But when they walked inside the suite, she was surprised to find that the aforementioned brunch had been set up for them at the breakfast bar instead of the dining room table. And even more surprised to discover that the big table had already been set for the Thanksgiving dinner they would be enjoying later this evening - and that the elegant place settings of china, crystal, and silver had been laid for a total of eight guests.
Tessa turned to Ian inquiringly. “Something you’ve forgotten to mention? Like the fact that we’re having guests for dinner?”
He smiled at her mysteriously as he hung up their coats. “I was planning to tell you over brunch. But the identity of our guests is going to remain a carefully guarded secret until they arrive later this evening.” He guided her with a hand on the small of her back to the breakfast bar. “No worries, love. You’ll be very pleased when you see who’ll be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.”
She knew better than to try and coax the information from him, for Ian was surprisingly stubborn at times. Instead, she began to uncover the heated plates of food that the hotel staff had set out for them - a beautifully prepared meal of eggs Benedict, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, and a mouthwatering dish of brioche bread pudding, accompanied by mimosas made from fresh squeezed orange juice and a very fine French champagne.
She had barely pushed her plate away when Ian was drawing her to her feet and into the master bedroom, where he took his time undressing her. He made a rude noise when he reached the woolly tights, rolling them down her thighs with thinly concealed revolt.
“These are a far cry from your usual choice in hosiery, love,” he chided as she kicked them away. “And they’re about as sexy as a burlap sack.”
She patted his cheek teasingly. “But they are warm, and since it was literally freezing outside this morning I knew that silk wasn’t going to do the trick. Not to worry. I’ll only wear them again if the weather is this cold.”
Ian glared at the warm but decidedly un-sexy tights. “And only if you can find where I’m going to hide them away. Ah, this is much better.”
Tessa shivered in anticipation as he knelt in front of her, running his palms up and down her bare legs - from the ankles to her knees and then up the sides of her thighs. He hooked one finger in the gusset of her dark green lace thong, pulling it far enough to one side to bare her crotch. He splayed one hand over her ass, holding her in place as he ran his tongue over the slick flesh of her labia. A long, drawn-out whimper escaped from her throat as he took his time with her, savoring her as though she was the most delicious of desserts. Her fingers grabbed handfuls of his thick hair, pulling on it as he thrust two fingers deep inside of her vagina, while his thumb stimulated her clitoris at the same time. She climaxed easily, powerfully, small wonder considering how incredibly skilled he was at oral sex.
He laid her down gently on the big bed, his cheeks flushed with his own arousal, his breathing growing rougher when he saw the way she was looking at him as he undressed. She reached for him as he joined her on the bed, her hand sliding down over his belly towards his fully erect penis.
But Ian had very specific ideas about what he wanted this morning, and grasped her wrist before she could reach her intended target. He eased her instead onto her stomach, and then lifted one leg out to the side, bending it at the knee. They both groaned as he slid inside of her from this position, her body pressed flat into the mattress as his chest rested against her back.
Tessa turned her head to one side, her eyes closed and her breathing labored as he picked up the pace of his thrusts. “God, that’s good,” she panted. “Don’t stop, please. You feel so amazing this way, so big.”
He took hold of her hands, stretching her arms out above her head, their fingers linked together.
“It’s not too much for you this way?” he breathed. “I’m not crushing you?”
She gave a brief shake of her head. “No, she groaned. “You could never hurt me, Ian, only love me.”
“My God.” He buried his face against the side of her neck, his lips caressing the soft spot beneath her ear. “You are the most generous, loving woman I could ever dream of. The perfect lover. The perfect woman.”
Ian knew that despite her assurances to the contrary, he had to be causing her some discomfort in this particular position. At six foot four and two hundred pounds of hard packed muscle, he outweighed Tessa by a good seventy pounds. And the way he was taking her now - his body pressing hers into the mattress, effectively trapping her in place - was a very dominant position. But he knew Tessa got turned on when he dominated her, that she loved it when he took control, and that she would gladly give herself over to him whenever he desired. It both aroused him unbearably and touched him deeply that she could give of herself so fully - the way she trusted him implicitly, how her every waking moment was focused on pleasing him, all the many ways, both overt and subtle, that she proved how much she loved him. The realization brought tears to his eyes as his lips tenderly caressed the nape of her neck.
“God, how I love you,” he whispered roughly as he thrust into her again with slow, careful movements, struggling to hold back his climax and thus prolong the pleasure for them as long as possible.
“Ahh,” she moaned as he slid out of her nearly all the way, only to gradually push his cock back in a bit at a time. “I love it when you do that, love how good it feels.” She turned her face to meet his lips in a sweet, soft kiss. “And I love you, too. So much.”
Ian groaned. “As good as this feels, love, I’m afraid I can’t hold back much longer.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “Take your pleasure, Ian. Take me.“
His immensely aroused body rejoiced at her words of encouragement, and he quickly increased the tempo of their lovemaking. The blood began to pound fiercely in his ears as sweat dripped from his forehead, and he could barely hear the little gasps she made as he fucked her harder. He was mindless with the pleasure, his entire body consumed with feeling, but he had just enough presence of mind remaining to slide a hand to where their bodies were joined, his thumb rubbing over her clit to make sure she found her release before he followed her over almost violently.
When his body had stopped convulsing, he gently eased himself off of her, turning onto his side and cradling her close. Her eyes were still shut, her breathing choppy, and he touched the side of her face in concern. Slowly her lids fluttered open, and the breath caught in his throat a bit at the dazed look in her eyes.
“Tell me the truth,” he murmured, his hands gently caressing her back and buttocks. “Was that too much for you? I was afraid for a bit that you might have felt, well, too dominated in that position.”
“No.” She shook her head fiercely, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I loved it. I love everything you do to me, everything we do together. And when you take me over that way - it only makes me feel safe and protected, and never, ever afraid.”
He captured her lips in a long, deep kiss, touched beyond words at her heartfelt assurances. “I’m the luckiest man in the whole world,” he whispered to her. “To have found someone as perfect as you. I’ll never understand how I got so lucky.”
Tessa’s blue eyes were twinkling merrily as she gently pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him. “Speaking of getting lucky,” she told him mischievously, “how much time do we have before we need to get ready for dinner?”
He grinned, pulling her head down for his kiss. “Hours yet. But I, ah, might need a little while here to recover. The spirit might be willing but the flesh isn’t quite strong enough just yet.”
She laughed softly, her hand caressing his thigh. “You feel very, very strong to me.” He hissed as she began to stroke his semi-hard cock. “And very, very willing.”
“I’m still unclear why the identity of our dinner guests has to remain such a closely guarded secret,” pouted Tessa as she finished getting dressed.
They had spent the better part of the afternoon in bed, alternately making love,
dozing, or cuddling, and had to hurry a bit now to make sure they were ready in time for the arrival of the hotel staff with their elaborate, multi-course Thanksgiving meal.
Ian merely gave her another mysterious smile, as well as a pat on the butt. “You’ll see soon enough. Or at least you will if you get this gorgeous arse in motion.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “And just whose fault is it that I’m running late? Who begged me for ‘just one more time’?”
His smile deepened into a grin as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I don’t exactly recall having to beg for it, love,” he reminded her. “You were rather eager to comply, if memory serves me.”
She stepped into her gray suede Prada pumps, before presenting Ian with her back so that he could zip up the fitted plum wool dress she’d chosen to wear this evening. “You’re right, as usual,” she acknowledged ruefully. “What can I say - you’re awfully irresistible. Not to mention,” she whispered as she turned into his embrace, “really, really hot.”
He bypassed her eagerly offered mouth and kissed her cheek instead. “No time to fix your lipstick,” he explained, shrugging into his charcoal gray suit jacket. “The food will be arriving any - ah, and there it is.”
He hurried off to answer the doorbell and let the restaurant staff inside, while Tessa quickly slipped on a gold bangle bracelet and a pair of amethyst drop earrings before joining him.
The wait staff was almost frighteningly efficient, pointing out what course each of the warming dishes contained, and giving Tessa some brief serving instructions. Initially Ian had wanted a staff member or two to stick around and serve the meal, but Tessa had insisted that she wanted to do at least that much. She’d never had the opportunity to prepare a real Thanksgiving dinner before, and hoped that by this time next year she would be cooking her own turkey and all of the many side dishes.
She regarded Ian curiously as he began to set out champagne flutes along the counter of the built-in bar. The flutes, of course, were Baccarat crystal, and the champagne the same excellent vintage they’d enjoyed at brunch. She’d stayed in enough Gregson properties by now to know that every detail - from the furnishings to the glasses to the artwork - was of only the very finest quality. It was one of the many reasons why the hotel brand was consistently ranked as the top luxury chain in the entire world.
“I didn’t realize you had so many friends who lived in New York,” she remarked casually. “Do all six of them know each other?”
He nodded. “Related to each other, actually. Except for one, and that will change next spring when he marries one of the other guests.”
“Hmm.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “I’m guessing they aren’t friends from England, because Thanksgiving isn’t exactly one of your national holidays after all.”
Ian smirked. “I know your little game, Tessa, and it won’t work. You’re trying to figure it out on your own, or trick me into telling you. Our guests will be here in less than five minutes now, and the wait will be over.”
She made a little face at him. “Spoilsport. Three or four more questions and I bet I would have figured it out.” She looked over at the elegantly set dining room table and sighed. “As lovely as all of this is, I sort of wish we were back home right now. I - well, I wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner for you, to celebrate our first real holiday together.”
“Next year,” he promised her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’ll even figure out how to carve the turkey by then.”
The quick hug she gave him was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Tessa stood just behind Ian as he opened the front door to greet their guests, and couldn’t hold back a delighted squeal of surprise as she recognized four out of the six visitors who walked inside.
“Tessa, it’s so lovely to see you again, dear,” greeted Natalie Benoit, the mother of Tessa’s closest friend Julia.
Tessa gave her a fond hug, before turning to greet Julia’s father Robert, her twin sister Lauren, and then Madelyn.
The two male guests that she hadn’t recognized turned out to be Ben Rafferty, Lauren’s husband of barely a month, and James Butterfield, Madelyn’s fiancé.
As Ian passed around champagne to everyone, Natalie linked arms companionably with Tessa as she explained how she, Robert, and the twins had spent nearly every Thanksgiving over the past twenty odd years here in New York with Madelyn. Julia, as a newly married woman herself, was spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Michigan with Nathan’s family this year and wouldn’t be joining them.
“When Ian spoke to Maddy a couple of weeks ago to set up your appointment at the store, he mentioned that the two of you would be spending Thanksgiving here in New York, too. Initially we were all going to have dinner out at a restaurant, but then Ian offered to host the meal here, which was so, so kind of him,” gushed Natalie. “Not quite the same thing as having a home cooked meal, but much nicer than eating in a big, noisy restaurant. And how beautiful everything is!”
Tessa showed the three women around the suite, with only Lauren failing to be overly impressed by the lavish furnishings and decorations. But she wouldn’t have expected Julia’s sister to gush over that sort of thing, given that she and Ben lived in a rustic cabin on the wild California coast when they weren’t flying around the globe on assignments for the travel magazine they worked for.
But Lauren wound up being on her best behavior during the elaborate meal, even helping Tessa to serve the food and clear away plates in between courses. And Tessa couldn’t recall very many occasions when she had enjoyed a meal more, or when she’d actually felt like part of a family. She didn’t know Julia’s parents or aunt all that well, but they went out of their way to engage her in conversation. Not surprisingly, the vivacious, outspoken Lauren had the floor for a good part of the evening, but she did an exemplary job of keeping everyone entertained with stories about some of her and Ben’s most recent travels.
Ian slipped into the kitchen to help her serve the desserts, and she couldn’t resist giving him a fierce hug, not caring a whit if their guests could see them or not.
He smiled down at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “And what was that for? Not, of course, that you ever need an excuse to touch me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered fiercely, caressing his darkly stubbled cheek. “For inviting Julia’s family here tonight. And for making this the nicest Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. I - well, as you can imagine, I’ve never had any sort of real family gatherings like this before. This was the first time in my life I’ve really enjoyed a holiday. It was a wonderful thing for you to do, Ian.”
He kissed her softly. “Always happy to oblige, darling,” he murmured. “And this is just the beginning. Wait until I unleash all of my relatives on you this Christmas. You might regret wishing for a big family gathering.”
Whatever Tessa was going to say next was interrupted by Lauren’s very loud voice from the dining room.
“Hey, are you two actually bringing out pie, or did you just want an excuse to make out in there?”
Tessa and Ian exchanged a rather embarrassed glance before hastily returning to the dining room, each carrying a pie, and determinedly ignoring the knowing look Lauren sent their way.
Chapter Six
December
The smell of sugar assailed Ian’s senses as he walked through the front door, and even from the entryway he could hear two female voices giggling together happily. He recalled now that Julia was here, helping Tessa with the baking and other preparations for the dinner party that they were hosting tomorrow night. And from the looks of the festive holiday decorations that filled the entry way and several other adjoining rooms, Tessa had taken him up on his suggestion that she decorate the house for Christmas any way she liked. Wreaths, garlands, candles, gilded reindeer, and a stuffed Snoopy dressed like Santa Claus - a whimsical gift he’d bought her in New York - were among the numerous holiday trimmings that covered nearly every available surface. Ian was grateful to observe th
at everything at least was tasteful and classic, except perhaps for those glittery reindeer, and knew that Julia had likely helped Tessa select most of the decorations. She did, after all, have a great many contacts, being an interior designer by trade, and would have known exactly what little shops and showrooms to go to for the best selection of goods.
The towering Christmas tree that dominated the foyer, however, had been something he’d chosen personally. He and Tessa had spent a good hour combing the tree lot until he’d declared that this was the perfect one. She had been more than happy to go along with his wishes, and the eight foot Noble fir had been delivered and set in its stand by a tree lot employee. They had spent a very enjoyable evening stringing lights and hanging ornaments, though Tessa had fretted a bit because they didn’t have very many of the latter.
At his encouragement, she’d begun to collect Christmas ornaments from each city they visited on their business trips, but they weren’t nearly enough to fill up the gigantic tree. She’d been oddly reluctant, though, to just go out and purchase boxes of generic ornaments to fill up the tree.
“This might sound silly,” she’d told him uncertainly, “but, well, I’d prefer that each ornament we hang on the tree actually mean something to us. You know, like a memento from our travels or some other important occasion. I realize it will take longer to fill the tree up that way, but - do you mind?”
“Of course not,” he’d assured her gently. “And I think it’s a lovely idea. I’ll just have to make sure there are plenty of special occasions to commemorate, won’t I?”
Tessa had been delighted, though, to receive a small box from Joanna that included several old family ornaments that had originally belonged to Ian’s grandmother. She, of course, had nothing of her own, especially since her mother had disliked celebrating Christmas, and had refused to put up a tree or other decorations.
Claim Page 9