Christmas Past

by Mary Burton

  She could see the memory brought him sadness. “Hey, let’s make a promise right now not to talk about the past or the future tonight. Let’s just keep things in the present.”

  Ayden smiled. “That would be good.”

  She traced the rim of her glass with her fingertip. “So what do we talk about?”

  He sipped his coffee. “How about us? We didn’t come to any conclusion.” The glimmer in his eyes reflected growing desire.

  Nicole sipped her wine. In the car she’d been tense and tight. Now she felt relaxed, open, brave even. She wanted Ayden. He not only made her feel safe and secure but sexy and confident.

  If she didn’t act on her feelings now, she’d lose her nerve. “How about we just stop talking and go up to the room?”

  Ayden’s shocked pleasure gave her the satisfaction of knowing she still had the power to make a man go weak at the knees. She’d forgotten just how exhilarating that felt.

  His gaze on her, Ayden signaled the waiter. “Box up our lunch and send it up to our room … in a couple of hours.”

  Nicole didn’t hear what the waiter said. She was only aware of Ayden rising. She stood and together they moved toward the elevators.

  Charlotte Wellington sat in her office staring at her phone. Beside it was a half-full glass of scotch. In college she’d dreamed of being a lawyer and making a difference. She’d hung out her shingle and expected to take the world by storm. And for a time she’d tasted stunning success. She’d quickly made a name for herself, purchased this building, and hired three other associates.

  And then two years ago, the bottom had fallen out. The interest rate of the subprime loan she’d taken out to buy this building had adjusted. Her monthly payments had gone up by almost two grand. Nothing that should have been too devastating, but through a series of flukes, she’d lost her top five clients. She’d been faced with no income and rising expenses.

  Charlotte had let go two associates and sublet a few of the office spaces; however, the changes hadn’t been enough. She’d been faced with bankruptcy.

  The thought of poverty terrified her. She’d grown up poor, knew what it was like to skip a meal, and she’d worked hard to create Charlotte Wellington and she’d fight tooth and nail to keep what she’d had.

  And then Richard Braxton had walked into her office eighteen months ago with a huge retainer check and made three simple requests: mail a letter to his wife, hold a sealed envelope until she arrives, and when she claims the envelope, make one phone call.

  Simple, easy, quick money. Almost too good to be true.

  But she’d been too desperate to look too closely or ask too many questions.

  Charlotte had gratefully accepted the check and mailed the letter. She’d all but forgotten about it until today when Detective Ayden had called.

  In the last year, the firm had begun to regain ground. She’d refinanced the building and had just been hired for a high profile criminal case. Things were looking up.

  And then Detective Ayden had shown her the pictures that she’d held in the envelope for more than a year and a half.

  Devastating images of blood and pain and tears burned her brain.

  Charlotte swirled the amber liquid in the crystal glass and then took a hearty sip. She’d had nothing to do with that woman’s murder but still she felt the slice of guilt.

  Now, she had one last task to perform for Richard Braxton and she could wash her hands of the man. Dial a number, let the phone ring three times, and hang up.

  Charlotte picked up the phone. What was Braxton planning? She tapped her fingers on the phone’s numbers. Her gut was telling her not to make this call. But she’d accepted the fee and agreed to fulfill her contract to her client who’d come into her life when she was most desperate. That had to be worth something.

  She picked up the phone and dialed all but one of the numbers. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the buttons. Just push the last number. Her nerves tightened.

  Quickly she hung up.

  Charlotte sat back in her chair. Images of the woman in the pictures flashed in her mind again.

  The woman’s eyes had been haunted with pain and fear. She’d known she was going to die. Her agony must have been incredible.

  Charlotte gulped the rest of her scotch. She couldn’t take her gaze off the phone, nor could she summon the courage to complete the call.

  Chapter Four

  Tuesday, December 23, 2:30 P.M.

  Ayden and Nicole didn’t speak as they rode the elevator in silence to the third floor. Amazed at the blend of nerves and desire in his gut, he guided her to the door and opened it with the key.

  Nicole walked into the room. Her movements were careful, deliberate. He knew she wanted the sex; knew she was primed for it. But he wished he could read her mind or the subtle expressions on her face.

  Ayden closed the door softly behind him. He wouldn’t worry about tomorrow. It was all about now.

  Nicole dropped her purse in a chair and faced him. She smiled and moistened her lips as she shrugged off her jacket.

  He was so hard he could barely think. He’d long thought he was past the wild passions that drove his teenage sons to distraction. Now it was all he could do to string two thoughts together.

  She moved toward him and stared up at him. Her deep brown eyes telegraphed her desire. She slid her arms around his neck and rose up on tiptoes. He banded his arms around her narrow waist and drew her against him. Her full breasts pressed against him.

  Driven by a primal desperation, he leaned his head down and kissed her. The first kiss was gentle. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. But the taste set him on fire.

  Ayden tipped his head forward and rested his forehead on hers. His heart raced in his chest. “I want you so much.”

  Nicole knew that he wanted her. She could feel his desire rolling through him and tensing his muscles. And still he held back because he seemed afraid she’d somehow break. She needed to show him that she was a flesh and blood woman.

  “I am not a piece of glass.” Her voice sounded husky. “I’m not fragile and I’m tired of people treating me like I am.”

  To add weight to her words, she kissed him on the mouth again, teasing the edges of his lips with her tongue. When it opened she explored his mouth.

  Her kiss tore down whatever barriers stood between them. Groaning his desire, he kissed her back, taking control of what she’d started. He threaded his fingers through her hair and fisted it in his hands. He drew her head back so that her neck was exposed and he kissed the hollow.

  Nicole arched back, pressing her breasts up for him. She was still nursing her child part time so her breasts were full and ripe with milk. Her nipples hardened.

  Ayden drew his head back and stared down at her breasts. Desire burned in him as he leaned down and unfastened the snaps that trailed down the center of her blouse. With each snap, a bit more of her pale skin became exposed to his gaze. When the V of her blouse dipped below her breasts, he unfastened the bra’s hook between them. The soft peaks tumbled free with a small bounce and he bent his head and kissed her nipples.

  Nicole sucked in a breath and arched her back. “You are driving me nuts.”

  “Good.”

  Smiling, she stepped back from him. He watched with keen, sharp eyes as she unfastened the last of the snaps of her blouse and let the fabric fall from her shoulders. She wrestled free of her bra.

  She stood before him half naked and nervous, aware that her body was not the sleek, narrow figure that she’d once had. She’d grown curves and a fullness that she’d not been able to lose after the baby.

  “God, you are beautiful.” His gaze drilled into her as he stripped off his jacket and laid it on a chair. Carefully he removed his gun and phone from his waistband and laid them on his coat. He stripped off his shirt and the protective vest under it. He moved toward her and cupped her breasts again. He teased the tip of her nipple with his tongue and she closed her eyes and let the sensat
ion build again.

  With fumbling hands, Nicole reached for his pants’ button. She unfastened it and the zipper and slid her hand over him. He was hard and ready and she knew neither of them would last much longer.

  He pulled her hand away. “It will be over before it starts.”

  “Come into me now.”

  “I want this to last.” The words sounded as if they’d been ripped from him.

  “We have all night.”

  That’s all he needed to hear. He backed her up until the back of her knees pressed against the back of the bed. She fell back against the mattress and scooted to the center. Ayden was on top of her in an instant. He straddled her thighs and unfastened her pants. Carefully he unzipped the jeans and she lifted her hips so that he could tug the fabric off her. He tossed them on the floor.

  She wanted him inside her now. Waiting was not an option for her.

  Ayden pulled off his undershirt and threw it aside. Again he kissed her breasts and licked at the soft pink nipples. Soon he moved to the hollow between her breasts and then began to kiss the tender flesh of her belly.

  As if reading her thoughts Ayden smoothed his hand over her hips. “I love your body.” He noted a small butterfly that she’d had tattooed on her hip a few months ago. “What’s this?”

  “A bit of rebellion, I suppose.” She grinned. “I feel a little silly now when I think about it. Most people will never see it.”

  He kissed the butterfly. “Very sexy.”

  Nicole pushed his pants down his hips, exposing him. The invitation was too much for him to guard against. As she cupped her breasts, Ayden pulled in a breath and pushed into her.

  Nicole was tight, wet, and so soft he thought he’d come in that instant. God, but he wanted to savor this moment. He’d learned not to count on tomorrow or the next time. He’d learned that all he had was now.

  He moved inside of her slowly at first. She groaned her pleasure and, lifting her pelvis, took all of him to the hilt. She smoothed her hand over his buttocks and cupped his flesh. He pushed into her harder.

  A primal fierceness grew stronger and stronger in him and soon there was only her and their desire. He moved in her faster. She matched him stroke for stroke, goading him and begging him for more.

  She was a polite, civilized woman but her lovemaking was hot and frantic. Desires he’d held at bay for so long broke free and with a groan he shoved inside of her.

  Nicole undulated and moved, driving them both toward insanity. She circled her lush breasts with her fingertips and he could stand it no longer. He moved faster and faster.

  She moaned and arched her back, calling out his name as she gripped the sheets with her hands.

  He came inside of her, draining every ounce of himself into her.

  Ayden collapsed against her, resting his face in the hollow of her neck. Their heartbeats hammered against each other. Both their bodies were slick with sweat and they breathed hard as if they’d just finished a long race.

  Nicole traced circles on his back and finally when he had the strength, he rolled on his side. He pulled her against him, spooning his naked body against her backside. Possessively, he draped a hand over her body and cupped her breasts.

  “That was wonderful,” she said. Already her voice sounded sleepy.

  He nuzzled his face into the hollow of her neck. She smelled of roses and lingering desire. “Yeah.”

  Within seconds her breathing slowed and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  He’d not felt such a sense of rightness in a very long time. In this moment, there were no bad guys, no stresses, no worries. Just this soft, loving woman asleep in his arms.

  I love you.

  He wanted to whisper the words in her ear. But knew now was not the time. She might have given him her body, but her heart was another matter.

  When the phone rang, Denny Smith was startled from a nap. He’d dozed off in front of the wide-screen TV, the fall football game highlights blaring around him.

  He jumped to his feet. For a moment he didn’t recognize the ring and was confused. And then it hit him that the ringing came from the phone that had been on the charger on his hip for eighteen months. He had never been without the damn thing that had remained stubbornly silent.

  He moved to the phone and noted the incoming phone number. Braxton’s attorney. As instructed he didn’t answer the phone but waited for the ringing to stop.

  Braxton had come into Denny’s life eighteen months ago with a suitcase full of cash and a request. When the phone rang, it was time to kill Christina Braxton.

  Braxton had made him swear to keep the phone for five years. If the phone didn’t ring in those five years, he was off the hook and could keep the money.

  But if the phone rang, Denny was to find Christina at an Alexandria bank. He was supposed to abduct her and kill her. Braxton had paid extra, demanding that her death not be quick. Once Denny delivered her body to a guy named Vincent, he’d get a final bonus.

  He’d figured the whole scenario was odd. Why not just off the bitch? Be done with her. Denny’s number one rule was to keep it simple.

  But Braxton had a gripping obsession with his wife. The woman had infected him. He still hoped that he would get her back and return to California with her. If anyone was going to kill his wife, Braxton had said, it was going to be him. He would be the one to drain the light from her body.

  The hit was just insurance in case Braxton failed, which he’d not planned on doing.

  But Braxton did die. He’d been killed in his attempt to steal his wife. Dumb bastard. He’d made the whole scenario too damn complicated.

  “Simple is the way to do things. Not complicated.”

  Denny had expected Christina to take Braxton’s bait soon after his death. But she hadn’t. And he’d been forced to wait.

  Some would have written the deal off when Braxton had died. After all, who kept a promise to a dead man?

  But Denny prided himself on honor. A man in this business was only as good as his word.

  Denny pushed out of his reclining chair and went to the armoire across the room. It was made of walnut and its lines were plain. It was easier for him to think when things were uncomplicated.

  From the armoire he pulled out a gun safe, dialed in the combination and pulled out a.22 revolver. The gun was hardly fancy or high-powered. A TV crook would have picked a semi-automatic or something exotic. But those kind of guns jammed and they left shell casings.

  His .22 could kill just as easily and he avoided complications. He slipped on his gun holster and stuck the gun inside. He shrugged on a brown leather jacket that made him look like a biker.

  Denny stopped by a wall mirror and combed his hands through his thick black hair. His first stop would be the bank. That’s where the attorney was to send the woman. Braxton had promised she’d be delayed at the bank at least two hours. Plenty of time for him to nab her.

  Chapter Five

  Tuesday, December 23, 4:00 P.M.

  Nicole wasn’t sure how long she’d dozed. She only knew that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt more relaxed or content. The restless energy that had dogged her for so long was gone. In this room, with Ayden’s body spooned against hers, all felt right with the world.

  Ayden traced his hand along her naked thigh. His touch wasn’t possessive, or seductive even. It was familiar, tender, as if he’d touched her a thousand times. For a moment, promises of a future with Ayden whispered in her head. They were sweet, alluring, and tempted Nicole to open her heart. She stopped. She and Ayden had right now. And now would have to be enough.

  She rolled on her back and the sheet slipped away from her full breasts. Ayden had propped his head up on his hand. “How long have you been awake?”

  He smiled. “Just a little while.”

  She suspected it had been more time than that.

  Ayden moved his hand to her flat stomach and traced circles around her belly button.

  Her heartbea
t kicked from slow to high gear. She traced her hand down his flat abs, stopping just below his waist. Already he was hard and ready for her.

  “How about you roll on your back,” Nicole said. She scrambled to her knees. Dark hair brushed her shoulders and caressed the tops of her breasts. She wasn’t sure that he would. That he would let her be in control.

  Amusement and a warming desire sparked in his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” He rolled on his back and tucked his hands behind his head. He didn’t take his gaze off her and reached forward to brush her hair aside so that he could see her breasts.

  Nicole moistened her lips and straddled him. His erection brushed her inner thigh. She laid her hands on his chest and smoothed them down his flat belly as she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. The searing kiss brought his hands up to her hips and he cupped her buttocks.

  Heat rose up in Nicole. She wanted to take her time, to savor their lovemaking, but already she burned to have him inside of her. He teased her nipples until they were hard.

  Hoping to temper her desire, Nicole leaned back out of his reach. Her heart thumped wildly. She was so moist. She kissed him hard on the lips and he threaded his hands through her thick dark hair.

  Her hand slid down his belly until it wrapped around his hardness. She could tease him and not lose herself to the pleasure.

  A growl rumbled in Ayden’s chest when she wrapped her fingers around him. “You’re driving me insane,” he said.

  “That’s the plan.”

  In a quick move he freed himself from her and rolled so that he now had her under him. He straddled her.