A Wrong Bed Christmas: IgnitedWhere There's Smoke

by Kimberly Van Meter

  He laughed, reaching for her. “All right, not sure who’s winning this argument because I feel as if I’m coming out the winner either way, so let’s call it a draw and proceed with funky times.”

  Alexis pealed with laughter. “Funky times? That sounds like something that needs an antibiotic.”

  He kissed her and she enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers, but after a long moment of wrangling tongues, she gently pulled away, leaving him perplexed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just want to be clear about what we’re doing.”

  He grinned. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  She pushed at him, needing him to be serious for a minute. “No, I mean, I want to make sure that we’re both okay with the agreement that this is just for today.”

  The sweet warmth in Layton’s dark eyes faded and she suffered a twinge of guilt, but they both knew they couldn’t mess around once Erik returned. For one, Alexis would never come between Erik and his good friend and, two, Alexis didn’t think she was ready to start seriously dating again. She still had...issues she was working through about her breakup with Riker and it wasn’t fair to Layton to drag him down that dark road.

  “Kind of a downer conversation after such a great start,” he said.

  “Agreed, but one that needs to be had, right?”

  He sighed. “Yeah,” he said, but he looked as if having this conversation wasn’t high on his priority list. “Still a bummer.”

  “Can we be friends after this?” she asked.

  “We’re not friends,” he reminded her. “We just met.”

  “And what better way to build a great friendship than letting our naked parts rub up against one another. I had an anthropology instructor once tell me that everyone should use sex to defuse conflict, like the bonobo monkeys. Any time they are confused or conflicted, they bang it out and, voilà, everyone is happy again.”

  “If only things were so easily resolved,” he said wryly, plainly not impressed or on board with her suggestion to keep things platonic going forward.

  “You seem irritated,” she said. “Are you mad?”

  “No, not mad. I get where you’re coming from. Just feels weird to be on the other side of that argument.”

  “Aw, how cute,” she crooned with a laugh, and he broke a small grin. “But I’m really serious about not getting involved with anyone until I have my degree in my hot little hand. You have no idea how it feels to be the one that everyone writes off. I’m not saying it wasn’t my fault and that I didn’t make things worse with my choices, but it still sucks.”

  “Your brother adores you,” Layton said with a mild frown. “And he’s proud of you. He’s told me so.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. The only thing he’s ever said that was remotely negative had everything to do with that douche you were dating. Erik didn’t like him.”

  No, Erik hadn’t thought much of Riker. Neither had her dad, now that she thought about it, but she’d been too head over heels in love to see the warning signs. “I wish I’d listened to them in the first place and dumped him,” she admitted.

  “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You know that saying, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming? Well, I think that’s applicable here.”

  A warm smile found Alexis’s lips. “So full of wisdom, aren’t you?”

  “Only because I’ve made my share of dumb moves and I have the scars to prove it.”

  She tucked her robe around her. “I would’ve thought that this would’ve been a convenient out for you. Not many guys would find a weekend fling outside of their wheelhouse.”

  “I didn’t say it was outside of my wheelhouse. I’ve done it before,” he corrected with a shrug. “I just didn’t think you’d be okay with a one-and-done.”

  “I’m not...but a day of sex with you sounds just about perfect.”

  “You sure about that?” he asked, his dark eyes threatening to drown her in their beautiful depths. And those eyelashes! Criminal!

  She hadn’t lied when she’d said she’d come faster with Layton than anyone else and it’d been a pretty fantastic orgasm—not like some weak little tingle that barely registered but one of those earth-shattering oh-my-God-was-that-real kind of things and that was hard to give up, but she was determined to stay the course. “Yep,” she said with more force. “Now, I’m going to bake cookies. You can help if you want.”

  “Cookies? Why now?”

  “Because it’s part of my holiday tradition, just like hanging the lights, and keeping to my schedule is one way to stay on track with my goals.”

  The fact that I’m already thinking of you in ways I shouldn’t is enough of a warning sign. Yep, so go bake cookies, Alexis!

  And then she left him in her bedroom.

  * * *

  HUMMING UNDER HER BREATH, Alexis hobbled to the kitchen, determined to bake some gingerbread cookies before Erik returned. Erik was a sucker for her cookies and Alexis was not above using his love for cookies to get what she wanted, such as premium cable when Erik had been adamant that it was a useless expense. Erik was far more frugal than her—hence the belief by their parents that he was the more responsible one.

  Well, that and the fact that he seemed to have his life on track whereas she had made more than a few stops and starts.

  Such as when she agreed to let an internet start-up company slap their logo all over her car with the promise of paying her rent for six months when, in fact, the company had gone belly up within a month and she’d been left with a hideous logo blazoned across her bumper, which had to be professionally removed at her own cost.

  In hindsight, she should’ve known that any company named Jiggity, with the tagline The jig is up! wasn’t going to last.

  And then there was, of course, her experience with Riker that certainly rose to the top of the pile.

  And now that she’d shagged Erik’s best friend, Alexis thought it might be prudent to have some tasty yumminess around the house to soften the blow, if he were to somehow find out, which she was going to do her best to ensure that he didn’t. But a girl should always have a Plan B, right?

  Too bad she hadn’t had a Plan B with Riker.

  Ugh. What had she been thinking? She had to stop being swayed by a hot body and a bad-boy attitude. Bad boys didn’t hold down solid jobs, and they spent your money and slept with your former sorority sisters.

  She set the cookie tin down with more force than necessary just as Layton joined her in the kitchen. Alexis hit him with a blinding smile and began chattering as if they hadn’t just spent time in each other’s arms because, frankly, she needed to put her mind on a different track.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” she started, grabbing the ingredients for the cookies and the mixing bowls. “What’s it like to play the hero all day?”

  “I wish it were that simple. Being a firefighter isn’t saving kittens and rescuing damsels from fiery buildings all day. Sometimes, on slow days, it’s scrubbing a station toilet that’s been used by twelve other guys.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds like punishment.”

  “Let’s just say, some of my station brethren aren’t as diligent about hitting the pot.”

  “I would murder someone,” Alexis said, biting back a laugh. “I mean, that’s really gross.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Tell me more about this unglamorous side of being a firefighter,” she said as she worked the dough, loving the smell of fresh cookie dough. In a past life, she was a French baker, she was sure of it.

  “You really want to know?”

  “Sure. We’ve got time to kill.”

  “I can think of other ways to kill time,” he suggested, walking over to her. Her hands were stuck in dough, trapped
in the sticky glob, and he took delightful advantage. His lips brushed across hers and she melted a little. “Are you sure you want to talk about station life?” he murmured against her lips.

  “No fair,” she said with a breathy little sigh. “You are one of the best kissers I’ve ever had the privilege of kissing.”

  He grinned and kissed her again. He swallowed her moan and she accidentally put too much pressure on her sore ankle, causing her to yelp and pull back. “Ouch. Sorry,” she said, lifting her foot. “Still tender.”

  “You shouldn’t be on it,” he reminded her. “It won’t heal if you don’t let the swelling go down.”

  He surprised her by lifting her up on the counter, spreading her legs to stand between them. She automatically looped her arms around his neck. “See? Isn’t that better?” he asked.

  “Of course it is,” she agreed with a laugh. “But you’re messing with my plans.”

  “Make new ones,” he murmured right before sealing his mouth to hers, stealing her breath and for a moment, her will to be a good girl. But this—this exact thing!—was the reason she kept making the wrong decisions in her life.

  Alexis reluctantly pulled away. “I really need to get these cookies done.”

  “Please tell me that’s a unique euphemism for getting it on in the kitchen.”

  She laughed and pushed him away so she could slide from the counter. “Sorry, bud. Not this time. You’ll just have to shelve your dirty mind for a minute.”

  He groaned as if that were impossible and she wanted to say, I feel your pain, but she didn’t want to make things harder—ha! No pun intended—than they already were in the hands-off department.

  She cast a playful scowl his way. “Don’t get in the way of my baking. You don’t want to see me when someone has blocked my cookie habit.”

  He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Far be it from me to prevent the lady from whipping up something delicious and sweet.”

  Alexis grinned and returned to her dough, which was just about ready. She grabbed the rolling pin and began rolling out the dough. “Do you like gingerbread cookies?” she asked.

  “Not really.”

  She did a double take. “What?”

  “Sorry. I don’t care for the taste of molasses.”

  “Well, you’ve plainly never experienced a good gingerbread cookie, which you will once you eat mine.”

  “I’m willing to be wowed, but you ought to temper your expectations, just in case.”

  “Never.”

  He laughed. “Okay,” he conceded and then added, “You asked about unglamorous station life? Well, it’s like this... When things are slow, we’re out mowing the grass, washing the trucks, doing outreach at the schools and renewing our certifications. Like I said, totally unglamorous.”

  “Well, it beats being a perpetual student,” Alexis admitted. “I’m ready to be done.”

  “You’re smart going all the way. Being at the top of the food chain is a good thing.”

  Alexis appreciated his vote, even if they were going to keep things casual. “I wish you weren’t my brother’s buddy,” she said, mostly under her breath, but it was a titch louder than she’d meant it to be. She risked a glance at Layton and he seemed to understand her comment.

  “You’re the one making the rules,” he said by way of saying, Hey, things can be different if you want them to be, but she knew better than to give in to that flimsy hope. Layton read her mind and added, “I think Erik would be cool.”

  She chuckled. “No, he most definitely wouldn’t be cool about you and me. He’s very protective, especially of late. It feels good that he cares, but it does get a little tiresome when he treats me like a kid.”

  “Older-brother gig. Occupational hazard.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Anyway—” she cast a wry look at Layton “—he won’t be chill about his best buddy shacking up with his little sister, and I would never want to come between you and Erik.”

  “I can handle Erik,” Layton returned stubbornly, and in that moment she believed him, but she didn’t want Erik and Layton going to blows just because she’d practically seduced Layton and now they both wanted more. “Besides, you’re an adult. He has to come to grips with the fact that you’re capable of making your own decisions, good and bad.”

  “True, but it’s probably not a good idea to shove it in his face.”

  Layton leaned in. Her breath caught and, for the life of her, she couldn’t speak. His big, rough hands gripped her ass and pulled her to him. Their parts fit together so perfectly it was almost a sin not to allow them to interlock. His tab was aligned exquisitely with her slot and she almost giggled at the ridiculous bent of her thoughts only because laughter was her defense mechanism when she was nervous.

  “Here’s the way I see it,” he said in a seductively low voice, “for whatever reasons, we mesh pretty good. Unless I was mistaken and you’re the world’s best actress, you were having a pretty good time, too. The cat is out of the bag, babe. Can’t stuff that genie back in the bottle now.”

  “I get the idea,” she said, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze. “Doesn’t mean I’m willing to put a wedge between you and my brother just because epically good sex is on the line.”

  He gently backed her against the counter. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Positive,” she said with a breathy tone that even to her own ears sounded like a come-on. But before she could try again and set him straight, he turned her around and she was bent over the counter and his hand was up her robe, squeezing her bare ass. “What are you doing?” she asked, biting her lip to keep from smiling. She knew she ought to stop him but she’d always been a sucker for a good time and a bad idea. “The cookies!”

  “Screw the cookies,” he said with a growl as the sound of foil tearing made her turn and she gasped when she saw him sheathing himself in a fresh condom. He’d brought it with him out of the bedroom. Kudos for thinking ahead, but she really ought to give him hell for being presumptuous. Except she was lifting her ass, closing her eyes against the inevitable sensation of his cock pressing past her folds, going in deep, and she couldn’t wait.

  “Do it then,” she said, eager to feel him again, even though she’d just made a big show of saying they should forget it ever happened. Okay, maybe just one more time and then she’d really put her foot down.

  And then, as if he’d read her mind, he didn’t waste time sliding inside her, pushing hard and hitting that sweet spot with unerring accuracy when most guys had to have a little direction. She groaned like a cat in heat, losing herself in the pleasure of being bent over, taken and used mercilessly. It worked for her, and the fact that Layton seemed to appreciate that hidden part of her was an even bigger turn-on.

  Riker had always made her feel bad for expressing her needs, but then he’d cheated on her with every woman who happened to twitch her hips at him, which had only served to do a number on her self-esteem.

  But right now, Riker was the last person she wanted to think about. Layton was doing her right and that was all that mattered.

  Maybe those monkeys were onto something. Sex was certainly working to alleviate her stress!

  This time wasn’t as quick, but that served them both well. Layton took his time to really give it to her good, alternating slow and hard thrusts with fast piston action. She couldn’t catch her breath, but it was so good all she could do was hang on for dear life as he pounded her with the single-minded attention of a man on a mission.

  God, she loved a man with purpose. Just when she thought she might scream from the building pressure, she burst and wondrous explosions of pleasure blasted her nerve endings, squeezing her muscles and sending her into orbit. She didn’t notice the pain in her ankle or the granite counter grinding against her hips, only sweet, sweet oblivion.

  “God,
yes, Alexis,” he gasped, gripping her hips as he pushed into her, coming hard as he pumped erratically, all semblance of finesse out the window. She loved that he lost control with her, that he couldn’t seem to get a handle on his game. She didn’t want to be the only one losing all sense of reason and cool.

  He shuddered and his grip fell away from her hips, even as he remained firmly inside her. She pulsed with residual spasms as her orgasm slowly receded. She didn’t remember the sex being this good with Riker. Surely that was just the mind playing tricks with the memory because she’d discovered Riker was a dick? It couldn’t be that she and Layton, of all people, had some serious sexual connection that they were both slave to?

  He withdrew and removed the condom, tossing it in the trash and then, without a word, scooped her up and carried her to the sofa.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, amused that he always felt compelled to carry her. It was sexy and made her feel distinctly feminine, even if it embarrassed her a little because she could still walk.

  “Movie time,” he said, leaving and returning with Erik’s robe and slipping it on.

  Alexis gasped and then laughed. “Erik will kill you if he finds out you’re wearing his favorite robe.”

  “Wearing his robe is the least of my offenses today.”

  “That’s true,” she acknowledged, admiring how sexy he looked in nothing but a robe. They were like a couple, spending the weekend together—except they weren’t a couple and never would be. The jarring thought dampened her enthusiasm for a minute but if all they had was this weekend, she supposed they might as well do it right. “You really want to watch a movie? Why can’t we just spend all weekend screwing each other’s brains out?”

  “As much as I’m down with that, a man needs a little recovery time. We also need to fit in a shower at some point because we might start to smell.”

  She laughed, loving how easy it was to hang out with Layton but soon enough the jab of reality was too much to ignore. “You know we can’t just pretend that whatever this is will work out in the end because it won’t.”