by Lily Rede
“I’d like that.” He kept his voice gentle and his touch light as he took her hand, savoring the softness of her skin and trying not to picture wrapping her fingers around his cock.
He started to pull her toward the dance floor, but she surprised him, tugging him in the opposite direction.
“Not here.”
Puzzled but game, Ben let Merry lead him through a side door just as the candy catapult went off again, allowing them to make their escape while all the elves were distracted.
“Where are we going?”
Merry led him along a corridor and through another door Ben was unfamiliar with. Inside, his eyes widened – it was a conservatory, alive with orchids and trailing vines, and even a small fountain. With the snow falling outside, they seemed to be cocooned in an inside-out snowglobe. The music trailed in faintly from the Great Hall, and Merry smiled at him, a real smile. He felt his heart clench.
“Fewer elves,” she explained, and he nodded dumbly as she stepped forward, hesitating slightly before guiding his arm up around her waist while her hand slid up to rest on his shoulder.
Ben’s brain was gathering new information at lightning speed. Up close, Merry was warm and soft and fit against his body like she’d been built for him. The scent of warm sugar rose from her skin to tease his nostrils, and her eyes swirled from blue to violet as he pulled her a little tighter, moving them into a gentle sway with the music. The most important thing Ben learned in that moment, however, was that when they were alone, when Merry was comfortable and not anxious, she was brave. And even a little demanding. When his cock swelled between them, he would have pulled back, but she stunned him by pressing a little closer, letting cuddle it against her stomach, sliding her arms around his neck to press her cheek to his.
“This is nice,” she murmured.
“Yeah,” he managed.
He felt the warmth of her breath on his jaw, and then the delicate brush of satin lips, like a touch from a live wire. Knowing he was absolutely, definitely, positively going to regret it, Ben eased back a bit, frowning.
“Merry?”
She tensed, and a flash of silver swirled in her eyes – anxiety – but then she dropped her gaze, blushing.
“I just thought…well, I wanted…”
“It’s okay, anything you need, Merry.”
Merry’s chin came up, firm.
“I was going to ask if you’d like to fuck me tonight.”
Holy shit.
Of all the things he expected her to say, that was not one of them. She had stepped back, her back ramrod straight, eyes steady on him. Where was the timid, retiring Merry he’d gotten used to? Ben’s mind was racing, his dick pounding, urging him to take her up on her straightforward and very tempting offer.
Would I like to fuck her tonight? Hell, why stop with tonight?
Ben shook his head and warned his cock that there was no way in hell that Merry meant it, and that they were in for a serious case of blue balls later that night.
“So?”
God, she was actually waiting for an answer. Ben tried to marshal his scattered thoughts.
“I don’t think…that is, Merry…what?”
Not coherent. Try again.
Before he could babble his way around the questions he really wanted to ask, she launched into an explanation.
“I thought…well, you’re alone. And I’m alone. And all the elves are really more like family than anything else. And they’re elves, you know? So I thought, since we have this one night to kill, that we could…just once, and then we’ll both be over it and everything can go back to normal.
A few things hit Ben all at once. First, Merry was attracted to him, which made him want to howl in victory, making a total fool of himself. Second, she’d apparently noticed him mooning over her and was ready for it to be over, which was supremely depressing. Third, she thought of the sparks that they both obviously felt whenever they got close as an itch to scratch, an annoyance to be dealt with and discarded.
Merry was staring at him with silver and violet swirled eyes, but he didn’t need her magic to tell him she was waiting for his answer with bated breath. And suddenly, Ben couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be a one-night stand, an experiment for her, no matter how mind-blowing the experience was bound to be. His heart would shatter into a million pieces. It was already cracking under the strain. He smiled for her, and raised a hand to stroke the petal-soft skin of her cheek, trying to ignore the way she responded to even a simple touch, her eyes darkening and her skin heating under his fingers.
“I’m flattered, but it’s not a good idea, Merry.”
Cursing himself for a fool and then some, Ben turned away and walked out of the room.
STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. Merry curled onto the delicate little sofa in the corner of the conservatory, kicking herself for her awkwardness, her mishandling of the situation, and for being born in the first place. She’d meant to ease into the conversation, but he’d looked so nice all cleaned up in a white shirt and new jeans, and him that close had been too dizzying, too heady…she just blurted it out, like she was asking if he took cream with his coffee. He probably thought she was out of her mind.
But…
She’d heard him, out in the woods, moaning out her name from the heights of pleasure. It was a puzzle. Merry frowned, trying to work it out. Before, she thought he’d never notice her that way, as a woman or a sexual creature. If that wasn’t the case, what could possibly keep him from taking her up on her offer? There were no strings here – she wouldn’t demand more than a night, wouldn’t cling. It had taken her the entire trip back from the woods and two hours of girlish primping to work up the nerve to ask him in the first place, but after watching him come, her natural shyness had been trampled by a burning desire to finally do something reckless and naughty and brave.
She’d run away from the hot springs when all she really wanted to do was to join him, to press herself against every inch of his hot, wet, flesh, and finally get to experience all the things she wondered about while she played with her toys alone in bed at night.
Maybe it’s because I’m a Kringle.
The thought slammed into her in a sudden burst of insight. She was the boss’ daughter – he was probably worried about losing his job. And on top of that, her family was the epitome of everything good and pure in the world. Ivy complained about it all the time – she was obsessed with putting the right message out to the world, but that usually meant that men treated her like some sort of untouchable bastion of purity. Merry hadn’t come up against this problem before, since she rarely ventured far from home, but it made perfect sense. Of course Ben didn’t actually want her. Fantasy Merry was probably sexy, confident, and flexible like a slutty contortionist, while Reality Merry just came off as pretty, but prudish and scared of her own shadow.
Merry frowned. Enough was enough.
She might be shy, but she was stubborn, and it was about time that she went after something she really wanted.
I want Ben.
Merry was just going to have to convince him that he had nothing to lose by indulging her fantasy of a night of wild abandon, and everything to gain.
Feeling terrified but determined, she smiled.
THE TANGLE OF ROPE in Ben’s hands just seemed to get more knotted with every yank, and he tossed it to the floor in frustration. After his disastrous interlude with Merry, the party had lost its luster, and Ben had retreated to the comfort of the empty stables to busy himself getting everything ready for the reindeer’s return.
He was having trouble concentrating.
Big surprise.
If he’d had a little less self-esteem, right about now he’d be balls deep in Merry Kringle’s hot little pussy, sucking her sweet nipples while she rode him, her head thrown back, delicious sounds of pleasure escaping her lips. Instead, he was alone in the stables in a blizzard, trying to will away the erection that had sprung up the moment Merry had asked him to fuck her, so politely.
Shit.
It galled him that she just wanted to use him and then forget him, that she didn’t see that they could have a glorious future together if she’d just let her guard down. One night would never have been enough anyway, he reasoned. The list of things he wanted to do to her was a mile long.
A creak of the stable door and suddenly a swirl of cold air and snow blustered inside, along with a hint of warm sugar. Ben closed his eyes but didn’t turn around. This was torture.
“You shouldn’t be out in this weather, Merry.”
She ignored the warning and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. He could hear the click click of her heels as she moved toward him.
“I thought we should talk.” Her voice was low and sultry, and Ben was forced to turn around, which only made it worse. She was still in that dress, with a black velvet cloak protecting her from the cold. There were still snowflakes in her hair, and more than ever, she looked like a fairy snow princess who had stepped out of a story book.
God help me.
“I don’t think there’s anything left to say,” he muttered.
She considered him for a moment, and then picked up the tangle of rope, absently working the knots free with delicate, capable fingers. Ben suddenly realized that this was it. He was going to have to leave the North Pole, because there was no way he could be around her day after day, feeling something she didn’t feel, longing for her with every fiber of his being. He might even cave and sleep with her, and the last thing he wanted was to regret it. Finally having Merry Kringle under him was going to ruin him for all other women, if it hadn’t already, and he may as well get out while he still had a shred of sanity left.
“I’m leaving. After tomorrow.” The words were ripped out of him.
She looked shocked. And her eyes swirled from blue to violet to pure silver.
“You can’t!”
“I think I have to.”
“Because of me?”
He couldn’t bring himself to answer. She was smoothing the untangled rope between her fingers now, practically caressing it, and his eyes helplessly followed the movement.
“Don’t go. Please. I shouldn’t have asked you…what I asked you.”
Feeling exhausted, Ben sank down into a hard-backed chair by the workbench.
“You were just being honest. Which is what I should have been with you from the start. The truth is that I think I want too much from you, and you’re not able to give me that.”
Her mouth dropped open, and Ben braced himself for the bite of regret as she fled again, but Merry only watched him, heat rising delicately in her cheeks. Her eyes were no longer flat silver, but swirled with blues and purples, and if he wasn’t mistaken…hunger.
“How do you know what I can and can’t give you, Ben Wilks?”
Impatient, Ben ran his hands through his hair. Why was she pushing him? Did she want a quickie that badly? Granted, her options up here were few, but still… This had to stop. He had to drive her away, because if he didn’t, he was going to do something that would grant him his own page of indiscretions on the Naughty List, like spreading her wide on that velvet cloak and stroking her clit with his tongue until she screamed in pleasure.
Ben tried to remind himself that that was not the sane course of action.
“Let’s just forget it, okay? I’ll walk you back to the party.”
He started to get up, but in a blur of movement, found himself being shoved back into the chair, his wrists captured and trussed neatly behind him, binding him to the back.
With a smug smile on her face, Merry stepped back around him as he gaped.
“What the – ”
“Part elf, remember? We can move very quickly when we want to. Although I’ve always preferred slow.”
She shocked him further by sliding onto his lap.
“I know that the real-life Merry probably isn’t anywhere as interesting as the fantasy Merry you’ve got in your head,” she began, and nearly stopped his heart when she leaned forward to taste the skin of his jaw with a sultry little purr of approval, “but I think if you give me a chance, I can show you that I can be just as hot and adventurous as any normal woman who doesn’t happen to be related to Santa Claus. It’ll be our secret, and you won’t be disappointed, I promise.”
Disappointed? Is that what she thought? If she were any hotter, he was going to self-combust. He tried to find the right words to explain that she had it all wrong – he was just greedy, and wanted more than blindingly hot sex they could both walk away from in the morning – but his thoughts fractured as she slowly started unbuttoning his shirt.
“I can stop if you really, really want me to.”
God, I’m going to Hell for this one.
“Anything. Anything you want, Merry.” Could he sound any more desperate?
She wriggled on his lap and his cock jerked in delight. Merry attacked his buttons, brushing her fingers along every inch of skin she exposed.
“Wait.”
She stopped, and the uncertainty in her eyes had Ben’s heart rolling over. So sweet, so unsure of herself. So lovely.
“Kiss me first, sweetheart.”
“Oh.”
Awkwardly at first, she pressed her lips against his. Ben tilted his head, adjusting the fit, giving her time to back away, and then opening his mouth to slide his tongue along the seam of her lips.
“Oh,” she murmured again in wonder, into his mouth this time as his tongue coaxed hers into a soft, wet tangle.
Ben’s head was reeling. She tasted just like the warm sugar scent that followed her everywhere. He couldn’t get enough, and any lingering thoughts of pushing her away melted. If she wanted to tie him to the chair and fuck him until morning, fine with him. He would take what he could get and be grateful.
Too soon, Merry was pulling back, eyes dark with shy hunger and new knowledge as she licked his taste from her lips. She blushed and quickly finished undoing his shirt, spreading the edges back over his shoulders, and then stroking his chest like a cherished pet.
“I have a confession,” she whispered, “I’ve been very naughty, Ben.”
MERRY’S HEART WAS RACING. She couldn’t believe she’d shackled Ben down and was preparing to have her wicked way with him, or that he was apparently going to let her. At first it had simply been an impulsive move to keep him from shuffling her off before she’d had a chance to convince him. Sitting on his lap, however, she couldn’t miss the hard ridge of his cock, and her body tingled at the thought of everything she wanted to do to him now that she had him captive. Even kissing him was making her wet. She’d never put much stock in kissing before – what was the big deal? But Ben’s mouth on hers was a revelation, and she could easily spend days, weeks, months exploring and tasting and teasing.
“How naughty?” whispered Ben. His eyes were filled with heat, his muscled body tight.
“I watched you, at the hot springs.”
His eyes widened and he groaned.
“I probably should apologize,” she murmured, undoing the clasp of her cloak and letting it fall to the ground.
“Did you like what you saw?” he gritted out, a dark flush mantling his cheeks.
“Oh yes,” she purred, stroking her fingers down to tease the buckle of his belt.
She slid off his lap to stand in front of him.
“But turnabout’s fair play. I thought at the very least I should give you a chance to watch, too.”
Her hands were shaking a little, but the hunger in his eyes gave her courage, and she slid the side zipper of her dress down, and then slowly peeled the glittery fabric away and let it drop at her feet.
“Like it?”
“It” was a sheer white, strapless teddy dotted with artfully placed glittery snowflakes that concealed exactly nothing. Noelle’s closet was packed with lingerie she bought by the ton, most of it never worn, and Merry had felt no guilt about ripping the tags off and claiming it as her own.
If the desire on h
is face was any indication, Ben seemed to more than like it, his eyes raking over her breasts, down to her waist, and then further, to linger on the bare folds between her thighs. Would he approve that she waxed for him? He licked his lips, and she could almost feel the little stroke against her clit. Merry stepped out of the dress and kicked it away, and then did a slow turn, savoring Ben’s groan as he took in the back of the teddy, what little there was of it. Merry eased back into his lap, her head on his shoulder, her back against his chest, her ass nestling up to the hard bulge beneath the denim.
“You make me want things,” she confessed.
“Oh sweetheart,” Ben whispered, lowering his head to nibble the curve of her neck, “free my hands and I’ll make sure you get everything you want and more.”
“Not yet. First you watch.”
Merry took a deep breath, amazed at herself. Ben made her want to be brave, to stop hesitating and just take what she wanted, and the power of knowing that made her dizzy. Merry arched in his lap, pressing her ass against his cock as her hands coursed over her body, stroking from her breasts down to her thighs.
She pinched her nipples and savored his growl of approval, and then slowly, as slowly as she could manage it, she pulled the teddy down, down, and off, kicking it over to land with her dress, leaving her naked on Ben’s lap in just a pair of strappy heels.
“Fuck,” he breathed, awed, “cup your breasts, sweetheart. Roll those pretty nipples for me.”
Merry did as he asked, crying out as the sensation speared directly to her clit, completely turned on by the fact that Ben had a clear view down her body, and was rocking against her ass in tiny, mind-blowing little strokes.
“Such a plump, delicious pussy, all bare for me, with that shy little cleft between sweet, pouty lips. I want to see your clit,” he murmured into her ear, sucking the sensitive pointed tip into his mouth for a leisurely taste.
Merry moaned, but spread her legs wide for him.
“Use your fingers, Merry. Show me that hot little nubbin.”
Helplessly, she did as he asked, parting her slick folds to show off her swollen clit.
“So pretty,” he whispered, “and so hungry. If I were free I’d suck it into my mouth and lap up all that sweet cream. But a naughty elf princess tied me to a chair. That definitely deserves a spanking.”