A Christmas Duet : Two Contemporary Tales of Holiday Romance

by Amy Lamont

  I complied, prying my eyes open to look up at him.

  “I don’t have a condom on.”

  My lips parted and a small gasp escaped me. We’d made sure we’d used condoms every time we were together in the last month, even though we both had clean bills of health, and I’d been on the birth control shot for the last few years.

  I searched Will’s eyes and saw what I needed to see reflected back at me. “We don’t need one.”

  He groaned, the tip of his cock surging inside me just an inch. “Are you sure, Lily?”

  I held his eyes as I answered him. “I’m sure, Will. I trust you.”

  I saw the impact my words had on him. He knew I didn’t give those words easily. He didn’t hesitate. He was in me to the hilt in a second. I hitched my legs over his hips and dug my nails into his shoulders.

  “I love you, baby,” he rasped in my ear as he began to plunge in and out of me.

  I arched up against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. “Love you, too. Oh, God. Love you, Will.”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight for the next week.” He pounded into me as he growled the words. “Going to keep you naked and ready for me.”

  “Oh, yes,” I cried on a long moan.

  “You want that, baby? Want me to keep that sweet pussy wet for me all the time, sink my cock into you whenever I want?”

  “Yes.” His words pushed me so close to the edge, I almost couldn’t take it. “I want that.”

  Will stilled inside me.

  “No, honey, don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

  “I’ve got you.” He shoved his hand under me and pulled me up as he sat back on his legs. He never slipped out of me as he brought me up to straddle his lap. “Fuck me, sweetheart.”

  I did as I was told. I buried my knees on either side of his hips. I pushed up and then plunged back down on him, impaling myself over and over. He put his hands on my hips and helped me, lifting me up and pulling me down on him.

  I braced my hands on his shoulders and looked down to the spot where we were joined. The sight was enough to push me right to the edge.

  “Going to come on your cock, honey,” I whispered in his ear.

  He groaned and moved me faster, lifting and pulling almost faster than I could keep up with. “Let me feel you come, baby.”

  His words pushed me up and over the edge. I shrieked out his name as spasm after spasm of pure pleasure surged through me. He didn’t let me stop moving on him as I rode out my orgasm, and as the last waves broke over me, I could feel his hips thrust up to meet me as I came down. He moved me even faster until his hips jerked once, twice and again, as he poured himself into me.

  I collapsed against him, trusting him to take my weight. He didn’t disappoint. His arms pressed me tight against him, and I reveled in the slick feel of our bodies sliding against each other.

  I don’t know how long we stayed that way, holding onto each other, Will still inside of me, part of me. Eventually, he shifted me. “Don’t want you to get cold, sweetheart.”

  He slipped out of me and I whimpered a little at the loss. He quickly maneuvered us under the plush comforter, tucking me against his body so my front faced his side and my head rested on his shoulder. He urged my outside leg up and over him so it hitched across his waist.

  Only once he was satisfied that our bodies were pressed together as intimately as possible, did he turn to me. I lifted my face up to him and he kissed the tip of my nose.

  “So you going to come with me when I have to go on tour? Live with me on this bus you gave me?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “When you’re not on tour, you going to live with me, put down some roots, in that house you bought for me?”

  “You couldn’t stop me, if you wanted to.”

  I burrowed into him, tucking my face in his neck. “I don’t want to stop you. I want you by my side always.”

  He kissed the top of my head and then rested his cheek there. “Looks like we’re stuck with each other now.”

  I grinned against his skin. “Looks like it.”

  “Merry Christmas, baby.”

  I pushed up so I could look into his eyes. “Merry Christmas, Will.”

  He pushed my heavy hair back off my face.

  “Welcome home.”

  As soon as he said the words, I knew they were the truth. I settled back down against him and smiled. I was with Will so I was home.

  The End

  Not ready to leave Will and Lily’s world yet? Will first appeared as part of my Holiday Encounters series. Read on for a peek at the Christmas story that started it all…

  Excerpt: Christmas with the Billionaire

  The Bet

  Emma

  The four of us tripped onto the train in turkey-induced stupors. We managed to snag the seats at the end of the aisle that faced each other, letting us keep our little huddle intact.

  I dropped into one of the vinyl-covered seats with a sigh. That last slice of chocolate cream pie pretty much sucked my will to move. Heading out into the chilly November evening to catch a train home stretched me to my limits.

  “Oh my God, I’ve never been so happy to be on New Jersey transit in my life.” Paige sank into the seat next to mine.

  “Holy crap,” said Jade as she fell into the spot across from me, “me, too. My parents had Thanksgiving catered for forty and we only had twenty-five people. I’ve never seen that much food in my life.”

  Katelyn slid into the seat next to Jade. “I just wish all the food kept my family from talking so much. Apparently interrogating me is right up there with the parade and football when it comes to favorite Thanksgiving Day activities.”

  “You, too?” Paige asked. “I swear my parents and aunts and uncles planned an ambush before Emma and I got there.”

  I nodded. I’d spent most holidays with Paige and her family since my parents were killed in a car crash when I was in tenth grade. I guess they considered me part of the family now because nobody hesitated to ask me about jobs and possible matrimonial prospects. Since I had zero romantic interests at the moment, and I’d rather eat Paige’s mom’s green bean and okra casserole than explain what I did for a living to Paige’s geriatric aunts, keeping my mouth stuffed seemed like the best defense.

  “I don’t get it,” Jade said. “I feel like we lived our whole lives for this moment. We graduated from college. We’re out there in the real world. Isn’t this supposed to be the most exciting time in our lives? Why would we be in any hurry to find husbands and settle down?”

  I didn’t know if we were totally out in the real world yet, considering we still lived rent free in the apartment Jade’s parents bought when the four of us decided to go to colleges in Manhattan. But I got her point.

  “Let’s see, I spent last Saturday night pulling an all-nighter to catch up on studying and the Saturday before that cleaning up puke at the hospital. What could be more glamorous and exciting than that?” Paige shifted and put her long legs up, tucking her feet into the seat next to Katelyn.

  “At least you have the chance to mingle with lots of hot doctors,” Jade said.

  Paige rolled her eyes. “First of all, if my class is anything to go by, hot is definitely not a prerequisite to get into medical school. And even if there are a few hot, single doctors, most of them aren’t interested in lowly volunteer med students covered in vomit.”

  “Ugh, please stop talking about vomit.” Katelyn rubbed her stomach. “I think medical school sounds exciting compared to how I spend my days. I thought being a social worker meant I’d spend all day helping kids. Instead I spend most of the time doing paperwork, trying to deal with a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit, and making latte runs for my boss.”

  Jade sighed and slumped further into her seat. “At least you guys have jobs in your fields. My art degree isn’t exactly opening doors for me all over the city. Juggling temp work and job hunting sucks.”

  I twisted one of my curls around a fin
ger. I didn’t know that I would call my current employment my dream job, but I got to write every day and get paid for it. And to be honest, I kind of liked working from home and being able to stay connected to my friends despite all the odd hours they kept.

  Jade popped up straight in her seat, her silky, black hair swinging with her movement. “We need to do something to shake things up. If our lives aren’t as exciting as we’d like, we need to do something about it.”

  My stomach churned and it had nothing to do with the turkey, stuffing, or two slices of pie. Jade’s tone told me she already had an idea to shake things up. And for some reason her schemes always felt like getting on a roller coaster without a seatbelt. I wrapped my arms around my middle and braced myself.

  “What do you have in mind?” Paige asked.

  Jade’s gaze hit each of us and then she grinned. “I’m thinking we should make a bet.”

  “A bet?” Katelyn glanced my way and her single look said it all. Jade’s wild hairs tended to scare the crap out of her, too.

  “Yup,” Jade said. “I say we make a bet to see who can have the wildest adventure.”

  Paige leaned forward. Shit, I recognized that look on her face. She was already on board.

  “What kind of adventure?” Paige asked.

  “It can be anything we want. But it has to push each of us out of our comfort zone.” Jade’s eyes rested on me briefly when she made that last comment. “And we have to do it sometime in the next six weeks. Whoever has the adventure of a lifetime by New Year’s Day wins.”

  “But who’s going to decide which adventure is the wildest?” Paige asked.

  Nobody spoke for a moment and I closed my eyes. Maybe we’d all lapse into Thanksgiving comas and forget this idea.

  “We vote.”

  My eyes popped open. Since when did Katelyn encourage Jade’s crazy schemes? One look showed me she was serious. A determined glint lit her brown eyes.

  Huh. What the heck was that all about?

  I peered over at Paige to find a similar look on her face. That wasn’t so surprising. She’d been known to come up with a few crazy ideas herself over the years.

  “Good idea. On New Year’s Day we all vote anonymously on who had the best adventure. The only rule is we can’t vote for ourselves,” Paige said.

  Jade nodded, a mischievous grin lighting her delicate features. “Perfect.”

  “What does the winner get?” Katelyn asked.

  “You mean besides bragging rights?” Paige ran a finger over her lower lip. “How about cash? If we all throw two hundred and fifty dollars in the pot, that’ll be a thousand for the winner.”

  Katelyn bit her lip. I knew money was tight for her. Even with Jade’s parents covering our housing expenses, living in the city didn’t come cheap. And social workers weren’t exactly paid the big bucks.

  “How about a favor from each of us?” I blurted out before I thought better of it.

  Well, shit. What was wrong with me? I had no desire to be part of this bet.

  Jade rubbed her hands together. “This is getting interesting. What kind of favors?”

  I looked around at my friends, all three of them eyeballing me eagerly. Great. I held back a groan and pulled in a deep breath. Looked like I was in this. I might as well just keep going. “How about if we leave it open-ended? We’ll each owe the person who wins a favor of their choosing. It’ll be up to the winner to decide what they want.”

  “I love it,” Paige said.

  “Me, too.” Jade nodded.

  “Count me in,” Katelyn said.

  All eyes swung back to me.

  I sighed. “Fine. I guess I could use a little more adventure in my life. I’m in.”

  “Fabulous! It’s a bet.” Jade sank back in her seat. “Finally things are going to get good around here.”

  I leaned my head against the cold windowpane, concentrating on the vibration of the glass against my cheek. I could pretend to go along with the bet, and let my friends have a little excitement if they needed it.

  But then the thought of the favors they might extract if I didn’t at least try to win floated through my head.

  What had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter One

  “Come with us, Emma.”

  I shook my head as two of my three roommates headed for the apartment door. I couldn’t help my grin. If they wanted adventure, they’d get it in those outfits—hair out to there, short skirts, high heels. They were taking no prisoners.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m good here.” I gestured to the table laden with Chinese takeout cartons and then to my comfy pink flannel pajamas. I had zero desire to go out clubbing. Standing next to my gorgeous friends, I’d be all but invisible. “Besides, I promised Paige I’d keep her company.”

  Paige strode into the room in yoga pants and an oversized Columbia University sweatshirt. She threw herself onto the sofa across from my chair, snatching up a carton of Kung Pao chicken and a pair of chopsticks as she went. “Don’t use me as an excuse. I’ve gotten about four hours sleep in the last two days. I’m scarfing down some food and then I plan on being unconscious for the next eight hours at least.”

  Dang. Foiled. I stuck my tongue out at her and she blinked slowly and then stared back at me, all wide-eyed innocence. I narrowed my eyes. Innocent, my ass.

  “We’ll wait if you want to get changed,” Katelyn said, sweet as always.

  “Seriously guys, I’m very happy to stay in tonight. Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch you next time.”

  Paige scrunched her face, lips pursed, as she dove into her Chinese food while our roommates tromped out the door.

  “I saw that look. What was that for?” I asked.

  She finished chewing before answering. “If I had a dollar for every time you said you’d go out with us next time, I’d be a billionaire by now.”

  “That’s not true. I go out.”

  “Sure. You go out to dinner, to the movies, shopping. But a night out where you might actually meet someone or have a little fun? You always find some excuse not to go.”

  I shrugged, but cringed inside. I hated these conversations. I’d been best friends with Paige, Katelyn and Jade since forever. They loved me and wanted me to hang out when they went dancing or to a party. But they couldn’t see that I didn’t enjoy it the way they did. While they drank and flirted and danced with hot men, I spent most of the time on the fringes of things, holding up a wall or saving seats at a bar table.

  “Bars and clubs aren’t my scene.”

  Ugh. How many times had those words left my mouth? I was tired of hearing myself. But, seriously, how could I ever compete with my stunning roommates?

  Even though I left the words unsaid, Paige knew me too well. She pointed a chopstick at me. “I don’t get you. Any guy would be thrilled to have you beside him. I don’t understand why you think someone would choose any of us over you.”

  She pointed her chopstick at the door where our friends had disappeared a few minutes ago. “The only difference between you and them is they believe what they see in the mirror. You look and see something different from what’s there.”

  Of course she believed that. She was biased. But this wasn’t an argument I could win, so I shrugged and distracted myself by peeking in the cartons of food, finally settling on some shrimp and broccoli. That couldn’t be too unhealthy, could it? After the caramel latte with whipped cream I drank after lunch, I couldn’t afford the extra calories. And neither could my ass.

  I grabbed a fork and dug in. I waited, but Paige didn’t start her usual ragging on me for not using chopsticks. I kept meaning to learn to use them. But I preferred my meals in my mouth, not on my shirt.

  Then a thought occurred to me. I wasn’t daring enough to use chopsticks. How on earth would I work up the nerve to try to win our bet?

  “So, any ideas for our bet?” Apparently Paige could add mind reader to her extensive resume. Her eyes danced with amusement. “I figure Brandi Silver
, the author of some of the hottest sexploits ever to grace the pages of a magazine or the Internet, should offer some stiff competition when it comes to outrageous ideas.”

  “Brandi Silver I’m not,” I said with a snort.

  “Well, there’s got to be a little Brandi inside you. You do manage to come up with all those sexy stories.”

  I sighed. “I wish. Complete and total fiction. You know I only invented Brandi when my need to buy textbooks overtook my common sense.”

  I’d been struggling to make ends meet with my writing while I put myself through college when a thought came to me—sex sells.

  What? I didn’t say it was an original thought.

  Anyway, I dipped into my deepest, darkest fantasies—not to mention the sex lives of all my friends and my friends’ friends—to start a blog detailing the sexual adventures and opinions of my alter ego, Brandi Silver. No one was more surprised than me when it got picked up and syndicated by several magazines and newspapers. It had allowed me to put my Creative Writing degree to work in ways I never expected. Plus, I started making a decent living long before I held my diploma in my hands. I’d done some freelance writing under my real name since graduation, but Brandi still provided the bulk of my income.

  “Come on. You’ve admitted some of Brandi’s deeds came straight from your own fantasies.”

  Okay, I might have admitted that to my friends while under the influence of one too many margaritas. Tequila worked like truth serum on me.

  “Not like I’d ever live any of them out.” The thought of getting naked in a room with lighting above pitch black set my teeth on edge. My alter ego had no such qualms.

  “Oh my God!”

  I jumped about a foot out of my chair as Paige slammed her takeout carton on the table. She flew off the couch and into the bedroom she and I shared. Doors opened and papers rustled before she ran back into the living room.

  “What the heck, Paige?”

  She dropped a bulging manila file folder in my lap before sitting cross-legged on the couch again. I looked down and started flipping through. It took about a second and a half to figure out what it was.