Christmas Box Set

by Nella Tyler

  “I still miss you every day,” I whispered. “But I’m happy sometimes, too.”

  BJ stared down at me from the picture, his eyes shining with love.

  “Good night, BJ.” I got up and went to the bedroom we used to share.

  Banks

  Wednesday

  I pulled up to Maggie’s house right at 6, as planned. She was already coming out of the door before I had a chance to turn the car off, lit from behind by the porch light. I put it in Park and got out to open the passenger side door for her. She gave me a light peck on the cheek before climbing into the car. I ran back around to my side, breath puffing out in the cold air, and got back inside. I looked over at her, both of us grinning like the teenagers we hadn’t been for years.

  “Have you decided where you want to go?” I asked. We’d agreed on a time, but the place was all up to Maggie. So far, she’d kept me completely in the dark. I liked it that way, though. She was the first woman I’d dated with an independent streak that was even wider than my own. It was nice not always being in the driver’s seat. You could enjoy a lot more of the scenery that way.

  She swallowed her smile, her eyes gleaming as they caught the low light from the porch. “I want to go to the city.”

  It took a beat for me to realize what she was saying. I blinked a few times, but the determined expression on her face didn’t change. “Are you serious?”

  She nodded, looking even more determined, which I wouldn’t have believed possible only a few seconds ago.

  “But I thought…” I let my voice trail off as she smiled in an obliging way, like she was getting ready to humor me.

  “I’ve come a long way in the last year, slowly shedding all of the things that were weighing me down and keeping me from moving forward. I sold most of the shop, made plans to move back in with my mom, and have a date in the New Year to become a teacher the way I always wanted.”

  I nodded but didn’t open my mouth to interrupt her. I knew all of that, but I didn’t understand what that had to do with tonight’s plans.

  “Now I need to stop being afraid. I want to go to New York City, and I want to have the time of our lives together.” Her smile deepened as soon as another grin broke over my face at her obvious enthusiasm. She was like her old self again tonight. None of the sadness that had clung to her since BJ’s death was visible. It was refreshing and jarring, like a blast of winter wind to the face. “I called one of the better steakhouses in town—according to my mother—and made a reservation for two. We have two hours to get there.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I said, and didn’t waste time pulling out of the driveway. “I love it when you come up with the plan.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “You might not be saying that after I don’t let you come up with anymore plans.”

  We talked the whole way to the city, mostly about her plans for her teaching career and what she would do with actual free time now that she was no longer working 10 to 12-hour days in the shop. Most of her day was spent studying for her exam in January, but she wasn’t too worried about that. She’d also looked for jobs at a number of different elementary schools. She applied as a substitute for the district and was excited to have already heard back. That would keep her busy until she landed a permanent position.

  We arrived at the steakhouse with time to spare. It was actually one I’d been to several times over the years. They offered valet parking, so we took full advantage of that, as it meant much less trouble than finding a garage—my office was on the other side of Manhattan, making it impossible to use unless we wanted to get a taxi ride involved—and then schlepping it to the restaurant. We were only a few blocks away from Central Park, and I decided it would be nice to surprise her with a nice walk after dinner, even though it was quite cold.

  We went inside and Maggie gave her name to the hostess. The woman led us into the darkened dining room to our table near the corner, set for two with an ornate votive candle holder placed in the middle of it, the candle giving off its flickering light. We sat across from one another and smiled at catching each other’s gaze.

  “This is perfect,” I said. “I’ve actually been craving a steak all week.” I tried to cool it on the red meat, not eating it more than once or twice a month. Eventually, I planned to phase it all the way out. But I was a sucker for a well-prepared steak.

  “I’ve been craving something else this week. Something much sweeter.” She raised a suggestive eyebrow and I was amused to find I was blushing. The light was low in here, so she probably didn’t notice.

  “You really are feeling adventurous nowadays.”

  She shrugged one round, sweater-clad shoulder. “I don’t know about adventurous, but I am ready to enjoy my life again. I feel like I have permission to do that now.”

  “Permission?” I asked, furrowing my brows slightly.

  “Yeah, from myself.”

  We ordered drinks and an appetizer while we considered the rest of the menu. I already knew I wanted the filet mignon, but Maggie wasn’t sure on her main course yet. It was great, both being here with her and knowing that I was going to play a part in the next unwritten phase of her life. The only question was: would I be a major or a minor character? I hoped for the former, because all of this just felt right.

  The waiter brought out our drinks and we ordered our main courses. The rest of the meal passed the same way the ride into the city had. We talked about everything—the recent developments in our lives, the impending holiday, and our hopes for the New Year. Maggie’s presence excited me, but I felt comfortable with her as well, and that was lovely. There was no posturing, no pretending to be people we weren’t or showing off. I already knew her as well as she knew me from years of honest friendship. We shared a love for BJ, which somehow made things between us even more natural than they might have otherwise been.

  At the end of the meal, we begged off dessert and I paid the bill, though she tried to snatch it from the waiter’s hand. He wisely smiled and handed it to me, earning himself an even more generous tip than I was already planning to give.

  “What now?” she asked, after we’d retrieved our coats from the front and put them back on.

  “I thought we could take a walk through the park and get something warm to drink.”

  Her face lit up. “That would be wonderful.”

  I put my arm around her and we walked out into the winter air together. The city was breathtaking this time of year. I loved the holiday season and would often take a walk through the park after I was finished working for the day or pass by Rockefeller Center just to catch sight of that enormous tree.

  “I forgot how beautiful the city is at Christmastime,” Maggie said, sounding a little breathless as we crossed the street to enter the park. But when I looked over at her, she was wide-eyed and smiling as she took in all the festive Christmas lights and the people walking by with steaming cups of hot cocoa and coffee. I found a vendor and bought two cups of cocoa with whipped cream on top. They were roasting chestnuts too, but we’d had more than enough to eat. It was a shame, because I knew how good they were.

  “I haven’t been in the city to see the lights in years,” she said. “Funny how that happens when you’re only a hop, skip, and a jump away.”

  “We can come again, if you like,” I said. “Maybe even take a carriage ride.”

  “I’d love that,” she replied.

  We walked through the park under twinkling lights, sipping our hot cocoa. There were Christmas carols playing softly from somewhere ahead of us, which turned an already great night into a perfect one. I had Mom to thank for my love of the holidays, and I wanted to share that love with Maggie. After that, I wanted to share everything else with her.

  We were both shivering after finishing our hot drinks. We were wearing coats, but neither of us had layered properly for walking around outdoors for an hour in this weather.

  “Are you ready to head back to the car?” I asked. My feet and bare hands were frozen solid
.

  Maggie nodded, her teeth chattering loud enough for me to hear. “Yeah. I really don’t want to go in, but I’m freezing.”

  We hurried back to the car, the valet bringing it around for us. As soon as it had warmed up enough, I cranked the heat and we put our slowly defrosting fingers in front of the vents.

  This time Maggie stayed awake for the whole ride back to Danbury. I found a station playing Christmas music and we sang along the entire way, laughing every time we caught each other’s eye.

  I pulled into the driveway of what would soon be some renter’s house.

  “You should come in,” Maggie said.

  “I thought just about everything was packed up.”

  “Most everything, but there’s still room for us to sit and enjoy each other’s company.”

  That was good enough for me. I turned off the car and followed her up to the house. There were boxes everywhere inside, but, just as she’d said, there was room to sit on the couch. I took off my jacket and sat down while Maggie got the fireplace going and then went into the kitchen. She came back out with a bottle of red wine. She sat down next to me and took a sip straight from the bottle. I lifted an inquisitive eyebrow, fully taken aback, and she let loose her full-throated laugh.

  “I already packed all of my wine glasses.” She offered me the bottle and I took a polite swig, not really loving the idea of drinking it without a glass. It just felt uncivilized.

  She took another long swallow, actually tipping her head back while I watched, smiling uncertainly. She set the bottle down on the floor and turned to me, a steamy look in her eyes that instantly stiffened my cock. I could see how much she wanted me in that moment, and I wanted her right back.

  She leaned to kiss me, and I took her into my arms.

  Maggie

  The Same Wednesday

  I’d wanted Banks from the instant I saw him pull into my driveway earlier in the evening. I rushed out of the house without waiting for him to even get out of the car because I knew that if he came to the door, I’d end up just pulling him inside and stripping his clothes off. I wanted to have a magical evening with him, and I wanted him to be the person I went back to Manhattan with for the first time since BJ’s accident. It was symbolic. But none of that would happen if I climbed him like a tree on my front porch. So, I kept a lid on that simmering desire all night, even in the park when we were huddled close to one another, shivering and giggling after we finished our cocoa. It had threatened to boil over multiple times, but I managed to beat it back, promising myself that as soon as I got Banks alone, I’d have my way with him.

  Shotgunning a half bottle of wine on top of the drinks I’d had at dinner only exacerbated the situation. As soon as he handed the bottle back to me, I just couldn’t wait for another minute. I jumped him, kissing him greedily as his arms encircled me. I pressed my tongue into his mouth and arched my back to push my breasts into him. I wanted him right now. The hungry place between my legs had been moist all night just thinking about his tall, muscled body and how good he felt inside me. I didn’t want romance tonight. We could spend another night on painstaking foreplay and taking it slow. Tonight I just wanted to take him inside of my tight, neglected sex hard and fast, climaxing as many times as I could before he came.

  I pulled out of our passionate kissing, both of us breathing heavily already, and started to unbutton his pants while he watched me with wide eyes, the look in them as desperate as I felt. The heat had increased in the room and I wanted to strip all of my clothes off. But that would take too long. I’d worn a sweater dress with tights to the restaurant. I planned to just tug off my tights and thong and sit in his lap. But he had other ideas.

  “Stand up,” he whispered, and I did. He finished unzipping his pants before he stood up. “Take off your tights.”

  I obeyed immediately, wanting to give him easy access to my throbbing sex. My skin was tingling I wanted him so badly. I’d never felt like this for any man, not even BJ. I kicked off my shoes and stepped out of my tights, then my panties.

  The expression on Banks’s face, already hot, turned up another 20 degrees, and I found I was having trouble breathing in the clutches of that sweltering heat.

  “Turn around and bend over onto those boxes,” he said in a tighter voice, his hand running over the front of his pants and stroking the hard bulge of his crotch through his boxer briefs.

  I bit my lip, my body ready to explode at the promise of what he was rubbing with his fingertips, but I turned around and dropped my elbows onto the stack of medium-sized boxes pushed up against one wall. He made a low, erotic sound at the sight of me so ready for him, and I moved my feet further apart, opening my legs even more.

  Banks stepped behind me, leaning to run his fingers from my trembling knees up and under the hem of my dress, drawing it up to expose my ass. He pressed one hand between my legs, moaning at the wetness there and sampling it with his fingertips, rubbing slowly at first, and then faster, stoking the fire that was already burning me alive inside. I arched my back, trying to help his fingers slide inside of me and begin to soothe that itch that only the long, thick shape of his cock would be able to fully satisfy, but he refused to play along, choosing instead to toy with my clit.

  “Stop teasing me,” I moaned, but I loved it.

  He chuckled deep in his throat, and, right now, it was incredibly erotic. My face flushed with heat, my cheeks tingling as the rest of me quivered beneath his gentle, persistent attention between my legs.

  “I’m enjoying the view,” he said, but his words were tighter and deeper. I opened my legs a little more and lifted my ass in invitation. I didn’t want to wait another second. He stepped closer to me, the head of his cock parting my dripping wet lips but not entering me, despite how sharply I arched into him. He dropped one hand onto my waist, squeezing the flesh and keeping me from just bucking backwards to swallow him whole. He rubbed the tip of his cock over my sex, parting my lips and lubing himself up with my ample wetness.

  “Banks, I want you inside of me,” I groaned. I tried again to back into him, but the hand on my waist held me firm.

  “I want you too, Maggie,” he said, his gruff voice cranking up the level of my excitement. “You’re so goddamned wet.” The tip of him entered me and then, suddenly, he was all the way inside of me, his hips giving a powerful thrust that caused me to cry out with a burst of pleasure that shot through my taut body. He started a deep, rough rhythm, my upper body pushed hard into the cardboard boxes. I braced myself on them and then pressed back into his hips, taking him even deeper. He went harder without my even needing to ask him, taking the hint by my fully arched back and desperate whimpers.

  I came in a flood of tingling warmth, my legs loosening so I had to lean over even more onto the boxes. Banks groaned, his teeth clenched and hands squeezing hard on my hips. He pressed inside of me, his cock burying itself into my warmth up to the hilt, his body one long, tense muscle as he came, his hips shuddering into me so I cried out again at the sensation of having him so deep. He leaned to kiss the back of my neck and then withdrew, his softening cock sliding out of me.

  I straightened, my sweater dress falling back around my curvy hips. While Banks removed his shoes and pants, I pulled the blanket and a few pillows off of the couch and made a little nest on the floor in front of the roaring fire. We lay down together, Banks naked as the day he was born and me in the sweater dress. I pulled it over my head and snuggled in next to him, now only clad in my lacy bra.

  “I wanted to do that all night,” I admitted, and he laughed.

  “Anytime, anyplace,” he replied, and it was my turn to giggle. “What are your plans for Christmas?”

  I ran my fingers over his chest, tracing every muscle. He wasn’t extremely hairy, and what hair he did have was blonder than the hair on his head. I let my hand lay still on abs, toying with the hair just beneath his belly button, pleased to see his cock respond by starting to stiffen, though he was still catching his breath.
>
  “I’m not sure. Probably something with Mom. I plan to be moved in by then.” Brian told me not to hurry, especially in light of the holidays, but I wanted to have this part of my life sorted before the New Year. How did the old cliché go? New Year, new me?

  “You should both come over for Christmas dinner at my parents’ house. If you thought Thanksgiving was a big deal, you should see what they do for the main event.”

  I made a thoughtful sound. “I would love to spend Christmas with you and your family.” I’d have to check with Mom on her plans, but she usually came over to spend the holiday with BJ and me. This would be no different. Not to mention that she and Mrs. Wheaton had started spending more time with each other at the country club and elsewhere.

  I sat up onto one elbow. “Would you be a really great boyfriend and give me one of my Christmas gifts from you right now?”

  He furrowed his light brows, but was smiling too. “What do you mean?”

  “I want an early gift.”

  “What do you want that I could give you right now?”

  I reached between his legs and his cock hardened the rest of the way in my hand. “I’d like my yule log right here, right now.”

  Still grinning, he said, “Your wish is my command, Mags.” He put a hand on the back of my neck and brought my lips down to his.

  Banks

  Christmas Day

  Maggie and her mom pulled up to my parents’ house just before noon, at Mom’s instruction—she’d created a whole itinerary, the way she always did for just about every family gathering and vacation, with times, activities, and roles for everyone to play. Dad and I had learned to step back and let her run things, because they usually worked out well. I was outside bundled up in a jacket and hat, but without Alice this time, who had smartly chosen to stay inside. She’d never cared much for snow, and there was about a foot on the ground this afternoon with more on the way.