“Eleven now. I won’t be surprised if Mom invites more people. When we were growing up, there would be twenty or more at the house for dinner. I just hope she remembers my place is like half the size of the one I grew up in.”
“If you need another table or any chairs, I can bring some over.”
“Thanks. I might take you up on that.”
“Stop looking at the couch. We’ve got work to do.”
She pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose at him. “Why can’t we do both?”
“I have no idea what all you want to do. If it’s just pick up a tree and throw some tinsel on it”—he tapped his watch—“we’ve got time. If there’s more on the schedule…”
“Damn. It’s more. Okay.” Her phone chimed, signaling a text message. She thumbed her phone, then rolled her eyes. “Bryce.” She read the message and fired off a reply.
“You’re on vacation. What does he want?”
“Delivery tracking number. The Randalls’ Isfahan rugs didn’t come in. All the information’s on our shared file, he can access it.” She stuffed her phone into her back pocket. “Help me find my bobby pins.”
He held up two between his fingers.
“Thanks.” She smoothed her hair back, slipped in the pins, and readjusted her ponytail holder.
“What do you want to do first?” He shoved the sleeves of his shirt up, displaying his muscled forearms.
“First, I should get my house back into order.” She tilted her head at the fort. “Don’t suppose you’d want to tackle the kitchen while I straighten all this up?” She waved her hand to encompass the rumpled blankets, sleeping bags, and helter-skelter furniture, ignoring the temptation to tumble him down onto the makeshift pallets.
“Why do I get the feeling this is a setup? Let me see the kitchen first.”
The man wasn’t a fool.
“Follow me.” Hyperaware of him right behind her, Mackenzie led him to the kitchen.
Even though she’d swept last night, Christmas-colored dragees sprinkles crunched beneath his socks as Jared strolled around the room. At least she’d gotten the countertops wiped down and the boys had stacked all the bowls and utensils in the sink. He paused to study the window frame over the sink with a mixture of amusement and disbelief on his face. “I’m impressed. The red sparkles add a nice touch to the window sill. Is this part of your decorating plans?”
“If it won’t come off, it is.”
A platter of sugar cookies lay on the countertop. Jared picked up a sprinkle-free green-frosted snowman and bit off its head. “Hmm. Good.”
“Thanks. So. Do you want the kitchen or living room?”
“Living room.”
Damn. “All right.”
“What’s the rest of the plan?” He took another bite.
“I picked up a few things yesterday. I want to go to Juniper Creek Greenhouse. I’m thinking simple, a few wreaths, poinsettias, evergreen boughs for the mantle, and anything else that catches my eye. I’m not a fan of dusting, so I’m not looking for snow villages or anything like that.”
“Are we just decorating the inside of the house?”
“I might get light nets for my bushes out front. The tree is going to take the most time. I need to get ornaments. I’ve got some that I’ve received as gifts over the years but I’d like something more… elegant.”
“Okay.” He brushed crumbs off the countertop and dropped them into the sink. “Clean up, then shopping.”
When she walked past him, he stopped her with a light touch on her forearm. “Just so we’re clear. Today is your Christmas present from your family.” His eyes bore into hers. “We’re still going out on a date. Does tomorrow night work for you?”
Sounding a little breathy, she said, “Works great for me.”
With both of them cleaning, it hadn’t taken long to get her house back to pre-nephew condition.
“Where’s the Christmas tree going?” Jared asked.
“I want it directly in front of the picture window.”
“You can’t put it there,” he said in a fake accent that Mackenzie couldn’t place.
“Was that supposed to be Count Dracula?” She snapped her teeth at him.
“No. That’s my sexy French accent.”
“It needs work.”
She squeaked in surprise when he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet, and spun her in a circle.
“What are you doing?” she laughed. “Put me down!”
He settled her onto her feet. “Here’s my Dracula.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I vant to drink your blaad.”
“Will you be serious?” She playfully smacked his arm.
“Serious. I can do that. You’ve got a heat vent right there.” He pointed out the offending vent. “The tree will block it. And where are you going to move your wingback chairs?”
“I want people to be able to see it from the street.” Mackenzie surveyed the room. “Let’s move the chairs here.” She walked to the spot she wanted to shift them to, then said, “The tree can go in that corner opposite the picture window. No heating vents. It’s away from the fireplace, out of the traffic flow, and it can still be seen from outside.”
Flexing his biceps, Jared said, “I can do that.”
She rolled her eyes. “The chairs aren’t that heavy.”
It had stopped snowing by the time they climbed into the van. Mackenzie glanced into the cargo hold before she settled into the passenger seat. Even though he’d cleared out the back, the van smelled faintly of roast beef. Her stomach rumbled. She should have eaten more than a brownie for breakfast.
“You’ve got what?” she asked, clicking on her seat belt. “Six- or seven-feet length back there?”
“You sound like that isn’t enough. How tall of a tree are you planning on buying?” He chuckled, shaking his head. Mackenzie loved that sound.
She shrugged. “Not sure until I see the right one.”
“We can tie it to the top easy enough. This doesn’t have seat warmers or the dual temp controls like my truck. I know how cold you get, so you control the settings.” Jared backed out of the drive and headed for Juniper Creek.
Mackenzie fiddled with the air vents, directing the heat toward her. “Allison was rushing around this morning and I didn’t get a chance to ask her how the fundraiser went.”
“I don’t know totals but they announced that the silent auction raised more than last year. I saw your name on a couple of the sheets.”
“I asked Hillary to bid for me on the singing lessons, hot air balloon ride, and the wine tasting party.” Allison hadn’t mentioned them. Mackenzie imagined if she’d won anything, she would have gotten a call or email.
“Are those things on your bucket list?”
She glanced over at him. “Bucket list? How sad would that be if a wine tasting party were on my bucket list? I’ve been to plenty of wine tastings but never hosted one. I thought it would be fun to have everyone come to my house for a change. The other two were more of an ‘I’ve always wanted to do’ thing.” She made air quotes. “Since Mom moved into the condo, she’s been pushing all of us to stop waiting for the perfect time to do something. It’s her mission in life now. She and Dad always talked about what they’d do after they retired. He’s not here to share the experiences with her and she regrets it.”
Her eyes snagged on his bare hands. A jolt of lust shot through her as she imagined his long fingers exploring her body.
“Like skiing lessons?”
She swallowed hard, then said, “Like that. Except I have no desire to take up skiing.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Learn to read music and carry a tune. Learn Italian. Vacation in Venice and Rome. See the Grand Canyon. Those are a few things. You?”
“Learn to sail. Become certified in scuba diving.”
She could see him on a sailboat, standing behind a large, mahogany wheel—were they made of wood?—with warm, salty air tousling his dark hair
.
“I didn’t expect that.” Jared pointed his thumb at Juniper Creek’s three-quarters-full parking lot. He pulled into the turn lane and waited for a break in traffic.
“Looks like I’m not the only one waiting until the last minute to get pretties.”
“Or it could be because of that.” He pointed to a flapping red “Sale” banner near the entrance.
Mackenzie rubbed her gloves together. “Ahhh, I love a good sale.”
He offered to drop her off at the doors while he hunted down a parking spot. She declined. A sharp northern wind slashed at her as they walked past row after row of parked cars. Jared surprised her by taking hold of her hand. He broke into a trot and they dashed across the rest of the asphalt lot. She grinned all the way, feeling like a giddy teenager.
The rich scent of cedar and balsam rushed out to greet them as they entered the florist/greenhouse. Mackenzie grimaced, seeing the line of customers waiting to check out.
“We aren’t in a hurry.” Jared elbow-bumped her. “Take your time.”
Shopping with him proved entertaining.
“Aren’t poinsettias poisonous?” he asked while she debated whether she wanted one with peppermint-colored petals or the traditional vibrant red.
“No. If you eat the leaves, you might get a stomachache. I promise you all my nephews are well past the ‘let’s put everything in my mouth and taste it’ phase.”
He inspected each evergreen bough, checking the branches’ “springiness” and sniffing them to find “the freshest” before handing them to her for her opinion. When she found some dried grapevine with bright red pip berries, his eyes lit with interest.
She threw out an arm, blocking him from inspecting the brambling vines. “You break it. You buy it.”
“Spoilsport.”
The man liked to touch things. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt her face flush.
While selecting silver and blue ornaments for the Christmas tree, he kept finding unique and interesting baubles that she couldn’t resist. Each time she deposited one of his discoveries into the shopping cart, he raised his arms in a Rocky Balboa victory pose. Her ribs hurt from laughing at him.
The greenhouse had two long aisles of outside lighting options. Mackenzie slowed as they went by the dangling icicle lights, then continued. Jared offered no opinion when she tried to get him to pick between white netting lights and the multicolored ones. She caught him smiling when she tossed the white lights into the shopping cart.
A trio of wicker snowmen, stair-stepping in size, caught her interest. She waffled on purchasing them.
Jared launched into a vigorous defense of why they were an excellent buy. “They’re well-made. You can use them inside or outside, plus they’re fifty percent off.”
“Are you working on a commission for Juniper Creek?”
He crossed his heart with an index finger. “I swear I’m not.”
“Let’s go. If I buy any more, we won’t have room for a tree.”
“We can tie the tree to the top of the van,” he reminded her.
Mackenzie pushed her cart to the checkout stands. “No more.”
It took Jared and the teenaged nursery worker longer to secure the seven-foot tree to the roof than it had taken her to find the perfectly formed Fraser fir. The ruddy-faced youth sawed off the end of the trunk, assuring her that even though her dad had always added sugar to the water, she didn’t need to add anything to keep the tree fresh, and reminded her unnecessarily to keep it well-watered.
All the way home, she kept asking Jared how fast he was going, sure that the wind would damage the branches.
“Mackenzie, I promise you. I can drive faster than twenty-five miles per hour and your precious tree will survive.” Amusement laced his voice.
“This from the man who checks evergreen boughs for their springiness.”
They unloaded the fir tree and wrangled it into her house. Divesting themselves of boots, coats, gloves, and scarves, they started setting up the tree. Once the evergreen was deemed straight—courtesy of Jared’s exacting standards—and the tree stand’s eyebolts tightened, they stood back to admire the tree.
“It’s beautiful, and that smell!” Mackenzie inhaled deeply.
“Let’s haul in the other loot.” He looped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, and pressed a quick kiss against her temple.
The casual, intimate gesture delighted her. Grinning, she glanced up at him and stilled at the utter joy she saw in his expression. She’d seen that exact look pass between the newlyweds. Had it only been a day ago that she’d felt a pang of longing, wishing she had someone who looked at her with such palpable intensity? Now, here it was, staring her in the face. It took her breath away.
A dawning realization hit her. Jared’s persistence in meeting for coffee. His sudden interest in yoga. Even though she’d been oblivious, he hadn’t given up on her. On them.
Delight, desire, and determination flitted around her like maniacal fireflies, lighting her up with a myriad of possibilities. Mackenzie trusted Jared. Adored him. She wouldn’t let this moment slip between her fingers.
She hated when her mother was right—though she doubted her mother had this particular scenario in mind when giving her carpe diem lectures. Mackenzie was beyond thankful for Jared’s quiet tenacity.
“Wait.” She hooked her fingers into his belt loop when he started for the door. “I’m jumping off the precipice and taking you with me.”
“What?” One corner of his mouth kicked up into a lopsided grin.
Mackenzie kissed him—hot, wet, and urgent. She skimmed her hands under his ribbed Henley, skating her fingers over his smooth skin. With one large hand cupping the nape of her neck and the other cinched around her back, he returned her kiss with interest. She stroked his back, enjoying the flex of his muscles beneath her palms. Her body melted against him with each passionate kiss. Desire flooded her neurons, overloading her senses.
Outside, a passing car honked. Jared huffed out a laugh, dropping his forehead against hers. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this in front of the picture window.”
A sliver of practicality reared its head. “Please tell me you have a condom.”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank God.” Putting a little extra sway in her hips, she led him to her bedroom.
As soon as she entered the room, she peeled off her sweater and loosened her hair. She turned to find Jared watching her from the doorway. Emboldened by his intent, scorching gaze, she shimmied out of her jeans. Anticipation raced through her as she stood before him wearing only her lilac-colored bra and panties. She crooked her finger at him.
“Damn, you are sexy.” He stalked toward her. Enveloping her in his arms, he bent and kissed her, again and again.
Sensation swamped Mackenzie: the bite of his belt buckle against her soft belly, his denim-clad thigh wedged between her bare thighs, the prickle of his beard against her fingertips.
Jared plucked at her bra strap. “Take this off,” he whispered against her lips.
She tugged at his shirt. He pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. Pressing kisses down the column of his throat, she breathed in an intoxicating mix of vanilla from his cologne and the vibrant male scent that was uniquely Jared. She traced her fingers over his collarbones, across the smattering of curly black hair on his muscled chest, and down to the waistband of his jeans. Mackenzie unhooked his belt buckle.
“Did you forget this?” He smoothed his hand down the slope of her shoulder, pushing off a bra strap.
With a saucy smile, she took off her bra. Jared palmed her breasts, flicking his thumbs over her nipples until they were tight peaks. A throaty sigh escaped her lips.
“Strip, please. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He toed off his boots and made quick work of removing the rest of his clothes.
Mackenzie wriggled out of her damp silk panties. She pulled the plum-colored comforter down and crawl
ed onto the bed. Stretching out, she watched Jared smooth the condom on over his thick cock. His hungry gaze roamed over her body before he pounced, landing on the bed alongside her. Curled over her, he brushed his bearded jaw across the swell of her breast, then over her nipple. When she arched up, he sucked the tight bud into his hot mouth, teasing it with his tongue. He released her, then rasped his whiskers once more over her nipple. Tongue, teeth, whiskers, he repeated the sensual assault on her other breast. Shock waves of need rippled through her core.
He shifted his body resting his thigh over her lower abdomen, holding her in place. Mackenzie squirmed, licking and nipping at whatever skin she could reach. She cupped his balls, feeling their weight in her palm. Gently she fondled the satiny flesh. He hissed out a breath. He kissed the curve of her shoulder, her throat, her lips. Then resumed playing with her breasts. Each teasing touch made her achingly aware of her sex.
“Please. Please. Please,” she chanted softly. “Don’t make me wait.”
He shifted again and Mackenzie opened her thighs, making space for him. She felt his cock against her wet folds. He glided, slow and easy, inside her. Her inner muscles rippled, opening, and accepting the deliciously thick intrusion into her.
They moved together as if they’d been lovers for years. She stared up into his brown eyes, as rich as the most decadent dark chocolate. Jared met her gaze and held it. Mackenzie’s heart rate, already racing, kicked up at the intensity she saw in his eyes. He adjusted his pace, her tiny gasps and moans seeming to spur him on. Her heels drummed against the flexing muscles in his ass. He reached between them, using his thumb to rub circles over her clit. She arched up, her fingernails biting into his back. Her thigh and belly muscles tightened. A sensual wave caught her and she climaxed, calling out his name. Her sheath rippled around his cock.
Teeth gritted, Jared pumped his hips hard and fast. His body shuddered and he collapsed, angling his body sideways so he wouldn’t crush her.
Mackenzie’s heart thudded hard against her ribs. Her breath came out in harsh, ragged gasps. A pleasant lethargy hummed through her body. She trailed her fingers over his shoulder blade, his skin slick with sweat. Jared fake snored and she giggled.
Christmas Wishes: A Christmas Romance Anthology Page 20