Cowboy Firefighter Christmas Kiss

by Kim Redford

  “Yes. I’m too big in here. And I want something soft for you.”

  She smiled, feeling tenderness well up again. “We’re all wet.”

  “Like I care.” He turned off the shower and thrust open the door. “You’re all I care about.” He stepped out, turned back, and held out his hand.

  She put her fingers into his large, strong hand, feeling vulnerable but safe at the same time. Sometimes he engendered such conflicting emotions in her that she hardly knew how to handle them. She shivered a little at the intensity of her feelings and the cool air on her bare skin.

  “You’re cold.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “We’re just going into the bedroom.”

  “Morning Glory said I’d need this someday. Guess she was right.” He looked around, as if searching for something or trying to remember something, then he smiled in triumph. He quickly opened a cabinet under the vanity, pulled out a big, soft, fluffy, white robe, and draped it around her shoulders.

  “Thank you. This is lovely.”

  “Once we’re in bed, I’ll keep you warm.”

  “Better yet.”

  He chuckled as he grasped her hand and led her into the bedroom, where he touched the wall control, turning off the overhead light and lowering the wattage of the lamps on the nightstands. He left her standing in the middle of the room while he tossed the throw pillows on the floor and pulled back the spread to reveal chocolate-colored sheets.

  “I like that color.”

  “Thanks. Morning Glory again. I’d be lost without her good taste…and her determination to see me properly outfitted here. That’s one lady who will not take no for an answer.”

  Ivy sat down on the bed, running her palm over the smooth, satiny sheets.

  He stood over her, appearing perfectly comfortable in his nudity, while he watched her all wrapped up in the robe. “I want you to know…you’re the only woman who has ever slept in this bed.”

  She put her hand to her lips, trying to hold back all the emotions that were cascading through her.

  “Maybe it’s not important to you, but it is to me.” He abruptly sat down beside her and picked up her hand, cradling it in both of his big ones.

  “Yes, it’s important, but you didn’t need to tell me.”

  “Of course I did.” He pressed a kiss to her palm. “I want everything to be right, but so far tonight, everything has gone wrong.”

  “Not everything.” She felt her breath catch in her throat as the tenderness in her heart swelled outward, threatening to completely engulf her. She honestly wanted the passion back, because it seemed so much safer, gliding across the surface of it, than this deep tenderness that threatened her entire world.

  “Ivy, I’m going to make love to you in this bed. It’s our bed…in our bedroom…in our home.”

  She actually felt slightly faint, as blood rushed from her head to her heart. He was going to be her undoing. And she had no way to resist him—no longer even wanted to resist him.

  “I’m moving too fast with you. I know it, but I can’t stop. I’m not going to stop. We’re meant for each other.”

  “Slade, would you please just make love to me.” She’d begun to shiver all over. “If you say one more word, you may scare me to death.”

  He placed another kiss on the palm of her hand. “I sure wouldn’t want that…not when I’m finally about to do something right tonight.”

  “That was several more words, but you’re forgiven since you’re about to do something right.” She teased, smiling as he laughed with her.

  “I better, or all the words in the world won’t impress you.”

  “You’ve already impressed me.”

  “Not like I’m about to.”

  She appreciated his self-confidence. And then all the words were driven from her head as he nudged her back, so she was flat against the bed, and opened her robe, revealing her sensuous curves perfectly etched in pale light and dark shadow.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He exhaled quietly as he simply looked at her before he leaned down and pressed kisses to the tips of her breasts.

  She felt her nipples go instantly hard, blazing a trail straight to her hot center and causing her to tremble all over. He didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath as he continued his onslaught, sucking, licking, nibbling as he fondled her breasts with both hands. He kissed downward to her navel, where he stopped and teased with his tongue until she was damp—no, more than damp. She felt as if she were covered in sweet frosting and he was licking down to her rich, moist center.

  And that is exactly what he did next—he parted her legs and tasted her, stroked her, delved into her like he was devouring the tastiest of ice cream on a hot summer day…and she melted, lick by lick, into him.

  She moaned, grasping his hair to hold him in place, demanding more, demanding satisfaction, demanding… And then she caught the wave, held on, rode it, clasping him as her only line of safety, until she shuddered to shore on the powerful crest that he created just for her.

  But he wasn’t nearly done. He said he’d salvage the night, and he was doing it. She wasn’t just weak-kneed—she was languid with desire, feeling so feminine to his masculine that when he lifted her up, stripped the robe from her, and positioned her so her head was near the cedar headboard with the row of vertical copper bars, she simply sighed in pleasure.

  “Ivy,” he said in a voice gone rough from reined-in emotion. “I can’t wait. I’m trying, but—”

  “Please.”

  She didn’t need to say more, because he opened his nightstand, pulled out a condom, and slipped it on.

  “I know what this looks like, but it’s not.” He sat down on the bed.

  “What does it look like?”

  “That you aren’t the first here.” He grasped her ankles and gently spread her legs apart. “I swear I bought enough for both houses the day after I met you.”

  “You were that sure of yourself?”

  “Nope…on a wing and a prayer.”

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Like I just won that last bull ride.” And he knelt between her knees.

  “Speaking of ride…” She gave him a coy smile to beckon him closer.

  “Grasp the bars above your head. I don’t intend to be easy—can’t even if I had the desire. I don’t want to hit your head on the headboard or shove you off the bed.”

  “Thanks…so considerate.” She couldn’t keep from smiling as she curled her fingers around the bars, because it sounded like he was going to give her the ride of her life. And she was all in.

  When he raised her legs and positioned them over his shoulders, she trembled with suppressed emotion. He grasped her butt with both hands, squeezed, and she shuddered with eager anticipation. When he leaned forward and gave her a hot, wet kiss, she turned into a pool of molten lava.

  He nudged inside her slowly, carefully, cautiously, because he was so big and she was so small. She moaned, clutching the bars harder as she felt him fill her, stretch her—little by little—going so agonizingly slowly that she felt chills race up and down her spine. With one final push, he was buried deep inside her.

  He started to move, slowly at first, then gathering steam as he pounded harder and deeper and stronger. She clung to the bars, feeling him wind her up tighter and tighter as his thrusts grew ever more intense, pushing them both toward the same goal of shared euphoria.

  What was it about this man? She’d never felt like this before, not in her entire life. What was it that he did to her? She glowed. She gasped. She moaned. What was it that he meant to her? She dropped the bars and grasped his shoulders, desperately needing to hold him.

  He paused—sweat beading his forehead, breath coming fast—and leaned down to gently kiss her swollen lips. “I love you.”
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  That’s when she knew he was right. It’d been love all along.

  And he thrust hard, sending them right over the edge into a kaleidoscope world that belonged only to them.

  Chapter 20

  As light filtered in through the east window early the next morning, Slade lay with one arm crossed behind his head and the other snuggled around Ivy’s shoulders, while she nestled against his side, breathing softly in her sleep. He felt satisfied, content, relaxed in a way he hadn’t since his last rodeo win. He realized now that he’d been living in houses, helping family and friends, doing jobs, coming up with more jobs—anything to fill the empty place in his heart. But that was over now.

  Ivy filled his heart. She completed him. She was home. He’d never let her go. And he’d make sure she never wanted to go.

  As if she could feel him thinking about her, she mumbled and moved her hand across his chest, resting it over his heart. He smiled as he covered her small hand with his much larger one. She had such soft, smooth skin that he couldn’t get enough of touching her, stroking her…wanting to be buried deep inside her.

  If not for Oscar’s parting words, he’d already have been up, gone, and making sure all the animals were fed before starting his long workday. The old coot had understood only too well why Slade had brought Ivy to his home. He’d find some way later to repay Oscar for the gift of a few hours of leisure. For now, he had no intention of squandering that extra time.

  “I’d like to cook you a big breakfast,” he said softly as he stroked long hair away from her face. He found it interesting that he’d chosen the exact right colors for his bedroom to complement her hair. Maybe some part of him had known she was coming and had been preparing for her. But that didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that she was here now.

  “Pancakes or waffles?” He continued to play with her hair. “Butter. Maple syrup. Strawberries. Whipped cream.”

  “Yum,” she mumbled against his chest.

  “You might want something more stick-to-your-ribs. Bacon or ham or steak? Eggs—over easy or scrambled? Biscuits? Redeye gravy? Blackberry jam?”

  She groaned and opened her eyes. “If you’re trying to wake me through my stomach, you’re doing a good job of it. Still, I’m not moving an inch.” She kissed his chest, then grew quiet again.

  “If none of that suits you, we could skip it and go straight to pie. Pecan? Lemon? Boysenberry? Your choice. Ice cream topping?”

  “I believe your larder is empty, so this is all truly pie in the sky.”

  “Or…I could give you a little sugar this morning.”

  “Sugar?” She traced circles around his nipples with one fingertip, turning them hard as rocks. “Now that sounds like something I wouldn’t mind waking up to. And I suspect your sugar could build up a mighty fine appetite for your cooking.”

  He chuckled deep in his throat, feeling his entire body harden under her teasing touch and taunting words. “Why don’t we find out?”

  She rose up on one elbow and smiled contentedly at him, much like the cat that ate the cream, before she planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Now, where’s my sugar?”

  He quickly tipped her back and leaned over her, feeling such tenderness well up in his chest that for a moment he couldn’t catch his breath. And then he gave her sugar, kissing her with slow intent as he traced her lips with his tongue, nibbling and stroking, until he delved deep into her mouth. He kissed her with such depth of feeling that he lost himself in her, feeling her kiss him back with the same wild abandon, knowing they bridged the gap from two separate lives to one pulsating life together.

  He’d waited a long time for her. He hoped she’d been waiting for him, but she just hadn’t realized it. Didn’t matter—they were together now. He’d come on strong to get them this far, and he realized it. That fact could weigh on a woman like Ivy, who was used to being in charge of her own life. He could give her exactly what she expected of him right this minute, and it’d make them both happy, but he wanted to give her something she didn’t expect—something she needed but might not know she needed yet. He could give her more control and power in their relationship…and he was happy to do it.

  “Ivy,” he said, lying down on his back, “when I took that bad tumble off the bull, I broke my pelvis in two places.”

  She sat up and looked down at him in horror. “That’s terrible. It must have hurt… I can’t even imagine how it hurt.”

  “I got through it.”

  “Of course you did, but—”

  “I healed okay, but you know how old injuries can come back to haunt you?”

  “Yes. I sprained my right ankle really bad, and it’s always been weak since that time.”

  “Regret to hear it.”

  “I got through it.” She gave him a tender smile. “Like you.”

  “Fact is…we gave me a workout last night.” He threw back the covers to reveal his readiness. “Straddle me?”

  “Can I?” She gave him a big grin, green eyes alight with mischief as she ran her hand down his torso to grasp the hot, hard, erect length of him. “Or will I?”

  “If you don’t, I’m going to be in real pain.” He grinned back at her, enjoying the banter that prolonged their pleasure. “You wouldn’t torment me, would you?”

  “Could I or would I?”

  “Show me.”

  She just gave him a lazy smile as she threw a long leg over him and knelt to straddle him. “I do believe I could…and I would.”

  He lost all reason when she came down on him so hard and fast, so hot and wet that he slid easily into her, filling her completely. She clenched around him, tightening so much that he almost came off the bed. He had to restrain himself if he was going to let her do this her way, but he could see she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. She was going to tease him until he was out of his mind. He quickly raised his arms and grasped the bars of the bed to force himself to stay put and not grab her, throw her over, and pound into her.

  She moved slowly, easily, up and down, smiling lazily at him as she leaned forward and let the hard tips of her breasts graze his chest.

  He broke out in sweat all over. He was fast losing it. He clenched the bars harder, hoping he didn’t wrench them out of place. Why had he ever thought letting Ivy take control was a good idea? And yet, he didn’t know when he’d ever seen a more erotic sight. She tossed back her head as if glorying in the feel of being impaled on him, hair hanging around her face like a curtain, full breasts bouncing as she picked up the pace.

  He felt the bars move in his hands. He was going to do it. He was going to break his bed over her. And he didn’t care. All he cared about was watching her, feeling her, knowing her…and joining with her.

  “Oh,” she moaned on a sigh, moving harder and faster, up and down, driving them both toward completion.

  He groaned in response and felt one of the bars snap free. He grabbed another, determined to hold his position, no matter the cost to him. She was looking more delectable every moment, because she was flushed rosy all over, she panted in small gasps, and she licked her lips with her pink tongue.

  He snapped another bar…and gave up. He grasped her hips with both hands and pounded into her. She bucked against him and fell forward, planting both hands on his chest as he brought them both to the edge…and then they toppled over together in a frenzy of passion.

  She didn’t move for a long moment as they both gasped for breath, waiting for their heart rates to slow, waiting to return to normal.

  He didn’t think there would ever be normal again. There was before Ivy and after Ivy. He only ever wanted to live in the land of after Ivy.

  A little later, she eased off him, cuddled against his side, and kissed his cheek. “That was the best breakfast ever.”

  “Yeah.”

  “But don’t you ever think about taking it to market.”


  He chuckled, twining their fingers together. “You think it might sell?”

  “Better than chocolate.”

  He laughed harder. “I suppose you’re going to keep me on a leash.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I’ll buy you the leash.”

  She chuckled this time. “You’re on.”

  “Oh, Ivy,” he said, squeezing her hand. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Feed me?”

  “I did promise to cook you breakfast, didn’t I?”

  “I can make do with coffee and sugar cookies.” She sat up and looked down at him regretfully. “Work calls, doesn’t it?”

  “Always.” He sat up, too. “I need to bake pies today.”

  “For the café?”

  “No.” He ran a hand over his stubble, feeling frustrated about his business. “I’m trying to get my pie company off the ground, but it’s just not getting there.”

  “I thought you only baked pies for the Chuckwagon.”

  “Foodies and other folks like small-batch items that can be shipped anywhere. It’s a growing market, but I can’t seem to tap into it the way I need to, even with glowing reviews and winning awards.”

  “What’s your hook?”

  He glanced at her, wondering if she was really interested in hearing about his business. “I don’t want to bore you.”

  “You could never bore me. Besides, it’s kind of my thing.”

  “What?”

  “Websites. I like to help folks grow their online businesses.”

  “Like custom, homemade pies?”

  “Sure. It’s tricky but doable.” She smiled at him, squeezing his hand. “Want me to take a look at your website?”

  “It should be okay. I hired a local professional to do it.”

  “There’s okay…and then there’s great.”

  “Yeah. I can see that. But still—”

  “I’ve got a lot to do, but I’ll take a look later. I want to see what narrative you’re presenting, as well as how easy the site is to use to understand the product as well as order it.”