by R. R. Banks
She stared at me questioningly.
"You did what?"
She rubbed her eyes and I realized that she had been sleeping.
"I thought that you would want to have everything. You told me that you always hide the gifts until at least the week of Christmas. I don't have your phone number, so I looked up your address in your personnel file."
She squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed her eyelids.
"You looked up my address and you couldn't have just looked two lines down and gotten my phone number?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
"That didn't occur to me."
"So, after you got my address, you came here and broke in?"
"I didn't break in. You really shouldn't leave a key sitting under the welcome mat. It's not very secure."
"As I've become extremely aware of in the last several minutes. You know, I very much doubt that the police would agree with your assessment that snatching a key from under a mat and using it to go into a dark house is not breaking in. Why didn't you just ring the bell?"
"I did," I told her. "You didn't answer and like you said, the house was dark, so I thought that I would just slip in, leave the stuff, and then go and it would be a nice surprise for you when you got home."
Cristina
I blinked at Josh a few times, trying to get my mind to catch up with what he had said to me.
"Was the Black Friday thing just too much for you? I bring you shopping and suddenly you've decided you're Santa Claus?"
"This all seemed a lot less insane when I first came up with it," he admitted.
"Those are some perfect serial killer last words if I've ever heard them."
"Why are you in a dark house?"
"It wasn't dark when I fell asleep. I was trying to stay up until going to bed tonight, but Matteo and my mother are out for the night, so I didn't have much to keep me awake."
I reached down to take Josh's hand and help him off the floor. I had meant it as a helpful gesture, but the touch of his skin against mine sent a shiver through me. He met my eyes and I felt the air between us thicken. I looked away from him, forcing myself to pull my gaze away from his and to the boxes that he had brought in. I tried to remember how many of them I had wrapped, but the memories were a touch blurred by my grogginess.
"There are still some outside," Josh said, as if reading my mind.
I nodded and followed him through the room and out onto the porch where he had apparently done an assembly line with himself and brought everything from the car to the porch before breaking into the house. We carried them in and piled them on the floor in the front room, then I offered him a smile.
"Thank you for doing this," I said. "It's certainly the first time I've had somebody break into my house to bring stuff."
Josh smiled.
"I'm glad I could make you happy. I wanted to put them under the tree --"
"Again, with the Santa Claus."
"It was a theme. But you don't have a tree."
I put my hands on my hips and looked at the empty space that I had cleared for the tree but never filled.
"I haven't gotten around to putting it up yet this year. Usually Matteo and I go pick one out together, but he's been so busy that I haven't wanted to stop him."
"I'm sure he would want you to. It doesn't matter how busy he is, you're still his mom and it's still Christmas."
I let out a breath and gave him a tight-lipped smile. My eyes fell on a couple of packages that I didn't remember wrapping and that was embellished with paper we didn't buy.
"I think you brought in some you didn't mean to," I said, pointing at them.
Josh shook his head.
"No, I meant to bring those in."
"What are they?"
"I, too, can Google and because I have a phone that wasn't forged by Moses, I can Google on the go. It was through such mobile surfing that I discovered mine was not the only store to have those video games on sale today, though mine might have been the only one that used such shadiness with them."
"One of two chains," I pointed out.
Josh nodded.
"One of two. Nevertheless, I went on a bit of an expedition of my own and found one at another store, which I proudly patronized using all of the skills you taught me, including taking an entire cart and using it only for the console and a couple of games."
"A couple of games?"
"Well, I didn't know what Matteo likes, so I just picked up the ones that the reviews said were most popular. I figured he would at least find one in there that he liked."
I was stunned and for a few moments I felt speechless.
"I already spent my budget," I admitted. "When I couldn't get the game for the sale price, I used the money I saved to buy him other gifts."
"That's fine," Josh said. "I don't need you to pay for it."
I tried not to shudder at the words.
"I know that you don't need me to. The whole world knows that you don't need me to."
"That's not what I meant, Cristina. I only meant that I didn't bring it here with the intention of you paying me back for it. I just wanted to make sure that Matteo had it, and that you got the joy of giving it to him. I could see how much it meant to you to show him how proud you are and how much you love him by making sure that he had this, so I wanted you to have it."
"I can't accept this," I said, tears starting to sting in my eyes at the incredible gesture. I couldn't believe that he would do something like this for me. "It's just too much."
Josh shook his head.
"Why don't you think of it as a Christmas bonus from the Sommers family. It's the least that they can do after the way that Willa spoke to you."
I thought about that and felt my tears drying and my expression harden slightly.
"I suppose you're right about that. Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." I looked around. "I'm on my own tonight. Would you want to stick around for a little while? Maybe watch another movie? Would Willa allow you to do that?"
“Willa and I are finished. I thought about the way that she acted this morning -- I couldn't do it anymore."
I couldn’t stop the smile that broke through. “Then let’s start that movie.”
Josh's face lit up.
"I'd love that."
"Good."
I led him out of the front room, through the dining area, and into the living room. We settled onto the couch and I turned on another of my favorite Christmas movies. Even as all of the classic scenes slipped past, however, I barely notice that the movie was on. All I could focus on was Josh, there in my house, sitting on my couch. So close to me.
We fell into conversation, the movie becoming white noise behind us. My heart was trembling in my chest and my fingertips tingled with awareness of his presence there. I listened to him talk about his family and his memories of Christmases when he was a child. He told me about the baseball cards that he collected and how much he treasured them even though he never knew if any of them were at all important or valuable. His eyes grew sad and nostalgic when he relayed the story of his entire collection being destroyed in a flood that had damaged their house. It had broken his heart so much that he never replaced them.
I told him about the jewelry that my grandmother used to give me. It had never been very expensive, but she had said that every woman needed enough jewelry that she could change her style on a whim every day. Those pieces were still sitting in my jewelry box, though most of them never had the occasion to come out and be worn. They were also a leading contributing inspiration for maintaining "five golden rings" in my rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Chapter Thirteen
Cristina
The longer we sat there talking, the closer we slid to each other until we were sitting with our bodies pressed together, our thighs touching. I leaned against him, tilting my head experimentally just for a moment so that it rested against his, furthering the connection between us. I straighte
ned, and Josh reciprocated the move, tilting his head against mine for another brief moment. I felt my belly trembling, but I carefully controlled my movements, unsure of what I should do next, or even what I wanted to do next. This was a position I hadn't expected to find myself in and I didn't know how I should handle it. No matter what decision I made, there were going to be consequences. My life couldn't be the same from this moment. There was no move that I could follow though, no decision that I could make that would allow us to go back to the way that things were before the time that we had spent together. All I could do was decide which of the consequences I was most willing to take.
I looked up at Josh and our eyes met. The space around us was electrified, feeling like it was sparkling and tingling with such intensity that I could count the seconds as they passed. Suddenly it was as though something broke between us, the invisible wall that had been holding us apart from one another dissolving away as we both made the decision that we were ready to discover whatever might be waiting for us. Josh smiled and leaned in toward me. I moved forward too, ready to feel the softness of his lips and find the taste of his kiss.
I thought that it was going to be a soft kiss, something as experimental and cautious as the way that our heads had touched. Instead, it was as though all of the need and desire we had built up within us burst out in the same moment. Our mouths tore apart almost breathlessly, and I gazed for a moment into his velvety eyes. Josh wrapped one arm tightly around me and pressed his hand to my lower back, guiding me closer. I drew myself up into his lap and cupped one hand around the back of his neck, so I could bring his lips forward onto mine again. His fingertips pressed down into my skin as we gave ourselves over fully into the moment. Josh was urgent, overflowing with need, demanding and breathtaking in the passion that he was already showing, as if it had been growing within him and only now was he allowing it to emerge. I felt his tongue slip out to tease across my lips and I opened my mouth with a soft, but eager moan.
Josh took the invitation without any further urging. His tongue plunged into my mouth possessively as if he was seeking more, looking to discover all that was in me and that had been held back from him. I could taste lingering dark coffee and cream in his kiss, and there was something else, something deeper, something that was wholly, completely, and without hesitation Josh. The scent of his body filled my lungs, his tongue filled my mouth, and my mind clouded with the blissful, unrestrained thoughts of his hard, thick cock filling my body.
Josh slid a hand along the side of my ribs, into the dip of my waist, and along my thigh. The touch made heat explode through my chest and shiver along my spine. I let my hands fall from behind his neck and raked my fingernails down his chest, luxuriating in the feeling of chiseled muscles hidden beneath the soft fabric of his shirt. I let my hands continue to travel down until I found hot, smooth skin beneath the hem and slipped them beneath the fabric, greedily seeking out the planes of his back and stomach.
I broke our kiss again and slipped off his lap so that I could stand. I stepped back and offered him my hand. Josh took it and let me guide him up off of the couch, so I could lead him through the house that led into the hall where my bedroom was, even happier now to have the house to myself for the night. When we were halfway down the hall Josh turned me suddenly and pushed me up against the wall. He clamped his mouth down on mine, claiming my tongue and drawing it possessively between his lips so he could suck it gently, bringing new lust-filled images into my mind.
I dragged my nails up and down his ribs and along his back, smiling at the groans of pleasure that radiated from deep within him. Josh's hands roamed over my thighs, waist, and back, then swept up to slide over my breasts. He squeezed the soft swells and I hummed into his mouth. His grip moved down and tightened onto my ass, so he could lift me up off of the floor. I straddled his waist and wrapped my legs around him. I arched closer and could feel the hard bulge of his erection nudge against my hot core.
“Where's your bedroom?” he asked.
His forceful, almost demanding growl sent a shiver of desire through my heart and body. I clutched him tighter, rolling my hips so he could feel me against him, wanting more of the connection, needing to feel him.
“Down the hall,” I gasped, then crushed my mouth against his again, not wanting our lips apart for a second longer than they had to be.
Josh carried me in long, swift strides down the hallway and I felt him kick my bedroom door open, then cross the room. He hadn't turned the light on, but there was enough glow from outside that I was able to look up at him as he lay me out across the bed and stood over me, gazing down at me for a few moments. His sapphire eyes shimmered as I watched him peel away his shirt and drop it down to the floor beside him. His body was irresistibly sculpted, even more delectable than what I had been imagining. A trace of dark hair running from his navel down the center of his belly into the waistband of his pants made him look strong and masculine. My fingers twitched with desire and the need to touch him, and I reached up to run my fingertips along the top edge of his waistband.
Josh tucked his fingers down into his pants and in one movement removed the remainder of his clothing so that he was fully bare standing over me. His glorious cock stood hard and thick above me and my body shook with the thought of touching him, tasting him, and feeling him inside of me. I forced myself to stay calm as I slipped out of my shirt, exposing my heavy breasts and hardened nipples. Josh climbed onto the bed and positioned himself over me. I could feel my hands brushing against his body as I slowly removed the rest of my clothing and let it slip off of the side of the bed and onto the carpet.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine, then moved them to the side of my neck as his hand slid gradually up my body. His palm settled over one breast and he tenderly stroked my nipple with his thumb. I gasped as his thigh nudged my legs apart and stroked against my wet core. He lifted his eyes to my face and I managed to offer him a soft smile through the thick veil of arousal that had fallen over me. Josh's mouth found my neck again and he concentrated enthralling attention on it for several seconds before moving down, gliding his lips just barely across the surface of my skin so that I could feel his breath dancing along my breasts. He paused and took my nipple into his mouth. Flicking his tongue over the sensitive, taut peak and then tracing it in slow, languid circles, before moving over to give the same attention to the other breast. I writhed and whimpered with desire that was reaching a dizzying degree, feeling like I was nearing my breaking point.
I closed my eyes and arched my back toward him when he slid his hand along the inside of my thigh towards my molten center. His fingers felt like magic as he found my sensitive pearl and swirled the tips over it, then slipped them down to just touch my opening.
“You’re so wet,” Josh whispered.
The bold, unchained words pushed me further into my fiery arousal and I reached out to find the delectable shaft of his cock. I gripped it firmly and ran my eager hand along its engorged, hot length. His masterful fingers gradually circled the tip of my clit, awakening muscles and nerves that had been long-neglected, causing them to tighten and crave more attention. I sat up slightly to give myself better leverage to stroke the full length of him. Our mouths played and tangled as we gave ourselves over to each other with abandon.
After a few moments I dropped back onto the mattress, letting my hand fall away from his erection so I could close my eyes and focus completely on the sensations that he was creating within me. Almost immediately Josh pushed back away from me, leaving my body cold where his had just been touching seconds before.
"Is something wrong?" I asked breathlessly, opening my eyes and searching his face.
He shook his head, smiling gently down at me.
“No,” he said. “I'm just looking at you.”
I smiled as he leaned down to kiss me. His mouth moved more slowly now, more tenderly as he seemed to slow our pace and bring our passion back under control, so he could extend it. After a few l
anguid moments, Josh lowered himself to his knees at the end of the bed and tucked his hands under my legs. He gripped the backs of my thighs, pressing my knees up and apart to open me fully. I gasped at the wanton move, but writhed at the deliciously vulnerable feeling of the position. I was utterly open to Josh, at his mercy, and there was nothing in that moment that I wanted more.
The slow, controlled pace that he had found continued now as I felt him dip his head down and gently blow a stream of air along my hot, wet core. The contrast in temperature between his cool breath and my waiting body created an intoxicating sensation and I arched my back to present myself to him.
One of Josh's hands slid up my thigh and onto my lower belly so that he could hold me in place with gentle, but insistent pressure. I could feel his breath getting closer to my body again as he leaned forward to let just the tip of his tongue glide up through my folds. It had been so long since anyone had taken such time to touch me that the sensation was almost unbearable. It seemed that I had been thinking about him, wanting him for so long, and I felt my body melting into his touch.
Josh drew another long, deep lick through me, parting the petals of my core so that he could touch the most hidden, delicate parts of me, and then he focused the attention of the tip of his tongue on my taut clit. He glided his tongue around the edge of the pearl that he had already coaxed out from its protective hood, then licked it directly. The deliberate pattern started to send me spiraling toward climax and I drew in a breath, not wanting to give into it yet, wanting more of everything that he was offering me and so much more.
I felt intense pleasure building throughout my belly, thighs, and hips, and I knew that I couldn't hold myself off much longer. I let my eyes drift closed again so that I could luxuriate completely in the attention that he was lavishing on me. Josh's hand that wasn't on my belly left my thigh and slid toward my dripping entrance. A moment later two of his fingers plunged inside me and I lost all control.