by C. Morgan
“An old family recipe,” Natalie said. “My roommate’s family technically but that doesn’t matter. It’s a Christmas Eve casserole. It has potatoes, green beans, sausages, cheese, onions—all kinds of goodness.”
Cora continued inspecting the casserole while Natalie lit the candles on the table and I poured two glasses of red wine and a glass of sparkling apple juice for Cora. I set them on the table and Natalie and I tucked in to join Cora, who was beginning to look more impatient as the minutes ticked by and her plate remained empty.
Natalie cut into the casserole and dished out servings.
In the living room behind me, the fireplace glowed beside the lit Christmas tree. Festive music poured through the sound system in the corner of the living room, and outside the living room bay window, we could see our neighbor’s Christmas lights coming to life.
We’d all spent the day together getting ready for the big day tomorrow. Mona and Logan had dropped Cora off yesterday morning. I knew it wasn’t easy for Mona to leave her daughter with me on Christmas but this was how things were going to work. Cora had spent the holidays with Mona and Logan last year and this go around it was my turn.
I was so thankful for that.
For the first Christmas in over two years, I felt like I had a family again.
Natalie warned us that the dinner was hot. I burnt my tongue anyway. The meal was cozy and delicious and nostalgic, even though I’d never had it before. We spent the meal listening to Cora telling us all about how much fun she’d had at her mother’s house the last four days leading up to coming to stay with me. They’d gone ice skating, watched Christmas movies, visited her grandparents for dinner and a gift exchange, and gone for a drive with hot chocolates to look at Christmas lights.
I was glad to know that Cora felt at home in both my house and Mona’s. That was how it was supposed to be.
“Maybe we should go for a walk after dinner and check out the lights this neighborhood has to offer. What do you think about that?”
Cora was all over it. She nodded eagerly with a mouthful of casserole.
I chuckled. “I guess that’s a yes?”
Natalie sipped her wine. “And then we can hang the stockings.”
Cora swallowed. “And we have to put out cookies and milk for Santa!”
“And carrots for his reindeer,” I added.
“Can’t forget about Rudolph and the others,” Natalie said firmly. “They have a lot of flying to do, and snacks will give them energy.”
Cora shoveled more food into her mouth and told us to hurry up.
Natalie and I shared a knowing smile across the table.
About half an hour later, we stepped out the front door. Cora sipped a cup of hot chocolate as we made our way to the sidewalk and turned right to begin wandering through the neighborhood.
Natalie looped her arm through mine and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m glad I’m here with you guys.”
“We’re glad you’re here too,” I said. “Me especially. Cora only cares about Santa. Let’s be real.”
“As she should.” Natalie giggled.
Our street had always been one of the good ones when it came to Christmas lights. People had giant inflatable displays of snow globes, snowmen, Santa Clauses, and North Pole scenes. One house had an illuminated bright green Grinch tiptoeing across their roof with a brown sack over his shoulder as if he were stealing Christmas. Another was beautiful with all white lights and a couple of red and green presents glowing in the front yard.
I’d have to step up my game next year when it came to lights. I had a string along the gutters and that was it. More than a handful of lights were burnt out, too. Next year, I’d have to invest in some proper decorations to keep up with my neighbors and impress my daughter.
Cora hurried up ahead as we rounded the corner into the cul de sac where her favorite house was. She spun back to us and called for Natalie to hurry up.
Natalie’s eyes glittered with the reflections of the Christmas lights as she smiled up to me. “I’d better go. I’m being summoned.”
She let go of my arm and met Cora up ahead. The two of them held hands and Cora took her to the fence in front of her favorite house. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of their backs as they gazed up at the old brick home with red and green lights around the trim and giant lit wreaths hanging in front of the windows. It had a romantic feel to it, like it belonged in the background of a Hallmark movie.
Tucking the phone back into my pocket, I joined them. Cora slurped her hot chocolate and Natalie swayed to music that wasn’t playing.
I wrapped my arms around both of them. “Should we head back? Those stockings aren’t going to hang themselves.”
Cora ducked out from under my arm and raced down the sidewalk. She hollered for us to move our butts as Natalie paused to steal one last glance at the house. We followed my daughter back through the neighborhood to my house, which felt a little lackluster in comparison to the ones we’d just looked at.
“Next year, I’m going to pull out all the stops,” I muttered.
We stepped inside, shrugged out of our coats, and tortured poor Cora by making her wait while Natalie and I fixed ourselves a cup of rum and eggnog. I let Cora have one more hot chocolate grudgingly, warning her that the sugar might make it even harder for her to sleep.
“And you know Santa doesn’t come if you’re not asleep,” I said.
“I’ll sleep,” Cora said earnestly.
Once we all had a drink in hand, we moved to the living room where I lifted the lid off a plastic tote that held our stockings and string. I set to work hanging the string on the hooks under the stone mantel of the fireplace while Cora pulled our stockings out of the box.
“Cora, can you check the hallway closet?” I asked. “There should be something in there for Natalie.”
Cora shot off into the hallway while Natalie gave me a quizzical look. “Something for me?”
I nodded. “You’ll see.”
Cora returned, grinning from ear to ear, and handed a red velvet stocking to Natalie. It had gold cross-stitching sewn through it and a faux-fur trim at the top, within which Natalie’s name was written in sparkly gold, green, and red gems.
Natalie took the stocking and ran her fingers over it. “Rylen, you didn’t have to do this.”
“It was Cora’s idea,” I said.
Natalie looked down at Cora, who was still grinning. “Cora, this is so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“How could Santa fill your stocking if you didn’t have one?”
Natalie nodded. “A very good point. What would I have done without you?”
Cora pursed her lips. “Not gotten any stocking stuffers, I guess.”
Natalie laughed. “I guess so.”
She came over to me and handed me her stocking, which I added to the string. I straightened them out, fluffed up the fur, and stood back to admire the finished result.
“Perfection,” Natalie said.
I packed away the tote while Natalie and Cora went into the kitchen to pick out the perfect Christmas plate to put homemade cookies on. Natalie let Cora pour a glass of milk before they took a handful of baby carrots and put them in a small bowl. Natalie carried the milk, and Cora carried the bowl and plate, and they brought them into the living room where they sat them on the hearth.
“Daddy, can I write Santa a thank-you note?” Cora asked.
“Absolutely,” I said, “but then it’s time to brush your teeth and get ready for bed. Okay?”
Cora nodded. She went to the kitchen counter where I kept a notepad and pen mostly for grocery shopping lists or memos. She brought it to the kitchen table and knelt on one of the chairs while she scrawled “Thank you Santa” in somewhat messy, crooked, large letters. After she set the note by the milk and cookies, we ushered her into the bedroom to change into her jammies.
She brushed her teeth and let Natalie braid her hair so she wouldn’t have to worry about it in the morning. She w
as yawning by the time I sat down on the edge of her bed and tucked her in.
“Now remember,” I said, poking the tip of her nose, “if you hear any noise, you stay in bed just in case it’s Santa. Right?”
“Right.” Cora nodded.
“And what time are we going to try to sleep until?”
“Seven.”
Cora had a bad habit of waking up at four thirty in the morning on Christmas Day. I was still going to be up with Natalie until at least one in the morning finishing wrapping Cora’s presents, stocking stuffers, and getting ready for the morning. I was going to need more than three and a half hours of sleep to be fully functioning tomorrow. Mona might not have minded being up hours before the sun, but I did, and at this house, we started at a reasonable hour.
Besides, if we started at four thirty, the fun would be over before seven. The anticipation was half the fun. I remembered being a kid and bursting at the seams as I waited to go out in the living room with my parents for the first time on Christmas morning. That feeling didn’t exist in any other capacity and I wanted to keep it alive for my daughter as long as I could.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” I kissed her forehead. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Cora cooed. She peered past me as I got to my feet. “Merry Christmas, Natalie.”
Natalie, who lingered in the doorway, smiled. “Merry Christmas Cora.”
I left the bedroom door open two inches like always and Natalie and I returned to the living room. We sipped our eggnog and rum and cuddled on the couch while we waited for half an hour or so until it was safe to check if Cora was sleeping. I confirmed that she was and closed her door all the way so Natalie and I could start wrapping and not worry about rustling paper too loudly and waking her up.
Natalie was an expert-level wrapper. Her gifts looked exquisite with perfectly curled bows and tags that matched the glittery green paper.
“I always wondered what it would be like to celebrate Christmas with a kid in the house,” Natalie said softly as we tucked little wrapped gifts into stockings. She had a couple for me and I had some for her.
“What’s that?” she asked, playfully peeking over my shoulder as I tucked a few gifts into her stocking.
“None of your business.”
Natalie giggled.
We indulged in more drinks. By one in the morning, the rum and eggnog had gotten to our heads and we were full of giggles and hiccups as we cleaned up the Christmas wrapping debris. We stood back in the archway from the hall to the living room to admire our work.
“It looks beautiful,” Natalie sighed.
The fireplace danced and the tree glittered. The presents spilling out from under the tree were magazine-cover worthy with Natalie’s expert wrapping skills. Cora would be beside herself in the morning when she saw it all.
I turned off the fireplace and took Natalie’s hand. “I think it’s time for bed.”
“I hope you weren’t hoping to go to sleep,” she said, pulling me back to her to steal a kiss.
Chapter 39
Natalie
Rylen’s hands fell to my waist and he pulled me against him. I melted into his chest, soft and supple, ready to receive whatever it was he wanted to give me tonight.
Merry Christmas to me, I thought with a smile as the kiss deepened and he began backing me out of the living room and down the hall to his bedroom.
Our bare feet were silent on the floor as we passed Cora’s door. Quietly, with our lips still sealed together, we slipped into his bedroom where he blindly closed the door behind him with his left foot.
Giggling and breathless, I worked his shirt over his head.
He pulled my sweater off. I stripped out of my leggings. He dropped his pants.
“We’d better be careful we don’t get put on the naughty list,” I teased.
“I’ll take coal any day if it means I get to hear you moan my name,” Rylen growled, his lips breaking from mine so he could trail hot kisses down the side of my neck and over my bare shoulder.
I shuddered.
He snapped the waistband of my panties, a silent demand that they had to come off.
I obliged and stepped out of them. Next, I unhooked my bra and let it fall to the floor. He removed his boxers and we crashed together. His skin was hot, his cock hard and ready, and my body responded in kind.
My nipples went hard as he ran his thumbs over them and cupped my breasts. My clit began to swell and tingle just at the thought of him touching me. My breath hitched in my throat and my skin grew sensitive, tuning in to the way it felt as he dropped his head and took my nipples in his mouth, suckling gently, then harder, until I plunged my fingers into his hair and guided him down to his knees.
He lifted one of my legs up and draped it over his shoulder.
My fingers knotted in his hair when his tongue tasted me. His blue eyes flicked up and locked onto my gaze. I smiled. So did he.
My body thrummed with electric energy as he suckled and licked. The leg I balanced on started to tremble and he steadied me by gripping my hips until even that wasn’t enough. I whimpered and clung to his shoulder, desperate for the release, and he gave it to me.
It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep quiet as pleasure rushed through me.
Rylen straightened, spun me around, and threw me down onto the bed on my stomach with my legs dangling off the end. He smacked my ass and stepped in close before putting a hand in the small of my back to hold me down.
I looked over my shoulder at him, some of my own hair in my mouth, and gasped as he pressed two fingers inside me from behind.
He flicked them in come-hither motions until I had to bury my face in the bed to stay quiet. I couldn’t hold on to the sounds escaping me. It felt too good. I moaned his name and clung to the blankets, my nails dragging across the fabric.
He relented right when I was about to burst. I pouted as he rolled me over and met me with a devilish grin.
He pulled me off the edge of the bed and I dropped to a crouch in front of him. He brushed my hair off my forehead, pulled the strand from where it was stuck in the corner of my mouth, and guided me to his cock.
I took him in my mouth as my thighs burned from spasms and the crouched position. Desperate and needy, I reached down and rubbed myself while he fucked my mouth.
Yes, we belonged on the naughty list indeed.
He growled above me and tightened his grip in my hair. His cock pulsed against my tongue and he fell still, daring himself to stay in control. I licked at him, tried to pull him in deeper, but he resisted with a stern look that held me in place. I moaned around his thickness, and that did it.
He pulled back and released my hair. I fell back against the end of the bed and he paced around to the nightstand to grab a condom. The telltale rip of the wrapper made my insides tighten in anticipation.
He returned to me and rolled the condom on.
I stood, ready to go wherever he wanted me, and he steered me around so I was facing the bed. He wrapped an arm around my chest and pulled me against him. His cock pressed up against my ass and he used one hand to guide himself between my thighs. I moaned as he entered my pussy. I let my head fall back against his shoulder. The arm around my chest held me up as he rocked against me, deep and slow.
I gripped his forearm and spread my legs for him.
He groaned in my ear.
I bit my bottom lip and reached behind to grip the back of his neck. I needed to feel all of him, and I needed to feel him everywhere.
He pushed me down on the bed and lifted me up so I was on my hands and knees. His cock still buried deep inside me, he gathered a fistful of my hair to pull my head back so he could lean over me and kiss me while he fucked me. I could hardly catch my breath, let alone kiss him, but I tried my very best until I couldn’t take it anymore.
He must have known I was about to come because he clamped a hand over my mouth and bucked wildly against me.
His palm muffled my cries a
s my orgasm snapped. Pleasure roared through me. I forced myself to look up at him as he pressed his lips to my forehead. The tenderness along with the force was a divine combination.
His hips slowed to a gentle rhythm as he flipped me over onto my back. I sighed and moaned softly as he spread my legs and rubbed my clit with his thumb. He pressed his cock back inside me and gave me a cocky little smile, knowing he’d done a good job based on how wet I was.
It took less than a minute for him to work me right back up to being at his mercy.
This time, he leaned over me and held me close. I clung to him and wrapped my legs around his hips. We kissed and shared breath as we both gave in, and even after we’d both finished, he didn’t let me go. We kept our sweaty bodies crushed up close against each other while we shared passionate kisses so deep and long we could hardly breathe.
Finally, we broke apart and he led me into his bathroom, where we washed each other in the shower to freshen up and calm down. My thighs felt like I’d done a thousand squats and my clit tingled and ached for more, which he gave me in the shower after he’d rinsed the soap off my body.
He held me against the glass door and made me come with his fingers three more times.
Before long, I could hardly keep my eyes open. After we dried off, he carried me to bed, pulled back the covers, and settled in beside me.
I rolled onto my side to face him and cupped a hand under my cheek. It took everything I had to keep my eyes open long enough to look at him. “This just might be the best Christmas Eve I’ve ever had.”
He stroked my cheek. “Me too.”
“I can’t remember when I was this excited about Christmas morning. Probably not since I was Cora’s age.” I smiled as I thought about how she was going to react when she saw the living room tomorrow. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees what we did last night.”
Rylen’s eyes were closed, but he smiled. “What Santa did.”
“Why does he get all the credit?”
“He’ll get the credit until she decides she doesn’t want to believe anymore.”