A Coyote Ridge Christmas (The Walkers of Coyote Ridge, 7)

by Edwards, Nicole

  “I want you naked,” he whispered when he pulled his mouth from hers.

  “Do you now?”

  He met her pretty gray eyes and smiled. “Shall I do the honors?”

  “Yes, please.”

  As she reclined on the desk, Sawyer took his time, removing her clothes piece by piece as he sampled every inch of her with his lips.

  “Lift,” he instructed as he slipped his fingers into the elastic band of her panties.

  When she did, he slowly slid the silk down her thighs, her calves, over her feet. As he let them drop to the floor, his eyes locked on that sweet spot between her legs. And when Kennedy teased him, spreading her knees wide, Sawyer groaned his approval.

  “Christ Almighty, woman. You’re gonna be the death of me.”

  Leaning down, he used his fingers to part her delicate folds before grazing her clit with his tongue.

  “Oh, God,” Kennedy moaned. “It’s been far too long since you’ve done that.”

  Indeed it had.

  Which was why he made up for all that lost time by feasting on her for long minutes. He would work her to the edge, then ease back only to do it again and again until Kennedy’s hands fisted in his hair as she held him to her. Sawyer flicked her clit ruthlessly, giving her what she needed.

  Before the last syllable of his name had fallen from her lips, Sawyer had freed his cock from his jeans, pulled her hips to the edge of the desk, and plunged into her warm, welcoming heat. With his hands on the backs of her thighs, he drove deep inside her again and again, the frantic need consuming him as it always did. Even all these years later, Sawyer couldn’t get enough of Kennedy.

  “Sawyer … oh, God. I’m close.”

  Yeah, so was he, but he wasn’t going to come yet.

  He impaled her over and over, loving the way her pussy clamped down on him as she orgasmed. It wasn’t until she was out of breath from the multiple times he sent her over that he chased his own release, shifting his hand so he could thumb her clit.

  Kennedy cried out his name as she’d done back before they had kids, without worry someone would hear. It was the trigger that sent him soaring. His cock pulsed deep inside her as his hips stilled, his eyes caressing every soft, sweet inch of her.

  “I sure hope we get to do that again,” his wife said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “I’ll make sure of it.”

  And that was a promise he fully intended to keep.

  *

  GOD ONLY KNEW WHY MICHAEL “MACK” SCHWARTZ had accepted this invitation.

  Dropping his ass to the fancy king-sized bed, he stared around the large room. It was a nice hotel, he’d give the Walkers that. From what he could tell, they’d spared no expense for the thick down comforter, the fancy wall coverings, expensive art, even the six-foot-tall Christmas tree in the corner. Hell, the four-hundred-square-foot space beat the crap out of the two-bedroom house he’d lived in for the past thirty-some years.

  He should’ve been sitting at home, staring at the television. The television he hadn’t upgraded since the early 2000s. Wouldn’t matter what was on the screen, it would’ve been the wise choice. But, no. For some fool reason, he’d been feeling melancholy as of late and had practically leapt at the chance to get out of the house, somewhere that wasn’t Moonshiners. Which explained why his ass was here at this monstrous resort.

  Okay, that wasn’t entirely true.

  There was another reason.

  Though Mack loved his son, Daniel was starting to wreak havoc on his life, and Mack had wanted the chance to clear his head, to figure out the best course of action to take, because that was the one thing he was certain about. He had to make some changes. One way or another.

  He’d initially thought it would be easy to do as Daniel asked, to modify his life so the boy would be back in it. That was the only thing he’d ever wanted anyway, to be a father, to watch his only child grow up.

  So when had things gotten so difficult?

  The question was rhetorical, really. Mack knew exactly when.

  First, the boy had made him feel guilty about who he was, voicing his displeasure for the fact Mack was gay. Of course, Mack blamed his ex for letting that feral cat out of the bag. While she’d demanded a divorce when he’d revealed to her his sexual orientation—rightfully so—she’d promised to keep his secret from the boy in an effort not to cause conflict between them. He should’ve known the vindictive woman would eventually out him. That revelation had sent Daniel in the opposite direction and Mack had lost his relationship with his son years ago.

  It wasn’t until recently that the boy had come back into his life. Since then, Mack had been doing his best to make up for lost time.

  He pushed to his feet, marched to the bathroom, and stared at the man in the mirror. His beard had long ago turned gray along with his hair, which could definitely use a trim. At least he had hair, he thought.

  Not that it really mattered. Who the hell was he trying to impress?

  In an effort to appease Daniel, Mack had gone so far as to call off the one and only relationship he’d ever had that made him happy because his son was a homophobe. That was bad enough. Now the kid wanted him to sell the bar, move to Austin, and spend the rest of his days doing God only knew what. They hadn’t made it that far in the conversation, but Mack figured Daniel would tell him soon enough.

  “Fucking Austin,” he grumbled, hating the idea of living in a city packed with people.

  But he wasn’t here to think about that. No, instead of letting the kid run roughshod over him, Mack had accepted the Walker invitation to this Christmas business, leaving Moonshiners in Rafe Sharpe’s willing and capable hands so he could get away from the pressure cooker his life had become. For the time being, of course. Just for the next couple of nights. He’d needed the break, and since Rafe hadn’t balked when Mack asked him to fill in as bartender, he had no excuses. Probably helped that Bailey Weber was his faithful waitress and there was no doubt Rafe had a thing for the young woman.

  He wondered what those kids would think if they learned Mack was holed up in the hotel room rather than in the fray as he’d promised he would be.

  Giving his reflection one last look, he turned and headed for the door. Mack sighed as he stepped out into the hallway, glancing both directions before forcing his legs to carry him to the elevator. By the time he made it to the main floor, he felt as though someone had a plastic bag over his head and was holding it tight around his neck. No doubt Jeff was here, probably having a grand ol’ time with his grandsons. Mack had no fucking business being here, and every step felt as though he was seconds from stepping off the plank into the deep, dark abyss.

  Rather than march into the madness, Mack kept to the perimeter of the space filled to bursting with little ones. God, when was the last time he’d been around kids?

  He couldn’t help but smile as he watched the kiddos enjoying themselves. They were making their way through various stations. Some were coloring pictures of Santa, others getting their faces painted, and a couple were erecting an enormous block tower that was beginning to wobble at the base.

  It brought back so many memories.

  Truth was, he missed those days.

  Back when Daniel had been a little boy, Mack had spent every possible minute with the kid. His ex-wife had hated him with a passion to rival all, but she’d held up her end of the bargain, allowing Mack to spend time with his son. In the fall, they’d sat beneath the bright stadium lights and watched the high school football team battle it out with their rivals. In the spring, they’d checked out the baseball team. And in between, they’d gone to every festival and carnival the small town had put on.

  In a word, life had been good.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Mack swallowed hard, planted a wide smile on his face, and turned to face Travis Walker.

  “I’m damn glad you made it, man,” Travis said, holding out a hand in greeting.

  Mack shook it. “Quite the p
arty you put together.”

  Travis’s smile lit up his entire face as he scanned the enormous room. “I think they’re enjoying it.”

  There was no doubt about that.

  As they looked on, one of the little girls who was getting her face painted decided to do some painting of her own. Her chubby hand found a puddle of blue paint, and she proceeded to put a smudged handprint on the face of the woman doing the painting. It earned her a laugh from the woman as well as from Mack.

  He was still grinning when a man walked right in his line of sight.

  Not just any man.

  Jeff Endsley.

  The one and only love of Mack’s life.

  Mack’s breath caught in his throat when Jeff’s eyes shifted to him, a surprised expression crossing his handsome face.

  “I think that’s my cue to go,” Travis said, and Mack knew he wasn’t waltzing over to help with the painting child.

  Oh, no. Never that simple.

  Jeff was coming over.

  For a brief moment, Mack considered fleeing. Running far and fast so he didn’t have to face the man he’d walked away from all those years ago. The same man he thought about in the dark of night when the cold loneliness consumed him.

  “Mack.”

  His voice was gruff when he said, “Jeff.”

  Their eyes remained locked as they stood there. Considering his lungs weren’t working appropriately, it felt like an eternity to Mack. Yet he couldn’t seem to look away. It had been so damn long since he’d gotten a glimpse of the sexy sheriff. Ever since Mack had called off their relationship, Jeff had made a point not to come into Moonshiners unless he was called there for a disturbance.

  “You look good,” Mack whispered.

  Evidently, Jeff hadn’t expected him to say that, because Jeff’s wary brown eyes widened ever so slightly.

  “I … uh … I should go,” Mack blurted, though he wasn’t sure where he would go.

  Jeff surprised him then, stepping in close and staring down into his eyes. “Don’t leave on my account.”

  Mack’s lungs constricted even as he inhaled Jeff’s familiar scent. It was the cologne Mack had bought for him years ago, and the rich, sultry scent teased his nostrils, hardened his entire body.

  “I’ll see you later,” Jeff whispered before sauntering toward the doors.

  Turning so that he didn’t lose sight of him, Mack finally realized what he wanted for Christmas this year.

  The one thing he never should’ve let go of.

  Chapter Five

  “WELL, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT,” KEEGAN whispered from beside Kaden.

  Curious as to what his twin was looking at, Kaden Walker followed his brother’s gaze and was damn glad he had.

  There, looking as beautiful as ever, was Bristol Newton. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her face beaming as she allowed Travis’s oldest daughter, Kate, to lead the way to a table.

  “I thought she said she wasn’t comin’,” Keegan noted, eyes tracking her as she moved.

  She had, but Kaden was glad to see she’d changed her mind.

  A little surprised, but not the least bit disappointed, Kaden smiled when Kate stopped at the side of Keegan’s chair.

  “Uncle Keegan, can we sit with you?”

  Keegan grinned. “Of course you can, darlin’.”

  Kate peered up at Bristol. “Can we, Miss Bristol?”

  Kaden was watching Bristol’s face when she looked over at him, her light blue eyes a tad wary. “Sure.”

  Since Kaden and Keegan were sitting opposite one another at the square table, both girls ended up sitting at each side.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Kaden said softly when Bristol eased into her chair.

  The plate she’d gotten at the dinner buffet had small amounts of everything. Spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, beef pasta, and a chicken strip. Looked as though the woman liked her carbs and Kaden was happy to see that. The last girl he and his brother had dated refused to eat carbs of any kind, insisting they went right to her hips. Truth was, Kaden preferred a curvy girl to those stick-thin types. And Bristol was curvy in all the right places, which was one of the many reasons she tripped his trigger.

  “Daddy-O said we’re gonna have a snow machine tomorrow,” Kate informed them as she gnawed on a chicken strip.

  “Yeah?” Keegan asked, leaning toward her as though her words were what he longed for.

  Probably were, now that Kaden thought about it. Keegan was the reigning king of the kids. Granted, that was only because Beau had taken a step back since the triplets were born. Keegan hadn’t missed a beat, inserting himself so that he was the fun “uncle” even if the kids didn’t realize he was really a second cousin.

  “I’m gonna be checkin’ that out,” Keegan told her. “You with me?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Kate grinned wide.

  Keegan turned his attention to Bristol. “What about you? Wanna join us tomorrow?”

  Bristol’s cheeks turned a rosy pink. Kaden had noticed that was a regular occurrence with her, especially when one or both of them attempted to chat her up. Of course, she did her best to keep her distance, but it wasn’t easy considering she’d become an honorary Walker over the past couple of years. Not only because she owned and ran the only daycare center in Coyote Ridge and interacted with nearly all of Curtis and Lorrie’s twenty-three grandkids. She was more than merely a babysitter, which was why the Walkers had invited her here this weekend.

  “Sure,” Bristol said, her eyes remaining on Kate as though the little girl had extended the offer. “If you’ll let me.”

  “Yes!” Kate squealed. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

  With that, the rug rat launched out of her chair and tore ass across the room, leaving the three of them sitting there. Kaden had to admit, it was a tad awkward. Everything he would’ve normally said to engage a woman, to lure her into their bed, wasn’t appropriate for this setting. Not any setting with Bristol.

  Not because Bristol wasn’t exactly their type and not because he didn’t fantasize about having her crushed between them.

  Oh, no. That wasn’t the problem at all.

  Kaden had been thinking about Bristol for what felt like an eternity even though he’d yet to taste those sweet, lush lips. He’d imagined stripping her naked, taking her between them, and spending hours bringing her to climax again and again. Sometimes it was the only thing he could think about.

  And not appropriate.

  For one, Bristol Newton wasn’t the one-and-done sort. She wasn’t the type of woman a man took to bed and walked away from come daylight.

  Truth was, Kaden was all right with that. And under the right circumstances, he was sure Keegan would be as well.

  But, as usual, Bristol had that gleam of uncertainty in her eyes when she looked at them. As though they were dangerous beasts and she was seconds away from being devoured.

  “So … are you having a good time?” Bristol asked, her gaze on her food even as she spoke.

  “We are,” Kaden told her. “You?”

  She nodded.

  Keegan pushed his chair back. “I’m gonna grab dessert. Want anything?”

  “I’m good,” Kaden told him, knowing his brother was purposely stepping away to put Bristol at ease.

  “Bristol?”

  Her eyes slid up to Keegan, another polite smile forming. “Oh, no. I’m fine. Thank you.”

  Finally alone with her for the first time in months, Kaden was at a loss for words.

  “I heard the adults are gonna get together to hang out later,” Bristol said. “At the bar downstairs.”

  “Are you invitin’ us to join you?” he asked, falling back on his flirtatious nature.

  Those rosy patches returned to her cheeks. “No. That’s… I was just making conversation.”

  “Because we’d love to,” he said softly.

  Her eyes flicked up to his face and he saw the interest there. Of course, it disappeared almost instantly, but
that was normal, too. Kaden had gotten used to Bristol keeping him at arm’s length.

  “I…” Bristol laughed, her gaze dropping to her plate. “It wasn’t an invite, I promise.”

  Maybe not, but Kaden wasn’t above taking an opportunity when it presented itself.

  He was a Walker, after all.

  *

  TWO HOURS LATER, BRISTOL WAS JOINING THE handful of people who’d come down for a nightcap.

  It was against every instinct, but she’d done it to prove a point. It hadn’t escaped her that Kaden Walker had tossed out his line and was attempting to reel her in. And she’d come here tonight to prove she wasn’t going to take the bait. As far as she was concerned, Kaden and Keegan were like family. Like brothers. She thought of them the same way she thought of the rest of the Walkers.

  Keep telling yourself that.

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. That wasn’t anywhere near the truth, and she couldn’t even lie to herself.

  So what’s the harm in seeing where it might lead? Hmm? One night between them. You know you want to.

  She ignored that annoying inner voice as she stepped over to the bar. Bristol smiled when she realized Mack was behind it, pouring drinks as he normally did at Moonshiners.

  “They roped you into bartending?” she asked, relaxing a bit.

  He gave a rare smile. “I volunteered. I don’t do well with idle time.”

  “I know the feelin’,” she admitted. “Can I get a vodka cranberry?”

  “Comin’ right up.” Mack grabbed a bottle off the top shelf. “Enjoyin’ yourself so far?”

  “I am.” It was true, though she’d been skeptical when Kaleb had extended the offer.

  Truth was, Bristol had figured they’d invited her to help out with the kids. Considering there were a couple dozen, she couldn’t very well blame them. But that wasn’t the case. She was interacting with the kids because she wanted to, not because she was obligated. Granted, all those little ones were tucked into their beds at this point, or getting close to it. Which explained why the bar was so empty. Someone had to stay up in the rooms with them, and it appeared the dads had been nominated.