by Dahlia Rose
“I want to go home.” Neeva was tense.
He turned his attention to Neeva, who was rigid. “What was that about? Why did you tear into her like that? It wasn’t her fault.”
“She’s lucky I didn’t call child welfare on her,” Neeva glared at him. “She gets to walk away. I’m ready to go.”
Nicholas felt his patience snap. “You don’t order me, and I don’t follow like your puppy. What the hell is the matter with you, Neeva? This isn’t you?”
She whirled to face him. “How would you know? You’ve known me for two days, so don’t blame your perceptions on me. You don’t know me!”
Nicholas summed up for her. “Yes, I do. I know you’re warm and sweet, and when you let your guard down, your smile can outshine the sun. I also know you’ve been hurt and hurt bad. So why did that lost child and his mother set you off, Neeva? Tell me what hurt you!”
“Because I lost my child!” Neeva choked, and tears began to run down her cheeks. “Instead of Santa bringing me gifts on the holiday, I got my baby, my son, taken from me!” Neeva thumped her chest. “Why does she get to lose hers and find him again! My baby, my Christopher, was five months old, and I woke up Christmas morning to give him his gifts, and he lay cold in his crib! So you’re Santa Claus, right? You tell me why. Why did I have to lose my heart like that? Why didn’t I die instead of him?”
Her revelation shocked him and broke his heart all at once. He pulled her close, even though she struggled, and held her tight. “I don’t know, my darling Neeva. I can’t answer for life or death, but I do know this. I love you. I love you so much that in those two days, it has been like a life time, and if you let me, I’ll love you until I can heal your wounds and make you happy. Just say yes.”
Neeva looked up at him with eyes that were filled with hurt and sadness. “Yes, Nicholas. Please make me forget. Just make me forget even if it’s only for a little while.”
Her simple statement was all he needed. He picked her up in her arms and strode with a brisk pace to the car. She still believed he would leave, and Nicholas knew he would prove her wrong.
Chapter Five
His suite was amazing. Neeva stood and looked around when he placed her on the plush carpet. He had insisted on carrying her through the hotel, much to her embarrassment and the hotel clerk’s delight. Now she was nervous as he put on the light next to the bed and opened the window so the sea air could blow in and cool the stuffy room. He was so nice. Neeva didn’t want to let herself feel anything for him. He’d be gone soon, and she’d be alone again. This time, she would be fighting two broken hearts if she let him in.
“I won’t leave you,” he said, his voice low and sensual as he crossed the room to stand in front of her. She could feel the heat from his body tempting her closer.
Neeva tried to smile. “You plan to live on the island now?”
“Maybe. You never know, but you can’t throw up a barrier when we can work something out.” Nicholas caressed her face.
“I’m not expecting anything from you past tonight, Nicholas. Whatever time you have on the island, I will spend with you.”
A frustrated sound came from him. “See past the now, Neeva. See that I love you and I’ll always be with you.”
She put a stop to his words with a kiss. She didn’t want to hear the promises she knew would be broken. She just wanted to feel something tonight other than despair. She wanted him to chase away the nightmares and keep her out of the dark. His lips took over the kiss, and Neeva moaned her response. He tasted so good as their tongues danced from her mouth to his. His fingers were buried in the long dark tresses, and he massaged her scalp before grabbing fistfuls of her hair and holding her still as he devoured her mouth. Neeva couldn’t think. All she could do was feel his tongue taste and take from her.
He tastes like Christmas- of peppermint candy canes, rum cake and hot spiced buttered rum. All these flavors came to mind when she kissed him. Her body felt like the wax of a candle melting under the flame. Nicholas’s hands moved to pull the thin straps of her dress down. He rained small kisses from her cheek down to her neck. He cupped her breasts and pulled them from the confines of her dress, burying his face in them before taking the hard nipple of one in his mouth and suckling deep as if he was starving for her taste. Neeva cried out as pleasure shot through her like a lightning bolt. She arched her neck and pulled him closer, offering him more of herself.
“You taste so good, my darling Neeva. I can’t get enough of you,” Nicholas murmured while licking and nipping at her skin.
He worked his way back up to her lips once again, and while his mouth plundered hers, she let the rest of her dress slip to the ground in a soft cotton pool. Nicholas lifted her from the material and placed her on the bed. Neeva stared at him as he discarded the rest of his clothing and stood in front of her. He was magnificent, his body sculpted, and when she caressed the smooth skin of his abdomen, his muscles rippled under her fingers. He knelt in front of her and laid his head against her lap. Neeva combed her fingers through his hair and traced his features before trailing featherlight touches along his back. Nicholas sat up and kissed her again. She felt his hands at her waist, and she lifted herself just a little so he could take off her tiny pair of panties. He touched her pussy with a light touch that made her gasp. She was wet and hot. His fingers traveled down the slit, which made her moan. She could feel his eyes on her as he touched her. Her eyes closed at his ministration, and she slowly exhaled.
“I’m going to taste you, Neeva,” he said “I wanted to taste you from the moment I kissed you, and I’m going to until you beg me to take you.”
Neeva said nothing. She could only feel as Nicholas’s mouth went to her core. Her hips bucked at the first lick, and she writhed when she felt his tongue between the folds of her pussy. Nicholas held her hips tight as he explored her with his mouth. She wanted the sensations he was building inside her, yet she didn’t think she could take it. Neeva’s hands were in his hair, pushing him away but pulling him closer while he took her to the edge. She moaned and begged for release, and then with a final flick of his tongue, Nicholas reaped the rewards her body had to offer. Her orgasm left her quaking, and her pussy gushed its nectar. Neeva fell back against the bed deliciously limp, trying to catch her breath from the explosive orgasm. Nicholas wanted more. He slipped one finger inside her while she lay there, and Neeva couldn’t help but cry out. He added another digit and slipped inside. She spread her legs a little wider to accept what he was giving, and her back arched as he moved his fingers with deliberation.
“Do you like this, Neeva?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Oh God, yes, she liked it. She wanted to feel him fuck her, pound into her until she begged for mercy.
“Say it’s only me who can make you feel this way,” he commanded.
“Only you, Oh God, only you!” she panted as he pushed deeper inside her moist core.
“Good, baby, now come for me. I want to see you come again,” Nicholas growled.
At his command, her orgasm erupted again. Neeva could feel her body tense and release, for it seemed like eternity as sensation after sensation rolled through her. She begged him to take her on every breath that passed her lips. Nicholas got of his knees and slipped inside of her. His groan matched hers as she took him in.
“I want to be on top,” she whispered in his ear and nibbled the lobe.
He slipped from her wet body and lay on the bed. His eyes were filled with desire and burned into hers as he watched her straddle him. She held his hard length in her hand and took him inside her inch by slow torturous inch. She saw his hands clenching the sheets as she rode him deliberately slow. With her thighs against his as she moved, the pleasure of having him deep inside her made her bite her lip. Neeva arched her back, and Nicholas reached up to cup her breasts. Her pace increased. She took him deeper with every downward thrust. He moaned her name over and over again, He cried out his love as passion spiraled them out of control. Neeva was
past the point of reason. She was going by that primal instinct to mate and to give and take pleasure.
“I need you, Nicholas. I need you!” she cried out. “Don’t let me go!”
“Oh, I love you, Neeva,” Nicholas groaned out. “I’m here with you for always.”
“I’m going to come.” Neeva felt tears fall from her eyes as her orgasm took hold. Her body tightened around his cock as she went over that edge. He moaned at his release. They both fell into that abyss that lovers find in each other.
Neeva was sprawled on top of Nicholas’s body. The cool wind coming through the window off the sea dried their skin. He stroked the hair off her face, and kissed the tears drying on her cheek. She turned away quickly, but Nicholas wasn’t going to have that at all. He turned her to him, and Neeva couldn’t hide tears, this time not from the pleasure of their lovemaking but of sadness.
“Sleep, my love. I’ll be here when you wake up. No nightmares tonight,” Nicholas whispered as he placed kisses on her damp cheeks
Neeva relaxed, and she pressed closer to him, laying her head against his chest. How did he know about my nightmares? It was one of her last thoughts before sleep claimed her.
* * * *
“Nicholas!” He heard his name called while he slept. “Christkindl!” Nicholas sat up in bed. It was his mother’s voice, and she used the Old World name. Next to him, Neeva slept deeply, and she didn’t move when he got out of bed and went to the mirror. His mother’s face stared out from the portal she created to find him.
“Mother?”
“Is this the one, the woman who has taken hold of your heart?” Joko asked trying in vain to look around his frame to the bed, even though she was in the mirror.
“Is that why you are here, to see into my bed?” Nicholas demanded. “You could have waited until I brought her home.”
“No, my son, the shop is in chaos. One of the vice presidents has sabotaged production. He refuses to release the toys unless he has more payment. I fear that more have joined him!” Joko explained.
“Those greedy bastards. They plan this just before our holiday run?” Nicholas snarled. When Neva murmured in her sleep, he lowered his voice. “I shall be there soon, Mother. I must handle this situation with Neeva delicately. She is heartbroken over the loss of her son.”
“Oh, that feeling is one that can never be repaired,” Joko said. Sadness infused her words. “I too know of that loss. You will help heal her, Nicholas. Your heart is one of the purest I know.”
“Thank you, Mother. Expect me soon. Convene a meeting for my return.”
“I shall do that, my son,” Joko replied. “Oh, your father says hello.”
“Uh, did you tell him where I was?”
“I told him you had important business to deal with.” His mother gave him a wink. “Now go take care of business.”
The mirror image of his mother faded, and Nicholas climbed back into bed with a frown. Last night they had spent the night loving and talking. She even smiled and laughed a few times while they played in the shower. He thought he would at least have a day or so left to spend with Neeva to gain her trust before he left. Now it was the sink or swim moment. Would she be able to have faith in him? He lay on his side facing her, looking into her beautiful face. Her eyes opened, and her gaze met his. She didn’t say a word. Neeva reached out and caressed his cheek before she pulled him to her and began kissing him with feverishly.
Nicholas returned her kisses with just as much excitement. She was in his blood like the potent ale he drank at home. He tore his lips away from hers and began to kiss his way down her neck. He reached behind her and cupped her ass before he traveled his hands back up to her body and filled his palms with the smooth globes of her breasts. Nicholas took the erect nipples into his mouth and laved each with his tongue before sucking one into his mouth causing her to cry out in pleasure.
“I can’t seem to get enough of your taste,” he whispered. “I need to taste all of you.”
“Yes, oh yes, Nicholas!”
“I love how you say my name,” he said as he kissed his way down her body.
He trailed his lips down her smooth abdomen and across the curve of her thigh, and he pulled the covers away. She lifted away from the sheets before spreading her legs to allow him access to what he sought. He felt her tremble when his hot breath met the soft skin of her pussy. When his tongue flicked between the folds of sweet flesh, her hips jerked in response. Nicholas could not stand the teasing himself. With a rough jerk, he brought her hips to him and pressed his lips against her pussy. Neeva’s cry shattered the quiet around them while he licked and sucked at the sensitive bud and buried his tongue inside her. Her hips undulated against his face until she shook with her release. He was above her before she could even catch her breath. He wanted to be inside her, to feel her wrapped around his cock. He could never get enough of the sensation of her body pulling his in deeper. He took her legs and wrapped them around his waist while sinking his cock inside her wet pussy.
His groan of pleasure was muffled against her neck. He whispered into her ear. “You feel so good, baby, so damn good. Take more of me, sweetheart. Ah, that’s it, just like that.”
Neeva arched in pleasure. “Oh, please, Nicholas, deeper, harder!”
“You have me, sweetheart, always!” He could feel his orgasm take hold as he pounded into her. He was on his knees on the bed with her legs wrapped around him, and he pulled her onto his cock. She held onto his shoulders. Each thrust sent them both higher and higher until their cries blended into one. He lay back on the bed with Neeva still in his arms while holding her tight against him and whispering to her. She in turn kissed every spot on his body she could reach and echoed his words.
“I love you, Nicholas. I love you,” Neeva whispered.
He didn’t even think she knew she had said it. If this was not heaven, Nicholas didn’t know what was. This was love. He was so certain of it now, more than he ever was about anything in his life.
Chapter Six
“I have to go,” Nicholas said as she stood outside her house later that afternoon.
Her silence seemed to stretch for minutes before she spoke. “I thought you’d be here until after Christmas.”
“Look at me, Neeva,” he commanded in a gentle voice. ‘Please, look at me.”
She looked up at him. Her emotions were again hidden behind that wall she had built so strong. She tried to smile, but even he could see it was a poor attempt. “It’s okay. I knew you’d have to leave . It’s been fun. See ya!”
Nicholas grabbed her shoulders and turned her back to him as she turned to leave. “Neeva, stop this.”
“There’s nothing left to say. Your tourist jaunt is over. Go home.” Her laugh was short. “Oh, I forgot. You’re Santa Claus. You have your Christmas Eve trip coming up.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I don’t know if I can trust anyone or anything, Nicholas.”
“Well, I tell you this, trust your instinct about me,” Nicholas implored. “I’ll be back, I promise. Last night, you said you loved me.”
“That could have been the heat of the moment,” Neeva answered in all honesty.
“Your heart got mixed up with other things?” Nicholas teased but got serious in an instant. “Do you love me?”
“I . . . I think I do,” Neeva whispered.
He framed her face with his hands and kissed her hard on the lips. “I love you too, my love, so much.” He kissed her again. “I’ll be back, my darling Neeva. On Christmas day, I’ll be back.”
She nodded, and he could see tears begin to form in her eyes.
“Say, ‘I love you, Nicholas,’ ” he coaxed.
She obeyed. “I love you, Nicholas.”
“Now go inside and rest because when I come back. I am coming back with a surprise.”
“Okay,” Neeva replied and walked up her wooden steps.
Nicholas wondered if she believed him for just a moment as he walked back thro
ugh the stand of palm trees. As he faded from the island to go take care of business, he knew when he came back to Trinidad he would be taking her back with him.
* * * *
Neeva prattled around the house while people were getting ready for the holiday. She was restless with no family, no one to celebrate with. She was alone. All she had was a promise from a man who said he was Santa Claus and a claim that he loved her. By God, she had fallen in love with that man, and now she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She cooked everything she could find, from steamed fish to pepperpot with three different kinds of meat. She made a batch of rum punch and took one or two sips, which turned into a whole glass. All the while, she wondered about where Nicholas was, about where he was from even, since she never really asked.
Finally out of desperation, she took a walk down the beach and ended up in front of the hotel where Nicholas was staying. On impulse, she walked inside. She would wait for him up in his room and maybe take advantage of that big tub he had in the huge bathroom. She would light candles and make herself pretty for him. I’m just going to make sure it’s okay with the person at the desk. Then I’ll run home, get some stuff, and leave him a note. Spending Christmas in a luxury hotel couldn’t be all that bad. Feeling renewed and excited for the first time in a long time waiting for the man she loved, Neeva walked up to the front desk. It was the same woman from last night.