Christmas in Quincy (The Edens)

by Devney Perry

  “My turn.” I reached between us for the waistband of his jeans. He didn’t stop me as I opened the button and dragged the zipper over his straining arousal.

  I ran my palm along his length, pressing hard as his erection filled my hand. He was long and thick and perfect. An ache bloomed in my core, the throb of desire matching my thundering heartbeats.

  Austin hooked his finger under my chin and turned up my mouth, claiming it with his own as he laid me on the bed. Then he pulled away to strip, returning to me with a ferocity I’d never felt before.

  He wanted me. I felt it in the swipe of his tongue and the firm grip of his hands. He wanted me, only me.

  I’d been blind to it before, but as he kissed and sucked and licked, it all became clear. The insults. The critiques. The dismissals. He’d used them all as tools to keep me away.

  With an arm around my back, Austin hoisted me deeper into the plush bed. His weight pressed me into the mattress and when I spread my legs, he relaxed into the cradle of my hips, never once breaking our kiss.

  My hands roamed over the hard lines of his back, my short nails digging into the solid muscle of his body.

  Every lick of his tongue and nip of his teeth made the ache in my core spike. “Austin.”

  He reached between us to fist his shaft but stopped. “Fuck. No condom.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Are you—”

  I nodded and arched my hips. “Please.”

  I’d been on the pill since high school and I hadn’t been with a man since college. Dating over the past four years had been nearly impossible. It was hard to date when you were infatuated with your bodyguard.

  Austin dragged the tip of his cock through my folds. “God, you’re wet.”

  “For you.” Always for him.

  He rocked inside, slowly, back and forth until he slid inside, filling and stretching me.

  “Austin,” I moaned, my throat arching up in a surge of pleasure.

  “Christ, you feel good.” He dropped a string of kisses down my chest until he reached the curve of my breast. Then he took a nipple in his hot mouth, biting on the hard nub, and I cried out his name again. The mix of pleasure and pain sent a rush through my veins.

  Austin eased out before pumping inside again, the sound of his hips slamming into mine echoing through the room along with my whimpers.

  His rhythm started slowly, deliberately, until he was moving in a motion that would definitely clue the room next door into exactly what we were doing.

  Fucking. I was fucking Austin Myles. Oh, yes, I was screwing Austin and damn, but it was good. So, so good. I’d scream it from the hotel roof if they’d let me.

  He was mine. For today, he was mine. And it felt so right that I closed my eyes and let the pleasure build into a blinding light. The root of his cock dragged against my clit with every thrust. He hit the spot inside that drove me wild until I was shaking, writhing beneath him.

  “I’m—” I didn’t get a chance to warn him. I shattered, pulsing around him as I moaned through the hardest and longest orgasm of my life.

  The white spots in my vision cleared just in time to let me see the restraint on Austin’s face break, and with a groan, he let go, pouring hot inside me until he collapsed onto the bed.

  Our slick bodies clung to one another and I burrowed my face into his neck, savoring his scent and memorizing the weight of his body on mine.

  He’d ruined me. Devastated. No one would ever compare and silly me, I hoped I wouldn’t have to find out.

  When we’d both regained our breaths, he slid free and eased off the bed. “I’ll get a washcloth.”

  “It’s okay.” I pushed myself up to shaking feet. I shuffled past Austin, needing a minute alone to process everything that had just happened, so I shut myself in the bathroom and braved the mirror.

  My hair had fallen out of its tie and was hanging loose and damp over my shoulders. My lips were red and puffy. And there was something in my eyes, something I hadn’t noticed before today.

  Love.

  I was in love with Austin.

  How would I ever pretend like this hadn’t happened?

  That was tomorrow’s worry. I wasn’t letting it wreck what we had today, so I cleaned myself up and returned to the bedroom.

  Austin was beneath the covers, one strong arm behind his head. The other open and waiting.

  I didn’t speak as I slipped beneath the covers and curled into his side. His free arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Then I closed my eyes and let the rhythm of his heartbeat seep into my soul. “Merry Christmas.”

  He kissed my hair and pulled me tighter into his embrace. “Merry Christmas.”

  Chapter 9

  Austin

  “Where are you going?” I tightened my hold on Cleo before she could escape the bed.

  “I didn’t think you were awake.”

  My eyes were closed, but I’d been awake for hours, savoring the feel of her in my arms and the caress of her hair as it draped across my skin. “I’m not.”

  “Go back to sleep.” Her giggle tickled my chest. “I’m going to find us some lunch.”

  “Don’t go.” I wrapped both arms around her, holding her close. “Not yet.”

  “We’ll have to leave this bed at some point.”

  She was right. Eventually we’d have to face reality. But at the moment, I didn’t give a damn about anything except her naked breasts against my ribs and her legs tangled with mine. “Let’s just order room service. In ten minutes.”

  “Okay.” She nodded and snuggled deeper.

  Being with Cleo . . . there weren’t words to describe how well two people fit together. Never in my life had there been a woman like her and never would there be another. She’d destroyed me. She’d changed the path of my life. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do but giving her up wasn’t an option.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked, plucking the thought from my head.

  “We’ll figure it out. Just know this. Now that I’ve had you in my arms, I’m not letting you go.”

  Cleo shifted and propped up on an elbow. “Austin, what’s happening here?”

  I lifted a hand to tuck a lock of her hair away from her eye. “Damn, you are beautiful.”

  Her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled in the light streaming through the window. Her skin was so smooth and creamy. I bent to kiss the freckle on her collarbone.

  She tapped me on the shoulder. “Are you going to answer my question?”

  I chuckled, leaning back. There was a crease between her eyebrows, her face etched in worry. “Do you think there are any of your muffins from yesterday in the kitchen? I’d kill for one right now. Or a scone. Or anything that you made yesterday.”

  She blinked, worry morphing to confusion. “But you hate my food.”

  “I love your food.”

  “No, you don’t.” She frowned. “Don’t pretend to like it just because you’ve seen me naked.”

  I laughed again, thinking of all the times I’d swallowed a chuckle when she was around. Cleo was one of the funniest, wittiest people in the world, but like her food, I hadn’t let myself enjoy her humor.

  Shifting, I sat up and leaned against the headboard, my legs stretched down the length of the bed as she sat up to look at me, bringing the sheet with her.

  “My favorite is your chocolate cupcakes,” I said. “The plain ones, not the ones with the peanut butter filling. Though those are amazing too, the simple chocolate is my favorite. You gave Blake a box for his birthday and I’ve never been more jealous.”

  “Is this a joke?”

  “No. I want them for my birthday this year.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” I nodded. “They’re the best thing I’ve had in my mouth. Except you, baby.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Okay.”

  “My next favorite are your muffins. Any kind. Though the morning muffin with the carrots and ra
isins might be tied for top spot with the blueberry.”

  Her eyes softened. “I’ve never seen you eat the morning muffin.”

  “I have.”

  “When?”

  I shrugged. “Whenever you sent stuff with the guys on duty. But I don’t let myself eat much of anything you bake.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it would give too much away. I worried that if I showed how much I loved your food, everyone would see.”

  “See what?”

  “That I’m in love with you.”

  Her breath hitched. “Austin.”

  “I love you, Cleo.” Saying the words loosened something in my chest. Something that I’d been holding in for far too long. “I’ve been in love with you since the day I walked into the bakery and spotted you, covered in flour and blueberry stains on your fingers.”

  “But that was . . .” Her forehead furrowed. The beginning. I’d been in love with her from the beginning. “All this time?”

  I nodded, bringing a hand to cup her cheek. There was no use pretending. We were in this together now, vulnerabilities and all. “I need this job with your father. My team, my family, they depend on me. It was easier in a lot of ways to just stay away from you. Pretend it would go away. But it never did. And now there’s no pretending. I’m not giving you up.”

  “I’m not giving you up either.” Cleo brushed her fingers through my hair, letting them drop and curve around the shell of my ear.

  Her touch was electric. My cock stirred beneath the sheet and I stretched for her, but she spun off the bed before I could pin her to the mattress, taking the sheet and leaving me stark naked. The quilt was somewhere on the floor.

  She swiped her phone from the nightstand and started punching at the screen. Then it flew to her ear as she spun around, realizing that I was naked.

  Working out was a regular part of my life and I worked hard to keep my body in shape, mostly for the job but also because exercise helped me sort shit in my head. Cleo’s appreciation was a nice bonus.

  Her eyes widened as they drifted down my flat stomach to my growing arousal.

  I smirked.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  My smirk dropped and I leapt off the bed, rounding the end and grabbing her towel from where we’d dropped it earlier. Then I wrapped it around my waist because there was no way I could be naked in the same room as Cleo while she was talking to Ray.

  He said something on the other end of the line that made her roll her eyes.

  “I understand you’re upset. Get over it.”

  I blinked, surprised by the sharpness in her tone. I’d never heard Cleo speak to Ray with that kind of defiance.

  Good for her.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow. But there’s something important I need to speak to you about and it can’t wait.”

  “Cleo—” I started, but she shot me a look and held up a finger, so I shut up.

  Ray was lecturing on the other end of the line. Whatever he was saying, Cleo wasn’t listening.

  “Dad,” she barked. “Shush.”

  Ray’s voice grew louder, his frustration coming through loud and clear.

  Cleo ripped the phone away from her ear and ended the call. “Grr. I just wanted—”

  The phone rang in her hand and she answered it immediately. No doubt it was Ray. “I’m going to hang up on you again unless you can promise to be quiet and listen to me until I’m done.”

  There was a long pause, then Cleo’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you. Like I was saying, I have something important to tell you.”

  My stomach knotted.

  I was about to get fired.

  No matter what Cleo said to Ray, it was inevitable. I’d lose my job and we’d scramble at Garrison. I’d cut my salary and take on any job I could get to make sure the guys had work, even if that meant adding celebrities to my client list. I hated their drama and the goddamn paparazzi, but I wasn’t about to sink my company. Channing might have to take some loans out for school but it wasn’t the end of the world.

  I held my breath, waiting.

  Cleo turned to me, the phone pressed to her ear, and smiled. “I’m in love with Austin.”

  Her words hit me square in the heart. No matter what happened, hearing those words was worth it. Job be damned. She was all I really needed.

  I reached out a hand and took hers.

  She laced her fingers through mine and her smile stretched wider. “I love him, Dad. And I have for a long time. I’m going to be with Austin.”

  For the rest of her life, if I had anything to say about it. We weren’t there yet. This was hours old, though years in the making. But soon. I’d waited long enough. It was time to throw myself into her life, full force.

  “I know this is unexpected, but please—” She pulled the phone away from her ear and gritted her teeth. “He hung up on me.”

  My phone on my nightstand buzzed.

  “It’s him.” She sighed.

  “Yeah.” I dropped her hand and went to the other side of the bed and answered Ray’s call.

  “How long have you been screwing my daughter?”

  “That’s not any of your business.”

  “It sure as hell is my business. I pay you to protect her, not to—”

  “I quit.”

  Cleo gasped and slapped a hand to her mouth.

  “Goodbye, Ray.” I ended the call and tossed my phone aside.

  Fuck. That had deteriorated quickly.

  “Oh my God, I shouldn’t have called him.” Cleo’s hands dove into her hair as she paced beside the bed. “I’m so sorry. Austin, I’m so sorry. We could have kept it a secret and he wouldn’t have known.”

  “I’m not keeping this a secret.”

  “But—”

  “No more secrets, baby.”

  Her hands fell and she faced me. “Okay.”

  “We’ll be fine.”

  The phone rang in her hand and she looked at the screen. She hesitated, taking a long moment before accepting the call. “Yes?”

  Ray’s voice echoed as he launched into another lecture. I didn’t catch it all but he was basically calling into question her life choices.

  She closed her eyes, her frame tensing with every passing second. The fingers on her free hand curled into a fist. “Stop! Just stop. When did you become this person? When did you stop hearing me? I know you love me and want what’s best for me, but this is my decision. I love Austin. This wasn’t something we’ve been hiding from you for years. We haven’t been sneaking around your back. This trip to Montana brought us together and I’m not going to apologize. I love him. And if you accept his resignation, you might as well accept mine too. I quit as your daughter.”

  I fought a grin. Cleo loved Ray, despite their differences. She might have quit Christmas, but she’d never quit as his daughter. The threat was made, but we all knew it wasn’t going to last.

  Just like I knew Ray was about to cave.

  He loved Cleo more than life.

  His reply was muffled, but when her fingers uncurled and her shoulders dropped from her ears, I knew he’d heard her.

  “Yes, we can discuss it later,” she said. “But not tomorrow. We’re coming home and then I’m going to the bakery to make Austin some cupcakes. We’ll come for dinner the night after that.”

  Fuck, but I loved her.

  “Okay. Bye, Dad. Merry Christmas.” She ended the call, set the phone aside and shrugged. “Neither of us are allowed to quit.”

  I threw my head back and laughed, then rounded the bed and took her into my arms. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Cleo wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her ear to my heart. “Want me to order room service?”

  “Not yet.” I gripped the sheet draped around her body and tugged it away before doing the same for my towel. “Merry Christmas, Cleo.”

  She stood on her toes, smiling against my lips as she ran her hand up my thigh. “Merry Christmas, Austin.”

 
It was one we’d never forget.

  “I think we should come back here,” Cleo said, glancing around the lobby of The Eloise Inn. The smile on her face had been there all morning. As we’d showered together. As we’d packed. As we’d checked out of room 410. And now as we waited for the hotel’s shuttle to drive us to the airport.

  “I like Quincy.” She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Maybe we could make it an annual thing. We could come here every Christmas.”

  “Every third.”

  “Every other,” she countered.

  I’d come here every winter and freeze my ass off if that was what she wanted. “Every fourth.”

  “That’s not how compromise works.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll give you every third Christmas with summer trips in between.”

  She held out her hand. “Agreed.”

  I took her hand and brought her knuckles to my lips just as the shuttle pulled up. We’d come back to Quincy, of that I had no doubt.

  I owed this town, this hotel, my future.

  I owed Quincy for Cleo.

  Epilogue

  Cleo

  Two years later . . .

  “That is not what we agreed on, Austin.”

  “Yes, it is.” He had his hands on his hips as he stood across from me in the bakery’s kitchen.

  “No, it isn’t.” I bounced our son on my hip and took a calming breath. “You said chocolate.”

  “I said vanilla.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “I did, baby. I said vanilla.”

  He took one of my chocolate cupcakes from the box and swiped his finger through the frosting. A slow grin spread across his face as he licked it off. “But I’ll take these to the office. The guys will eat them.”

  “You lying—” I stretched for the rag on the counter, ready to throw it at his face, but Austin was faster. He snatched it away before I could nab it.

  Shaun cooed before shoving his fist into his mouth, coating his knuckles with drool.