“I’d do it for you if you asked.”
“I know.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I can’t wait for you to meet him and Mrs. Claus. They are the most beautiful people you will ever meet.”
“Does Santa really have a long white beard?”
“Of course, and a red suit.”
His hand slid farther along her thigh, until his thumb brushed her mound. “And does your father wear stockings like these?”
“Only when he is out on official duty.” She really did not want to be thinking of her father at a time like this.
“Well,” He sat up and looked around. “I think your official duty is over right now, so it’s time to take off your uniform.” His hand slid up under the clothes of his she wore over her tunic.
“Here?” she asked, as he began to pull them down.
“No one can see,” he said. “It’s magic.” He kissed the side of her mouth, and tugged at her stockings until they slid down her curvy thighs.
She sighed, beginning not to care if anyone saw or not. Especially when he pulled her stockings down, flipped the oversize boots off her feet, and then spread her thighs wide, before dipping his head between them.
This might be the first time Santa’s sleigh had been used in such an inappropriate way.
“Oh. Wow.” She fisted his hair, her thoughts not coherent enough to consider whether she was hurting him or not, as her fingers twisted through it. How could she think straight when he was licking her right there? Oh, and there, and sticking his tongue in there.
Pepper whimpered as he sucked and licked her clit, his tongue probing deep inside her before he went back to torturing her sensitive bundle of nerves. This man was a god; he belonged up there with all the other magical creatures of the world. His tongue must have been sprinkled with magic dust, and he was coating her sex in it, leaving it tingling and swollen with desire.
In and out, he probed, licking her, sucking her, and grazing her clit with his teeth, until she could hold on no longer, and her orgasm crashed into her. Bas didn’t let her go, he took her to the highest of heights, further than the moon and the stars, before easing off just enough to bring her back down to earth safely.
If she didn’t already believe in magic, by the time he’d finished, she would have.
“That was incredible,” she said, breathlessly as he kissed her inner thighs.
“Thank you,” he said. “You know I want to claim you.”
“Uh-huh,” she said absently as he continued to kiss her. Stroking her thighs with his warm hands, he slipped a finger inside her wet sex and brought her back to the point of arousal where she would have begged him to take her.
But she didn’t have to beg. Bas stood up, undid his belt and his zipper, sat down on the bench next to her in the sleigh, and then lifted her up so that she straddled him.
“I wanted you naked. But this will have to do.”
His having to do was incredible. As she knelt up on the bench, he guided himself towards her sex, and slid into her as she lowered herself down. He was big, and oh so satisfying, as he filled her with his hard cock. Pepper closed her eyes and let the sensations thread their way through her body, until every nerve ending, every fiber of her body was on fire, for him.
Slowly, he filled her. She loved the control this position gave her, and every time he moved to thrust higher, to impale her, she lifted herself up, and slowed the pace.
“Patience,” she whispered in his ear.
“I don’t have any when I’m around you,” he said, and gripped her hips, to keep her in place, while he thrust up into her.
“Is that how you want to play?” she asked, nipping his ear, and sucking on his lobe.
“Who said anything about playing?” he countered, and used one hand to cup her breast, and then grazed his teeth over her hardened nipple. “Damn it, I want you naked,” he ground out in frustration.
“Same,” she said, running her hands down the front of his chest, feeling his hard-toned abs and wondering if his skin was honey gold all the way down.
“It’s a good thing we’re going to be doing this lots and lots of times in the future,” he said. “Although the first time with you, in a sleigh in the middle of a park, is going to take some beating.”
Pepper squeezed her inner muscles to grip his cock tight inside her, making the friction between them even more intense. “I hope you are going to remember more than just the sleigh,” she whispered in his ear.
“I’ll remember everything about you.” He claimed her mouth, his tongue pushing for access. She opened her mouth, letting him in, their tongues entwining, dancing, as she moved her hips up and down, and around and around, until he groaned against her, his hand going to the nape of her neck, and his face pressed against her breasts as he came.
Pepper could hold on no longer and she followed him over the edge, her sex throbbing and pulsing around him. She lowered her head and bit down on his jacket. The sleigh might make them invisible, but it didn’t drown out noise, and she didn’t want to draw attention to them. But it was hard, when all she wanted to do was announce to the world that she had a lover, she had a man, she had a mate. Someone who would never judge her as her father judged her.
Yet even in the throes of ecstasy, the words Krampus had spoken came back to her, and she wondered if she had misjudged her father.
As soon as they had fulfilled the wishes of Krampus, she was going to go back to the village and ask him.
Chapter Seventeen – Bas
“How much longer do you think they’ll be?” Bas asked.
They were dressed, and relaxing in the sleigh, with hot chocolate and donuts from a twenty-four-hour bakery. Bliss. Especially when you were sharing them with your mate. He smirked as he sipped his hot chocolate. Just wait until he told Kain and Asher about this.
“Who knows?” Pepper said. “It’s been a long time since Dan and Dash have had a chance to let their hair down.” She sat up and looked over the side of the sleigh, as she had several times already, to check and see that they weren’t coming back. It was nearly midnight and she looked exhausted.
“How’s your head?” he asked. “Your memory and everything still OK?”
“I assume so, but I wouldn’t know if it wasn’t, would I?” Pepper asked.
He chuckled. “I guess not. Are there ever times you wish you could forget things?”
“That’s a deep and leading question,” she said. “Are there things you would like to forget?”
“Sometimes. But those things are what make you who you are. I sometimes wish I could forget the look of disappointment in my dad’s face when I told him I wasn’t joining his law firm. But then, it’s what spurs me on.”
“In what way?” she asked, turning to face Bas.
“I work harder than I would if he approved. It’s stupid, really.”
“Why do you work harder? To prove yourself to him?” Pepper asked.
“Yup,” Bas said. “I want him to see that it’s not all about the money. But I don’t think he’ll ever see it that way.”
She laughed. “Wait until you tell him you are married to a Christmas Elf.”
“So you’ll marry me?” Bas asked, a sense of love swelling inside him fit to burst out and fly up to the stars.
“Oh, I guessed we’d get married. I thought that’s what people do. But then I don’t really live in your world.”
“You will soon, when you commute,” he said.
“Yeah, that is not going to go down well. My mom will understand. She’s the one who’s kept me and my dad together; if it wasn’t for her, I sometimes think I would have walked away.” She picked up another donut. “That’s not true. I love the reindeer, and Mrs. Claus. And Santa, but I don’t see him so much. He’s a busy man.”
“But you’d be OK with commuting?” Bas asked.
“But when we have children… Maybe we could find some stripy stockings to fit you.”
“A Barnabas bear in stripy stockings, I li
ke the sound of that.” Krampus leaned over the side of the sleigh and ruffled Bas’s hair, before stealing a donut and shoving the whole thing in his mouth in one go.
“That was the best night ever,” Dan said, climbing in the sleigh and slumping down next to Pepper.
Pepper turned to him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“What for? Oh, you figured out why we call you Miss Pepper?” he asked, and took a donut.
“I think so,” she said, and then blushed.
Dan put his arm around her neck. “You know we are going to refuse to lose you to a big ole bear.”
“I’m still going to be around,” she said. “And when my dad retires, we’ll live in the village permanently.”
“We will,” Bas promised. “By then I’ll be ready for a change. And I won’t care if my father thinks I’m a loser.”
“Hear, hear,” Krampus lifted his donut in salute. “Here’s to all the losers.”
Dash jumped in, over the side of the sleigh, and snuck the last donut. “I refuse to ever be a loser.”
“You’d lose a race. Between you and me,” Dan said matter-of-factly.
“Don’t bet on it.” Dash got up, and the air shimmered around him. Bas knew what he was going to do, and grabbed hold of him to stop him.
“Not now. We’ve all had enough drama and excitement. I am not pulling this sleigh on my own; we need you two. So simmer down and let’s get ready to go. First, we take Krampus home, and then we go to the North Pole, so I can stand by my woman’s side and tell her father she’s mine.”
“Aren’t you supposed to ask for my hand in marriage?” Pepper asked.
“You want me to?” he said.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’d hate for him to say no.”
“Because you’d have to go against his wishes?” Bas asked.
“Again,” Dash chimed in.
“Don’t remind me,” Pepper said. “I cannot believe I let Krampus commandeer the sleigh.”
“You didn’t take much persuading,” Dash said.
“That’s because I knew I would be outnumbered.” She looked sternly at Dan. “You did put the idea in Krampus’s head, didn’t you?”
“I may have mentioned that this Krampus parade is the best you’ll ever see, and I was right, wasn’t I, buddy?” He slapped Krampus on the back.
“Sure it was. Some of those guys made a better Krampus than me.” He hauled his basket into the sleigh. “I never even caught any kids either.”
“Good,” Pepper said, getting up and dusting the crumbs off her jacket. “OK. Fun time is officially over. Krampus, we are taking you home. I’m hoping this means you are satisfied with the gifts from Santa and you agree not to beat children or take them hostage in your basket.”
Krampus laughed. “Haven’t done it for years, too much trouble these days: parents beat me right back.”
“So why does Santa send the gifts?” Pepper asked.
“Because he’s Santa,” Dash said, with a shrug. “Gifts are his thing.”
“On Christmas Eve.”
“He knows this is Krampus Night, and I miss the old days, so he sends me my favorite things, and a new supply of Christmas Magic. Don’t know what I’d do without the stuff.” Krampus took the small pouch out his pocket and placed it on the palm of his hand.
“Hide it, I’m an addict,” Dash said, feigning horror.
“We overdosed on the magic meant for you, last night. By accident of course, but it was a wild ride.”
“At least it didn’t go to waste.” Krampus put the pouch back in his pocket. “You guys keep away from this. It goes missing, I will grind some bones.”
Bas was laughing as he got up and dusted himself down and began to set everything straight for the return journey. “Are you putting these back on?” He passed Pepper his boots.
“Not yet. I’ll put them on when we land.” She picked up the blanket and shook it off, and he had to pause and admire how her body moved. While he was watching, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, and then Kain’s ringtone blasted out. Hell. He’d forgotten he said he’d check in with his friend. “Hi, Kain. How are you?”
The smile slipped from his face as Kain began to talk. “How quickly can you get back?” Kain asked.
“Why, what’s wrong?” Bas asked, jumping out of the sleigh and walking away from the others so he could hear Kain properly. He sounded upset.
“You remember that housing development over the east side of town?” Kain asked.
“Of course, we fought and won. So what’s the problem?”
“The owner of the building is trying to evict all the tenants. Thinks he’ll get it done before they have a chance to appeal over the holidays.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Bas said.
“You know that. I know that. But a young girl, Callie Frasier, you remember her? She assaulted the owner. Gave him a black eye.”
“And he’s pressing charges?” Bas asked incredulously, remembering the young girl, she must be about twelve, while Mr. Armand, the building owner, was a strapping six foot tall, with a broad chest and big biceps.
“Sure is. Wants to make an example of her.” Kain paused. “Or he’s willing to drop the charges, if the other tenants agree to leave. So Callie’s father told me.”
“What the hell!” Bas exclaimed. He looked around, trying to calculate how long it would take him to get there. “Give me a minute.”
He headed back to the sleigh. “Could we get going right now, and take a detour?”
“What’s wrong?” Pepper asked, her smile fading fast.
“I’m going to need a raincheck on that visit. I have to go to work, and I need to get there fast.”
“Jump in. We can do that.” She took charge and got them organized, while Bas took down the details from Kain.
“Are you with the family now?” Bas asked.
“No. I can’t. I have a problem of my own to deal with.” He hesitated. “I’ll explain when I see you next. It’s not something you will believe if I tell you over the phone.”
“Kain, after the couple of days I’ve had, I will believe anything.”
“I’ll trade you stories next time we meet up.”
“What about Asher, can’t he head over there and do something?” Bas asked, as Pepper harnessed Dan and Dash.
“He’s gone undercover. Won’t be surfacing for a while. It’s you or nothing, Bas. I’m sorry.”
“Tell the family I’ll be there in an hour.”
“You aren’t at the cabin, then?” Kain asked.
“No, something came up. Like you said, some things are hard to say over the phone.” They ended the call and the sleigh rose up out of the park, almost vertical in the night sky. Bas didn’t let it bother him. He trusted Pepper, and he trusted Dan and Dasher. And he trusted Christmas Magic.
Bas looked across at Krampus, and wondered if there was any chance the goat-demon would sprinkle a little of his dust on Callie Frasier, and the rest of the residents of Eastside Terrace.
Chapter Eighteen – Pepper
Dan and Dash flew straight and true, and fast. They had sensed the urgency in Bas’s voice, and when they heard it was for a child, they moved their legs so fast in the air it was almost a blur. The slight glow gave her the impression there was magic involved, but if Krampus was involved, he was giving nothing away.
But he wasn’t grumbling. Which made her suspicious. But she wasn’t going to call him out on it; he was welcome to keep his secrets. As long as they were good secrets.
“Tell me what’s this all about?” Pepper asked Bas, who was looking down at his phone, wrapped up in his own thoughts. She didn’t like losing the closeness they had shared, and wanted to bring it back. Sex was one thing, being involved in each other’s lives another.
“There was a housing development put forward about six months ago. The guy wanted to evict everyone and build on the land. He was going to squeeze in as many houses onto the plot as he could.” Ba
s rubbed his face with his hand, looking tired. “There were families, old people, who had lived in the same block for years. They had nowhere to go. The landlord had begun to bully them. Taking his time on repairs, evicting anyone he could for the smallest thing. It was bad.”
“And you managed to stop the development?” Pepper asked.
“It was never going to go ahead. His proposals were ludicrous. But he blamed the tenants nonetheless.”
“And this was six months ago?” Pepper asked.
“Yes. When his planning submission failed, we then started to take action to get him to clean up the building. But today things took another turn: he tried to get the tenants evicted. And a girl assaulted him.”
“A girl?” Pepper asked.
“Yes, Callie. I remember her from interviews. She’s a sweet thing. I can’t think that she would do this unprovoked. But the owner is trying to blackmail everyone into leaving the building; in return, he’ll drop the charges.”
“Bastard,” Pepper said, a rush of adrenaline kicking in. “We have to get this dealt with.”
“No. I have to get this dealt with,” Bas said. “You have to get Krampus home and the sleigh and the reindeer back to Santa Land.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Pepper said. “I’m going to help you.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Bas said.
“There must be.”
“The best thing you can do is take care of all this,” He pointed to the sleigh. “It gives me one less thing to worry about.”
“Bas, we can all stay.” The sleigh had begun its descent; once more the reindeer were swooping down in a near vertical fall, which left Bas pale. She put her arms around him. “I want to help.”
“I know, but there isn’t anything you can do,” he said gently. “Once this is over, I’ll find you.”
“You won’t have to, I’ll tell my dad and then come back here.”
“They need you at the North Pole.”
“And you need me here.” She smiled sadly. “This is how it’s going to be from now on, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. But we’ll find a way. Maybe Santa will put a little personal sleigh in your Christmas stocking this year.”
Sleighed: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Christmas Bears Book 1) Page 8