Sarah’s eyes grew beautifully wide. “You want to help me decorate the tree?”
Code nodded. “Seems to me, it’s more fun when you don’t do it alone.”
When she hesitated, he added, “Or we can talk about what happened between us in Arizona.”
Sarah blinked and then shoved an ornament in his hand. “Decorate, Code. After we do these, I’ve got five more boxes to get through.”
Code took a better look at the boxes on the floor filled with an array of balls, homemade and hand-painted ornaments, many with inscriptions on them, and realized that these were gifts from her fans.
“You have eight boxes of ornaments?”
“Like I said, I have years of Christmases to make up for.” She smiled and glanced down at the boxes. “Want to take back your offer?”
He shook his head. “I don’t run from a challenge, babe. You should know that about me.”
Sarah placed a brass reindeer ornament on the tree. “It’s nice of you to share that information,” she said lightly, eyeing her work.
“Consider that a warning,” Code said, his tone serious. He meant it.
Sarah slanted him a puzzled look, their eyes meeting. “What are you saying, Code? That you consider me a challenge?”
He put another ornament on the tree, the slight hint of strawberries staying with him as he refused Sarah an answer.
Sarah set down the metal hook she was about to snag onto an ornament and stepped away from the tree. “Code, can we just enjoy spending this time together decorating my tree without bringing up the past?”
“You don’t like reminders of the past, do you, Sarah?”
Resentment swirled in his gut. He’d thought he was over her, until Arizona. Then he realized he still had demons to chase, and Sarah was a huge part of that.
Her life really began when she had her first number-one hit at the age of nineteen, just six months after leaving him. The hit songs kept coming but her letters to him hadn’t. He’d only received one, then all contact between them stopped shortly after her first big success. Code remembered feeling left out in the cold, waiting for a woman who had moved on without him.
He’d never forgive her for that.
“There’s no use in it,” she said with a resigned shrug.
“We can’t ignore Arizona,” Code said, watching her eyes flicker at the mention of their lovemaking.
“I think we can,” she said, but he knew by the mellow, dewy look in her eyes that she was lying.
“It wasn’t a fluke, Sarah.”
“It was a mistake,” she said passionately, but she didn’t fool him.
She was afraid of what that night meant after years of waiting and wondering. They had come together with magnetic force. Their bodies had meshed and melded, and hidden yearnings had been stirred and awakened. Sarah had given way to powerful orgasms and Code had watched her with awe, riding those waves of pleasure. He’d joined her and they’d come home together, climaxing in unison.
“It was inevitable. You and me.”
Sarah picked up an ornament, a red glittered ball with the embellished words, “From your biggest fan, Joellen,” and a picture of the smiling young girl dead center. She stared at the orb for a moment as she gathered her thoughts and then shook her head. “We should try to forget what happened between us.”
Code took the ball out of her hand and hooked it onto a barren branch. “The way you forgot about me?”
She snapped her eyes up. “I never forgot you, Code.”
Code pulled her into his arms, wrapping his hands around her waist, his fingers slipping into the back pockets of her jeans. He brought her even closer and felt her tremble from his touch. His gaze drifted down to her sweet, ripe mouth. “Prove it.”
Two
M aking love to Code Landon in Arizona hadn’t been wise. He’d caught her by surprise. She’d never expected to see him at Tempest West. Her guard had been down, and she’d been caught up in emotion and lust and something more. Something that played havoc in her heart. He was harder now, wearing more armor than she ever remembered. She’d unintentionally broken his heart and she’d felt that anger in him when they’d made love. But he’d also been physically tender and giving throughout, even as she sensed an underlying ferocity in him.
The mistake had been made, and now Sarah was powerless to deny him a kiss. She’d dreamed often of that one night spent with him, trying to discount her feelings, trying to put it aside and rationalize that she’d been starved for affection lately. But the truth was that Code Landon was an unforgettable man. Gorgeous. Passionate. Hard-edged. She’d loved the boy and those feelings had resurfaced even while knowing that he wasn’t the sweet-natured, caring person he’d once been.
She had managed to destroy that part of Code Landon and now she knew getting involved with him would only cause more heartache.
Code brushed his lips over hers, his mouth strong and determined. His magnetic scent screamed “man,” and she fell into his kiss as if she’d been tossed over a cliff. There was no hope of retreat. The fall would surely be her undoing, yet she was defenseless to deny experiencing his passion, just once more.
Code pressed her closer, his fingers in her back pockets splaying across her backside and applying exquisite pressure. His manhood became apparent and she relished knowing she could bring him to such potency with just a kiss.
“Still taste like strawberries,” he murmured, deepening the kiss. He rubbed against the juncture of her thighs.
“Oh.” She sighed into his lips, and Code’s sharp intake of breath at that very moment told her how her pleasure affected him.
He stroked his tongue over her lower lip and she opened, garnering from him a masculine grunt of satisfaction. His tongue danced along the outer edge of hers before sweeping through and tasting her thoroughly. Trembling now, Sarah sighed once again in a conflicted state of arousal.
His knee separated her legs and he moved closer yet. Breath stole from her lungs and she could only think of being naked again with him, sharing intense passion and surrendering her traitorous body that seemed to follow his lead no matter how much she fought it.
He trailed kisses away from her mouth and she immediately missed the contact there, but soon she was immersed again when his lips trailed down her throat and his hands came up to push her sweater down past her shoulders. He pressed his lips onto her collarbone and then lower, until her nipples tightened with need and anticipation.
She’d given herself to him just once, and it seemed every cell, every nerve, every inch of her body marked the memory, an indelible imprint that would stay with her forever.
“You have too many clothes on,” he whispered in a rasp. And in one remarkable move, he pushed her sweater down completely and unhooked her bra, his eyes hungry on the lacy cotton material before tossing it aside. Sarah arched her back restlessly, displaying her shameless desire.
Code lavished his mouth on her breasts, one then the other, wetting them. Then he blew warm breath onto her skin, making her prickle above the waist and tighten wickedly below.
“Oh, Code,” she said, hardly recognizing the huskiness in her voice. She spread her fingers into his thick shock of short, dark hair and tugged, holding him to her.
He flicked his tongue over one extended peak, moistening the rosy circle again and again until heat pooled and swamped below her belly. She squirmed with endless need and when he finally lifted up to look into her eyes, had she been a Southern belle, she would have swooned from the raw sensuality she witnessed on his expression. Hot, hungry eyes, a face tightly drawn and a jaw set with determination.
“I want you tonight,” he whispered with fierce resolve, then added, “on my terms.”
Sarah was too far gone to know what he meant by that statement. And it had been a statement and not a request. But she didn’t care. She’d thrown caution to the wind the second his lips touched hers and she’d known letting him touch her would lead to this.
Maybe it’
s what she’d wanted all along.
Maybe it was her way of making up for the past.
Or maybe she couldn’t think beyond those mesmerizing deep blue eyes on a face she had always loved.
On my terms.
That couldn’t be good.
Or could it?
“What does that mean exactly?” she whispered, distracted by his hands cupping her rear end and pulling her tight against his full arousal, her bare breasts crushing his chest.
“Just as I said. No holds barred. No regrets. No commitments.”
His eyes turned from hot and hungry to cold and steely in an open dare she couldn’t possibly refuse, not with his rock hard body pressed to hers. Not when no holds barred intrigued her more than the mysteries of the universe. As for regrets, she already had them, so what was one more? And for commitments? Sarah Mae Rose and Code Landon hadn’t been destined for an inevitable future. She knew that with certainty.
“I agree to your terms,” she breathed out, then roped her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless, obliterating his surprised expression.
Code took Sarah’s hand and led her into the master bedroom, her scent enveloping him, the thought of making love to her again reeling his senses. Moonlight streamed in and encircled the room. He took a step inside, noting those inviting satin sheets and the large, accommodating bed where he planned to explore every inch of her. But one other thing stood out and smacked him with glaring force—a picture of Sarah with the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Rod Hanson. His arm was around Sarah’s shoulders and both smiled happily into the camera. The framed photo sat neatly on the right side of her dresser, directly next to a photo of Sarah with her mother and sisters.
Anger flared instantly and Code reminded himself not to get personally caught up with Sarah again. She’d broken him down once. This time was different. He wouldn’t let romance get in his way. He wanted Sarah, but he wouldn’t allow his heart to get involved. Glancing away from the photo, his gaze hit a box labeled “fan letters” sitting on the floor next to her desk. With pen and paper atop the desk, it appeared she’d been writing to a fan.
It was a brutal reminder that Sarah had chosen this life of celebrity over him. He could live with that now, but he’d never forget how she’d left him. He simmered with underlying anguish, closely controlled by sheer will.
He was with Sarah tonight and would make damn sure she’d never forget him again. When she thought of making love, his name, his face, his body would come to mind.
Code stopped by the bed and turned to face her, the dewy, soft look in her eyes causing him a moment of retreat. Then he blinked. “Kick off your shoes, baby.”
Sarah did so, leaving her feet bare, her red toenails shining up in an iridescent glow.
Code rode his hands up her jeans until he reached the waistband. He unzipped her pants and pulled them down easily, along with her panties, his hands immediately returning to touch her bare skin. She stepped out of her jeans and Code skimmed his hand down below her waist, inch by inch. Her skin prickled and she sucked oxygen in. “Remember this, Sarah?”
He touched her innermost folds, one finger moving slowly, teasing, tempting, while he looked her in the eyes. Green irises sparkled back at him and she nodded.
She was warm all over, her innermost heat nearly killing him. He kissed her lips then, gently, then more firmly as his finger stroked her to match the pressure of his mouth.
She murmured a soft guttural sigh of pleasure and Code dropped to his knees. He cupped her from behind and replaced his finger with his tongue. He tasted her and stroked, holding her hips steady when she would gyrate, keeping her torturously still when she wanted to move with him. He stroked her again and again, and when she cried out, he released her hips, letting her move now frantically, her breaths quick, sharp gasps.
She was beautifully naked and in the throes of passion. Code had never seen anything so powerful in his life. Sarah, her head thrown back, her red-gold hair spilling down, a sensual sheen coating her perfect body, climaxing with sighs and cries, fully un-abashed.
Code rose to face her, kissing her deeply, cupping her head and driving his tongue into her mouth.
“Code,” she murmured, her breaths coming hard. “That was so…nice.” She looked at him shyly.
“Nice?” he croaked out.
She let go a little chuckle and her smile brightened the room. “Incredible. Inspiring. Unforgettable. I, uh, didn’t want your head to swell.”
Code nodded then looked down. “Too late.”
Sarah laughed. Her joy spilled over him and he smiled. Then he got serious. He wasn’t nearly through with her. Code kicked off his shoes, reminded he was fully dressed. “Take off my clothes, Sarah.”
He kissed her again lightly and she did his bidding, removing his shirt and planting kisses along his collarbone, then his chest. She circled his nipples, moistening them with her tongue.
Code groaned and pulled her up tight, whispering in her ear. “I need to be inside you.”
She unzipped his trousers and he stepped out of his pants, but when he thought to toss her down onto the bed, she stilled him, placing her cool hand over his extended erection.
“Or maybe not quite yet,” he added.
Her fingers slid over him. “No holds barred, remember?”
“I do. Glad you have a good memory, too,” he managed as she stroked him faster, his manhood swelling with pulsating heat.
Code held her hips loosely and they shared potent kisses as her hands worked magic. When she dropped to her knees, Code looked down, placed his hands in her hair and swore aloud as her mouth brought him to the brink of completion.
He stopped her with a quelling hand and lifted her up onto the bed. Her outstretched arms beckoned him, and that was all the invitation he needed. He joined her, his body primed and ready to claim her.
“You don’t play fair,” he rasped out.
“Isn’t it more fun that way?”
Code grinned and brought his body over hers. “Sarah, the games are just beginning.” He parted her legs and thrust into her slowly, taking his time, witnessing the look of pure pleasure on her face. A little throaty moan escaped her lips and Code recognized that same sense of satisfaction that he felt being joined with her again.
After that first slow initial thrust, tension spiraled out of control. Her body accommodated his perfectly and she welcomed him with throaty vocal sounds that spurred his desire even more.
Ever since their first time in Arizona, Code had known their making love again was inevitable. The wait had been overly long, the heat too fiery, and when she arched her hips up and cried out a plea for completion, Code rose up and brought them both to an earth-shattering climax.
Sarah shuddered forcefully, her orgasm inspiring and so beautiful. She sighed quietly, then relaxed against the soft bed, murmuring, “You don’t play fair either.”
Code flopped onto his back, his spent body cooling down somewhat. He turned her way, and her sated expression made him smile. “I know, sweetheart, it’s my best quality.”
Sarah snuggled next to Code on her bed, his strong arm wrapped around her. Oddly, she felt at peace with him at the moment. He was a reminder of her youth and of the love they had shared when she’d been truly happy.
She’d done what needed doing back then. Her allegiance had gone to her family—her mother and sisters were living comfortably now. Sarah sang for a living and raised money for charity, her way of giving back, and if she truly dug deeply into her soul, maybe it was also her way of repenting for wronging Code Landon the way she had.
She’d gone on with her life and had become a success, feeling a sense of satisfaction and contentment.
Until Code had shown up in her life again.
She’d taken one look at him and her safely constructed world had come crashing down around her.
She stared at the ceiling adrift in thought about the boy she’d fallen in love with more than twelve years ago.
; He’d been patient.
We’ll wait until we’re married, if that’s what you want, Sarah.
He’d been protective.
I’ll never let anyone hurt you.
He’d been sincere.
I’ll always love you, no matter what.
Patient, protective, sincere. Now, Sarah feared Code was none of those things.
They’d made love during the night and his “no holds barred” demand had taken on new meaning. Code introduced her to a world of sensuality she’d never known. She’d given him her trust as he schooled her, taught her new positions and an awareness of her own body she’d never had before.
His fingers wove through her hair lightly and she turned to find him watching her, those deep blue eyes that had singed her with heat last night now appeared unreadable.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“After seven.”
“I should go.”
She sighed and bit back words to the contrary. She wanted him to stay, but she wouldn’t ask. The warmth and heat from last night seemed to have evaporated between them this morning. Perhaps both had misgivings about the hot night of sex they’d shared. She wouldn’t press him. He’d asked for no regrets and no commitments.
Besides, she had an early appointment this morning with Robert for breakfast and then a tour of the Garden District. Sarah would lunch with the mayor of the city as the cameras rolled. Robert had orchestrated it all, but she couldn’t fault him. If these local appearances throughout the city brought more awareness to her cause, then it would be worth it. Yet she didn’t look forward to the jam-packed day Robert had planned for her. She wouldn’t stop again until seven o’clock tonight, after another rehearsal with her band.
The last twelve hours she’d spent would prove to be much more enjoyable than the next twelve, but Sarah was a pro. She knew what she had to do and she never let anyone down.
Do Not Disturb Until Christmas Page 2