Mistletoe Kisses

by Anna B. Doe

  “You’re such a sap.” She playfully punches my shoulder and looks up at the night sky.

  I follow her gaze, looking at the stars peeking through the branches of the bare tree that fully shades my front yard in the summer.

  “A sap,” I repeat with a chuckle. “You really shouldn’t have said that.”

  While she was busy studying the stars, I managed to form several balls of snow.

  Sitting up quickly I lob one at her, hitting the side of her cheek. She shrieks.

  “Oh my God, Lachlan! That’s cold.”

  She jumps up, quickly trying to pack snow into a ball, but I already have three more made and throw them at her in quick succession.

  “Ah!” She screams, trying to avoid them. One lands its mark, right on her face, and her mouth drops in surprise. “Oh, it’s war now.”

  From inside the house the sounds of Zeppelin barking echo as he runs back and forth between windows, trying to get a glimpse of us.

  I run away from her, around the side of the house so I can try to make more, but she runs after me, carrying a snowball in each hand.

  One collides with the center of my back, the other hits my bare neck. It’s cold as fuck, but I act like it’s not a big deal.

  Sliding on the slick snow I fall to the ground. Dani screams when she trips over my body, falling over top of me.

  We both start laughing and can’t seem to stop.

  “Let’s go inside,” I tell her, slowly climbing to my feet and holding a hand out to her.

  She slides her gloved hand into mine and I squeeze it as I haul her up. “We’re a mess,” she giggles, looking at the snow covering both of us now. At least we put on our snow gear, otherwise we’d be soaking wet and shivering.

  “You know what you do with messes?”

  “What?” she asks skeptically.

  “You clean them up.” I wink and scoop her up, tossing her over my shoulder.

  “Lachlan! Put me down!”

  “I will. Where you belong.”

  I run around the house, nearly slipping again, but thankfully I catch myself in time.

  Opening the door into the front room, I jog through the house with Dani bouncing on my shoulder, leaving a trail of melting snow behind us.

  I carry her into the recently remodeled laundry room where I set her down on top of the washer.

  I kiss her hungrily, unzipping her coat and pushing it off her shoulders. She giggles against my lips at my impatience.

  Yanking her snow pants off I mutter, “These have to go.” Her leggings. “These too.” Underwear. “Definitely these.” Shirt. “This.” Bra. “This too.”

  “I think you just wanted me naked.”

  “Obviously,” I growl, letting her rid me of my coat and long-sleeve shirt.

  She works her hand underneath the band of my sweatpants, the snow pants already kicked to the floor, and I hiss between my teeth. Her hand is cold against my heated cock, but that’s not the reason for the sounds leaving my throat. It’s the way her hand fits around me, stroking up and down. She scoots her ass to the end of washer, pushing her breasts into my bare chest.

  Reaching above her to the cabinet I pull out a box of condoms.

  She starts laughing. “I can’t believe you seriously stashed them all over your house.”

  “You never know when or where you’ll need them. I like to be prepared.”

  “Mmm,” she hums. “I like that about you.”

  I ghost my lips down the side of her jaw and then her neck. She arches her back, silently begging for more. I love that she’s completely bare before me, legs spread wide on top of the washing machine, and she’s not trying to cover herself.

  Sucking a pert nipple into my mouth, I reach behind her to turn on the washer. She jumps in surprise when it kicks on, her hand slipping from my cock. The moan that leaves her throat this time is more of a purr and she rocks her hips to the vibration of the machine.

  Trailing my lips down her body, I finally reach her center, sucking her clit into my mouth.

  “Fuck, Lachlan!” she cries out, her fingers yanking on my hair.

  She rocks her hips against my mouth and when I slide two fingers into her soaking wet core she nearly cries. The little noises she makes urge me on.

  Her legs begin to shake, and she cries out when her orgasm takes over. I curl my fingers inside her, still moving them in and out as her pussy squeezes the digits in a vice grip. When she starts to come down from the high she slowly blinks her hazel eyes open, looking at me with surprise.

  “I think that was the most intense orgasm of my life,” she utters, her throat raw.

  I can’t help but smirk. “You’re welcome.”

  She bends down from her higher perch on the washer and grabs my face, kissing me deeply. Our tongues tangle, the kiss desperate and passion filled. Grabbing the condom, I break the kiss so I can open the foil package and slip the rubber on. She watches me the entire time, her eyes darkening with lust as I roll the condom down my length.

  “You like to watch me touch myself.”

  It’s a statement, not a question. She blushes and nods.

  I grin, giving her a quick kiss before I grab her hips and pull her down from the washer, leaning her against it as I line up my cock with her entrance. When I’m fully inside her she lets out a long moan, biting her lip to quiet her sounds. Rocking in and out of her she rakes her nails over my back, leaving her mark behind.

  “Lachlan,” she begs. “God, you feel so good inside me.”

  We both look down, watching my cock work in and out of her tight pink pussy. She whimpers a little. It’s the sound she makes when she’s really turned on.

  My breath starts to grow strangled, sweat dotting my brow, and I know I’m close.

  “Fuck.” My teeth gnash together. “Fuck, Dani.”

  I thrust into her harder. Faster. Desperately.

  Her moans grow louder, but not loud enough to drown out the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

  She tosses her head back as her orgasm hits her like a wave, her pussy squeezing my dick so tight I fall off the cliff right beside her.

  Both of our breaths are erratic and loud in the small laundry room.

  Rubbing her fingers over the scruff on my cheeks she smiles, cheeks flushed.

  “Can we do that again?”

  Chapter Two

  I jolt awake, rubbing sleep from my eyes. As the fog of sleep clears I notice the space beside me is empty, the indent of Dani’s body still visible. Slipping from bed I pull on my boxer-briefs. Opening the bedroom door I hear the soft medley of a song playing from the Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen. As I start down the stairs the sound of something sizzling in a pan greets my ears as well as the scent of peppers and bacon.

  Rounding the corner into the kitchen I can’t stop my grin.

  Dani stands in front of a skillet, swaying her hips to the song playing. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, some strands escaping the haphazard ‘do. She wears one of my old t-shirts and as she rocks her hips from side to side it rides up, revealing her underwear with hula girls on them.

  “You’re cooking.”

  She lets out a tiny scream, not having heard me approach. Recovering, she grins proudly. “I’ve had an excellent teacher. I burned the bacon a little, but progress.” She nods at the plate of bacon resting on the counter.

  “Omelets?” I eye the ingredients in the pan.

  She bites her lip softly. “I hope that’s okay. I wanted to surprise you.”

  Zeppelin nudges his nose against her thigh and she slips him a tiny piece of bacon.

  “It’s perfect.” I drop a kiss on her cheek.

  Omelets were the first thing I taught her to cook after she begged me to teach her. It’s been fun watching her fall in love with cooking since she used to hate it so much and swore she would only ever burn things.

  Turning to the cabinet with plates I slip two out onto the counter, putting three pieces of bacon on each. Sliding my arms ar
ound her torso I rest my head on her shoulder.

  “Stop,” she giggles, when my scruff tickles her neck. “I can’t cook with you holding onto me.”

  “Fine, fine.” I let her go, stepping aside. Leaning my hip against the counter I continue to watch her.

  “I can’t cook with you staring at me either. Go.” She flicks her hand at me, ushering me away.

  I toss my hands in the air. “Okay, I’m going.”

  Grabbing two glasses and the bottle of orange juice from the fridge I sit down at the table and wait for her.

  Tally crawls out from wherever she’s been hiding, meowing as she walks between my legs. I bend down, scratching behind her ears. Immediately her loud purr fills the air.

  Dani finishes and carries the plates to the table, setting one down in front of me.

  “I know it’s not perfect, but at least it’s edible.”

  “It smells good,” I commend.

  Her cheeks pinken. “Thanks. Hopefully it tastes good. That’s the real test.”

  She watches me hesitantly and I know she’s waiting for me to try it.

  I take a bite of bacon and while it’s certainly a tad on the burnt side I won’t complain. She continues to watch me, nibbling on her bottom lip with nerves and anticipation. Spearing the fork into the omelet, I wiggle it around and pull off a decent sized bite.

  “Hurry up,” she begs.

  I press my lips together to not laugh at her.

  Lifting the bite to my mouth, I wrap my lips around the fork as she watches everything I do with a careful eye.

  Chewing, I swallow, vigilant to not make any kind of facial expression indicating my love or distaste.

  “Lachlan,” she whines. “How’d I do?”

  Breaking out into a smile, I say, “It’s delicious, babe.”

  “Oh, thank God.” She exhales a sigh of relief. “You had me worried there for a second.” I take another bite and she finally digs into her meal, humming with satisfaction. “This is yummy. Go me.”

  “You’re doing great,” I assure her. “Don’t doubt yourself so much.”

  She gives a small shrug. “It’s kind of hard having so many years sucking at it and a brother who’s equally as horrible. Plus, it’s a lot easier to pick up the phone and order in. But there’s something to be said about the satisfaction of preparing your own meal.”

  I pick up the glass of OJ, tipping it to my lips. “What do you want to learn next?”

  She bites her lip in thought. “Hmm, that lasagna you make is delicious—how about that?” Before I can answer she also adds, “And this summer I want you to teach me how to grill.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  Seeing her happy is all that matters.

  She beams. At her feet Tally meows and she looks down at her eager cat. “I’m not sharing my eggs with you, you fiend. Shoo.” She waves Tally away, but the cat merely lays down by her feet.

  I snicker. “But you feed bacon to Zeppelin?”

  She looks over at the giant dog, her bottom lip slightly pouted. “He gives me those big puppy eyes and I can’t resist.”

  After breakfast, we clean the dishes together, getting more water on each other in jest than on the dishes. But hey, we get the job done.

  Dani pulls her damp shirt away from her chest, shaking her head. “I need to go change. I’m supposed to Facetime Ansel in twenty minutes.”

  I pointedly stare at her bare legs and underwear peeking out, my dick twitching in response. “Yeah, pants might be a good idea.”

  She giggles, swatting my arm playfully. I watch her run upstairs to the bedroom while I wipe down the table. With everything straightened and in order I head up to shower, finding Dani seated at the desk in the corner of the room, phone propped up while she chats with her friend.

  Walking up behind her, I bend down so I’m in frame. Smiling, I say, “Hello, Ansel.”

  “Hey, Mr. Taylor.” He flinches, giving me a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Lachlan. This is weird.”

  I wave a dismissive hand, though pain settles in my chest at the reminder of my former position as Dani’s guidance counselor. Ansel’s too. Things might be strange, especially when it comes to others, but we’re navigating it.

  “How’s Paris treating you?” I ask, steering the conversation in another direction.

  The smile on Ansel’s face reminds me of the one I know I wear when I think of or speak about Dani. He’s in love with that city, and where he belongs.

  “It’s wonderful. Dani, you need to come back for a visit. You come too, Lachlan.”

  “I would love to come back some day.”

  Dani smiles up at me and I can’t help but return it. I love the idea of us in Paris together.

  “We’ll definitely come visit someday.” Kissing Dani’s cheek, I stand to my full height, getting cut off from the frame of the phone. “You guys have a nice chat.”

  Closing the bathroom door behind me I shower and go about my morning routine.

  When I’m done, I find Dani sitting on the edge of the king size bed already dressed for the day in dark wash jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt.

  “What’s up?” I ask, noticing the way she’s nibbling her lip, her nose scrunched in thought. Reaching for the closet door, I hesitate looking over my shoulder at her. “Everything is okay, right?”

  She nods. “Sage asked if we wanted to go sledding with him and Sasha, but…”

  “But?” I prompt, grabbing a pair of boxer-briefs from one of the drawers.

  “He’s always such a dick to you.” She blows out a gust of air. “I know where he’s coming from, I get it, believe me I do, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t get exhausting. I’m an adult. I can choose who I love. For God’s sake he’s dating my friend.” She throws out her arms as I tug on my jeans. “I love my brother, and I want to hang out and do things with him, but I’m so tired of the way he treats you.”

  “I can handle your brother.”

  Sage has every right to harbor anger toward me. I know how things look from his perspective, like I took advantage of his sister, but that’s not the case at all. I feel like he’s come a long way since Dani I got together officially, but I think it’s to be expected for him to have moments where he probably wishes he could punch me through a wall.

  She gets up from the bed, crossing the few feet to where I stand and wraps her arms around me, resting her chin on my bare chest. The shirt I pulled from a hanger to wear hangs limply in my hand as I wind my arms around her.

  “You shouldn’t have to handle my brother.” She blinks her big hazel eyes up at me.

  “I don’t mind. Sage is a good guy. He’s just looking out for you.”

  “So, I should tell him yes to sledding then?”

  I nod. “Let him know we’re in.”

  Dani and I both took this entire week off, and part of next, to enjoy the holidays not only with each other, but with family. Sadly, I won’t be seeing mine this year since they’re staying in Arkansas, but there’s always Facetime.

  “Okay.” She pulls away, plucking her phone off the bedspread. “But if you see me shove my brother down a hill today just pretend you didn’t.”

  I chuckle. “What hill?”

  She looks up from her phone, a smile spreading over her face. “Exactly.”

  “Weed!” Sage calls when he sees his sister and me walking toward the snow-covered hill that more than just the four of us decided would be a good idea to sled on. There are so many people walking up it and sliding down that I feel like we might be asking for an accident, but what’s life without risk? “Lach-ness,” he adds in a grumpier tone.

  “Hey, Sage,” I chuckle, amused by his nickname for me.

  Dani punches him in the stomach. “Be nice.”

  “How was that not nice?”

  She rolls her eyes at her brother, reaching for my gloved hand. Beside Sage, his girlfriend, and Dani’s friend, Sasha, lets out an exasperated sigh. “You said you’d be on your best behavior. We’re su
pposed to be having fun.”

  “And we will,” Sage insists.

  Dani narrows her eyes in disbelief.

  “Should we head up?” I point to the massive hill we need to scale.

  “Yes, that’s an excellent idea,” Dani agrees, putting more pep into her words than she actually feels.

  I wish she wouldn’t worry so much about my relationship with her brother. Do I wish it was better? Of course, but it also needs to be earned and I hope the love I have for Dani, how I treat her, will eventually win out in his eyes.

  The four of us each grab our sled and start the breathless climb.

  “I haven’t been sledding since I was probably twelve,” I tell Dani.

  Sage overhears and snorts. “Then prepare to look dumb.”

  “It’s literally sliding down a hill, Herb.” Dani pushes her brother hard enough for him to stumble. “It’s not exactly easy to mess up.”

  I stay back, watching the two of them begin to bicker in typical sibling fashion.

  “They crack me up,” Sasha says, falling into step beside me.

  “They’re something.”

  Ahead of us Dani drops her sled to the ground and jumps on Sage’s back. “Take that back!” She shrieks and I have no idea what the two of them are bickering about now, but I have no doubt it’s minor and they’ll be dissolving into hysterical laughter soon enough.

  I pick up Dani’s sled, thankful I work out as much as I do because this hill, plus two sleds, is no joke.

  “You’re good for her.” Sasha’s comment takes me by surprise and I nearly break my neck turning to look at her.

  “What makes you say that?”

  She flicks her fingers lazily at the siblings. “When she first came to Utah she was a shell of a person. I remember talking to her and trying to get her to open up in some way, but she was tight-lipped about everything. Believe me, I understand it now, but she was just getting by. Going through the motions.” She pauses, giving a small shrug. “Now she’s living again, and I know you played a big part in that.”

  I swallow thickly, the lump in my throat only seeming to grow in size.