by Dawson, Zoe
Dakota
Christmas Day dawned clear and bright, and I opened my eyes to gaze at Alissa beside me. She was on her stomach, her arm thrown over her head, the other one along the bed so that the underside of her forearm was exposed. I saw the faint traces of her scars, and I remembered how open and genuine she’d been with me when she’d told me about her cutting. She was such a brave woman, whether or not she acknowledged it.
The sheet curled around her tiny waist, the edges of her breasts flattened by her weight against the mattress. The strands of her pale hair lay across that creamy, tantalizing back.
Tears gathered in my eyes. I blinked against the strong emotion. Love. It was the ultimate feeling.
I didn’t think that I had ever felt such intense joy. The hard work that I had to do to get to this moment was behind me. The flashbacks were rare, and now they had diminished to remnants that barely plagued me. Alissa surrounded me so completely with her love that I never doubted myself anymore, never doubted that I deserved her.
And my family had embraced her like she was their own. My mother loved the way she handled me, gave as good as she got, and loved me. My mother especially loved that part the most. My grandfather was a besotted fool for her, and my father wasn’t far behind. My sisters thought she walked on water.
And I? I just loved her. With everything in me.
She stirred and opened those blue, blue eyes. When she saw me watching her, she smiled. “Good Christmas morning,” she whispered hoarsely.
I moved my hand across her back and she shifted, slipping up against me. I brushed back the tangled hair around her face.
“Merry Christmas, babe.”
She pressed her mouth to mine and sank against me with a sigh. I opened my mouth over hers and caught her against me in a viselike hold, unable to stifle a ragged groan as she took my mouth with a kiss that shattered my senses. My hand supporting the back of her head, I locked my other arm around her hips, hauling her beneath me. My mouth opened hungrily against hers, feeding the need that raged in me, and Alissa lifted her hips against mine, the frenzy in my chest making it hard to breathe. Thank God we didn’t need any more condoms now Alissa was on the pill. Just searing heat, and bare skin to bare skin.
She pressed her tongue into my mouth, drawing me in deeper and deeper as she took me. I was completely hers. Another guttural sound was torn from me when she moved against me, her hand reaching down and sliding along my dick as I jerked in her hand with a thick, heavy need. Alissa hummed her pleasure, and I absorbed the vibration, the feel of her grip making me lose focus on her mouth. I threw my head back as hot, pulsing desire slammed though me.
She twisted against me, and my desire exploded, my hunger turning desperate, my need raging out of control.
And then passion claimed us both, consumed us, pulling us under. Down, down, into a storm of love and blinding intensity.
Awareness returned in fragments—like slivers of light infiltrating my mind—and she tightened her arms around me, burying her face into my damp neck. The body of my beautiful Alissa beneath me was my only reality.
A tremor coursed through me, the rush of emotion so intense it was almost unbearable, and I clenched my jaw against it.
“I know,” she said. “After being so bereft of love from my parents, I still get choked up when I think how blessed I am to belong to you and your wonderful family. You’re everything I could ever want, could ever need.”
She slid her hand up the back of my neck, cradling my head against her with infinite tenderness. I shuddered and pressed my face against the curve of her shoulder, my hold on her tightening convulsively. I closed my eyes, waiting for the ache to ease a little; then she stroked my head and pressed an infinitely tender kiss against my neck.
“It was worth every moment of pain and healing to be with you, Alissa.”
She nodded. “You weren’t only brave, my beautiful, beautiful Dakota. You are my hero.”
And I was her hero. I believed that now. Completely.
For the rest of our lives.
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS JUST GOT HOTTER!
This novella is proud to be a part of
The 12 NA's of Christmas.
12 Different New Adult Romances. 12 Bestselling Authors.
Click here to see them all: www.newadult12.com
If you’re interested in reading more of my books, I currently have available my romantic comedy/light mystery series Going to the Dogs:
Leashed, Book #1 Free
Groomed for Murder, Book #2
Hounded, Book #3
Collared, Book #4
And my new adult contemporary mystery series A Perfect Secret:
A Perfect Mess #1
About the Author
Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of multi-published, bestselling author Karen Anders. Karen started her career because her grandmother gave her a book to read. That book made her fall in love with romance and started her on the trek to get published. She achieved that goal in 1996 with the publication of Jennifer's Outlaw for Silhouette. Even with many books under her belt, she can't wait for that next idea, that next exquisite sentence and, of course, the next hero and heroine who fall in love.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. It's been fabulous to write this book for your enjoyment.
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Best, Zoe