by Zoe Chant
His arms came up, pulling her even closer to him, until she could feel the hard muscle of his chest pressing against her breasts. His arms were strong and all-encompassing, making her feel safe and warm in his embrace.
How could I ever have imagined he might hurt me? she wondered. The idea seemed laughable.
But then… she’d never really been frightened of him. Not in that way. Looking back on it now, she found it hard to understand why she’d run from him. Not when he was holding her like this, and kissing her like this.
Not when he was already sending desperate desire thrumming through her, warming her belly and sending jolts of pleasure straight to her core.
“Oh, Hazel…” His voice was soft, almost reverent as he breathed her name. It sent a shiver of desire down her spine.
He rolled her over carefully, his body covering hers, his lips trailing lines of fire over her jaw, her throat, her collarbone. Hazel whimpered as he paused to bite gently at the sensitive skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, his tongue sweeping over her fluttering pulse.
“God…” she breathed, as he began to undress her, his lips caressing every inch of skin as it was revealed. His mouth worshiped her breasts, her arms, her rounded belly, as if he simply couldn’t get enough of her.
Hazel closed her eyes as at last Del tugged down the waistband of her pants, sliding the material over her hips, revealing her thighs. She opened her eyes after a moment when his kisses didn’t return, only to find him staring down at her the same way he had been in the car, his eyes hooded with lust.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”
Hazel giggled, wriggling a little to slide her pants down her calves and over her ankles.
“Are you going to get undressed too, or is it just me?” she asked playfully, raising her hands to slide her fingers over the tight grid of his abdominal muscles.
Del laughed, low and rich. “Well, if you insist.”
“I do – believe me, I do.”
Del laughed again, before crossing his arms over his body to tear his shirt up over his head, tossing it aside.
Hazel caught her breath as his body was fully revealed to her for the first time – while she was all soft curves, he was hard and flat and angular, his well-defined pecs and tight abs standing out starkly in the low light of the fire.
He was… magnificent.
It was the only word for it.
But he still had more to show her.
She already knew from the encounter in the car that his cock, hard and straining against the material of his pants, was just the right size to fill her up completely.
Not wanting to wait a moment longer, Hazel reached up, tugging down his sweats herself, pulling them down his thighs and freeing his cock.
Reaching up, she filled her palm with his hot, steel-hard flesh. Del groaned, throwing his head back as she slowly worked her hand up and down, running her thumb lightly over the head, glorying in the way he jumped and shuddered beneath her touch.
“Oh fuck… Hazel…” he said, his voice strained, every muscle clenched as she lightly teased him.
But Hazel knew she didn’t have the patience to go on teasing him for long. She wanted him too badly for that.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait. Because apparently, Del had had the same thought.
Hazel suddenly found herself swept up into his arms again, his mouth crushed against hers, desperate with desire. He devoured her, lust overtaking them both, their bodies hungry for each other.
She groaned as Del began dropping frenzied kisses down over her body. She knew what he intended, and all she could do was let her head drop back, anticipation sending a wild spike of adrenaline through her. Del didn’t hesitate when he reached her lower belly; curling his hands around her soft thighs, he buried his face between her legs, his tongue curling against her dripping wet core.
Hazel yelped at the first touch of his tongue against her – she was so wet and sensitive that it sent a lightning bolt of pleasure straight through her, making her arch up from the floor. But Del was relentless. His hands around her thighs held her in place as his tongue delved into her, finding her entrance and sliding inside, before sliding back up to caress her clit.
Hazel writhed, crying out, her fists bunching next to her head. She was helpless against his onslaught, his tongue finding exactly the right places with every single movement he made. She could already feel a desperate ache building inside her, growing stronger and stronger, until, finally, Del made one last long, rolling movement of his tongue, and her orgasm washed over her, racing through her body like wildfire.
Bliss cascaded over her, lighting up her nerves, making her see stars. Hazel couldn’t hold back her cry of ecstasy – she didn’t even try. After it was finished, she was left breathless and shaking – and desperate for more.
Del’s lips were on her once more a moment later, the hard muscles of his chest grazing against her straining, swollen nipples. His erection was blindingly hard against her thigh, and she knew she could hold out no longer.
She wanted him. She needed him.
“Please, Del,” she whimpered, pressing herself against him, raising her legs to trap his hips between them. “Please, I want you so much…”
Del didn’t answer her in words. Instead, he simply shifted himself a little, so that the head of his thick shaft was pressing against her wet folds.
Hazel cried out, her fingers digging into the muscle of Del’s back as he slid into her. She was so wet, so ready for him that even with his massive length and girth, he slid into her easily. He filled her to perfection, stretching her just right, making trails of light dance across her vision.
She groaned as he pulled back slightly, before he plunged forward again, burying himself deep inside her. His tongue plundered her mouth, the thrust of his hips growing in speed and force. Hazel locked her ankles around the small of his back, urging him on, begging him to go faster, to take her harder, to carry her away on the surging tide of ecstasy she could already feel building inside her.
“Del…” She heard herself cry out his name, but it sounded as if it was someone else, calling from very far away. She felt senseless to everything but the movement of his body as he drove himself harder, giving her more and more and more…
Hazel threw her head back, crying out raggedly as she felt every muscle in her body clench with pure ecstasy. Del’s final stroke, hard and deep, carried her over the edge, shaking her down to her core. They came together, bodies entwined, a cry on both of their lips.
Hazel wasn’t sure how long it was until she came to – she had been lying in a daze of pleasure, every muscle relaxed, and completely overcome by post-orgasmic lassitude. Del’s body still covered hers; evidently, he was just as blissed out as she was. Turning her head, she kissed him lightly on the cheek.
“Hey,” she whispered in his ear. “You awake?”
Del groaned in answer, propping himself up slowly. “Oh – I wasn’t squashing you, was I?”
Hazel laughed lightly. “No. I just thought we probably shouldn’t keep lying on the floor.”
Del rolled over, his softening cock slipping from her body. She missed his warmth immediately, and snuggled up close to his side, draping an arm across his chest. Del’s fingers absently played through her hair, tracing gentle circles on her scalp.
“I know we shouldn’t, but you’re also going to have a hard time convincing me to move right now,” he said, his voice drowsy.
“Mmm, I know what you mean.”
“We’ll have to walk back to your cabin if we want lunch,” Del pointed out. “Unless you want beans again.”
“We can cross that bridge when we come to it,” Hazel said, for now wanting to think about nothing but his warmth against her; hear nothing but the slow, steady beat of his heart.
Hazel would have been happy to simply sit there in the lazy warmth for the rest of the night. But there were still a few though
ts that nagged at her brain before she could relax.
“Pascoe Hills isn’t all that far from Soper,” she said suddenly, realizing after a moment that Del wasn’t a mind reader, and that he hadn’t been privy to all the thoughts floating through her head. She smiled at him, reaching over to cover his hand with hers. “I just mean, it’s really only a forty-five minute drive. It’s a little bit of a pain, but it’s hardly insurmountable.”
Del grinned. “No distance is too far, if you’re at the end of it. I really mean that.”
“I was just thinking – neither of us would have to give anything up in order for us to be together. I could keep working at the Resource Center. You can still run your business. We can take the time to really get to know each other. Even if we are mates.”
Del nodded. “To be honest, I don’t need to work as many hours as I do,” he said. “I think I’ve just been… filling the hours with work, because I didn’t know what to do with myself otherwise. My mother lives in Florida these days, where she can soak up the sun. I bought her a condo there, and make sure she always has everything she needs. I don’t have any other family, so I guess work was the only thing left for me.”
Hazel looked at him, feeling her heart welling up inside her. It hurt her to think of someone as loving and kind as Del throwing himself into his work because he didn’t have anyone to share his life with.
But things are different now. We have each other.
“Maybe I was doing the same thing,” she admitted. “My life with Charlie – that’s my ex – was miserable. And I wasn’t exactly lucky in love before that, either. Maybe throwing myself into my work was my way of distracting myself – it seemed easier than trying to fix my crappy relationship, that’s for sure.”
Del laughed softly. “I’m lucky – I have excellent people working for me. I trust them completely. I think I can hand over some of the reins to them to spend time with my mate.”
Hazel shivered as he said the word mate. It sounded so… delicious, when he said it. Warm and deep and filled with promise.
A promise she wanted him to keep. Right now, and for the future she could see just beginning to dawn for them. Together.
“Let’s sleep,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I could really use a nap.”
“You can say that again.” Del dropped a soft kiss on her forehead.
Hazel knew that this was only just the beginning of what she knew would be their lives together. Perhaps they’d have obstacles, or perhaps things might be difficult at times.
But one thing she was sure of now was that Del was right when he said they were mates: it was something deep and primal, that ran between them on an instinctive level. Perhaps Del would be able to explain it to her one day. But perhaps he too didn’t really understand what it was that connected them in this way.
Hazel knew that, in the end, it didn’t really matter. They were together. It was Christmas. And that was all she needed to know.
Curling herself into Del’s side, her head resting against his bicep, Hazel closed her eyes, content, and slipped into sleep.
Epilogue
Three Years Later
“My goodness, that was a drive,” Hazel said, shaking the snow out of her hair. It hadn’t quite been the blizzard they’d experienced the last time the two of them had been up at his secluded cabin, but it’d been enough that things had been slow going.
“You handled it perfectly,” Del said, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and kiss the top of her head. Even after all this time, she still smelled like peaches and cream to him. “Much better than I recall you handling it last time.”
“Shush, you,” Hazel scolded him jokingly. “If it hadn’t been for my crappy driving, we never would have met.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Del said, smiling. “Even if I think I might’ve preferred something a little less dramatic.”
Hazel turned in his arms, raising her hands to clasp his cheeks. “Well, I thought it was perfect. Best Christmas ever, in fact.”
Del smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. She wasn’t wrong there.
They’d spent three years since then building a life together – they’d quickly realized they couldn’t bear to be apart even for a day, and had found a place to live at the halfway point between her work and his. But as he’d slowly allowed Jackie and his other staff to run more and more of his business, and had realized he could do most of the things he still wanted to do himself from his own office at home, they’d bought a house together in Soper, so Hazel didn’t have to drive in at all.
His business had grown in leaps and bounds. And the Resource Center was thriving, providing help not just to homeless youths now, but also acting as an after school program for teens whose parents worked long hours, where they could sit together and do their homework and form friendships that might last a lifetime.
Del was prouder of Hazel and her work than he could say. He could see the difference she was making. His business offered internships to kids who were interested in working with computers, to show them that anything was possible for them. And soon, there’d be scholarships, too – but those wouldn’t be launched until the new year.
Right now, it was Christmas. And they were on vacation.
It seemed like three years had gone by in a flash.
They had both felt like they’d done their duty by their respective families: last year’s holiday season had been spent in Florida with Del’s mother, and the year before they’d traveled west to spend Christmas with Hazel’s parents and brothers.
But this year, they’d decided to have Christmas all to themselves.
In the cabin where they’d met.
Del felt like they had come home.
In a way, he supposed it was true – every happy memory of his childhood was wrapped up in this cabin. He had always thought of it as his home, far more than the small, cramped apartment he and his mother had shared later.
And now, he was here once more, ready to make new memories.
With the most beautiful woman he had ever known. His wife. His mate. The future mother of his child.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use some of that eggnog,” Hazel said. “Though obviously leave out the booze. It won’t be the same, but I guess it’s just something I’ll have to get used to, for the next little while at least.”
“I suppose so,” Del said, laughing. “But the rest, I can do. I’ll put some extra cream in. Seeing as you’re eating for two.”
Hazel made a face, before flopping down on the couch. “Thanks, sweetheart. You think of everything.”
Del busied himself in the kitchen, heating milk and eggs and sugar together. It brought back memories of the magical Christmas they’d spent here together three years ago – the beginning of the most joyous period of his life.
And things only kept getting better.
He poured the nog from the pot into two mugs, topping them off with a huge dollop of cream. He carried them across the small cabin to where Hazel sat on the couch, one leg curled up beneath her, her dark blonde hair falling in waves over her shoulders.
She only got more and more beautiful with every passing year.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully, taking one of the mugs from him and taking a sip. “You haven’t lost your touch, I’m happy to report. This is still the best nog I’ve ever tasted, alcoholic or not.”
“Well, I’m glad it lives up to madam’s standards,” Del laughed.
“Damn straight.”
They sat together in silence, enjoying their drinks, and watching the snow falling outside the window.
It was a magical evening – crisp and clear, the snow falling in shimmering flakes.
“Maybe later we could go build a snowman,” Hazel suggested, her eyes twinkling. “I haven’t done that since I was a kid.”
“If that’s what you want, then your wish is my command,” Del said. “My only
requirement is that whatever we do, we’re together.”
“As if I’d let you out of my sight,” Hazel said warmly, finishing the last mouthful of her eggnog and putting her cup aside. “No – this year, Christmas is just about you and me.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, her mouth sweet from the nog, but also with her own special, unique taste.
Del had never tasted anything more delicious in his entire life.
“Well… not just you and me,” Del smiled, sliding his hand over her belly. It was still early days yet – just past the three-month mark – but he had never been more excited about anything before.
Except, perhaps, that Christmas three years ago, when Hazel had first entered his life.
She leaned over, kissing him again. “No, not just us,” she whispered, smiling.
“I guess we’d better make the most of it – this is likely to be the last quiet Christmas we have in quite some time,” Del pointed out. “Before we know it, it’ll be leaving cookies out for Santa, listening for creaks on the stairs to make sure no one’s sneaking down to look at their presents, jumping on the bed to make us get up early…”
Hazel laughed. “Don’t make it sound so awful!”
Del ran his fingers over her cheek, looking down into her deep brown eyes. “To be honest, I can’t wait.”
Smiling, Hazel kissed him. “Me neither.”
Gathering her up in his arms, Del pulled her against him, kissing her, his tongue sliding between her lips. She responded to him as warmly as she always did, her arms winding around his shoulders.
Already he could feel himself responding to her touch – even after three years, she never failed to arouse him instantly. She was still the most beautiful woman in the world. And she always would be.
As he lay her down on the couch, his mouth still locked with hers, Del could feel his bear growling contentedly in his chest.
Everything is perfect, it seemed to be saying.
And Del found he couldn’t disagree.