by Maggie Ryan
“Gabe… please,” she groaned, her eyes on his jutting cock, wishing he’d move, to allow her to suckle him and yet trembling with the feel of his tongue swirling against her flesh. He released the digit and lifted her legs, moving between them, placing them over his shoulders as his hands slipped beneath her ass.
“As I said, I love every inch of you,” he said as he lifted her to his mouth. She watched as he broadened his tongue and swept it slowly through the lips of her sex, her insides beginning to coil tighter and tighter with every long, slow lick. “I love the way you beg,” he teased, blowing across her clitoris, causing her to jerk in his hold.
“Are you planning on teasing me all night?” she asked, her hands reaching for his dark head with the intention of guiding it exactly where she needed it the most.
“Every day for the rest of our lives,” he promised with a smile that had his dimple deepen. “Now, put your hands above your head. Let me enjoy my future wife at my leisure.”
Jewel moved her hands but to her breasts, cupping them and watching his eyes as she squeezed each nipple between her thumb and finger. With her groan, he shook his head. “Naughty. I see that I’ll also be spending a great deal of our days reddening your ass.” She yelped when his palm connected sharply with her right buttock, the jolt of pain instantly transferring to her quim. He gave her other cheek its own swat and as she obeyed, her arms now above her head, he grinned and then buried his face in her sex. It took only moments before she was flying off the cliff, her body bucking as she came, her muscles still convulsing as he shifted positions and drove into her.
His mouth descended upon her breasts, his teeth nipping, his lips suckling as she wrapped her legs around him, coming again before he’d stroked in and out a dozen times. Needing to touch him, not caring if it earned her a spanking, she grabbed his shoulders, arching up to offer her breasts, her sex as he drove deeper, stretching her, completely filling her. Her head arched back as she screamed out his name, coming for the third time as he stiffened for an instant as he joined her in release.
She felt him kiss her cheeks. “Querida? Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she assured him, her palms cupping his face.
“Then why are you crying?”
“Because I have never felt so loved, so wanted in my life. I don’t deserve you, Gabe…” She pressed a finger against his lips when they opened. “But, you’re mine and I’m going to take you…”
He grinned down at her, and caused her to squeal as he rolled over. She wasn’t surprised to feel him growing inside her again. “Show me…” he said, “show me how you are going to take me.”
Jewel rocked back and forth, grinding her groin against his, loving the fact that his cock swelled to fill her completely. Leaning forward, her breasts pressed against his chest as she lowered her mouth to his. “How am I doing, Mr. Vasquez?”
“Beautifully, Miss Gardner.” She kissed him, tracing his lips with the tip of her tongue before delving into his mouth. Placing kisses on his cheeks, his forehead, and the end of his nose, she finally sat up, bracing her palms where her breasts had been. Lifting herself, she began to ride him, posting up and down, quivering each time she allowed him to almost slip from her body before moaning as she filled the emptiness with him again and again. Gabe’s hands moved to her breasts, fingers tweaking, rolling, and pulling on her nipples as she felt the delicious coiling inside.
“Come with me,” she uttered words he often expressed to her. She moved faster, slamming her body up and down, moaning and giving soft yelps as he played with her nipples, the slight pain driving her on until she arched and screamed, splintering apart as she came, feeling him erupt within her. Collapsing onto him, she heard him give a soft chuckle. Too exhausted to move, she simply lifted her eyes. “What?”
“Isn’t this where you’re supposed to say, Good boy?”
Her giggle became a laugh as he grinned, reminding her of how often he’d used a variation of those words to praise her for her obedience. “No,” she finally said when she could without laughing. “This is where I say, you’re an incredible, wonderful man.”
As Gabe stood, extending a hand to help her up, she ran her hands through the fur where they had laid. Smiling, she looked up. “I do believe you’ve cured me of my aversion to bears.”
“I’ll pass that along to Moses,” Gabe said with a chuckle.
“Just don’t feel you have to explain exactly how I was cured,” Jewel said, taking his hand. Once under the quilts, she smiled as he spooned her, his arm around her waist, his hand cupping her breast. Her bottom, still a bit tender from the strapping he’d given her earlier, pressed against him, the slight pain reminding her that he would protect her, love her for the rest of her life.
Following the sound of singing, the couple walked into the kitchen to find gems giggling, some pretending to swoon, others calling out encouragement. The sight that welcomed them had Jewel stopping dead in her tracks. The fact that Nettie, her cook and great friend, was singing a rather suggestive ditty wasn’t the cause of her feet freezing in place. It was the fact that she was belting out her tune while dipping and twirling, bending and bouncing about the kitchen, her feet kicking up, one hand lifting and swirling her skirts while doing so. And, of course, there was the added benefit that she was tapping out the beat against the air with her ever-present wooden spoon. When the last note was sung and she came to a rather abrupt stop, her ample breasts heaving, a sheen of perspiration on her caramel colored skin, a bit unsteady on her feet as she gave a deep bow, the room erupted in applause.
“Encore!” Amy’s request was picked up by several others, but it was apparent to all that the woman had given all she had as she sank into a chair.
“I had no idea you could dance so… so suggestively,” Jewel said, her feet finally cooperating as Gabe led her into the room.
“Sure you did,” Gabe countered, as he released her hand in order to pull out a chair for her to slip onto. “You’ve seen her dance to the tune of that spoon several times… when it’s beating against her behind instead of the air, that is.”
“Gabe!” Jewel said, shaking her head and then giggling when Nettie’s head came up, her eyes wide as they turned to Gabe. Though she had yet to truly catch her breath, the spoon under discussion began to wave again.
Before she could get herself into trouble, Moses plucked it from her fingers.
“Don’t you break it!” Nettie said, “I’m running out of spoons!”
Moses chuckled and bent to kiss her cheek. “And whose fault is that?”
She huffed and pushed her hair off her cheeks. “Can’t a soul celebrate without being threatened?”
“How did you know?” Jewel asked, turning to look up at Gabe. “Did you tell them already?”
“How could I? I just got here same as you.”
“Tell us what?” Nettie asked, appearing fully recovered as she looked between the two. Suddenly her face lit up with her smile. “Well, I’ll be. You two are going to be jumping the broom too!”
Jewel stared at her and then jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. “You’re getting married! Oh, Nettie, I’m so happy for you and Moses!”
“What?” Nettie said, pulling back. “Child, I’m too old to be marrying that old coot.”
“You’re not?” Jewel said, confused and embarrassed. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, Moses…”
“Don’t fret none,” Moses said. “She’ll marry this old coot ‘iffen I ask. Won’t you old woman?” Though Nettie shrugged, she also definitely giggled when the giant bent down and whispered something in her ear. The fact that he tapped the spoon against the table while speaking had every one of them pretty sure of what secret he was sharing.
Jewel turned to look at her family. It only took a second before she realized who Nettie had been referring to. “Oh my, John, you and Opal! That’s wonderful…”
“Isn’t it?” Opal said, her smile huge. “I admit, I was shocked but it just feels right for some reason
.”
“That’s because it is right,” Jewel said, moving to pull Opal off John’s lap and wrapping her arms around her.
“Wait… you and Gabe, really?” Opal asked, pulling back a bit.
“Yes,” Jewel admitted. The women both squealed and this time the entertainment was provided by the two of them as they danced in circles all about the room.
John stood and held out his hand which Gabe accepted and shook before pulling the man close and slapping him on his back. “Congratulations,” they said at the same time. Breakfast had to wait until every gem had hugged each of the brides-to-be and the two grooms. As they finally settled down to flapjacks and ham, discussion began over the wedding dates.
“I don’t know,” Opal said. “I don’t want a big fuss… I’m not exactly the virginal bride, you know. We can just ask Reverend Black to perform the ceremony.”
“But you are a bride,” Amy countered. “Both of you are and both of you deserve wonderful weddings.”
“That’s right,” Dottie said, spreading strawberry jam over her pancakes. “We can help plan and have a party…”
Jewel looked up, setting her coffee cup down. “Wait. We’re already planning a big party. Opal… what do you think about… I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to but what if…”
“We get married together at the Christmas party?” Opal finished. “Jewel, I’d love to but you and Gabe deserve…”
“Exactly the same as you and John,” Jewel said. “It would be such fun. We wouldn’t even have to do much. We already have plenty of food planned and all of our friends will be here.” Turning to Gabe, she smiled. “What do you think?”
“Querida, all I care about is that you will be my wife. The rest doesn’t matter.”
“John?” Opal asked.
“I feel the same. You two began this journey together, it only seems fitting that you share in the celebration.”
The group all agreed and Nettie finally conceded that it would be fine as long as she could make a special cake for the couples, which both grooms immediately agreed to.
Chapter 20
The group moved outside to climb into the wagons that Gabe and John had gone to the livery to get. Gabe settled Jewel onto the seat while Nettie squealed as Moses swung her into the back and then joined her. The other gems took seats in John’s wagon. They made a rather noisy group as they drove through the streets, Silver’s beautiful voice rising from one wagon to join the notes echoed by Nettie, the others joining in the Christmas songs.
“This is how I imagined Christmas could be,” Jewel said, snuggling against Gabe. “Family joining in songs and going together to choose the perfect tree.”
“It is nice to be with family,” Gabe agreed and then chuckled. “Though if they are like most families, I’m betting that every gem chooses a different tree.”
Jewel smiled, knowing he was probably right but not truly caring. If they had to choose between a dozen trees, so be it. She wanted the day to be one no one would ever forget and now, with not one but two weddings having been added to the agenda, she couldn’t imagine how it wouldn’t be.
Once they’d reached the woods, the group dispersed but only after listening to Gabe instruct them to stay in pairs. “I don’t want to have anyone having to stand for our picnic, but you will if you wander off alone. And stay within sight of one of the men. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mr. Gabe,” the gems answered in perfect unison. Gabe shook his head and Jewel giggled.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said and then added, “all right, go on. The quicker we find our tree, the faster we can eat.”
“Gabe, it takes time to find the perfect tree,” Jewel chided, linking her arm through Onyx’s. “Come on, if we leave it up to him, he’ll pick the first one he sees.” She was glad to see Onyx smile, knowing that she was still traumatized by what had happened but also knew that the more she interacted with her friends, the sooner she would heal.
“I still don’t see what was wrong with the last one,” Gabe grumbled as he trudged up an incline to where Jewel had pointed to what might be the perfect tree.
“It was shorter than I am!” Jewel said. “I want a huge tree! I’ve ordered lots of ornaments and tinsel and need a big, fat tree to hold them all.”
The tree on the ridge wasn’t the one, but when Onyx called out, they found her standing before another. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” Jewel said, looking up at the magnificent tree. She could easily imagine the decorations hanging from the boughs. Walking completely around it, she clapped her hands and then hugged Onyx. “You did it! You found the perfect tree!”
Gabe had to agree though he was a bit concerned about the height. “You said you wanted it on the stage but I’m not sure it’s going to fit.”
Jewel gave it another circuit and then joined them again. “I don’t care. It’s perfect. If it won’t fit on the stage, we can put it between the bar and the stairs. The ceiling is taller there, right?”
Nodding, Gabe tied a rope around the tree trunk, all the groups agreeing that nothing would actually be cut without the group’s agreeing that they loved the tree. “Come on, we’ll go back and see if anyone else has a candidate. Then, after we eat, we will cut it down and load it.”
It turned out that Gabe had been right. Every group had an offering. Moses had tied his rope around a very fat fir. “It’s too fat,” Amy said.
Jewel bit her tongue but still allowed a soft laugh to escape when Nettie put her hands on her hips and stared up at her man. “Did you pick that tree because it reminded you of me?”
“Of course not,” Moses said, sounding offended. “And I’ve told you, you’re not fat, you’re…”
“Fluffy!” Peals of laughter filled the woods as the gems broke down.
Moses shook his head and removed his rope and the group moved to the tree that Charlie’s group had chosen. “It was pretty but didn’t pass muster when Gabe pointed out that removing it would make quite a few squirrel families have to find new nests. Another rope was removed. John led them deeper into the woods.
“Oh, it’s very pretty,” Jewel said. It was perfectly formed, all sides symmetrical without obvious gaps between the branches. “What do you all think?”
The group agreed it was beautiful. “Let’s go see your pick and then we can vote,” Opal suggested.
“It’s not my pick, Onyx found it,” Jewel clarified as they climbed the slope and moved towards the tree. “It’s perfect but Gabe thinks it might be too tall. What do you think?”
“Moses, go stand next to it,” Nettie suggested. We know you have to duck under doors, but you don’t hit your head on the ceiling.
Moses moved to the tree and the others studied the height. It was taller than he was.
“It’s all right,” Onyx said. “Mr. Gabe is right. This one is too tall. The other one was pretty…”
“No,” Gabe said. “I didn’t take into consideration that we are measuring it from the ground up. If we cut it a couple of feet from the base, it should be fine. And, as Jewel said, if it won’t fit on the stage, it will fit by the stairs.”
“You think so?” Onyx asked, her eyes brighter than they’d been that morning.
“Absolutely,” Opal said.
“It’s perfect,” Dottie offered, giving the woman a hug.
“You found our Christmas tree,” Amy agreed, the others all nodding.
Decision made, Moses and Charlie went to the wagons to bring the large baskets that Nettie had packed for their picnic. The women spread out quilts and they sat down to thick sandwiches, passed around jars of pickles that Nettie had canned, and bowls of potato salad. Dozens of cookies were consumed as well as a gallon of lemonade.
Patting his belly, Gabe groaned. “Maybe we should have cut it down before we ate.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Jewel chided. “You were the one who said you’d need to eat to get energy to cut down the tree.”
“Querida, face it, I expended quit
e a bit of energy yesterday afternoon… and last night… and this morning…”
“Quit bragging,” Charlie said, tossing a pinecone at Gabe. “She’s already promised to marry you.”
Jewel giggled and Gabe grinned, tossing the pinecone back which, of course, resulted in cones being lobbed in all directions, the calories from the meal being worked off as gems shrieked and ran around, scooping up pinecones and tossing them, often missing their targets but all having fun.
Moses just shook his head and with Nettie at his side, went back up the slope. The group stared in amazement when a short time later, they looked up when the sound of Nettie’s voice reached them, the words of O Christmas Tree serenading Moses as he dragged the chosen tree behind him.
“Well, I’ll be,” Gabe said, shaking his head.
“How does it feel to be outdone by an old coot?” Nettie asked, beaming up at Moses.
“Like maybe I deserve a couple of swats with your famous spoon,” Gabe said, giving her a hug.
The tree was loaded and the picnic packed away. Jewel folded the last quilt and handed it to Gabe. “Thank you.”
“For what, I didn’t do a thing.”
“You spent the day with me, with us, and sometimes, that is enough.” She kissed his cheek and climbed into the wagon, giggling when she realized that the top of the tree would keep the two of them separated on the ride home. But it was worth it. They had the first tree that would grace The Red Petticoat Saloon.
They spent hours opening the many boxes that Jewel had been collecting from the mercantile, unwrapping each ornament and finding just the right spot to hang it.
“How much of this silver stuff did you order?” Gabe asked.
“A lot, and remember, you are supposed to be separating each strand. You aren’t supposed to just toss clumps of it anywhere. Tinsel will reflect the light from the candles and make the tree shimmer.”