Before her orgasm hit, she felt him grip her legs, rear away from her and, after two more plunging strokes, felt him come deep inside her body, bathing her womb with his seed.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s Christmas.”
Camille came awake with a start and then smiled drowsily when she felt Gideon slide between her legs, nuzzling the side of her neck with his nose.
“Hmm,” she moaned in delight, wrapping her arms around his neck when she felt his mouth, warm and wet, touch her breast, lapping at the spiking nipple. She stretched languidly.
Coming fully awake, she remembered their last lovemaking. “Gideon…”
“Yes?” he mumbled around her breast.
“Baby…when we made love last night, that last time, you, uh, didn’t use a condom.”
“And?”
“And, well, I’m not on the Pill.”
“And?”
She grabbed his hair from the back and yanked hard, forcing him to look into her eyes.
“Hey, that hurt,” he said, frowning down at her.
“Sorry. But you weren’t paying attention. I’m not on the Pill and we didn’t use protection,” she said again, worrying her lip with her teeth.
“I told you to stop doing that.”
Instantly, she released her lip.
“So, what’s the problem?” he asked, still frowning.
“The problem is…we could be, you know…pregnant.”
“And that would be bad, why?” he asked, scrunching his brows as though confused.
“I’m serious, Gideon.”
He laughed and gave her another swift kiss before bounding from the bed. “You worry too much. If we are, well let’s see…it’s December, so that means this time next year we’ll just be giving my mother an early Hanukkah gift,” he said, giving her a swift kiss on her gaping mouth.
“Glad you can be so flippant about it!”
“On that thought, I have a surprise for you.”
Camille rotated her body until she was lying on her side and propped her chin in the palm of her hand. Although he had completely ignored what she was trying to say, she still appreciated the view of his tight muscled cheeks flexing with each step he took.
He knelt down once he reached the far corner of the bedroom, and Camille’s mouth formed a perfect O in surprise when she noticed what was set up there.
A small tree, no more than three feet tall, was festively decorated. Although unlit, the little tree sparkled with the myriad of bright ornaments that adorned it.
A broad smile began to lift the corners of her lips, “Gideon…you got me a tree!” she said, clapping her hands together, sitting up in bed.
“That’s not all I got you,” he said, laughing. He walked back to the bed, and her eyes went to the small, white box he held in his hand.
Her heart began to beat faster. “Gideon?” she asked, instinctively knowing what was in the little box before he opened it.
He smiled, yet Camille sensed his nervousness as he sat on the bed, drawing both of her hands within his.
“We’ve only known each other a few months…” she said in denial of what lay inside the box he held clutched in his hands.
He lifted the lid and withdrew the ring. Taking her left hand in his, he slid the ring onto her finger.
The morning light hit it at an angle that made the diamond sparkle brightly.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. She tore her eyes away from the dazzling ring. “Can this be real, Gideon? The way we feel? It’s happened so fast…” she said, swallowing down the tears clogging her throat.
“It can and it is.” He took both of her hands in his, brought them to his mouth and kissed the finger that wore his ring.
“But, you know what?” he asked, pulling her back down on the bed, bringing her body on top of his.
“No, what?” she asked past the tears and big silly grin she felt, trying to break free.
He lifted her and eased her down over his straining shaft, continuing to speak as though he hadn’t just completely turned her world upside down.
“Neither one of us was looking for love. We were both focused on our careers and had grown used to being alone.” As he spoke, he shifted her, and they began the familiar, achingly sweet glide of their bodies against the other. “So, when love found us, we knew it immediately.”
“Just like that?” she asked, trying hard to continue to talk, the task becoming near impossible.
“Just like that.” He tugged on her until she fell forward, capturing her mouth as he made love to her. “I don’t want to go it alone anymore,” he said, emotion roughening his voice. “I’ve found what has been missing in my life. You. Please say yes…please tell me you feel the same way, that you’ll marry me.”
Camille had worked hard for her success, had been so focused on work she’d left no room in her life for love. When love came she’d been afraid and had almost thrown it away.
Tears fell from her eyes as he moved inside her.
In his face…his eyes, she saw the love he had for her was real. She also read the challenge he had thrown out with the proposal, a challenge that she believe in them, that what they had was real. Or would she give in to fear and doubt?
She made her decision.
“I don’t want to go it alone anymore, either,” she said before completely surrendering to him, mind, body and soul.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6904-4
ONCE UPON A HOLIDAY
© 2010 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
HOLIDAY HEAT
Copyright © 2010 by Beverly Jenkins
CANDY CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2010 by Adrianne Byrd
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Copyright © 2010 by Kimberly Kaye Terry
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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