by Susan Stoker
Had she misread the situation? Lyric didn’t say much around other people. So little, in fact, some even thought he was mute in some circumstances. He was so self-conscious about his stutter. Had that impacted his response? There was only one way to find out.
8
Lyric
Lyric stepped back as Bently opened the door. “I need to talk to Am-m-mara.”
Bently crossed his arms over his chest, his face twisting up in confusion. “She’s at my brother’s, for the Christmas Eve party. I was just heading over there myself. Is something wrong—? What happened to your face?”
Yes. Something was very wrong. “J-just need to talk to her.” He took a few steps back before turning, jogging to his car, and climbing back in, driving as fast, but as safely as possible on the slick roads. Parking across the street, he jogged to Mikel’s front door and rang the doorbell.
Shifting on his feet, he wiped his sweaty hands over his jeans. He loved Amara and he was going to do whatever it took to prove to her he could be the man for her. He just needed her to listen and give him a chance.
Remy’s smiling face greeted him, her eyes immediately drawn to his black eye. Concern quickly morphed on her expression. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yes. Just need to talk to Am-m-mara.” Fuck the M’s were one of the hardest for him. Embarrassment creeped up his neck, no doubt staining his cheeks.
“She just took a call in the back.”
He ignored the sound of someone approaching him from behind in the snow and walked past Remy, quickly removing his boots. He didn’t bother with his coat. He needed to find his girl. He ran into the living room, where several faces turned to look at his intrusion, all of Amara’s adopted family and their friends had gathered. But where was she?
Movement from the back caught his attention.
Amara’s honey brown eyes widened when they locked gazes. “Ric? What are you doing here?”
“I c-c-came to t-t-t-ell you I l-l-love you.” His neck prickled with the familiar itch that happened whenever he spoke in front of more than a few people.
There was a collective gasp as all eyes turned from him to Amara, as if they too eagerly awaited her response.
“I’ve always loved you. And after that k-k-kiss, I hoped you felt it too.” The desire to reach out and take her into his arms was strong. But he resisted.
Amara walked up to him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, her expression unreadable. “Then why did you tell Chris I was all his?”
Lyric’s brows drew together. What? “When?”
Amara surveyed the room before leaning closer and whispering, “That morning. When he came to the door. I heard everything.”
“H-he asked me about Samantha.”
She shook her head.
“F—” He looked at the half dozen kids peering up at them. “Fudge.” It all made sense now. Why she’d run. God, he was an idiot.
“If you h-h-heard everything, then you remem-m-mber the part where I asked him to repeat himself?”
She hesitated and then nodded.
“I wasn’t listening to him. I was t-t-too busy realizing I was in love with m-m-my best friend. I swear I thought he was talking about Samantha.”
Her shoulders relaxed, as the first sign of hope sparked in her eyes. “You didn’t mean me?”
This time, he gave in and cupped her face in his hands. Searching her eyes, he replied, “I would never give you up. You’re m-m-mine. And I’m y-y-yours if you w-w-want me.”
A cloud formed in her gaze. He moved one hand to the base of her neck, trying to hold on to the hope that she would say yes.
“I love you too,” she choked.
He leaned down, capturing her mouth in a kiss. His knees buckled from the shockwave that blew through him, joy spinning on the winds of promise.
“Aww,” Mia said, reminding him they still had an audience.
“’Bout freaking time,” Bently said.
Amara turned to her dad, the question reflecting in her eyes.
Mikel pulled out his wallet and slammed a twenty in Bently’s hand. “You called it.”
“Did you two bet on us?” Amara asked in disbelief.
Bently shrugged. “Just on how long it would take Lyric here to finally make a move.”
“W-w-what?”
“I bet by New Year’s. Mikel thought for sure last year.” Bently tucked the money into his pocket.
“And I had Valentine’s Day next year,” Andre added, handing over another twenty before wrapping his arms around his wife, Mia.
Her other uncle, Atlas, held up another bill. “I had Easter.”
“I’m glad my love life is so entertaining to you all,” Amara huffed.
Bently wrapped her in a hug, picking her up as she squealed and spinning her around. “We just want you happy.” He plucked the cash from his pocket and slipped it into hers.
Amara slapped his chest as he set her back on her feet. She gave him a hug. Bently cut his gaze towards Lyric. “Don’t break her heart. Remember, I’m sheriff and I know how to hide a body.”
A few of the others in the room laughed, but Lyric didn’t doubt the man was capable of following through on his threat. It was a theory he never planned to test.
Lyric nodded. “Now that I g-g-got her, I’m never letting go.”
“These two are so cute,” Jasmine, Amara’s aunt, added.
Amara leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Let’s get out of here.”
Lyric nodded. He wanted to be alone with Amara. He still had so much to say. And they had a lot to figure out.
He led her out to his Jeep and opened the door before she climbed into the passenger’s seat. He kissed her, needing to soak up as much of her as possible.
She laughed when he pulled away, leaving a peck on her nose before going around to the driver’s side. His fingers wrapped around hers as the car heated up. Leaning in, he touched his forehead to hers. He wanted to strip her bare until only the fog of their breath came between them. But that would have to wait.
“I’ll move to B-B-Boston.”
“What?” She pulled back, searching his face.
“I can work from anywhere. I’ll g-g-get a place so we can be closer. You c-c-could m-m-move in?”
She pulled away, staring at the partially frosted windshield.
Was it too much too fast?
He picked her hand up, rubbing his thumb in what he hoped were soothing circles. “I want to date you. And, someday, when you’re ready, I want to m-m-marry you.”
She gasped.
“I know you need to move s-s-slow, and this is all new to you. But I think I’ve loved you since the first day you sat n-n-next to me in that cafeteria. I told myself I loved you as a f-f-friend, but the truth was it was always m-m-more. So, I understand if you need some time to c-c-catch up with m-m-me.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, and his heart lurched. Shit. He’d fucked up. Moved too fast. He should have known better. Known she was skittish. She didn’t do relationships and here he was talking about marriage.
“Yes.”
“W-w-what?” He held his breath, afraid he was hearing things.
“Yes. I want all of that.” She brushed the tears away with the back of her hand. “I never thought I would find … this. Whatever we have between us. Never thought I could find a man I could trust, but you’ve been here the whole time. I needed our friendship. And now, I want more.”
Leaning over the console, he pulled her mouth to his. “I’ll give you m-m-more. I’ll give you everything.”
Lyric drove them to his apartment. They barely made it inside before he shrugged off his coat, letting it fall into a heap on the floor. His mouth remained on hers as they stripped each other, leaving a trail of clothing towards the bedroom.
His tongue dove into her mouth as she sucked on it, sending a direct shot of lust straight to his throbbing cock. His body burned with lust fire. Desire coiled tight, threatening to snap his barely contained restraint.<
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He flicked the string lights on above the bed. Something Amara had insisted he needed. Now, he was grateful. The way the soft lights brushed against her mocha skin, dusting her in gold shimmers. She was a real-life goddess. And she’s all mine.
He tucked one of her braids over her shoulder as his eyes raked down her gorgeous curvy body, her breasts the perfect handful with pert dark nipples.
“Touch me before I go crazy.” Her voice was breathy. Needy.
His cock twitched. Mouth watering, he licked his lips, tracing a line between her breasts, down her soft stomach before cupping her sex.
She moaned, squeezing her legs together. “You’re a fucking tease.” She grabbed his cock, sliding her soft hand over his length.
His abs tightened as he gritted his teeth and clamped his hand over her wrist. “Stop—”
“Oh, no you don’t. Last time I couldn’t touch. This time I’m in control.” She nipped his bottom lip before she sank to her knees.
“You’re playing with fire,” he warned her.
She looked up at him, a challenge sparking in her smoky gaze. “I like the burn.” Her tongue flicked out, swirling the head of his cock.
He hissed, his hand coming to the back of her head. She bent even farther, kissing the inside of his thigh while massaging his balls.
Need built, pinpricks spiraling down his spine all the way to his toes.
Her soft wet mouth sucked him down, all the way to the back of her throat before pulling him out.
Groaning, he thrust slowly, testing out how much she could handle.
“You want me to fuck that pretty m-m-mouth of yours?”
She nodded, digging her nails into the globes of his ass, urging him on.
“Christ, you’re a fucking f-f-fantasy come to life.”
In and out, he gave himself to her as she sucked his soul from the tip of his cock. Pleasure wound around him, gathering at the base of his spine. She had to stop or he was going to come—and she would always come first.
He pulled out of her mouth before lifting her up and kissing her as he backed her to the bed.
He fell over her, but she surprised him and rolled so that she was on top. “I want to ride you.”
“Fuck, yes.”
He reached towards her pussy, but she lifted her hips and slammed down over him. He jackknifed upwards, his restraint holding on by a thread. Only with her.
“You’re so w-w-wet.”
“Sucking you off has that effect on me.” She kissed him hard on the mouth as she started to move up and down, each thrust of her hips bringing him closer and closer to release. Eyes locked on his with an intensity that threatened to drown him, he cupped her breasts, taking their weight in his hands as he rolled her nipples. She closed her eyes, expression taut with need.
He pressed his thumb to her clit as she cried out, slamming down harder on him.
“That’s it, cupcake. I want that sweet pussy to come all over m-me.”
“Lyric!”
He swallowed her moans with his mouth, tongues tangling as his fingers dug into her hips, lifting her and slamming her back down on his aching cock. Her thighs quaked, inner muscles clenching around his dick as she cried out and came. He clamped down over her nipple as she trembled, eyes locked on his once again, hazy and unfocused. He drove into her harder, wanting to keep her flying as long as possible. Pleasure burst from the base of his spine, spilling out of him as his orgasm chased after hers like wild horses trampling his self-restraint.
Bliss encompassed him as she jerked in his embrace. He tightened his arms around her, holding on to her in a silent promise to always catch her when she fell.
Heavy breaths mingled as he lay down, taking her with him. She made no move to climb off him as he stayed connected with her in the most intimate way.
“That was …” he started.
“Everything,” she finished for him.
“Love you.”
“I love you too.” Her breaths evened out. Her finger traced the shape of a heart around his nipple.
He kissed her forehead. “And to think, it all started with one holiday kiss.”
* * *
The end.
About the Author
A. M. Kusi is the pen name of a wife-and-husband author team, Ash and Marcus Kusi. We enjoy writing romance novels that are inspired by our experiences as an interracial/multicultural couple.
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Our novels are about strong women and the sexy heroes they fall in love with, are emotionally satisfying, and always have a happy ending.
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If you enjoyed One Holiday Kiss, then you will love reading Bently and Belle’s story in Defying Gravity.
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Click here to download Defying Gravity right now.
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Thank you for reading One Holiday Kiss!
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Happy reading!
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Ash & Marcus
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www.amkusi.com
The Proposal
Abbie Zanders
1
Heff
Hugh “Heff” Bradley shivered and cranked up the heat another notch. The latest storm had dumped another half-dozen inches of heavy white stuff over everything, adding to the substantial amount that was already there.
Yet there he was, hauling his frozen ass down the slick mountain roads toward Sumneyville. He’d been in the northeast long enough to become familiar with winter weather, and most of the time, there was nowhere else he’d rather be. The former mountain resort he and his SEAL buddies were turning into a place for returning veterans—aptly named Sanctuary—was scenic in all four seasons.
But for a boy from Louisiana who’d grown up with bald cypress and Spanish moss and warmth, it took longer for his body to adapt to frosted evergreens and cold.
The frigid temps slowed his reaction time, too. He hit an icy patch and cursed, palming the wheel to get the vehicle moving forward face-first again instead of continuing in the sideways slant it wanted to go.
Should he be out on the roads before the plows and salt trucks had a chance to do their thing? No, probably not. But he had only a narrow window in which to carry out his mission. Time was of the essence.
Sandy thought he was off helping his friend Steve “Smoke” Tannen with some secret Valentine’s Day project for his wife, Sam. Heff would do just that—as soon as he took care of a secret Valentine’s Day project of his own.
A smile curled his blue-tinted lips at the thought. He’d left Sandy in their cozy cabin, a warm and extremely satisfied woman. She loved early morning wake-up sex almost as much as he did.
She really was his soul mate, which was exactly why he was running this covert op. They’d been living together for a while now, and he could no longer imagine a morning where he didn’t wake up with her in his arms.
It was time to make it official.
Besides, the other guys were making him look bad. Smoke and Sam had already tied the knot, as had Mad Dog and Kate. By the looks of things, Cage and Bree wouldn’t be far behind.
And him? He hadn’t even proposed. Technically. Yet.
For the record, Sandy didn’t seem to mind. Things were great between them, and never once had she hinted that she wanted more. And why should she? Heff made sure she knew exactly how he felt about her daily.
And he had been planning on asking. He was just waiting for the right moment because he wanted it to be perfect.
It was Doc who’d convinced him he’d be better off doing it sooner rather than later.
They’d been working on renovating one of the suites in the main building for Bree—the same suite Sandy had stayed in when she’d first decided to return to her roots, and more importantly, him—when Doc made an offhand comment, suggesting that, like Sandy, Bree probably wouldn’t get much use out of it.
Heff had grunted in response. He, for one, had been quite pleased when Sandy chose to spend time with him in his cabin
rather than in a semi-refurbished suite in the old resort. It saved them both time and effort.
“I suppose it’s good to have options, though,” Doc had mused. “You know, just in case things don’t work out.”
Heff couldn’t see them not working out, not with the way Cage had moped around like a lovesick pup when Bree was off finding herself or whatever. That was something Heff understood completely since he’d been exactly the same way when Sandy had been testing her wings at a big design firm in NYC.
Doc had continued with, “If he’s smart, he’ll take a page out of Smoke’s and Mad Dog’s books and put a ring on her finger before the wanderlust takes hold again.”
“A ring’s not going to make a difference,” Heff had told him. Doc hadn’t found his woman yet, so he couldn’t be expected to understand that finding the right one changed everything. “You either want to be with someone or you don’t, simple as that.”
“You’d think so,” Doc had replied. “But women don’t think the same way men do. They like added assurance. They want that promise of commitment.”
Not Sandy. Sandy knew he was committed. How could she not? His entire world revolved around her.
No more was said on the subject, but later that night, Doc’s words were still noodling around in the back of his mind. Might Sandy look at the wedding rings on Sam and Kate’s fingers and wonder why he hadn’t given her one? Especially since he and Sandy had been living together longer than Mad Dog and Kate had even known each other.
Heff thought about Sandy’s reaction after the small garden wedding last fall. Sandy had been so genuinely happy for the other woman there’d been tears in her eyes. Sam, however, had shot him a look that was both challenging and questioning.