Christmas In Mistletoe

by Clare Lydon

  Fran took them, breathing in the scent of orange, cinnamon and spices. The smell of Christmas. She made her way back through the chattering crowds, the buzz in the air heightening. To her right, a fire pit crackled in the corner, and Paul was holding court around it. She delivered the drinks back to her parents, then headed out again to the pretzel truck which was doing a roaring trade. She got three, then brought them back to eat with her parents just as the support band began. Fran had seen them play before, so her focus was more on the crowd. How attentive they were, because that would affect Ruby, too. The answer was, very. Even her parents, who were average music fans, were rapt by song three.

  Fran took the opportunity to slip away, rounding the bottom of the stage and slipping past the pick-and-mix truck, and one selling posh socks. She shivered as she approached the barn, then walked through the yard to the office she was very familiar with. Ruby was inside, blinds drawn. Fran could hear her doing her warm-up.

  She hesitated once, then knocked lightly on the door.

  Ruby opened the door in seconds. When she saw Fran, she tried a half-smile. It almost worked.

  Fran’s heart lurched. She wanted to wrap Ruby up and protect her, but that wasn’t what she needed.

  “Hey.” She went to step inside, but Ruby shook her head.

  “I was just coming out anyway. I need to hear a bit of the band, feel the crowd.” She took a deep breath and shut the door.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Ruby blew out a breath. “Nervous as hell, but that’s expected.”

  She walked on her tip-toes, faster than normal.

  “You’re going to be great.”

  “Ruby!” Mary waved from the other side of the barn. She raced over and gave Ruby a bear hug. “You’re going to be brilliant.” She kissed her cheek. “I gotta run, people are still buying Christmas trees. But this is the last sale, then I’m taking my place.” Mary checked her watch. “Twenty minutes!” Mary pressed something into Fran’s hand, then ran back to her station.

  Fran opened her palm. Mary had given her a sprig of Mistletoe. She raised an eyebrow at Ruby. “I’ve no idea what your mum’s suggesting.”

  Ruby took it from Fran’s hand and held it above their heads. “Maybe this?”

  Fran didn’t need a second invitation. She reached up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to Ruby’s. Lust rippled through her. She snaked an arm around Ruby’s neck and pulled her lips closer. Now they’d reconnected, Fran never wanted to let Ruby go.

  When they parted, Fran stared up at her. Ruby didn’t know how gorgeous or talented she was. That was part of her charm.

  “Can you believe it took us this long to kiss under the mistletoe in Mistletoe?”

  Ruby laughed. “My mother had to step in.”

  “Let’s keep that between you and me.” Fran smiled. “It was worth the wait.”

  “It was.”

  Outside, Troubadour finished a song and the crowd whooped and clapped. “We’ve got two more for you until you get the woman you’re all here for. The incredible Ruby O’Connell!”

  This time, the cheering and applause were so much louder.

  Ruby’s face dropped a little.

  Fran took hold of both her hands. “Listen to me: you’re going to be great tonight. I’m not your label or your manager. But I am your girlfriend.” She touched Ruby’s cheek with her fingertips. “If you’d let me, I could be your biggest cheerleader. This is your moment. I can’t wait to hear you sing ‘Pieces Of You’. I can’t wait for your home town to realise how great you are.” She kissed her lips a final time. “And who knows? Bigger things might come from this.”

  When Fran pulled back, Ruby’s green gaze was on her. “Let’s deal with this gig for now. One step at a time. Maybe in six months I might feel differently about going bigger, who knows? For now, I’m happy being a small fish in a small pond.” Ruby kissed Fran again.

  Fran’s head spun.

  A wolf whistle split the air.

  Fran glanced up to see Victoria and Eric walking towards them, Eric with his guitar aloft.

  “Get a room, you two!” Victoria shouted.

  Ruby narrowed her eyes. “I apologise for my family.”

  “Never apologise.” Fran winked, then stepped back. “You look every inch the superstar, too, by the way. Now go out there and break a leg.” She tilted her head. “Not literally, of course. One of those in the family is quite enough for one year.”

  Ruby strummed her guitar twice, then stepped up to the mic. “One, two, Mistletoe!”

  The crowd roared back their approval, and a shiver of pride rattled through Fran. Her girlfriend was on stage. From the look on Ruby’s face, she was loving it.

  Fran breathed out a sigh of relief.

  And relax.

  “One, two, Mistletoe!” Ruby said again.

  This time, someone in the crowd shouted it right back. Fran scanned the front couple of rows for the instigator, even though she recognised the voice.

  Audrey. Sure enough, in seconds Audrey was on her feet, hands in the air. “Everybody!” she shouted. “One, two, Mistletoe!”

  Ruby repeated it, then tuned her guitar.

  Meanwhile, the crowd, led by the unstoppable Audrey, slowly began to chant. “One, two Mistletoe! One, two, Mistletoe!”

  Beside them, Paul and Mary’s faces were a picture. “That’s what I always say!” Paul shouted at Fran’s parents. But he also chanted it right back at his daughter.

  “Thank you so much, Mistletoe! This is my first time playing for all the people I love most in the world.” Ruby’s gaze landed on the elevated seated section to her left. She blew them a kiss. “I hope you enjoy my Christmas set.”

  She launched into her first song, and the crowd began to sway along, voices loose. Right there in that first song, Ruby came alive. As if she’d been given permission to flourish, to showcase herself, to have fun. She was going to do just that.

  Fran could do nothing but grin, just like the rest of Ruby’s family and friends. The looks on their faces were priceless. They knew what Ruby could do, but they almost never saw her perform. Tonight was the culmination of all those gigs Ruby had done, all the hours of practise she’d put in. Even the gig that had gone so wrong. It hadn’t diminished her. Ruby was born for the bigger stage. Bigger than the one she was on.

  Five songs in and the crowd were going wild, Audrey now silenced, everyone hanging on Ruby’s every word. Ruby’s fingers dazzled on her guitar, and Fran’s mind jumped forward to what they might do to her later. Heat stole over her at the thought.

  “Thank you so much!” Ruby shook her head as she scanned the courtyard. She looked like she couldn’t believe where she was. She also looked the most content Fran had ever seen her.

  “I cannot believe I’m playing the courtyard where I grew up. I’ve built snowmen on this ground. I’ve scraped my knee, drunk too much mulled wine. I think I may have even thrown up in that corner over there. Don’t worry, Mum made me clean it up.” Ruby waited for the laughter to die down. “I want to say thank you to everyone for being here, and for supporting Mistletoe Christmas Tree Farm. Please order your trees for next year. But mostly, thank you to the people who made this all possible. My parents, my brother and sister, my wonderful brother-in-law, Eric, on the guitar.” She waited for the clapping to die down. “And also, to Fran Bell for dreaming it up in the first place.”

  Fran stilled. She hadn’t expected a shout-out. She glanced at her parents who were giving her wide puppy eyes. Happiness danced through her. Ruby was so far from Delilah, just as Damian had said. With her, Fran could be out, be herself. She wasn’t a dirty secret with Ruby. It made all the difference.

  “Now, I’d like to play you my new song which is very special to me. Very personal. And I want to dedicate it to a remarkable person in the crowd. She knows who she is.”

  Fran’s stomach rolled. She gritted her teeth and held it together. Ruby had dedicated her new song to her. Emotion bubbled up inside
her. Fran wasn’t a crier, but if she had been, this would have been the time. Instead, she grabbed her phone from her pocket, turned it onto Ruby and hit record.

  When Ruby began to sing, the crowd hushed. By the middle eight, she had them in the palm of her hand. When Ruby hit the high notes, Fran swooned. Everyone was glued to Ruby’s every breath. Fran made sure her hand was steady, as she got every note of the song, plus the crowd’s reaction when it ended.

  Fran knew stardom when she saw it. Ruby had it, the elusive ‘thing’ that all labels looked for. She could be a folk/pop crossover like so many before her. But she had to want it.

  Fran glanced down at the video, then shared it on her Instagram feed.

  If nothing else, her followers could hear it and marvel, too.

  The crowd were still basking in the afterglow of the gig, and her public weren’t keen to let Ruby go. She’d threaded her hour-and-20-minute set with her own songs, a smattering of Christmas favourites plus some folk classics, and it had gone down a storm. Ruby had hugged Audrey and Norman, chatted to farm staff and locals alike, and now she was with her family.

  Ruby’s parents hugged her, then Victoria, before Ruby greeted Fran, Dad and Pop.

  Her parents couldn’t wait for their hug.

  “Ruby, you were incredible. Fran told us how good you were, but that was such a performance. Fran was right, you should be a megastar!”

  Ruby cast her gaze to the floor, then shook her head. “My hometown made it easy.” She glanced at Fran. “But without your daughter, it wouldn’t have happened.”

  Fran shook her head. Ruby was too quick to attribute her success to others. It was time she owned it. “This wasn’t me. This was all you.”

  Ruby glanced at her parents. “Do you need me to do anything else here?”

  Paul shook his head. “I want you to do nothing here. The cafe staff are going to take down the stage. We’ve got the food and drink stands covered, and our Christmas tree pre-orders are through the roof. One thing, though. Everyone has demanded another concert next year, so can we make this an annual event?” He paused. “I should let you know, I’ve already said yes.” He walked over and put an arm around Ruby, kissing her cheek.

  “I would love to,” Ruby said. “From being scared stiff, it’s turned into the best night of my life. I could feel the love from the crowd. If you have that, you can’t fail.”

  Fran shook her head. “You can’t.”

  “By the way,” Paul added. “That ‘one, two, Mistletoe’ chant got me a little jealous. Nobody’s ever chanted it back at me before.”

  Ruby laughed. “I’ll credit you next time, Dad.”

  Paul smiled. “It’s my gift to you.” He kissed her cheek again. “Why don’t you and Fran have a drink and we’ll join you later when we’ve cleared the farm. Don’t argue. We’ve got enough staff here to help, so just go and relax.”

  Ruby glanced over at Fran. “Can I interest you in a mulled wine and a mince pie by an open fire?”

  Fran nodded. “It sounds perfect.”

  “You really were incredible.”

  Ruby squeezed Fran’s hand as they walked through the farmhouse front door. Chipper greeted them, jumping up at Ruby and pawing Fran.

  “Hey boy, good dog!” Ruby ruffled his fur, before ushering him through to the lounge. Then she shut the door.

  “Aren’t we going in there?” Fran inclined her head.

  Ruby shook hers. “I’ve been thinking about you all week, wanting to kiss you without an audience. Just me, an audience of one.” She wrapped her arms around Fran and pulled her close so their bodies were touching. Then Ruby pressed her lips to Fran’s.

  Fran’s toes danced in her boots.

  “I haven’t shown you my room, yet. Plus, there’s nobody in the house right now. How about a mulled wine afterwards?”

  “Fuck the mulled wine.”

  Ruby shook with gentle laughter. “You’re my kind of woman.”

  Ruby tugged Fran’s hand and they walked through the kitchen and up the stone stairs with frayed carpet. Fran focused on the rich thud of her heart, stirring her insides with style.

  Ruby opened a door on the right: her bedroom. It housed a double bed with a white duvet and pillows. The walls were white, the two chests of drawers the same colour.

  “You like white.” Shut up, Fran.

  The room could have been painted neon pink for all she cared. It didn’t matter.

  What mattered was the electricity in the room, so raw, so wired, about to ignite.

  Ruby reached for her, but stopped when she touched Fran. She brought Fran’s hand to her mouth and kissed it gently. That didn’t help Fran’s mini-tremors.

  “You’re shaking,” Ruby whispered.

  Dark eyes tracked Fran’s every move. Her breath quickened. “It’s what you do to me.” She raised her head and caught Ruby’s glittering stare. “It’s what you did to all those people out there tonight. You dazzled them. You’re dazzling me now.”

  Ruby shook her head, her gaze steady. “You dazzle me. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week.”

  Fran shuddered. “What were you thinking about specifically?” Because she knew for sure that she’d been thinking about this moment all week long. This gorgeous, languid moment, heightened with anticipation. When it was just the two of them, with no interruptions.

  Ruby shook her head as a sultry smile appeared on her face. “Your body. Your skin. You.” She put a finger under Fran’s chin, her strong thumb stroking the soft skin of Fran’s cheek.

  That slight action made Fran’s breathing hitch.

  Then Ruby tilted Fran’s head upwards until there were only millimetres between them. There was no hesitation as she pressed forward and their lips met again.

  A firework exploded in Fran’s soul.

  Hot damn.

  Ruby slid her tongue into Fran’s mouth with the surety of a lover who’d done this many times. It already felt like that. Like Ruby knew Fran. But also, like this was the first time.

  It had only been a few days since they’d been together, but there was a ferocity in Ruby’s kisses from the start. Fran was all for it. In response, Fran sucked Ruby’s top lip between her own, and Ruby groaned. It was more than enough to send spikes of pleasure through Fran.

  The heat in the room ramped up. Ruby pulled back, eyeing Fran. Her breathing was ragged, and they both had too many clothes on. She hoped her gaze told Ruby that. Apparently, it did.

  Buttons popped as Ruby’s fingers worked deftly to rid Fran of her top. When it slid from her shoulders, Ruby tossed it onto a nearby chair. Fran did the same for Ruby, kissing her skin beneath the buttons as she went. They both shed their bras, never taking their gazes from the other.

  The air around them rippled with hunger. Fran brought Ruby’s hand to her lips, kissing the tips of Ruby’s fingers one by one. The desire inside her was so overwhelming, she could hardly breathe. “I can’t believe I’m getting to touch the hot star of the moment.”

  Making short work of her jeans and underwear, Ruby guided Fran to her bed. She shook her head. “I can’t believe I get to be here with you. You’re the star in my eyes.” Ruby paused. “And I hope you don’t mind, but I really need to feel you.”

  Fran shook her head. “That’s the craziest question. The pleasure’s all mine.”

  “It will be,” Ruby replied, and Fran’s stomach flipped. Ruby kicked off the rest of her clothes, then lowered herself on top of Fran, their groans connecting at the same time as their lips.

  When Ruby slid her tongue into Fran’s mouth again, desire drenched her. It was too much. She’d watched Ruby all night long. Now she wanted more.

  “I want you inside me.” Fran’s voice came out fractured. Her feelings were anything but. They were connected and she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted Ruby inside her, on top of her, all over her. She wanted to be consumed by her.

  Ruby bathed Fran with her emerald-green stare, darkening by the second. Then she rai
sed two fingers to Fran’s mouth, and moved her lips to Fran’s ear. “I know you’re probably wet enough,” she whispered. “But just in case.”

  If Fran wasn’t soaked before, she definitely was now. She opened her lips as silently instructed, and sucked Ruby’s fingers inside. Was it possible to die of desire? Fran never wanted to let Ruby go.

  Above her, Ruby closed her eyes and groaned again, which only stoked Fran’s fire. Then Ruby slid her wet fingertips down Fran’s body and in one swift move, slipped into her with liquid ease.

  If Fran had been anticipating this moment all week long, the reality was ten times better. She’d wanted Ruby to fill her, to swamp her, and she’d got her wish. Fran’s mind went blank as Ruby did just what she asked, and more. Her hips bucked and she closed her eyes.

  “You feel so good,” Ruby told her. “Exquisite. Like silk.”

  Hot breath pleasured Fran’s earlobe. Her pink nipples went rock hard as Ruby sucked them into her mouth. She tried to catch her breath, to remember anything. It was impossible. She gave in, and fell under Ruby’s spell. She spread across the bed, her body an invitation, with Ruby the honoured guest. She arched up, letting her fingertips dance across Ruby’s back.

  Meanwhile, Ruby’s fingers performed a dance all of their own inside her.

  Ruby licked Fran’s neck, and thrust into her with perfect precision. “There?” Hesitation flecked Ruby’s voice.

  A shiver rippled through Fran at Ruby’s low tone. “Yes.”

  “Just there?”

  “I promise you, yes.”

  Satisfied, Ruby relaxed into her rhythm, before connecting with Fran’s clit.

  Fran pressed the back of her head into the pillow as pure heat spread through her. It wasn’t just today or this week she’d wanted Ruby, ached for Ruby. Having Ruby inside her felt like something she’d been waiting for her whole life. Like they were two parts of the same puzzle. As if Ruby had been missing from her life all this time.

  Ruby’s lips came back to Fran’s, pulling her mouth into a searing kiss that scrambled Fran’s brain. Passion drizzled down Fran’s body. She clung to Ruby’s shoulders as they moved as one. Her insides throbbed with longing as she tried to hold on. She wanted this to last forever, but then again, she wanted her sweet release.