he can get out of work. They have some new campaign launching, and he’s been burning the midnight oil in the office.”

  “Yeah, I remember him mentioning that.” I nod.

  “What’s new with you?” Dan asked.

  I take a long draw from my bottle of pale ale. “I met somebody.”

  Dan leans toward me on his stool. “This is new.”

  “Yeah. Faye is amazing, man. She’s an E.R. nurse at St. Ann’s Hospital.”

  “How did you meet?”

  “That’s the crazy story. Faye’s dog ran away on Christmas Eve. I found him and called the number she left on the poster. She came over, and then a street sweeper took out her car.”

  “What in the Rom-Com?” Dan snickers.

  “I know. It was a rocky start, literally. She felt bad for crashing my Christmas, and I was trying not to swallow my tongue and drool all over her.”

  “She’s pretty, eh?”

  “Beautiful, but even more than that, she has a wicked sense of humor.” I smile. “And she’s so damn sweet I could get cavities.”

  “She must be something to have you waxing poetic. I mean, you sound like you’re half in love with her.”

  I smile sheepishly and nod. “I very well may be. It sounds crazy to say out loud after a couple of months.” We spent the majority of our free time together, and sometimes nights we work. I’ve stood beside her for every late-night craving, foot massage, and new baby development she’s allowed me to be there for. Despite our closeness, she still holds a wariness only time will rid her of.