“Are they actually speaking Latin?” I asked as I walked through the streets of Rome at its imperial height.
“Yep,” said Colton. “All of the modules are complete units. So you can learn about Rome, speak Latin to a Roman, stop in the temple and learn all about their religion, and take a trip out into the country to see battles unfold. Then go to another period of history and do it all again.”
I couldn’t see Colton’s face, but I could detect the pride in his voice.
The experience was beyond incredible. I pressed the button to power down the display and took off the helmet, my chest rising and falling with excited breaths. And to my surprise, tears had formed in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, hoping that Colton hadn’t seen them.
“Was something wrong?” he asked. “I know it can be a little much if you’ve never done it before.
“No,” I said, my heart pounding. “It’s not that.”
He regarded me curiously. “Then what is it?”
I took a moment to collect my thoughts.
“It’s just…you. All of this.” I gestured to the decorations and the cookies and the candles and everything else. “You didn’t have to do any of it. And then you bring me this, probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a kindness that I don’t even know how to handle.”
A small smiled tugged at one side of his mouth.
“I’m happy to do it,” he said, reaching forward to take my hand, squeezing it gently. “You deserve to have a wonderful Christmas.”
“Look at that,” he said turning toward the window. “Snow’s picking up.”
I glanced in the direction he looked and saw that the snow was indeed getting heavier.
“You might want to hang out here until it eases up,” I said. The words came out in a tumble. I was surprised to hear myself say them.
“Sounds good to me,” he said. “And we still have plenty of wine left.”
“Speaking of which,” I said before finishing off the rest of my glass.
Colton took my glass with a smile and hopped up from the couch.
As he refilled the wine, I walked over to one of my living room windows and watched the snow fall gently down on the city, the white slowly, gradually, blotting everything out.
Colton came to my side and handed me my wine. He stood close to me by the window, just a bit closer than one would stand next to a friend and coworker. But I didn’t mind—I enjoyed the feeling of him being near me.
For a long moment, the two of us watched the snow drift down. Out of the corner of my eye, I took in the sight of Colton’s handsome profile, my eyes lingering on his strong jaw and his full, sensual lips.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him. After all, it seemed so close to happening that night at his apartment.
“It’s so peaceful,” I said, turning my attention back to the snow.
He nodded. “Even if you’re right, and it all turns gray eventually, it still looks beautiful for a time. You can’t hold onto it forever, you know.”
I glanced up, noticing that the two of us were standing under a small bough of mistletoe. A light chuckle escaped my lips.
Colton crinkled his brow and turned his head toward me.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I just noticed that we were standing under some mistletoe, and I thought about how I don’t even know if people actually kiss under that, or if it’s just one of those things that you only see in the movies or read about in books.”
Colton said nothing, his eyes fixed on mine, the slightest of smiles on his lips.
“I’ve heard that it can be done,” he said.
“Is that right?” I asked.
Colton reached up, taking my chin into his hand. I tingled with delight at his touch. I was ready for what he wanted, and what I wanted too.
Without saying another word, he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.
A sensual shiver ran through my body as his mouth covered mine. His hand still on my chin, Colton placed his other on the small of my back, bringing my body in close and tight against his.
My heart beat fast in my chest as Colton held me and kissed me, and all I could think about was how I wanted more and more.
“Wait a minute,” I said, taking my lips away from his. “Is this a bad idea?”
He smiled that impossibly charming smile of his.
“I think it’s the best idea we’ve had all day.”
I matched his smile with one of my own.
“Even better than the gingerbread cookies?” I asked.
“Even better than the gingerbread cookies,” he said. “And even more delicious.”
I wanted to melt right then and there.
Colton brought his lips to mine again, and the two of us continued to kiss deeply and passionately. He held me in place, his hands moving gently over the curves of my hips.
After a time, I opened my mouth slightly, enough for his tongue to slip into my mouth and move over mine.
God, he tasted good.
We kissed by the window, the time melting away as we held each other, the Christmas music playing softly in the background.
But I wanted more—kissing wasn’t going to be enough.
I reached down and took Colton’s hand into mine, leading him to my bedroom. The place wasn’t much and barely big enough for the bed and a dresser, but I didn’t care—there was only one thing on my mind.
I led Colton to the foot of the bed, and once we stood in front of it, the kissing began again, now even more passionate than before. Colton’s hands moved slowly up my hips, his fingertips grazing the bare skin of my midsection. His touch was almost too much, but each contact of his flesh on mine made me crave him even more.
He took hold of the hem of my shirt and lifted it slowly, gradually, exposing more and more of my skin. He took it up and over the simple white bra that I wore, pulling it over my shoulders. And as he did, I undid the buttons of his shirt, eager as hell to see what was underneath.
As I pulled the shirt over his shoulders, a smile took hold of my lips through the kiss. Sure enough, Colton’s body was just as fit and toned as I would’ve guessed. His shoulders were broad and round, his pecs were like two solid plates of granite, and his abs were lean and toned without a drop of fat on them.
But I needed to see more.
My hand trailed down his body, moving slowly over the hard lines. Once I was down to his pants, I let my fingertips graze over the outline of his manhood through his jeans. And he did the same to me. Colton reached down and squeezed my inner thigh before rubbing me through my pants.
By this point I was so worked up that I could hardly take it. Our kissing became practically frenzied, and all I wanted was to be naked with him under the covers. Thankfully, it was obviously what he wanted too.
He took me by the hips once again, this time leading me onto the bed. Our lips locked, we were soon horizontal, the two of us taking off more and more of each other’s clothing by the second. Soon, I was down to nothing but my bra and matching panties, and Colton was in his skin-tight black boxer-briefs, his erection straining against the fabric.
Before we could go any further, Colton took his mouth away from mine.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “In fact, everything is right.”
“Then why did you stop?”
“I want to make sure this is what you want.”
I smiled, amused by his chivalry.
“I am in bed with you wearing nothing but my underwear,” I said. “I think that’s a pretty clear sign of what I want.”
“Then let me hear you say it,” he said. “Tell me that you want me.”
“I want you,” I said, the words coming out without the slightest trace of hesitation. “I want you so badly it hurts.”
That was all he needed to hear. His lips returned to mine, and we kissed again, his hands reaching
around my back and undoing the clasp of my bra. Once it was undone he took my bra off, tossing it to the side of the small bedroom. My breasts now bare, he kissed and caressed them, and I took in deep, full gasps at the sensation of his mouth against my skin.
My hand drifted down, caressing his member through his underwear. I soon couldn’t take any more waiting, and I plunged my hand down into his boxer-briefs, wrapping my fingers around his thick, warm manhood. And as I did, Colton did the same, his fingers slipping under the waistband of my panties and softly rubbing my sex.
I helped him, taking my hand away from his body for long enough to shimmy out of my panties, leaving me completely bare. Colton stripped out of his underwear, and I glanced down to see that his member was so long and thick that it might very well be a challenge to accommodate it.
But I was up for it.
We kissed and fondled each other more, and he eventually rolled me onto my back and took position between my legs as I spread them open wide for him. I took hold of his manhood again, guiding it down, down until it barely touched my sex.
And Colton did the rest.
With a slow driving of his hips, Colton penetrated me. My eyes went wide as he entered me, the feeling of his thickness deep inside of me almost too much at first. But I quickly accommodated him, and the tension gave way to pure pleasure. His green eyes stared deeply into mine as he tucked one hand beneath my rear and positioned the other near my head, propping himself up on it, the muscles of his upper arm bulging and thick.
He entered me over and over, the pleasure more than I could bear. I wrapped my legs around his hips, guiding him deep into me, beckoning him with my body to fill me again and again. I closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of him inside of me, his massive erection sending hot pulses of pleasure through my body.
I moved my hands over the hard lines of his body, his skin warm and firm. It didn’t take much time before I felt the stirrings of an orgasm building inside of me.
I pressed down on Colton’s behind, feeling the muscles tense and release with each thrust, imploring him with my eyes to make love to me harder and faster.
He complied, his face tightening with pleasure.
Soon, the orgasm that had been building ripped through my body, hot waves of delight coursing through me. I moaned and writhed underneath him, each thrust pushing a new explosion of delight through my body. Perhaps propelled by my own ecstasy, Colton came soon after.
Once our orgasms had faded, he collapsed at my side, and the two of us lay there for a time, catching our breaths after the intensity of our lovemaking. Outside the window the sun had long set, the snow still drifting down as darkness fell over the city.
“Merry Christmas, Shayla,” he murmured, pulling me tight against his body.
“Merry Christmas to you,” I said breathlessly—and in that moment, I truly meant it.
Chapter 12
Shayla
I woke the next morning still curled up against Colton’s chest. His eyes opened soon after mine, a warm smile spreading across his face as he realized that he was in bed with me.
“You look surprised,” I said, my voice heavy with sleep.
“I am, a little,” he said. “You’re not?”
I stretched my arms out, taking in a deep yawn.
“I am,” I said. “But the good kind of surprised.”
“Though,” Colton added, “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about what it’d be like.”
“The feeling is more than mutual,” I purred.
“I slept pretty deep,” he said. “I might need a little reminding.”
“I’d be happy to,” I said.
I leaned up, bringing my face close to his and kissing him gently. He still tasted just as good first thing in the morning.
“You know what,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had anything but cookies to eat in the last twelve hours.”
“Same here,” I said, my stomach rumbling as if happy to finally be thought of. “What’re you thinking?”
“I kind of know this neighborhood,” he said. “And there’s a really good diner on the corner if I remember correctly.”
“Oh, you mean Lenny’s?” I asked. “I love that place.”
“Breakfast, then?” he asked. “It’s on me.”
“Can’t say no to that,” I said. “But let me check the snow outside.”
I scooted out of bed and stepped over the window. Outside was bright and white with newly fallen snow, a few plows driving here and there to clear the streets. The sky was a crystal clear, perfect cerulean up above.
“I think it’s doable,” I said. “Just a short walk over.”
I turned to see that Colton had been staring at me, a dreamy look on his face.
“What?” I asked, putting my hands on my bare hips.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just having a hard time with how damn good you look in the morning light.”
I stepped over to him, planting a kiss on his lips. “Such a charmer,” I said, then kneeled down and picked up a few of his clothes. “But get dressed, ladykiller—I’m starving all of a sudden.”
Colton chuckled as he slipped on his underwear and pants. As I watched his manhood disappear under his boxer-briefs, part of me considered the idea of hopping back into bed so the two of us could have a little “appetizer,” but my growling stomach won out.
After a few quick moments, the two of us were dressed and ready. I put on my coat and my red cap, and we were off. A bracing chill hit us as we made our way down the snow-covered sidewalk, both of us stepping carefully as to not put a foot into the piles of snow from the recent shoveling.
Soon we were at the retro-styled diner, Colton holding the door for me. The inside was warm and toasty, and the place was surprisingly full. A waitress led us to an open booth, handing us both thick, plastic-covered menus. Colton ordered a pot of coffee before the waitress headed off.
“What’s good?” asked Colton. “It’s been a while since I’ve eaten here. As in, decades.”
“The omelet is great, and the pancakes are delicious. I think that’s what I’m getting.”
The waitress soon returned with the pot of coffee and poured two steaming cups. I ordered the banana pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and toast, and Colton ordered the bacon double cheeseburger with onion rings and a vanilla milkshake.
“That’s a hell of a breakfast,” I said. “Would your mom approve of that?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he said with a charmingly boyish smile. “But she’s not here, is she?”
“Speaking of which,” I said, wrapping my hands around the coffee cup to warm them up, “where are your parents? I would’ve thought you’d have been with them yesterday.”
“My dad has some business dealings in Hong Kong, believe it or not. So he and my mom decided to spend the winter taking a little Asian vacation. They left in November and won’t be back until February.”
“Wow,” I said. “Is that rough for you? I thought you and your family were inseparable during the holidays.”
“We still make sure to get together as often as we can, but ever since they sold the place in Manhattan and moved up to Westchester it’s been trickier to do the big holiday celebrations that we used to. Pitfalls of becoming an adult, I suppose.”
He took a sip of his coffee and glanced out the window at the gently falling snow.
“But I’ll be spending some time with family in the next couple of days. I have a few aunts and uncles and cousins in California that I’ve been meaning to drop in on.”
“God, some California weather sounds nice,” I said, the last lingering traces of cold finally fading from my skin. “I love the city, but the winters are never easy.”
“No kidding,” said Colton. “Been here all my life and they never get easier.”
An odd expression appeared on Colton’s face, then. His eyebrows angled downward, and his eyes narrowed in thought. It was a look that suggested he had something to say but w
asn’t quite sure how to say it.
“Okay,” I said. “You’ve got something on your mind. Let’s hear it.”
“It’s…something I’ve been thinking about this last week,” he started. “And when the idea occurred to me, it sounded so perfect that I wanted to come to you with it right away. But I thought I needed to give it some time, to let it marinate some. Being a CEO is about coming up with what you think are great ideas, but also having the patience to think on them and figure out whether or not they’d actually work.”
“And what is this great idea?” I asked.
“How would you feel about coming to work for me?”
Chapter 13
Colton
Shayla’s eyes went so wide with surprise that it was kind of adorable. She said nothing, her hands on the off-white table between us. With neither of us speaking, the din of the restaurant rose, the murmur of conversation mixing with the clinking of plates and silverware, punctuated by the occasional “ding” of the order bell.
Then the waitress came, placing our food on the table. The rich smell of the burger hit me instantly, but I couldn’t touch it—I needed to hear what Shayla would say.
“Well?” I asked. “What do you think?”
“You want me to work with you?” she said, echoing my words. “Are you serious?”
“Does that seem like something I’d joke about?” I asked. “I’m as serious as it gets.”
My eyes flicked down to her pancakes.
“Those look good,” I said. “If you’re not going to eat them, I just might.”
Shayla snatched up her fork and knife, cut a wedge out of her pancakes and, after covering them with syrup, took a bite and chewed.
Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set Page 22