Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4)

by Violet Vaughn

  Replacing hands with his mouth, the attention has me whimpering. He pulls my hips closer, and when I stand, hot breath on my stomach causes goose bumps. He bites the edge of my panties and tugs them with his mouth, making me gasp when his teeth graze my skin.

  Two fingers take over, and he drags the scrap of material slowly over my legs for me to step out of. “Spread for me.” He kisses my inner thighs when I widen my stance. A cry escapes my lips when he nips at my clit and begins to lick. Hot passion races up my body as every nerve sings in delight. My body trembles, and when I begin to moan he increases his efforts.

  Falling over the edge, my knees weaken, and he stands to scoop me up and place me to sit on the couch. He says, “I’m not even close to being done.”

  “Good, because neither am I.” I watch as he undresses for me. He teases me when I bite my lip in response to his zipper being released and stops. I sit up and move his hands out of the way. “Let me unwrap you.” His cock is silky smooth and hard when I remove it from his underwear. Denim is a rough contrast when I shove his pants down his thighs and move to take him in my mouth. “I want to finish this time.”

  He answers with a groan as I twirl my tongue over the tip, sampling his male nectar. I suck him in as far as I can and let him pump with force. As he approaches orgasm, he too is ready to collapse. I bask in my power to bring this man to his knees and stand to push him onto the couch so he can let go.

  While I pull his pants off, he yanks his shirt over his head and says, “Let me eat you at the same time.” I climb over him to rock into his mouth as he bucks into mine. The sensations his tongue sends through my body urge me to suck harder, and it isn’t long before his seed bursts into my throat. I swallow the salty heat of him, and he refocuses his attention on me.

  Being able to ride his mouth increases my pleasure, and I nearly scream with my release. I twist around to lie on top of him. Our sweat mingles, and the heady scent of us makes my core twitch for more.

  Propping myself up on his chest with my forearms, I look into his face. Tiny wrinkles at the edges of his eyes form as he smiles at me. “We can do this all night long.”

  I squirm against his flaccidness. “You might need a little break first.”

  He rubs a finger between my legs. “Only a small part of me needs to rest.”

  “Small? Haven’t you ever been in a locker room?”

  He grins and flips me over so my back is on the couch. “Such a pretty little mouth you have.” And he kisses me as his hand continues its delicious assault.

  Chapter 40

  Christmas morning is still exciting for me. The moment my eyes pop open, I jump out of bed and let the dogs out. I practically bounce, waiting for them to finish. I race back upstairs and into the shower. I’m going to make waffles and bacon and eat all the chocolate I put in our stockings. And then I’m going to peek at the presents Christian has for me, maybe shake the boxes to figure out what’s inside. Conditioner is slippery in my palm when I rub it into my hair, and then I remember—I was going to lay around with my naked boyfriend and have morning sex.

  I rinse my hair and think he’s probably wondering what I’m doing. Thirsty cotton soaks up the water that drips down my legs as I step out to rub myself with the towel. Christian saunters into the bathroom in all his naked glory. I give him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I got up excited to open presents.”

  “That’s okay. We’ve got all day.” He uses the toilet while I wait.

  When he turns back around, I drop my towel and cock a hip. “That we do.”

  He raises his eyebrows, and I run to the bedroom with him chasing me. Squealing, I jump in the bed and hide under the covers. The scent of us wraps around me. Cool air at my feet surprises me when Christian lifts the bottom of my duvet and starts kissing my toes. As he makes his way up my legs I forget all about breakfast and presents and enjoy a different kind of Christmas morning.

  ***

  I imagine the little-boy version of Christian as he sits with the contents of his stocking spread out in front of him. Instead of taking each item out one a time, he followed my lead and dumped it. Candy, socks, underwear, and silly trinkets lay before him. He dangles a pink rhinestone-encrusted cowboy hat keychain from his finger. “You expect me to use this?”

  I reach over and grab it out of his hand. “No, I put it in your stocking because I was trying to be fair.” I shrug. “It seems I found more for me than you when shopping.”

  He’s scanning my pile and snatches a thong. He swings it around his finger. “If you run into this problem again next year, and something tells me you will, this would be a good choice. Because it’s definitely for me.”

  “Very funny.” I stand and retrieve his presents from under the tree. I put the cowboy boot package in front of him and wiggle my fingers. “Open it.”

  “You’re so adorable when you do that hand thing of yours.”

  “This is nothing. When I was a little girl, I actually flapped when I was excited.”

  “Flapped?” Paper rips as he tears at the seam.

  “Uh-huh, almost like I had wings.” I demonstrate for him, and his eyes crinkle in amusement.

  He’s taking his time removing the shiny green wrapping paper, and it’s killing me. “Oh, my God!” I reach over and grab an edge to tear it. “You’re torturing me.”

  Christian slaps playfully at my hand. “Hands off. It’s my present.” He sends me a quick glance. “I think.”

  I give him a smirk. Slowly he removes the cover of the cardboard box, and tissue rustles as he lifts a boot out. A smile forms on his face. “Wow.” He turns it over in his hands, rubbing the leather. “These are amazing.” Yanking them on, he praises the workmanship and stands to model them for me.

  “They look great on you. You really like them?”

  He pulls me up from the floor by my hands and tucks me against his chest. “I really do. Thank you.”

  A kiss lands on my forehead, and he says, “Your turn.”

  I reach for a shiny package, but he pulls a small box out of my pile and hands it to me. “This one first.”

  I know it’s jewelry when I reveal a black velvet box. I open it to find a cowboy boot pendant set with small diamonds. Tears prick my eyes, and I lift it up. “It’s beautiful, Christian.”

  I put it on and press my hand against it on my chest. “I think this might beat Baby.”

  “Baby?”

  “A doll I got when I was three. She was my favorite Christmas present ever, and I still have her on a shelf in my closet.” I step close and wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you.” This time he kisses me on the lips, and it’s slow and sweet.

  We take turns opening the rest of our gifts, and then I retreat to the kitchen to make breakfast while Christian gathers the paper for recycling.

  Bacon sizzles in the pan, releasing its irresistible odor as coffee trickles into the pot. Christian’s phone buzzes on the counter, and I glance to see who it is. Noticing it’s his dad, I take it to him as he returns from the garage. They talk often, and Christian usually goes to the den where I hear him laughing and chatting away for an hour or more. I get a little jealous, wishing I had a parent to do that with.

  This time Christian leans against the counter to chat, and I determine he’s talking to both of his parents. I listen to his side of the conversation as he tells them about Rhinestone Cowgirl and his grand plans for success, and I smile as he mentions my name often. He speaks about us as a team.

  Steam curls up as I pour two cups of coffee for us. I’m about to get the milk when Christian hands me the phone. “They want to talk to you.”

  Surprised, I take it. “Hello?”

  The canned sound of a female voice on speakerphone comes back to me. “Hello, dear. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you too, Mrs. Nickelson.”

  “Please, call me Sandra.” A male voice pipes in. “And call me Tom.”

  Sandra says, “I’ve been hearing so much about you, Dann
ika. I hope we’ll get to meet you one day soon.”

  “I would love that. Do you have plans to come to Colorado?” A spoon clinks against ceramic mugs as Christian stirs milk into our coffee.

  “Not now, but maybe in the future. Christian will have to bring you to Vermont, hopefully before the big wedding.”

  I glance over at Christian, and smile. “Yes, I think we can find a way to get to Vermont.”

  He winks at me and hands me a mug. Tom says, “You go enjoy your breakfast, and don’t let that son of mine work you too hard.”

  “I will. It was nice talking to you.” I take a cautious sip of my coffee.

  Sandra says, “You too, dear, Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas.” The phone clatters on the granite when I set it down. “Your parents are so sweet.”

  “Don’t you love the speaker phone? Did they talk on top of each other?” Christian pours batter onto the waffle iron, and it creaks when he closes it.

  “No, but I can imagine it.”

  “Usually when I get both of them, my mother calls and my dad just yells things in the background.” Silverware rattles as he pulls open the drawer and gets us forks and knives. “It makes Gretchen crazy.”

  I think about Derrick and wonder what he’s doing right now. “Did they say where Gretchen and Derrick were?”

  Christian grins, “Poor Derrick is out running with Gretchen. At least it’s not me.”

  “On Christmas morning? What’s wrong with that girl?”

  “My point exactly. But she always managed to guilt me into it somehow.”

  I move against his back, and cotton is soft under my fingers as I slide my hands around his waist. “Too bad she’s not here to take the dogs with her. I already got my exercise.”

  “How about we snowshoe with them together? Then have hot chocolate and a fire?”

  I reach by him and grab a piece of bacon. “I like that idea, very much. I suppose it would be good to work off all the waffles I plan to eat.” The salty flavor on my tongue makes me moan. “And bacon, I may not have made enough.”

  “Can you get the maple syrup?”

  I take a plastic jug that says New Hampshire on it and place it the microwave to heat up. So many Christmas morning breakfasts with Derrick come to mind, and I miss him. I hope he’s having fun with his future in-laws and smile. It’s almost like getting parents again, and it makes me happy for him.

  Chapter 41

  It’s the day before New Year’s, and I’m up early. Rhinestone Cowgirl will be busy again today, and the shop is not as organized as I would like, so I plan to clean before we open. I need to get a quick snowshoe in with the dogs and get myself to the shop by nine.

  The ceramic tile is cool under my feet as I make my way into Christian’s kitchen. So much like mine, even the mugs are in the same location. I reach up for one on the top shelf, and my T-shirt hikes up. Without underwear on, I know I’m flashing my butt at Christian.

  “Princess, it’s nice having you to look at over breakfast. I have something I want to talk to you about.”

  The strong odor of dark roast coffee tempts my nose as I pour it in the cup. “Sure, what’s up?”

  Christian leans forward on the counter with his hands out. “C’mere.”

  I walk over to him and take his hands, and he says, “This two-house thing isn’t working out for me.”

  “No?”

  “No. I want us to live together like we were.”

  A smile covers my face. “Me too. But I was afraid to say anything because you worked so hard at building this the way you wanted and—wait, you want to live at my house, right?”

  He reaches for the neck of my shirt and pulls me closer. “Yes. I could offer my place as a rental.”

  I lick my lips as I lose my ability to think straight.

  “Were you just offering me a morning quickie before work?”

  He knows my idea of foreplay is the word yes, and I snicker as I pull back to whip the shirt off over my head. “Damn, today would have been a good day for you to be wearing a tie, because I want to drag you over the counter by it.”

  I lean over, pressing my breasts on the cold stone. But I’m not cold for long because he gives me a scorching kiss that makes me scramble up and onto my knees. Quivering with desire, I position myself with a foot on either side of his chair, opening myself to him. He lowers his head between my legs, and his hair is silky between my fingers as I ride the wave of pleasure he gives me.

  I want to return the favor, but by the time I’ve recovered he’s lowered his pants, rolled on a condom, and is thrusting into me. My second orgasm doesn’t take long, and I pull him under with me as we shatter for each other.

  He says, “Christ, I can’t get enough of you.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” I pick up my T-shirt from the floor and grab my cup of coffee. “I’ll be in by nine.”

  He pinches my bare bottom. “I’ll be at my desk. You know, the one you lean over so well.”

  I wink over my shoulder as I strut away, model-style, waving the shirt in my hand. “I think I’ll wear a skirt.”

  ***

  Town is crowded and I have to step aside or around numerous people on my short walk from my car to Rhinestone Cowgirl. I let myself in by the side door and find Christian poring over invoices in the office. I drop a kiss on his head and rattle his travel cup to see if he needs more coffee. “I think it’s time to get a coffeemaker back here. Want me to run and get you some before I open?”

  He glances at the time on his laptop. “No, I’ve had enough this morning.” He reaches for me, and I let him pull me onto his lap. “I was just thinking about how I had a wonderful Christmas with you. Let’s do it again next year.”

  Next year? First we’re moving in together, and now we’re talking about the future? I rub my finger over his one-day stubble. “How about as many years as you can stand me?”

  He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “In that case, how about forever?”

  Whoa. “Forever sounds good.” I lean down and kiss him. Wait. I sit back up. “Okay, I’m going to live up to my princess name. We aren’t going to do the Gretchen and Derrick thing where we kind of talk about forever and then morph into being engaged. So I’m going to pretend that maybe was to be sweet.”

  Christian grins. “This is black and white for you, right?”

  I cross my arms, which is a little hard to do in the position I’m holding in his lap. “Yes.”

  “You expect the one-knee, ring-in-a-box thing?”

  “Yup.”

  He nuzzles my neck. “I can do that for you. We won’t be engaged until I put a ring on it.”

  I relax into him. “And this is why you’re my prince. I love you, Christian.”

  He hugs me tight. “I love you too.”

  I sigh. “The girls should be here any minute. No more office PDA.” I stand up and straighten out my skirt. The metal buckle of my belt is smooth in my hands, and I think about how I want to rearrange a few displays as I walk out onto the shop floor.

  The day is as busy as it’s been all week, and Christian comes back to help after a quick trip home to take care of the dogs. There is a lull around dinnertime, and I plop down on the couch next to Christian. “Every day this week has been this busy. We’re not going to see much of Gretchen and Derrick when they get here tomorrow.”

  Christian tucks a loose strand from my ponytail behind my ear, and I lean into the heat of his hand. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. They won’t get to ski much this winter and will probably be happy to get as much in as they can when they’re here.”

  I nod as people walk in the door and we both stand. Christian retreats behind the counter where he helps ring up customers, fold clothes, and put things in bags. He’s also incredibly charming when he offers wine to the women waiting on the couch for their friend.

  My favorite kind of customer, the woman I help wants me to dress her. Running around the shop, finding outfits I know will flat
ter her figure, keeps me busy doing something I love. When it’s time to check her out, I notice Christian has an odd look on his face. He’s frowning but it’s not anger.

  He does his job, but my worry increases, and I have to force myself to make small talk instead of shoving the women out the door. The moment they’re gone, he nods toward the office. Lori is here and Megan will be in soon, so I know we won’t be interrupted when he shuts the door with a thud.

  His voice cracks as he begins to speak. “My dad had another stroke. Worse than the one he had last year.” My heart sinks as I remember last winter when Gretchen got the phone call. I was at the coffee shop with her. Immediately I go into nurture mode and sit at the laptop. When I hit the first key with a click Christian flips the lid down. “I’ve already booked my flight.”

  I look up at him. “Oh. What can I do?”

  His face falls, and I’m reminded of a little boy who doesn’t want to cry. I stand and hug him tight. “I’m here. Whatever you need, I’m here.”

  His body shakes with his silent cries, and his tears are hot when they seep through my cotton shirt. When he recovers, he pulls away with a sniff. “I need to leave.”

  “Of course. Do you want me to come home with you?” Suede is cool and heavy when I take his coat from the hanger and hand it to him.

  “No, I’d like to be alone for a bit. But please stay with me tonight.”

  The urge to hold him in my lap is strong, and I say, “I will. Do you want me to go to Vermont with you?”

  He shakes his head. “No, you need to stay and run things here. I’ll be okay. My mom needs me.”

  Yes, but you need me. I watch him slip out the side door so he can avoid talking to Lori or Megan, and my heart aches. I’m glad Gretchen has Derrick, and the desire to be there for Christian is great. I look around the shop. I’m proud of what we have, but I would give it all up in an instant for the man I love.

  I walk back into the office to make some phone calls.

  Chapter 42

  Christian doesn’t sleep much, and neither do I. When he gets up at three thirty for a four a.m. car, I get up with him. I talked to Derrick last night, and he told me he thinks Tom is going to die, but that information is for my ears only. He agreed I should get things in place in case I have to leave for the funeral.