by Sara Cate
“Oh that, yeah thanks for that. The swelling seems to have gone down. It only tingles a bit and kind of goes numb but I figure it’s from walking on it.” His face contorts and turns serious for a moment before he sets his cup down and steps toward me.
“The bandage might be too tight, your circulation may be lacking. We should loosen it up. Follow me.” Without waiting for my response he grabs my wrist and tugs me toward him.
“It’s fine really,'' I snap, looking down at his hand grasping my wrist. As if realizing what he’s doing he quickly releases me. “I’ll just do that later.”
“Nonsense. I’ll do it. Come with me,” he commands, motioning to the den. “Chloe, why don’t you grab our plates and the hot cocoa and bring it with us. I brought most of the boxes up, but there may be a few left downstairs if you want to check, while I redo Avery’s bandage,” he adds, his stern gaze not once leaving mine. Green eyes stare deep into mine looking for, well I’m not sure what they search for.
“Yeah sure,” Chloe obeys, jumping down from her seat. “I’ll go get the boxes and then bring the food over.”
I look at her with a don’t leave me alone expression, but she shrugs it off heading down the hall toward where I assume the basement is.
With nowhere left to go, I follow Zane into the den, instantly spotting the giant pine tree taking over the room. “That’s a big tree,” I mutter nervously.
“Sit,” he commands, reaching for the first-aid kit sitting on the ottoman. He grabs the pair of scissors and compression tape, turning to me with a deep scowl. “I said sit.”
Only if it’s on your face, I feel like saying. Though I bite down hard on my tongue, fighting the urge to say some snarky remark that will get me stabbed with the weapon in his hand, or worse with his ax. So I sit, deciding I’ll play along just this once. Seems to me like Zane needs to feel in control, given the fact he’s cooking all of Chloe’s favorite things, and even playing along with her Christmas crazy, I’m betting he also likes to feel needed. Which is why he’s playing the role of hero only to his unsuspecting surprise, he’s about to find out I’m no damsel.
“So what’s the diagnosis today Doc?” I ask in my sultriest voice. I make a point to extend my hurt ankle, bending my other leg to my ass. Just as expected, his gaze trails up my bare skin landing right on the hem of my shorts which barely cover my crotch. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, his ardent gaze meeting mine.
Shit. I didn’t quite think this through. His hand finds my ankle, softly touching the skin around the area, as he unwraps the bandage. He reaches for a bottle of lotion, squirting a quarter-size amount in his palm. Without announcing what he’s about to do, he begins to massage the cream onto my still slightly swollen ankle.
Goosebumps cover every inch of my skin as he continues to rub me in soft, delicate circles, applying a touch of pressure when he smooths over the tightness on my arch. I inhale sharply as a twinge of pain shoots up my leg. “Are you cold?” he murmurs, his voice thick and raspy. I’m sure he’s referring to the chill of my skin.
“No,” I groan breathily, throwing my head back at the sensation, unable to look him in the eye. “It’s actually a bit warm,” I whimper, slowly pushing my strap down my shoulder. He stops massaging my foot, and I swear I hear a low growl escape his lips.
His hand continues massaging me, trailing up my ankle to calf. I close my eyes, in awe how wrong this is, yet I’m taken aback by how good it feels. Finding the courage, I look up at him, and the hint of arousal in his expression makes me instinctively squeeze my legs together.
His gaze lowers to my heated center, as he adjusts himself on the ottoman. “Ahem,” he clears his throat, just as Chloe walks into the room.
“I found these,” she says, looking between my foot and Zane’s hand. I know this position doesn’t look right.
“Avery’s ankle is still a bit swollen so I applied some pain relieving cream. I’ll wrap it up once again, slightly looser than before and you girls can get to decorating.” He nervously grabs a towel and wipes his hand, grabbing the tape and slowly wrapping it around my foot.
“You’re not going to join us?” Chloe asks, sounding disappointed.
Zane moves as quickly as he can, clearly trying his hardest to avoid. touching me again. “I have some work to do. I’ll come down a bit later with the ladder and help with the top of the tree. You know this isn’t my thing Chloe.”
“Okay fine, at least stay for breakfast?”
He pauses, contemplating her request for a second before shaking his head and standing. “I’ll take a plate up to my office. I promise the rest of the week I’m all yours.”
I am planning on that.
…
“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday.”
Chloe O'Connell is in her element, dancing merrily and singing jolly just as the song playing on the cabin's surround sound says. I can’t help smiling at the sheer look of happiness in her eyes as she hangs ornament after ornament, tinsel garland after tinsel garland, making this tree look like something you’d find in the middle of Rockefeller Center or the Plaza Hotel. My contribution, spiking our hot cocoa of course. My favorite thing about Christmas, peppermint schnapps.
“It’s coming together so perfectly,” she shrieks, picking up another string of colored LED lights.
“It sure is something,” I mutter from my spot on the sectional. I gave up right around the tenth bauble and fifth strand of garland. Figured I’m put to better use drinking the incredible hot cocoa. Chloe wasn’t kidding, this shit is fucking magical.
“There, it’s perfect,” she says, placing the last ornament at her reach. “Now we just need Zane to add the last garland to the top, the angel, and it’s the best Christmas tree you’ll ever see.”
“Given it’s the only Christmas tree I’ve ever decorated, I’d say it’s already pretty great,” I joke, raising my mug up to her in a toast.
“Oh Avery, when you say things like that it truly breaks my heart.” She comes to sit beside me, resting her head on my lap.
“Come on Chlo,” I mutter, running my fingers tenderly through her hair, “Don’t cry on me now. Just because I didn’t have these perfect Christmases doesn’t mean they were missed. I honestly never even cared for them. It’s kind of hard when you don’t really know what you’re missing out on. But I’m totally fine with it,” I add, bringing the cup of hot cocoa to my lips. “A few more cups if these and my shitty childhood is made up for.”
“I told you, Zane is freaking magical,” she utters proudly, jokingly brushing off her shoulders.
“Yeah and pretty hot too,” I blurt out, too little too late.
“Avery!” she shrieks, looking around the room to make sure Zane isn’t nearby.
“Shit.” I laugh to myself, “Must be the schnapps. Come on though you have to admit he’s a damn sexy bastard. It’s no wonder you were so heartbroken when your momma dumped him.” I raise a brow, challenging her to deny it.
She doesn’t.
“Oh I was happy for him, my mom never knew how to value him, but it did suck not having him around.” Her expression turns solemn for a moment, but she’s quick to brush it off.
“Yeah I’m sure it sucked,” I mock, her cheeks reddening at my crass pun.
“Avery!”
I set the cup down beside me, leaning forward to meet her. “Oh quit Avery-ing me. Zane is a total smoke show, and you my dear need to hit that.”
“Oh god, Avery. He’s my stepfather,” she whispers like he’s standing in the room with us. I lean in closer, inhaling the deliciously sweet smell of her vanilla and cherry blossom body spray. I’m taken back for a moment, a strange shock of heat flowing through me as I feel her tense beside me.
“Key word, step,” I whisper into her ear. “He’s nothing of yours. Is it a bit twisted? Sure. Slightly taboo? Perhaps. So fucking hot? Fuck yeah!”
“Shh, he’s going to hear you,” she whispers into my neck. Realizing this is g
etting dangerously comfortable for me, I sit back.
“Good, let him. Then he’d know you want him to fuck the holly jolly out of you.”
Chloe covers her face with both hands, “I honestly can’t believe you’re my friend sometimes,” she says, looking at me through the spaces between her fingers.
“I don’t hear you denying it.” As suspected, her cheeks flush a brighter crimson, almost matching the color of my hair.
Now it’s her who leans back, her head falling against the back cushion of the couch. “It doesn’t matter what I want or don’t want. Zane sees me as this naive little girl he helped raise. He’d never look at me any other way.”
I knew it, and suddenly the wheels in my mind start turning, looking for a way to make my best friend's dreams come true. “On the contrary my little virgin, there is nothing more appealing to a grown man, than an innocent virgin pussy. Granted you’re of legal age of course.”
“I wouldn’t even know what to do to get him to see me in any other way. I’m practically walking around naked in these pajamas and he’s rubbing all over you.” Her voice drops, and she lowers her head, staring at her legs as she fiddles her fingers nervously.
“My sweet girl,” I mutter, tucking a loose strand of hair over her ear, “You don’t need to flaunt it all for him, you just need to learn how to tempt him, tease him, the ultimate art of seduction, and you’re in luck.”
She looks up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Why is that?”
“Because you have a best friend who’s going to teach you how.”
Chapter 4
CHLOE
So I may have fibbed. A little bit. Not a lot… just a little white Christmas lie. I intended to get Avery to spend the holiday at the cabin from the beginning. I couldn’t bear the thought of not being with the both of them this year. It would have been the worst fucking Christmas if either of them were missing.
Zane and Avery both hold such a deep place in my heart, deeper than either of them knows. Ugh. I am creating my own recipe for disaster, trapped in a snare of my own doing, between my ex-stepdad, who is pretty much the perfect man and makes me melt whenever he is around, and my best friend. Avery is equal parts gorgeous and sass, and I swear it's almost intoxicating being in her presence sometimes.
Not to mention my best friend also happens to be ridiculously in tune to me. Most of the time Avery knows just how to deal with my rampant mood swings before I even get them. When I’m sad, happy, moody, she's always there with a shoulder to lean on, a smile in my direction, or a honey bun in hand anticipating my hangry ass. She was able to feel my attraction to Zane within hours of being here with us. Best of all, she cares enough to teach me the art of seduction, her words not mine. I find it incredible how easily she’s able to attune to my every emotion or thought effortlessly, but it’s my biggest secret she’s been completely oblivious to.
Of course I find Zane insanely hot, but he’s not the only one that makes me feel butterflies in every inch of my body. Avery has been in my life for years and almost immediately I felt that connection to her. I knew I liked her from the moment we met but I didn't realize my feelings had grown until last summer. We spent the entire break together, like an extended sleepover. It was magical, all the movies, snacks, and bonding. We spent that first week after classes ended in a little bubble of bliss. That next week I got the worst cold of my life, I mean I was like a walking zombie, dead to the point Avery was just feeding me cold meds while I slept off my fever. Avery had been around long enough to know that cold meds always fucked with my sleep.
I was prone to night terrors and hallucinations from something as simple as NyQuil, and I had a fuck ton of it that week. All I can remember is this cloud of peace and safety that enveloped me at night. Avery would climb into bed with me instead of staying in the guest room and cuddle me so that the night terrors wouldn't be so intense. My nights were spent in her embrace while she caressed my arms with her fingertips and whispered things about her day to calm me, putting me to sleep. Her voice was like honey and her touch was like silk. Magical. After coming out of my cold coma I had all these new feelings for my best friend. Feelings I knew I wasn't supposed to have but were there anyway.
I felt awkward having these thoughts about my best friend but once they appeared they never left, they’ve only grown into something I’m afraid I can’t hide any longer. So when Avery mentioned teaching me the art of seduction, I felt almost guilty. Almost.
The only question now, who will I learn to seduce?
...
“I know exactly what we need to do,” Avery says, walking up behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. She watches me finish applying my makeup, her gaze meeting mine through the mirror. She crinkles her nose, a sign she’s deep in thought. “For starters, you need something more provocative.” Reaching into the makeup bag she brought with her, she pulls out the same shade of red she currently wears on her lips.
Of course Avery is flawless tonight, her makeup perfect per usual. Bright red lips, long dark lashes, and a winged liner making her blue, almond shaped eyes pop. She opens the lipstick, gripping my chin, and turning my face to her as she swipes the blood stain on my lips. Gently and slowly, she brings her thumb up to swipe any excess off the sides.
“Perfect, now these lips aren’t only tempting, they’re fuckable.” I swallow thick, her sultry voice, sending a wave of arousal through me. The way she watches me gives me a flash of hope that maybe, just maybe, my best friend has thought about me the way I constantly think of her.
“I never would have gone with red,” I mumble, unable to think of anything else.
A sinful smile creeps over her gorgeous face, “Red stains,” she murmurs, leaning forward. My lower back is now against the sink, and her hands resting on either side of me caging me in. “You want him to picture these lips wrapped around his cock, leaving their mark. Red, hot kisses trailing over every inch of his hot, hard body.”
The temperature of the room has now tripled, the mirror behind me surely fogged up with our heavy breathing. I swallow down hard once again, bringing my tongue out to lick my lips, her gaze following its movement. “Keep doing that and he won’t have to imagine for long. He’ll have you sprawled on the couch with his head between your legs, before dragging you down to your knees and shoving his monster of a cock inside this pouty little mouth.” Her hand grips my chin again, tighter than before, “Because no doubt he has a monster hidden behind those tight ass sweatpants.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do,” I whimper, “I’ve never…”
Her eyes go wide at my admission. This should be nothing new to her. I mean I’ve dated guys sure, even had a few boyfriends, yet I somehow always ended up comparing them to Zane, and of course none of them ever measured up to him. I’ve kissed a few frogs, but none of them are the one I’ve been secretly wanting for years.
It’s also why for a moment I thought I was a lesbian. I wasn’t interested in having sex with any of the boys my age. The only person who made me feel things was Avery. But even then, no other girl did. I don’t think I have a type. No male or female, my type has a name, well two actually. Zane Anderson and Avery Taylor.
“You’ve never?” she asks, not wanting to make me uncomfortable by asking.
“I’ve kissed a few guys, used some tongue, even grabbed one through a pair of gym shorts, but I ‘ve never,” I pause unsure if I should continue, “Tasted one.”
Her smile turns wicked, “Oh honey, by the time I’m done with you. You’re going to taste it, grab it, and fuck your little brains out riding it. And what a wild ride it will be.”
Chapter 5
ZANE
We ended the night the same way Chloe and I would end ours every night during the entire month of December when I was still married to her mother. A Christmas movie fucking marathon, or how I prefer to call it, the Tenth Circle of Hell. Tonight it’s Home Alone: 1, 2, and 3. How they managed to get that many storylines from that franchise is astonis
hing on its own. That damn kid, just once I’d wish they would have caught the little asshole. The fact that my little girl has made it a staple in her Christmas ritual is just straight up painful.
Avery is currently snuggled up to Chloe on the couch drinking yet another cup of hot cocoa. Chloe is laying on the corner seat, while Avery lays across her lap with her ass pointing in my direction. Fucking tease. She’s doing it on purpose, she has to be. Both of them are back in those damn Christmas pajamas, well they’re practically lingerie. Of course my dick is in the same state it has been in since they walked in after dinner, hard as a fucking rock. There is no denying that watching them strut around the house has made me more tense than usual.
Avery is a fucking vixen, with curves in all the right areas, and toned muscle where it belongs. I have to admit as much as it confuses the hell out of me, even Chloe looks damn good in those shorts. I blame it on the damn silk. Any woman is fucking tempting in silk.
Not to mention I can clearly see the indentation of Avery’s nipple piercing through the thin fabric. I nearly spit out my coffee when I caught a glimpse of them this morning. At first I thought she was probably just cold, or horny, but then I saw the imprint of the small balls of the barbell poking through.
I run my hand over my cock, adjusting myself as it painfully tries to break free from my sweats as I imagine running my tongue over them, and sucking the metal into my mouth. There is no end in sight for the time being. Going upstairs to relieve myself would be too suspicious right now. After this movie, I’ll go to my room and take care of my painful erection while picturing these two little elves helping Santa out, or better yet helping each other.
I’m a fucking pervert. There is no other explanation. I mean here I am pouring myself my third glass of whiskey and heading back to sit on the couch with the two tightest asses in the state. Thinking about them fucking each other is almost as bad as thinking about them fucking me. Picturing them taking my cock to the back of their throats and choking like the good girls they are. Girls. Fuck. That’s exactly what they are, young girls. Eighteen or not, they are too damn young for me. What the fuck am I thinking? Even worse is Chloe was my stepdaughter. I am so fucked in the head.