Jingle Balls: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology

by Dylann Crush

  He butterflied his hands across both sides of her chest, filling his one hand with the heavy, aching breast that craved his touch, his mouth.

  “Your body is extraordinary.”

  A small scoff fell from her lips, and she bent her head to kiss him.

  Resisting her forward momentum, he held her still. “I’m serious. Your body is strong. You’re a warrior. I’ve never seen anyone so God damn beautiful in my life.”

  The sincerity and admiration and heat in his gaze snapped something inside her that had been pent up since the moment she awoke from her mastectomy. With something that sounded way too close to a whimper, she slammed her mouth onto his, reveling in the feel of his shirt buttons on her sensitive nipple.

  She slid her mouth against his as she removed his shirt and helped him push his jeans from his hips. In that moment, she wanted to feel him inside of her, stretching and filling and ending the craving she’d had since this morning.

  “God, you feel so good,” she breathed against the racing pulse in his neck.

  The tree enveloped them in the warm glow of lights, a mystical, romantic Christmas paradise. She slipped back and worked her way between his thighs. While she waited for him to roll the condom down his length, she dragged her nails up the insides of his thighs, grinning as goosebumps covered his legs.

  As soon as he finished, she shoved his arms above his head then grabbed his shaft with one hand, dragging her nails again along his skin with the other. Keeping a slow but steady rhythm, she wrapped her lips around him, sliding up and down with a firm pressure while continuing with the light scratching.

  He grabbed her shoulders in a tight grip. “Fuck me.”

  “Oh, I am.” She giggled.

  He grew longer and thicker in her mouth, and it made her feel powerful. She caused this. Her touch, her body. It didn’t matter if she was a patchwork doll with scars and missing parts. He craved her as she did him.

  When she ran her tongue along his scar on the one side, his fingers flexed into her skin. “Do that again.”

  She recognized that tone. The need to be accepted. Loved.

  “You are so damn hot, Nate.”

  “I need you.” His voice was gruff, and whether she was finished tasting him or not, he hauled her up to straddle him once again. She paused above him for a split second then slid full hilt, kissing him hard as she went.

  And he kissed her back as if it might be his last time. His touch became demanding, his thrusts urgent.

  She met him strength to strength, need to need, and desire to desire, celebrating an emotional healing of being seen and wanted. He fit his thumb against her clit, adding pressure in a tight circular movement, and waves of pleasure shot out from the area with the intensity of a swirling kaleidoscope.

  “Oh my God. Don’t stop,” she begged.

  “I don’t know if I could.”

  Maintaining a strong stroking rhythm, she tasted his neck, then ran her tongue along the edge of his ear. The shudder that racked him ran through her as well, and grabbing his hand to increase the pressure against her clit, she slammed into an orgasm so strong she yelled out under the soft glow of the tree and surrounded by white sheers as if they rode on clouds.

  Grinding down against him, she made the most of the incredible sensation as he thrust again and again. With a quick grab at her hips, he pulled her against him and surged upward, lifting them both off the ground.

  Filling his hands with her hair, he held her face and slammed his lips to hers, uttering a guttural grunt of pleasure against her lips with one final thrust. She wrapped her arms around him, reveling in the intensity of the moment.

  Nate held her so tightly it was hard to inhale, but even the threat of a hurricane couldn’t have made her pull away.

  They lay quietly, the sound of their ragged breathing filling the room.

  Finally, as her heartbeat settled, Alora slid to his side.

  “That was…” She pulled in a much-needed breath.

  “Everything.” His voice was low with a heaviness she didn’t understand.

  As if a switch flipped, Nate grabbed his jeans and stood. “We need to get ready. I’ll meet you back here at six.”

  “Are you okay?” She hated the uncertainty in her voice, but his abrupt attitude change after something so damn satisfying bewildered her. And hurt.

  Shrugging into his shirt, he threw her a half-grin. “Of course. We just have a whole night to get ready for. See you in an hour and a half.”

  Alora took one last look in the town hall women’s bathroom mirror. Her black, one-shoulder dress fit her curves in a way that made her feel like walking sex. Crystal snowflakes dripped from her earlobes, and her mother’s crystal globe ring sparkled from one finger. Her curls were piled on top of her head in an intentional, haphazard way that left her with a fiery ethereal look. Gliding lip gloss against her lower lip, she rubbed her lips together with a pop. She was ready.

  Making her way to the winter wonderland, she found Claire looking radiant in a cobalt blue strapless along with ornament earrings in the same blue with silver stripes. “Hey! You look stunning.”

  Claire grinned as Mitch Brennan, her fiancé and the town’s former most desirable bachelor, pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Yeah, she does.”

  “Well, you’re not too bad yourself.” Claire pretended to fix the bowtie of his tux, taking the opportunity to kiss the hot lawyer one more time.

  Alora loved all the love. “Have you guys seen Nate?”

  Claire gestured toward the back wall. “He’s back with Parker, checking in with the caterer. Let him know doors open in thirty. It’s almost time! You guys did it!”

  Alora hugged her. “No, you did. It was over without your help.”

  Claire smiled with a small nod. “I’m happy I could.”

  Just then, Blayne and Larkin called from the door, making Claire’s eyes sparkle. There was nothing better than the love of best friends.

  Alora headed toward the kitchen and found Nate staring at an array of hors d’oeuvres. Parker brushed past with a warning. “Hey, sorry. I was only joking, but he doesn’t think it’s funny.”

  “Joking?” She wanted clarification, but Parker slunk away under the pretense of needing to find Sage. Who Alora already knew was looking gorgeous since they’d gotten ready together.

  “Hey.” She walked up behind Nate, wrapping her arms around his waist. She wasn’t prepared for him to stiffen and turn, setting her away.

  The stubborn set of his jaw and dark stare did not bode well. “What’s happened?”

  He held her gaze, his hard. “Nutless prick, huh?”

  A sick twist tightened in her stomach. Shit. She’d said that after arguing with him on the phone about the feature.

  “I did, in fact, feature Eclectic Finds, which now I fiercely regret.”

  She put her hand out, but he shrugged it off. “No, Nate. I didn’t mean—”

  “What? You didn’t mean what? To make a joke about testicular cancer when going to a god damn testicular cancer awareness gala? All because you didn’t get your way?”

  The pain in his gaze was real, but she was still bewildered. “No, I didn’t know. I mean, Nate, come on. It’s just an expression. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t serious.”

  He pulled his shoulders back, and his dark gaze bore into her. “It was serious to me. I…had cancer. You…should know better. What a gutless thing to say.”

  “Come on. I didn’t mean it. I had no idea, and it was just a thing to say because I was mad. You were being so stubborn. It doesn’t matter. You’re healthy and…” She paused, at a loss. “Are you really going to let this ruin the night? Ruin us?”

  His brows shot up. “Us?” His harsh laugh ripped through her as icy as the winter wind off the Atlantic. “There is no us. Especially now. You think I should just what…get over it? Not be offended by careless, hurtful words? You, of all people, should know better!”

  Wrenching away, he crossed the room. “You
act as if I should just get over it. But you’re a hypocrite. You act as if I should accept what happened to me. But apparently, you have the balls to act as if it doesn’t matter even while you fill your dress with foam just to feel whole!”

  His words cut as they were meant to. She stepped back, sucking in a breath against the pain.

  Without looking at him again, fearing she’d break, Alora forced herself to take it one step at a time until she made it back to the main hall.

  Then she broke.

  “Alora! What’s wrong?” Sage wrapped her in a hug, leading her back to the women’s restroom.

  “Why’d you say anything?” Alora searched her friend’s face for a good reason, her heart heavy in her chest.

  “What? What’d I say?” Sage gripped her by the shoulders. Then her face shifted and fell. “Shit. Parker and his big mouth. Alora, you have to believe me. I just thought it was…funny.” She winced. “God, I’m sick. I’m sorry. Just knowing what we knew and setting you guys up on the blind date because you both suffered a similar loss, it somehow struck me as funny in a silly, not-meaning-any-harm kind of way when you called him a nutless prick.” She let her head fall back. “I’m the worst.”

  Alora shook her head. “He’s hurt. And I don’t really blame him. I know better…or at least I’d think I’d know better. But it never crossed my mind. I was just pissed he was being a jerk, and I thought I was clever, calling the guy running the testicular cancer event nutless. Fuck. I’m no better than you are. Worse, really. I know better.” She waved her hands at the side of her chest where a foam-filled prosthetic filled out her bra instead of warm flesh.

  “I’m sorry, Alora. Parker should have never said a word. I have no idea what came over him. And I’m sorry I ever told him in the first place.”

  Alora dipped her chin then waved her hand to dismiss the words. “It’s not his fault, and it’s not yours. Nate’s right. I’m a hypocrite.”

  That had Sage standing tall, eyes blazing. “You are nothing of the sort. You’re strong and fierce, and I will kick an ass or draw a really inappropriate and mean cartoon.”

  “Nate’s not wrong. I was acting like he should get over it. Like he shouldn’t be sensitive. But when he stopped by yesterday, I slammed the door in his face because I thought he’d noticed I only had one breast.” She paced the small space between the sinks and the bathroom stalls.

  The door opened, and Amber, one of the Dawson triplets, walked in. She stopped, excused herself, then walked right back out.

  “Wow. Do I look that bad?” Alora whispered.

  Sage shook her head. “Nothing we can’t fix. Finish what you were saying.”

  Alora pulled in a breath. “I’m self-conscious. I don’t want anyone to notice my flat side. I don’t want the pity. I don’t want the stares…I just want to feel whole.” She thought of earlier in the day, under the light of the tree with Nate. “And with Nate I do.”

  She stood in front of the mirror. “But every day since my surgery, I meticulously place my prosthetic in my bra and choose clothes that make it so there is no way anyone will notice that I’m not whole.”

  Sage wrapped an arm around her shoulders and wiped away the tear running down Alora’s cheek.

  The love was comforting, it was needed, but it was also time she quit sulking.

  “So what are you going to do? You can leave if you want. Eclectic Finds is featured with Blayne getting the credit she deserves. You made it happen. You can go home.”

  It was tempting, but Alora no longer wanted to hide. Ever since Adam had left her, there was this drive to disappear, to melt into the landscape and not be noticed. But with Nate, she felt seen, wanted to be seen. All of her, scars, holes, and all.

  “No. I think I’m done hiding.” She reached into her dress and pulled out the foam prosthetic. “Can you put this with our things? I don’t need it tonight, but there’s no reason to go crazy and never wear it.”

  Sage tilted her head. “What are you doing?”

  “Can you bring me your makeup bag? Do you still have the adhesive crystals in it?”

  Sage nodded. “Yeah. Yes. Sure…I’ll be right back.”

  With the bathroom quiet, Alora studied herself in the mirror. She was falling for Nate. It didn’t matter that they’d just met, and she had no idea if they’d even be talking next month, but tonight she wanted to dance with him and laugh with him and make him feel seen…and wanted.

  As he had with her.

  It was time to bare herself and show him that missing a part of himself made him no less a man than missing a part of herself made her any less a woman.

  And with that thought, she grabbed her lady balls, so to speak, and tucked the sleeveless side of her dress under, completely exposing the flat, scarred area where her breast used to be before cancer stole it. She’d attend the testicular cancer awareness ball in complete support and sisterhood.

  One ornamental ball and all.

  She studied her reflection from top to bottom. The image in the mirror was a bit jarring at first, but she smiled at herself in a friendly manner, wiping the smudged mascara that streaked her cheeks.

  That’s better.

  5

  Nate yanked at his bowtie until it unraveled then threw it on the park bench.

  “Dude, it’s freezing out here.” Mayor Sebastian Marth crossed his arms over his wide chest, texting with one hand and glaring at Nate. They’d become friends when Nate took a larger responsibility with a testicular cancer awareness nonprofit, constantly appealing for Sebastian to support one policy or another.

  In the end, his persistence had built a mutual respect between them, and Sebastian—or Martha as his friends loved to ironically call him since the guy was built like a damn tank—had become a trusted friend.

  Even if it seemed a bit reluctant at times.

  Nate glared back at his friend, taking in his rigid stance. “Don’t lie. We both know you don’t feel shit.”

  “I’m heading back in. Your event is starting soon.” Sebastian slipped his phone inside his tux jacket and turned to leave.

  “She called me a nutless prick.” Embarrassment washed over him again at the words.

  His buddy slowly turned back with a small shake of his head. “So what.”

  “So what?” What the fuck? Nate glowered and gestured indignantly toward his own dick. “I lost one due to cancer.” Throwing his hand out toward the town hall, he sneered. “You know the whole reason we’re all here tonight.”

  Sebastian took a deep breath and pinned him with a look. “Don’t ever make me picture your junk again. And grow the fuck up. Sticks and stones and all that bullshit is no reason to turn your back on someone as special as Alora Kingsley. Do you seriously think she thinks less of you? Everyone knows that jackass she’d been dating left her after her surgeries. At least we now know you still have a dick.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “’Cause you’re acting like one.” Sebastian glanced down the sidewalk at the sophisticated woman approaching in a long green gown and white gloves. “Clearly, something else is going on. The Nathaniel Ward I know isn’t a dick.”

  Nate followed his gaze. “You texted my mom?”

  “Dude, I’m the mayor, I’m a friend. I’m not your mother, and with whatever this is,” he waved at the bowtie dangling from the park bench, “That’s who you need.” He patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back, but you need something more.”

  “Hello, Mayor Marth.” Nate’s mother smiled.

  Sebastian tipped his head as he walked past. “Mrs. Ward.”

  Nate didn’t know why he’d grabbed him on his way out of the town hall. The guy wasn’t known for soft words or conversation—which would have worked perfectly if Sebastian had just listened.

  Was he right? Nate winced at the truth of it. He was more than an ass, but the idea of passing cancer to his own children killed him. He’d counted on Sebastian validating his anger without having to talk about the truth. />
  His mother circled him. “What’s going on?” Love and concern shone from her gaze. His mom had been his rock through his whole ordeal. Never wavering, never showing fear. She was the strongest woman he’d ever known.

  “Nothing. Just a stupid fight with a friend.”

  She nodded. “I heard. Parker found me. I have a hard time believing that you’re actually upset about this. What’s going on? Alora Kingsley…she works at Blayne Astor’s shop, right? Eclectic Finds?”

  Damn Sebastian.

  Nate dropped to the park bench, staring at the shiny point of his black dress shoes against the cobblestone sidewalk. It was a crisp night with a biting wind, but the water still sprayed from the Fountain of Life, easing some of the tension in his neck. “She’s…”

  His mother sat beside him, wrapping her long gown around her legs to ward off the chill.

  “What are you afraid of, Nate? Ever since you were declared cancer-free, you’ve dived into work like a mad man, quit dating, barely going out. This blind date is the first real social thing you’ve done in a long time. What are you hiding from?”

  He let his gaze trace over her familiar features. As a boy, he’d loved seeing her smile first thing in the morning and hearing her heartbeat when he hugged her good night. Their dad was gone, but she’d always been the steady rock for him and his sisters. “Would you have still had me if you knew there was a chance you’d pass cancer on to me? I think it was selfish of dad.”

  “Yes.” No hesitation, no second-guessing. “You’re an amazing gift, Nathaniel. Having you in my life is worth the risk of something that might not happen.”

  “But I don’t want to see my children suffer. I saw how hard that was on you,” he pushed.

  “Of course. I love you. The last thing I want—wait.” She pulled back and stared hard at him with a look very close to jubilant. His stomach twisted. Shit.