I m Your Santa

by Lori Foster, Karen Kelley

  He recalled the taste of her when he’d knelt on the floor and opened her thighs wide…

  With a low groan, icy water streaming over his body and visions of Beth spurring him on, Levi came. It wasn’t the same. It sure as hell wasn’t enough.

  But for now, it’d have to do.

  With the edge of tension removed, Levi slumped against the hard-tile wall and tried to even his breathing as the cold water washed away the evidence of his release.

  What was Beth thinking?

  Would she be as ashamed for his behavior now as she’d been of her own during their long weekend? Would she even be waiting for him when he returned?

  That thought got him moving and he dried off in record time. Without bothering to dress, he switched off the light and jerked the door open. “Beth?”

  Like nails on a chalkboard, she gritted, “What?”

  Uh oh.

  She didn’t sound embarrassed. Nope, she sounded pissed.

  Oddly enough, that relieved Levi. He’d take anger over her humiliation any day. “Just making sure you didn’t skip out on me.” He refrained from saying again.

  “Where would I go, Levi? What would I say to Ben if I up and left?”

  There was a punching sound as if she mauled her pillow, then she heaved an angry, frustrated sigh.

  Poor baby. He doubted a cold shower would have the same effect on her. She was too new to satisfaction to take half measures.

  “You know, Beth, you could say that you’re so irresistible I couldn’t take it anymore, but that I made you a promise I didn’t want to break, so I had to excuse myself to—”

  “Argh! It was a rhetorical question, you jerk. I do not want a blow-by-blow report of your…shower activities.”

  Levi stepped into his boxers. “No?” And just to tease her, he asked, “Are you sure?”

  A pillow hit him square in the face.

  Levi stumbled back into the wall, nearly falling. Good shot, especially in the dark. She impressed him, but he wouldn’t tell her so. “Damn it, woman. Don’t throw things at me.”

  Another pillow barely missed him, but knocked a lamp off the dresser. It crashed to the floor.

  They both went silent.

  “Now see what you made me do.” Beth flipped on a light, turned to Levi, and froze.

  Dressed only in black boxers, he straightened. “Sorry. I left the shower in a hurry when it occurred to me that you might flee.”

  She stared.

  He nudged the fallen lamp with a bare toe. “It isn’t broken, luckily.”

  She blinked, swallowed audibly.

  Taking a relaxed stance, Levi let her look. “You’ve seen me before, Beth.”

  Without shifting her gaze to above his neck or below his knees, she said, “Shut up about that.”

  Exasperated, Levi put his hands on his hips. “I meant even before last weekend, actually. We’ve swam together so you’ve seen me in trunks plenty of times. And you’ve helped with practices, so you’ve seen me play shirts and skins in soccer. You’ve even seen me—”

  “Yeah, yeah. But this is different.”

  Because now she knew what was under the boxers, and she knew how good they were together? Levi wanted to hear her say it. “Why?”

  “Because now I know you…intimately.”

  “And that makes it different?”

  She nodded.

  “Beth?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you think you could look at my face?” At his leisure, Levi leaned against the wall. “I mean, I did just come, I won’t deny that. But I’m not sure how helpful that’ll be if you keep looking at me like you want to eat me alive.”

  Her gaze clashed into his. Her hands fisted. Lips stiff and voice low, she growled, “You are such a jerk, Masterson.”

  “Maybe on occasion. I’m human. But you want me anyway,” he taunted. “Don’t you?”

  Her teeth sawed together. Her eyes sparked. Then…on a sigh, she said, “Yes.”

  That knocked the humor right out of him. Levi straightened. “I wish you’d have admitted that before I made my promise.”

  “Forget your promise.”

  If only he could. “You might feel differently in the morning, honey. You might be mad at yourself again, and you’ll take it out on me.”

  She bit her lip. “What if I swear not to?”

  Heart hammering, Levi lifted the lamp off the floor and plunked it back onto the dresser. As he gathered his thoughts, he approached Beth’s narrow cot. Though he didn’t like himself for trying it, her need right now could be a bargaining chip toward their future.

  Anticipation burned through him. “What if you swear to me that tonight won’t be the only night? What if you marry me and—”

  She blanched.

  Damn it. “I take it that appalled look on your face is a no?” Propping his hands on his hips, Levi shook his head. “You think I’m asking for too much, don’t you?”

  Pleading, Beth whispered, “It’s too much for so soon, yes.”

  For her, maybe. But not for him. Levi knew how he felt, how he’d always felt. He’d never acted on his feelings because Beth was as off-limits as a woman could be.

  Was.

  Not anymore.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, unwilling to torture himself further tonight. “Let’s just go to bed and forget about it.” Ignoring her stunned and disappointed expression, he stepped past Beth, stretched out on the bed, and pulled the covers over his body.

  Beth kept her back to him. “No.”

  Levi eyed her militant stance. Her disheveled hair tumbled down her back. Pajamas a size too large swallowed her petite body. And still he could see the rigid way she held herself. “What did you say?”

  She turned and began marching toward his bed. “I said no.”

  She looked so resolute that Levi hurried to sit up. But she’d already reached him and before he could stop her, before he even realized her intent, she grabbed the covers and ripped them right off the bed.

  Wow.

  Forget the shower; Levi was hard in a nanosecond. His heartbeat thundered, but he said calmly enough, “Now Beth…”

  Flattening both hands on his bare chest, she shoved him onto his back. “You started this, Levi, and you can damn well finish it, whether we have a lifetime together, a year together, or even just tomorrow together.”

  As Beth threw a leg over his waist to straddle him, Levi gave up. He was only human. And male. And madly in love.

  He cupped her face. “At least give me tomorrow, Beth.”

  She bit his chin, his bottom lip. “Tomorrow,” she agreed. And then her mouth was on his, her kiss grinding and brutal and devouring him. Her tongue slicked over his lips, and then past them to tangle with his.

  When she switched to his throat, he said, “Beth,” meaning to slow her down.

  “No more talking,” she commanded. She nipped his earlobe, his collarbone.

  “But honey…” Levi fought to remember his promise. “Beth, my willpower is dwindling fast.”

  “Good.”

  But his love for Beth was too important to give up to a flash of sexual satisfaction. “I promised you that I wouldn’t—”

  “Wouldn’t touch me unless I begged.” She sat up on his abdomen, looked down at him, and said, “Please, Levi.” She spread her fingers over his bare chest and purred, “I’m begging.”

  His control evaporated. “Come here.”

  Full of enthusiasm and need, Beth fell on him. Trying to slow her down, to dredge up a bit of much-needed finesse Levi gentled her with a deep kiss.

  When she went soft and warm against him, he coasted his hands over her narrow back to her waist, where he encountered the baggy pajama bottoms. With no more than a tug, they slid easily to her knees. Hooking his toes in the material, Levi kicked them away from her body and then off the side of the bed.

  Beth raised herself above him. Her eyes were glazed with need, her lips parted. One by one, Levi opened the buttons of her paj
ama top and parted the material, leaving her breasts exposed. He wasted no time lifting himself up for a leisurely tasting of each swollen nipple.

  Beth dropped to her elbows with a groan. Her thighs tightened around him, her eyes closed.

  Carefully, without releasing her nipple, Levi turned her to a more submissive position under him. Giving her all his weight, he pinned her down and took his time licking a puckered nipple. He loved the texture of her, the scent that clung to her body, the broken sound of her breathing as he went from licking to sucking gently, then not so gently.

  Her hips lifted against him in a frantic rhythm.

  “Levi…” she begged again.

  Never would he tire of hearing her say his name, especially in such a pleading way. “Patience, honey.” He went back to kissing her breasts.

  She tangled her fingers in his hair and forced his gaze up to hers. “Now, please.”

  Doing his best to hide a smile, Levi nodded. “You’ve got it.”

  She tried to pull him up to her then, but Levi had an alternate plan. Kissing a lazy, damp path down her rib cage to her belly, he let her know his intent. She groaned again, this time in eagerness for what he would do.

  Voice hoarse and rough, he murmured, “Let’s get rid of these panties.”

  Beth lifted her hips to accommodate his request, and Levi skimmed the slinky scrap of material down her legs. On his elbows, he looked up the length of her.

  So beautiful. And all his, whether she accepted that yet or not.

  Except for the pink-flowered flannel shirt framing her shoulders, she was completely naked.

  Levi wanted to tell her that he loved her, but she wasn’t ready to hear that, not yet. Hell, he’d barely gotten her to commit to tomorrow, when what he really wanted was a lifetime. If he rushed things, he could scare her off. Again.

  For now, for right this moment, Beth only needed the relief he could give her.

  He laid a heavy hand on her belly. She kept her eyes closed, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. Her breasts shimmered with each anxious breath she took.

  Tonight she admitted to wanting him again. That was more than he’d had yesterday.

  He’d drown her in pleasure, and maybe tomorrow she’d acknowledge that what they shared was more than sexual, and more than temporary.

  Then she’d ask for a repeat. Tonight, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that…until finally she realized that their friendship had grown from a mutual belief in life and love, a bone-deep compatibility enhanced by sexual chemistry and a shared view of the future.

  She’d understand that love made it so special between them, and then she’d agree to a lifetime with him.

  Keeping his hand on her belly, Levi said, “Open your legs, Beth.”

  Her muscles twitched—and she complied. But not enough to suit him.

  “A little more, honey. Bend your knees, don’t be shy…that’s it.” And just to tease her, he added, “I want to taste you.”

  Her breath shuddered out. Her belly sucked in.

  “You’re going to come for me, Beth. And you’re going to love it, just not as much as I will.”

  Her neck arched, and her body bowed as she lifted herself toward him. “I want you to come, too.”

  With his mouth touching her heated skin, he groaned. Yeah, he’d come. No doubt about that. She was so soft that Levi loved touching and kissing her. And she had a unique scent that affected him more than a potent drug. He got near Beth, and his head swam, his heart raced, and heat suffused him.

  Even before he could make a move on her, he’d known she was the woman meant to be his mate, just by the primal reactions of his body.

  There was so much pleasure in being near her that Levi could have spent the rest of the night just nibbling on various erogenous parts of her body and enjoying her response to each flick of his tongue or warm suckle.

  On her inner thighs, he left hickeys that no one would see except him. But Beth would go through her day tomorrow knowing they were there, and remembering him.

  Though it wasn’t necessary, he held her legs open as he teased his tongue along her pelvic bones, dipped into her navel, and trailed downward.

  Finally, when he knew she couldn’t take much more, Levi glided his fingertips over her and found her damp and swollen. In a gentle back and forth motion, he insinuated two fingers into her, all the while watching her face and seeing how even that simple touch nearly put her over the edge. Between her expression and the feel of her slick, hot, and tight around his fingers, he nearly lost control.

  “You’re squeezing me, Beth. I like that.” He pressed a little deeper, slow but firm, until she gasped. New moisture bathed him, and he bent to nuzzle his lips around his fingers, tasting her and exciting himself more.

  Trying to find relief, Beth moved her hips against him. Her inner muscles rhythmically clasped and released him in a building torrent of sensation.

  Levi inhaled the spicy, pungent scent of her arousal, licked his tongue over her, around her, and gently drew her throbbing clitoris into his mouth.

  Her reaction was instant and explosive.

  With a throaty groan she came, her entire body rigid, pulsing, suspended with pleasure. Once again, her nails stung his shoulders as she struggled to ground herself and keep him as close as he could be.

  The rush of it almost had Levi spiraling away, too. He eased the pressure as her body slowly sank back to the mattress and only little aftershocks rocked her. He took one last lick over super-sensitive flesh, felt her flinch, and retreated. Her ragged breathing filled the air. The mattress shivered with her pounding heartbeat.

  Levi didn’t want to leave her, didn’t want to give up the heady taste of her, but he forced himself to move up beside her.

  To his surprise, she immediately turned into his arms, tucking her head under his chin as she squeezed him tight.

  “Hey?” he murmured, still a little unsteady himself from her release. “You okay?”

  In answer, she took a gentle bite of his pectoral muscle.

  “Ouch.” Okay, so a bite wasn’t tears. Or regret. It was sort of…playful.

  He felt her smile against his heated skin. “Thank you, Levi.”

  Confused, he considered her actions and her sentiment before cautiously replying. “You’re welcome.”

  “Now it’s your turn.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  But Beth wasn’t listening. Lazily, given her recent climax, she sat up beside him. “Off with the boxers.”

  Levi weighed his options, knew he wasn’t strong enough to resist, and decided he’d better ensure protection first. “Give me just a second.” Sitting up, he stretched his arm to the chair beside the bed and snagged his jeans. From his back pocket he withdrew several connected condom packets.

  “How many did you bring?”

  “I don’t know. When I realized you’d left, I just grabbed some.” He separated one packet and, after shucking off his shorts, opened it.

  Beth said, “Let me.”

  Just the thought of that had him shaking. “Not this time. If you start handling me, I’ll be a goner.”

  She trailed her fingertips along his naked thigh. “Really?”

  In a rush, Levi rolled on the condom. “Sorry, babe, but I’ve wanted too much for too long to show much restraint. Maybe in a decade you’ll be able to tease me some. But not yet. Definitely not tonight.” And with that, he put Beth to her back again. On the ragged edge, he growled, “Now open up and let me in.”

  Wearing a big, sexy smile, Beth did just that.

  As he sank into her, Levi closed his eyes. Being joined to Beth made him feel like an idiotic poet. It was profound. It exceeded anything he’d ever known or felt.

  He pressed in harder, deeper. “I’m not going to last.” He pulled out, and then, watching her, thrust in again.

  Her smile disappeared on a gasp. “Okay.” Wrapping her fingers around his biceps, she hel
d onto him. “Anytime you’re ready.” Her legs twined around him until she locked her ankles at the small of his back.

  Levi straightened his arms so he could watch her breasts, and began thrusting in a steady rhythm. With each glide and retreat, Beth got wetter, hotter, and she clenched tighter. He locked his teeth. Not yet, he told himself, but he knew it was useless.

  His fingers knotted in the bed sheets. “Look at me, Beth.”

  She did, her eyes smoky and dazed. “Levi?” she whispered.

  He drove into her, unable to reply.

  “I’m going to come again, too.”

  That did it, especially with the way her voice caught on the last word, the way she moaned and tensed and twisted beneath him.

  He took her mouth, devouring her, their groans mingling together, so much a part of her that he knew sex with any other woman would never compare.

  Spent, Levi relaxed his weight down onto her. He felt Beth’s mouth touch his sweaty shoulder, felt her legs slide away from him.

  Damn it. He couldn’t take much more of this without her acknowledging their future together. Levi rolled to the side of her, staring at the ceiling, so aware of Beth that he felt her in his heart. Cool air wafted over his sweat-damp skin, but not for long. Beth curled into him and sighed.

  Levi waited.

  “It keeps getting better and better.”

  He smiled, ready to point out how great it’d be in a few years. But Beth wasn’t finished.

  “I keep saying this, but…could we talk in the morning?” She gave him a halfhearted pat on his chest. “I’m fading fast. You’ve worn me out with the chase and the capture and the awesome way you just made me feel.”

  Because she sounded sincere, and she ended that statement on a deep yawn, Levi relented. “Sure. Go to sleep, honey. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  “I know.” She snuggled closer. “Because I’m not letting you go.”

  Levi’s heart nearly stopped, then went into a fury of pounding that might have bruised his ribs. She wasn’t letting him go?

  After several moments of stunned silence, he lifted his head to look at her. “Beth?”

  Her deep, even breaths gave the only reply. Well, hell. How could she make a statement like that and then just nod off? Did she mean what she said? Was she delirious? Too tired to think straight?