by Shara Azod
Surrendering utterly, Mikki let go of herself, her fears, her insecurities. She allowed his touch, his kiss to take over her senses completely. For the first time ever, she allowed someone else to take total control.
“You really don’t know how beautiful you are,” Leslie murmured against the sensitive flesh covering her collarbone. “So I’m going to show you.”
Coming from him, she believed every word. At least, she really wanted to. Shivering ever so slightly, she willed herself not to instinctively block his hands as he lifted her shirt over her head. For this she was rewarded with a rain of soft caresses from his lips starting at the hollow of her throat and moving down to her belly button. Sweet heaven, the feather-light touch of his mouth melted her to her very core.
“Lie back, baby,” he urged, gently pushing her backwards.
She went willingly, yearning for there to be nothing between them, not even air. Knowing what was coming didn’t stop her gasp when he unfastened the button on her jeans. She didn’t even want to think about the ease with which he got the somewhat tight denim off her body. With her shoes discarded long ago, all that was left was her bra and panties. Leslie didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take them off.
Instead he teased her, running his mouth slightly over her nipples, but fully kissing the swell of her breasts where they pushed over the top of her bra. After moving gradually down her body, he did the same when he got to her panties, barely touching her pussy but nipping at her inner thighs. Over and over again, he barely touched the places she wanted him to the most, but lavished attention on every other area. It was driving her out of her mind.
“Please, Leslie!” she finally cried out, wanting him so badly it felt as if she would lose touch with her sanity if he didn’t do something soon.
The smile he gave her would’ve been frightening if she wasn’t so beyond caring about anything other than having him inside her as soon as possible.
“Oh, baby, it will be my sincere pleasure.”
That was her only warning before her panties were gone with a vicious snap. Suddenly he was right there, his tongue delving deep inside her channel. Impatient hands pulled down the cups of her bra to palm her aching breasts before gently kneading them while he feasted. Every few seconds, his tongue moved to curl wickedly around her clit before returning to her needy pussy. It was good—too good. Mikki’s hips rose as she rode his face without inhibition, her legs locked around his neck.
So close; she was so very close! When his mouth closed around her clit completely and began to suckle at the same time his nimble fingers twisted her nipples, Mikki detonated. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she unabashedly pressed his face as close as she possibly could while rolling her hips to ride out her orgasm. She locked him onto her pussy until the quakes inside her womb calmed to gentler tremors.
Had there been anything on earth ever invented that felt this good? Mikki doubted it, until she opened her eyes to see Leslie looking down on her as if she had just handed him the keys to the universe. Her heart almost stopped at the intensity shining in those bright gray depths.
“That was beautiful, sweetheart,” he praised, slowly rising so he was poised over her languid body. “I want you to do that again for me, harder this time.”
Chapter Ten
If he died right now, Leslie was sure heaven couldn’t get much better than this. Mikki was so open, so responsive, so damn passionate. It was the perfect trifecta in a woman. He couldn’t keep his hands off her velvety soft skin. Her eyes shone brightly, reflecting his own need back to him before she closed them. He didn’t think he could wait another minute to be inside her. The way his cock throbbed, painfully rigid, was making him light-headed. Still, he didn’t allow himself to just plunge forward just yet.
“Look at me, Mikki.” It was paramount he see her eyes when he entered her. Drinking in every second of her pleasure was more important than his own. “Keep your eyes open,” he instructed as she turned her eyes back to him. “Don’t stop looking directly at me.”
God, she was soaking wet. Yet her pussy was so unbelievably tight, he had to seesaw his way inside, moving excruciatingly slowly, inch by inch. It was the sweetest torture known to man. The juxtaposition between the death grip her channel had on his dick and the way her sweet pussy flooded with her natural lubricant was almost too much. Funny—after instructing her to keep her eyes open, he found he was having a hell of a time doing so himself. She just felt too fucking perfect.
Setting his jaw, he went gradually, watching her face closely for cues. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. But God, it was damn near impossible not to thrust like a wild man. His arms trembled as he held back, sweat beading on his forehead, rolling like a slow-moving creek down the side of his face.
“Leslie, please! I need it—I need you!”
Holy fuck, there was no way to hold back when she looked at him with such fiery heat in those big, gorgeous brown eyes. The way she was gyrating under him certainly wasn’t helping either. With a rugged groan he drove in to the hilt, luxuriating in the way she opened for him. Even the way she dug her nails in his back felt fucking fantastic.
Nothing in the world could hold him back now. His hips slammed into her repeatedly, each stroke tantalizingly better than the last. It was like scratching an elusive itch, only far more pleasurable and eminently more satisfying. Every nerve cell in his body was alive, tingling down to his toes.
“More!” Mikki demanded, equaling the ferocity of his downward drives with thrusts upward. Her face showcased all the agonizing ecstasy she was feeling. Yeah, he knew that painful need. He felt the same.
“Greedy little kitten,” he purred back at her, moving faster, harder. Fuck, he couldn’t pull himself back. “I don’t want to hurt you.” But damned if he could rein it in.
“Hurt me,” she panted. “It hurts so good!”
Holy fuck, she was perfect. It was as if his body had merely existed before her, not really experiencing real, genuine sensual delights. Pure bliss flooded every part of his body, coupled with excruciating, ravenous need that he didn’t think would ever be satisfied. Not in this lifetime. It was crazy how much he craved this woman. He needed her more than he needed anything else.
“Oh, God it hurts so good. Please don’t stop!” she whimpered, holding onto him like a lifeline.
Awww, hell. Nothing in the world could make him stop as he powered inside her. Although his balls had drawn up impossibly tight, pulsating painfully with the need to come. There was only one thing he wanted more than to flood her womb with his seed. He needed to make her come again.
Unwilling to reach between them to play with the little button of her clit, he shifted his body so his pelvis pressed against it on every down stroke. He didn’t want to break their connection in any way. Her body responded immediately, gripping his pistoning hips his even closer. The quakes grew with the force of a tsunami. With a roar, Leslie drove forward to the hilt, unable to move once completely embedded. His own orgasm hit him with the force of a Mack Truck deep in his gut. He couldn’t yell—hell, he couldn’t fucking breathe.
They lay there locked together, their panting the only sound in the room. Leslie was vaguely aware his weight must be too much, so he managed to roll over, pulling her with him. He couldn’t allow her to move away from him. He needed her skin against his, needed her body tucked close against his own. As much as he’d love to express the completeness he felt, how right it felt having her in his arms, he couldn’t manage words at the moment. Drained, his eyes couldn’t seem to stay open, his body feeling incredibly heavy. Just a little nap, then they’d talk. They had to, but he couldn’t let her go. Mikki was his Christmas miracle, and damn it, he was keeping her.
Chapter Eleven
“You dirty bitch! I told you to call me if you saw him. But noooo, you just had to take him for yourself!”
Mikki sighed as she slid into Vivi’s running car. Thank God Vivi had an extra set of keys, because the walk sneaking out
of Leslie’s house to the nearest gas station had been a doozy. As much as she’d like to pretend she had no idea what Vivi was talking about, the blonde wasn’t stupid. Why else would she call her friend to pick her up at the crack of dawn in Laguna Nigel? It was just Mikki couldn’t imagine facing Leslie this morning. It was just too embarrassing. The man had been insatiable last night, taking her no less than three times after the initial mind-blowing sex. In the cold light of morning, she might not seem like such a great novelty.
Last night had been so much more than just a dream come true for her. Honestly, Mikki had never dared to dream of spending a night of intense passion with a superstar, especially not one as sexy and manly as Leslie Brooks. The last twenty-four hours had been her own Christmas miracle, one she was never going to forget. She just didn’t expect more from him than what she’d gotten last night, and the last thing she wanted to do was give him the impression she expected anything.
“Maybe you should take the Santa’s helper job back.” Mikki sighed wearily. God, she was exhausted. After being up all night, her morning job as a waitress was not looking so good. If she didn’t need the money so badly, she’d call in sick.
“Yeah, right,” Vivi snorted. “Like that’s an option.”
Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.
“You were supposed to call me,” Vivi went on as Mikki wearily closed her eyes and tried to catnap. Like that was really going to happen. “I can’t believe Leslie Brooks was the Santa I’d assumed was some loser all this time! I am so freakin’ pissed at you!”
No, she wasn’t. If she really was pissed, she’d give Mikki the silent treatment, shooting deadly looks in her direction. Vivi was fake whining, which meant she wasn’t really mad but thought she should make a good show of it before magnanimously forgiving Mikki.
Not knowing what to say, Mikki said nothing at all. Instead she let the seat back and kept her eyes closed. Sleep wasn’t going to come, but at least she could rest before the daunting task of being on her feet for the rest of the day. Besides, there wasn’t a chance Vivi was remotely finished with her tirade.
“I stopped by your house to pick up some clothes and stuff,” Vivi went on, completely unbothered by the fact she was the only one speaking. “Had to fight my way through the throng—which, by the way, you’re welcome. Man, that was a pain. But no worries—I went prepared. You can hide out at my place for a while.”
That brought Mikki’s eyes open. What? What the hell was she talking about? Throng? Fight through? “Who’s at my house? Why do I need to hide out?” Mikki was genuinely flummoxed.
Vivi’s baby blues went round as saucers. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?” Miki’s heart banged painfully against her rib cage; she was all too afraid of the answer.
But before Vivi could answer, her cell phone rang. A quick glance at the face showed her morning job, a little diner in Costa Mesa, was calling. She answered habitually, used to being afraid of losing out on hours, not that she could in any way take on more hours today. She was just too tired.
“Miss Washington.” The day manager’s nasal voice sounded a little loud in the receiver, especially annoying on so little sleep. “We can’t possibly have one of our servers causing such a commotion. There are reporters camped out in the parking lot. Spectators are crowding all around the place, disturbing our regulars. I’m afraid we can’t have you back until things have died down. Your paycheck will be mailed to you.”
Click.
Oh, God! People had found out. Somehow everyone and his brother knew about her night with Leslie. Helplessly, she looked to Vivi, who so wasn’t helping. Her so-called best friend was giggling like this was the funniest thing on earth. She had bills to pay, damn it! How could she make a living if every slummy paparazzo was out there trying to get her picture or the low down on her pathetic life? Oh, God, how was she ever going to be able to show her face anywhere ever again?
“You should see your face right now,” Vivi managed to choke out through fits of laughter. “If Leslie had planned on playing Secret Santa until Christmas, he probably shouldn’t have placed that serious lip-lock on you in the middle of a crowded mall. Especially after taking off the hat, wig, and beard. Did he really think no one would notice?”
Shit! He had done that, hadn’t he? What the fuck was she going to do now?
Chapter Twelve
“I don’t give a shit what you have to do—find her!” Leslie bellowed in a panic.
When he woke this morning, Mikki was long gone, but their kiss at the mall was plastered all over every tabloid. It was on the fucking television. Even the local news had the story. For the first time in years, he really could care less what was written or reported—he just wanted Mikki back in his house, in his bed. But it had been hours, and he was starting to panic. She hadn’t gone back to her house, nor had she gone to her part-time job at a diner. Where the hell could she be? Panic started to rise as he thought of the perfect woman slipping through his fingers.
“Leslie, you need to calm down,” Gavin advised, looking at Leslie’s hapless manager with pity. “Maybe you can be of more help if you just stop and think.”
Leslie knew he was being unreasonable, but he really could care less. Where had she gone? He’d paid top dollar to the top private detectives—three of them—according to his manager. Why hadn’t they found her? It wasn’t like she had the funds to just up and disappear. Unless she wasn’t who she told him she was. That he refused to believe.
“Are you sure they checked her place? I read she lived in Santa Ana, but the apartment I drove to last night when she dropped off her car was in Tustin.” Leslie was just too frustrated. He had to find her. The moment he did, he was putting her on a plane and taking her somewhere it was snowing for Christmas. He wanted to make sure she experienced hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire. He had promised himself that last night when she admitted it was something she’d never experienced before.
“She doesn’t live in an apartment,” Gavin sat up while Eric, Leslie’s manager, wilted against the couch cushions in relief. “She rents a small house in Santa Ana. Do you think you can remember where the apartment complex was?”
“The other Santa’s Helper,” Eric croaked out. “She lives in an apartment in Tustin. You said they were friends, right?”
“Address,” Leslie demanded, jumping to his feet. He literally snatched the paper from Eric’s hand, running toward the door.
“Wait! Do you think it’s a good idea for you go yourself?” Eric called after him, but Leslie didn’t bother to reply.
He needed to get to Mikki. Breaking more than a few traffic laws, he made it to Tustin in under twenty minutes—unheard of in Saturday afternoon traffic. He’d even drive on the shoulder for a little while on the freeway through Irvine, which was always a cluster fuck. Thank God the reporters had yet to get the word Mikki had a best friend. He was able to run up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he was pounding on the door of his last Santa’s Helper. The last thing he wanted to do was speak to the blonde, but for Mikki, he would do just about anything.
When the door opened, revealing the one woman he wanted to see more than anyone else on earth, he almost fell to his knees.
“Leslie?”
How dare she look shocked to see him? What the hell was he going to have to do to get it through her head that he wanted her, wanted to be with her?
“Do you have any idea how scared I was when I couldn’t find you?” He probably shouldn’t have raised his voice in such a close-packed apartment complex like this. But really, he was beyond caring right about now. “I looked everywhere. Why did you sneak out like that? We are a long way from being done, lady.”
He sounded like a madman, but he could care less. Having Mikki in his life had become a necessity.
“How did you…? Why are you…?”
Okay, Leslie was done with her doubt. He was just going to have to show her. Out of words, he picked her up
and turned, carrying her down the stairs toward his car.
“Have fun!” a voice sing-songed behind them. He didn’t turn to look. He was a man on a mission.
“Where are we going?” Mikki found her tongue as he sped out of the parking lot, heading toward John Wayne Airport. Thank God he had thought ahead to have a plane ready. Neither of them had any clothes—or anything else for that matter—but that could be taken care of once they got to where they were going.
“We are going on a Christmas vacation,” he informed her, “and if you dare to question why, I will spank you. Now be a good girl and buckle up.”
Epilogue
Christmas in Chicago had never been more beautiful. The lights along the Miracle Mile looked so much better when you weren’t starving or envious of all the shining things in the storefront windows. Leslie had even managed to score tickets to the Nutcracker. Mikki had always wanted to see it, but never thought she’d ever have the chance. And who knew you could have a fireplace in an apartment? Okay, a penthouse apartment, but still.
“This is the best Christmas ever,” she sighed happily, snuggled up close to Leslie in front of the fireplace, sipping peppermint-flavored hot chocolate.
She felt positively decadent, being nude under the fur blanket. There had been a lot of firsts being with Leslie. It was so unreal, yet so right.
“For me too,” Leslie murmured, pulling a little red box out from under the pillows they were lying on. “I want more Christmases with you.”
No. No, it couldn’t be. They hadn’t known long each other long enough for what she thought might be in the little box. Her hands were trembling as she opened it, her stomach in a jumble of knots. When she lifted the lid, she dissolved in a fit of laughter. Oh, God, she’d been so afraid it would be a ring! Instead, he had managed to fit a lollipop ring inside. Cherry, her favorite.