My Lucky Days: A Novel

by S. D. Hendrickson

  He grinned at my answer. “You want me?”

  “Yes.”

  His lips brushed against mine. “As much as I want you?”

  “Yes.” I nodded, reaching up to the first button on my red cardigan sweater.

  “Wait.” He took my fingers in his hand. “That’s like letting someone else open my Christmas present.”

  I laughed. “So now I’m your Christmas present?”

  “If you want to be.”

  “Have you been good this year?” I teased.

  His eyebrows went up as he gave me one of those fake innocent grins. “Very good.”

  Lucky set back on his knees as he stayed straddling my hips. His finger trailed over my lips and lightly over my cheek and then down my neck to the top of my sweater. He opened the first button with little effort. Moving to the second one, his fingers grazed my breast.

  I sucked in a quick breath from the contact.

  Lucky smiled as his fingers moved down to the next button, brushing my skin, sending little tingles through me. Once he reached the bottom, the sides fell open. He pulled my arms out of the sleeves. His fingers ran lightly over my skin until he reached the lace-trim bra. “I wasn’t expecting red.”

  “You like it?” I had bought everything new. I had planned it out days in advance. My suitcase was full of pretty things to wear while I was here with Lucky.

  “Yeah, I like it.” Giving me a playful grin, his hand cupped my breast. He rubbed the fabric with his fingers, causing tiny waves to trickle down into my stomach. He moved his hand over my rib cage and across my skin.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. He touched the top of my jeans, dipping a finger just inside the waistband. His eyes asked the silent question.

  I nodded yes as the rush of excitement shot through my stomach.

  Lucky scooted down so that he was almost kneeling between my legs. Opening the top button, he slid the zipper down as far as it would reach. Tugging with both hands, the denim skinny jeans slipped down my thighs.

  And then he laughed. “You’re wearing Christmas tree panties.”

  “It’s a matching set. I thought they were festive.”

  His eyes flickered up to the red bra and then back down to the panties, which had the same lace trim across the top and around the legs—except the fabric was covered in little green trees.

  “You think they’re weird. I thought they were kind of . . . I don’t know.” I tried to read his expression, feeling the self-doubt creep into my thoughts.

  “No, I like them. I promise.” Lucky smiled as his eyes stared at the red lace panties until he reached down to touch them. I felt his hand brush against my bare thigh as his fingers ran over the fabric.

  My stomach tightened at the sudden contact. He was touching the fabric, but I felt his fingers rubbing across me slowly, back and forth as his lips curved into a mischievous grin. And then his hand went lower and lower. My eyes closed as my toes curled up inside my socks.

  As Lucky touched me, I couldn’t hear anything but my quick breaths and the soft voice of Keith Whitley playing from the speakers. His fingers felt like both torture and happiness. But then he abruptly stopped.

  My eyes opened in confusion, which made him laugh. “Not just yet. This not going to be fast. I had to wait many weeks for my Christmas present. You have to wait too.”

  “You don’t play fair,” I whispered.

  “Nope.” He leaned over and kissed my stomach right above my panty line, letting his tongue get a little taste.

  That light brush to my skin sent shivers through me. And then he scooted down toward my feet. I felt Lucky pull my jeans the rest of the way down my legs. He tossed them on the floor beside us and then sat back, looking at me as I lay half naked on the floor by the fireplace. His eyes ran the length of my body, stopping on my socks. “Do those match too?”

  I winced in embarrassment. “Yes.”

  “You’re funny. And so put together. It’s a little scary sometimes.” He tugged the right sock off and then the left. “But you have cute feet.”

  Even though I had fought my roommate, I was suddenly grateful for Peyton kidnapping me into a pedicure during finals week—really grateful as I watched him plant a little kiss on my big toe.

  I laughed because it tickled. And then he did it again. And again as he kissed up my ankle. Lucky lifted my leg enough so he could press his lips right to the spot behind my knee before they trailed over my thigh and up to the lace edge of my panties. He kissed a few of those Christmas trees, making my breath catch, and then he moved on to my stomach.

  His lips made their way up to my mouth, but before he could kiss my lips, I turned my head away. “Take your shirt off.”

  He grinned. “You’re making demands now?”

  “Yes.” I smiled back.

  Lucky leaned back, pulling the black shirt over his head. As the shadows flickered in the room, I ran my hand over his chest. I touched the lyrics inked into his skin. And then I pressed my lips to those words. I felt brazen and bold, dragging my mouth up his body. He was breathing harder by the time I brushed a kiss on the side of his neck.

  I pulled back, tracing my fingers over his stomach to the line of soft hair that disappeared into his jeans. I stopped at his belt and tried to unfasten the buckle, but I couldn’t get it to unhook.

  “You want those off too?” he whispered.

  I nodded.

  He gave me a little kiss on the lips. “That’s your last demand.”

  A quick rush of adrenaline flowed through me as I lay back down on the blanket. He stood up and opened his belt. Before unzipping the tight jeans, Lucky pulled two foil packets from his pocket and dropped them next to us on the blanket.

  Everything just got a little more real.

  He must have gotten those earlier in the bedroom. My gaze caught his and neither of us said anything as he pulled his jeans and gray boxers down at the same time.

  I sucked in a little breath. My eyes drifted slowly over his body, seeing every inch of him naked next to the fireplace. Lucky was gorgeous and perfect. He knelt down next to me on the blanket.

  “You okay?” He touched my cheek.

  “Yes,” I whispered, almost breathless.

  A softness came over his face as his fingers stilled against my skin. And then Lucky kissed me, holding onto my bottom lip, tugging it gently. He kissed me lightly down my neck before he rolled on top of me, covering me with nothing but bare limbs and muscles and hardness.

  I lifted up enough for him to unclasp the back of my bra. He pulled the straps down my arms. He grinned as he slowly kissed my naked breasts. And then it was a blur of lips and skin and tongues.

  I gasped as his hand slid under the red Christmas panties. Digging my fingers into his shoulder, I tried to keep still. I wanted to beg him to finally put me out of my misery and stop teasing. I wanted him so much it was starting to hurt. Sometimes it was a thin line between pleasure and pain.

  And when I couldn’t take it any longer, he pulled my lace underwear down my legs, leaving me completely naked. I was breathing hard as he grabbed one of the foil packets. I kept my eyes on Lucky as he positioned himself over me.

  “I want you,” he whispered. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me again.”

  “I want—”

  With one hard push, he was inside me. A noise came from deep in my throat. I tried to stop it, but the moan left my lips as he pushed deeper. The fire crackled next to us. The music drifted through the dark room. The current song had a soft tempo and he seemed to fall in rhythm with it—slow and steady as he held back and I willed him to go faster.

  I opened my eyes, only to find Lucky watching me with an amused grin. His hair fell slightly against his forehead with each movement. “Come for me, Katie.”

  My skin grew hot, hearing his voice. Our eyes stayed locked as the tension grew in my body. Another one of those sounds tried to leave my lips. I felt his breaths, moving over m
y skin, getting a little quicker with each thrust.

  “Come for me,” he whispered again.

  My fingers dug into the back of his shoulders and my thighs clenched against his hips. “You need to . . . faster.”

  His brown eyes were almost completely black as he grinned softly. “No.”

  A hot pulse went through me. Lucky was controlling this. And I had to let go. Something I had never done during sex. He was willing me to let go and my body was starting to respond without me trying. Every time he moved, I felt like I was being dragged slowly to a cliff—and his voice was trying to push me over the edge.

  “Come for me.”

  The tension inside me twisted up and twisted around. My head tipped back, gasping for air while his body kept moving slowly against mine. He was torturing me, drawing this out as long as possible. I hated it. And I loved it.

  Lucky brushed my neck with a kiss and then his tongue flickered across my throat. I heard him faintly again. “Come for me.”

  My body gave away to the sound of his voice, his words, and his touch. It was an out-of-control flash of white hot that seemed to last for an eternity. And then Lucky rocked into me hard, muttering something incoherent into my hair before his weight crashed down on top of me.

  Lucky rolled over, taking me with him. His arms tucked me into chest as we struggled to catch our breath. The record had started over on auto play, filling the room with the soft words from When You Say Nothing at All.

  I didn’t know Keith Whitley, but after tonight, I would never forget him.

  “Are you okay, Katie?”

  I stared at him, trying to gather my thoughts. He kissed my cheek and then whispered, “You can tell me anything. I promise.”

  The emotions got stronger as he looked at me. My body still felt the lingering after effects of us being together. “I didn’t know it could be like this. That it could feel like this with someone.”

  He smiled. It was sweet and sincere and I swore his eyes flickered something even deeper. “Me either.”

  Hearing his words, I felt a tremble. I never wanted to know the number of girls that had come before me. But I wanted to think my time with Lucky had meant the most to him. I had never experienced anything like tonight. And I wanted it to be true for him too. My heart wanted it to be true. The trembling got stronger inside my body until I was shaking.

  “Are you cold? Let me go take care of this and you get in bed under the covers.”

  “No, I um . . . I’m fine. I want to stay by the fire.”

  He kissed me softly. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  I watched his bare butt cheeks as he walked to the bathroom. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm the trembling emotions that were building up.

  I loved him.

  The words played around in my head. It was inevitable, I think. He made me love him. Every smile. Every song. Every sweet laugh. Every look he gave me. And just now. And I think he felt it too—even though he didn’t know exactly how to put those feelings into bigger words.

  I heard the toilet flush as Lucky reappeared. He grabbed the comforter from the bed and carried it in his arms. I saw the full front side of him again. He was beautiful and handsome and charming and sweet.

  And I loved him.

  He said I could tell him anything. But I couldn’t say those words first. Lucky needed to come to that conclusion on his own. He had never said those three words to another girl. And I wanted him to say those words to me. My heart yearned to hear them.

  I smiled as he crawled back down beside me, pulling the blanket over us. And then under the fluffy covers, he wrapped himself around me. I felt every inch of his bare skin against mine as his scent filled my nose. “You warmer now?”

  “No,” I teased.

  He squeezed me tighter. “How about now?”

  I laughed. “I’m, like, freezing cold.”

  Lucky placed a deep kiss on my lips. “Now?”

  “No,” I whispered.

  His lips hit mine again. Hard. They pulled and tugged at my mouth until I was gasping for air. Lucky ran his hand down my side and then he grabbed my butt cheek. He pushed me tighter. I felt him against me. He was ready. And my body wanted him like it was already comfortable with the way we fit together.

  Lucky reached behind me, grabbing the other foil package. He opened it with his teeth and slipped a hand between us. My heart beat fast, watching all of this take place.

  It was going to happen again.

  I wanted it to happen again.

  As we laid side by side, Lucky pulled my leg up over his hip. And then in one swift push, I felt him slide inside me. He moved quicker, harder than our first time. I’d never done it this way. And it was exciting and a little rough. A sound came from my lips—a cross between a gasp and a moan.

  Lucky stared at me for a second before pushing me onto my back. He caught my wrists in his hands, pulling them above my head. I was essentially pinned beneath his body.

  His hips moved quickly against me. I tried to reach for his shoulders to hold on, but I couldn’t move my arms. His body stilled and he gave me a wicked grin. “No touching.”

  “No touching?” I whispered.

  He shook his head and then kissed me with a bold possessiveness. And then things got wild. The pace was lightning quick. Our sweaty skin rubbed against each other, making the friction burn on the outside and inside. His eyes stayed on mine as his body pushed me closer and closer to the edge.

  “Lucky, I . . .” It was happening fast this time. I arched against him, wanting to use my hands, wanting to dig my nails into his shoulders. But I couldn’t. They were still in a firm grasp above my head. And for some reason, not being able to touch him drove me absolutely crazy as he rocked against me.

  And suddenly, the tension exploded. I said his name. And I think I cursed. I might have even blacked out for a second because all I saw were spots—until his face came back into focus.

  Lucky let go of my wrists. He rolled to his side, taking me gently into his arms and holding me against his chest. The flames flickered behind us, casting shadows across the floor.

  I laughed. I don’t know why. But I laughed. “That was . . .”

  His lips kissed me softly on the forehead. “Only the beginning.”

  The heat flushed my cheeks. I wanted to do this many more times with him too. The sweet torturous times and the wild and crazy. I wanted it all.

  “You warmer now?” he whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure?” He grinned.

  The ache started to build. This was crazy. We couldn’t do this again. Or could we? “How many times can you have sex in one night?”

  “I don’t know. You want to find out?”

  I couldn’t tell if he was teasing. The words lingered as my heart pounded hard. He must feel it through my skin. What was I doing? He kissed me and as his tongue brushed against mine, the questions disappeared. I couldn’t get enough.

  Because I was falling madly in love with Lucky Evans.

  The moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds. I felt the magic in the air and the worried flutters in my stomach as Lucky looked into my eyes. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”

  I laughed. That was exactly what he said this morning when he convinced me to have sex in the shower, which was actually good—until my foot slipped and I almost hit my head on the faucet. I ended up wet and cold, sitting naked on the bathroom rug.

  Shaking off those thoughts, I looked back up at Lucky. “I know this is a big deal for you. I just want everything to go okay. And it worries me. What if she doesn’t like me? What are you going to do then?”

  “You don’t need to worry about it ’cause it ain’t gonna happen. My mama really is a good person. Maybe the best I’ve ever met.”

  “Okay, that’s not making me less nervous.”

  “I mean that in a good way. There’s nothing you can do that will make her not like you. That’s just who she is. She�
��ll think you’re perfect.” Lucky leaned in and kissed me.

  I fell into the touch of his lips and the way his arms pulled me just a little bit closer. I would never get tired of his kisses. And as we stood in the driveway of his childhood home, I knew he was right. I would be fine. She raised the person in front of me. I knew Lucky was a product of her loving devotion. And I would love her because of that act alone.

  As he let go of my lips, I placed my hands on his cheeks. He brushed a kiss on the little piece of exposed skin on my wrist between my white wool glove and coat. And then I felt the comfort of his smile.

  “Okay,” I whispered. “Let’s meet your mama.”

  We walked hand in hand up to the door of the modest brick house. It was located on a few acres on the outskirts of town right next to the railroad tracks.

  As he opened the door, the smell of cookies and ham and cinnamon toast came tumbling out onto the porch. They grabbed me by the nose, pulling me inside the living room.

  I was greeted by a very large and very real Christmas tree that occupied the entire right side of the room. Layers upon layers of homemade ornaments graced the fluffy green branches. And beneath the large undercoat, a train ran on a track that circled around the base of the extravagant pine tree.

  I took in the rest of the living room, seeing the immaculate home adorned with little pieces of Christmas in every corner. Red and gold stockings hung from the fireplace while an entire whimsical Christmas snow village covered the mantel.

  “You’re here. Come in. Come in. Colt isn’t here yet.” I turned around at the sound of her voice and then I was pulled into a hug before I could even say hello.

  “Hey, Mama. Don’t crush her.”

  “Sorry, sorry.” She released and backed away, giving me a few feet of personal space.

  Lucky grinned as he put an arm around my waist during this very important moment in his life. “Katie, this is my mama. Colleen Evans.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I felt the emotions building inside me. She was just as perfect as he had promised. Her kindness poured from her transparent smile and her bright blue eyes. All my reservations rolled slowly away. “Thank you for letting me spend Christmas Eve with you.”