by Ostrow, Lexi
“My goodness,” Tasha breathed softly.
Nick chuckled and Elaine smiled at her.
“We do love Christmas here,” Elaine said, with a smile as infectious and happy as the one Leena always got during Christmas. “Well, all except Nick, but he puts up with it.”
She turned and looked at Nick, who gave her an apologetic smile and shrug of his shoulders.
“I don’t dislike it. I just don’t have the passion for it like other people,” Nick said unapologetically.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and laughed. “Christmas isn’t technically a holiday my people celebrate. Although, after moving off the reservation, it certainly became one. I’m a fan of the gifts, not so much the rest.” She winked at Leena, sharing an inside joke from years ago.
“See, perfect for each other. Neither one a scrooge, neither one a Christmas ghost,” Leena chimed happily as she went to work, winding the white garland carefully over the tree branches.
Tasha couldn’t help but smile. The way Leena spoke of her and Nick, she really must want it to work. Guilt poked at her, for the lie they were telling, but she ignored it. If they didn’t pretend, Leena would have driven them both crazy all weekend.
“I think,” Jake said as he reached for Leena’s head, “that the time for a stuffy office bun is long since passed.” Effortlessly, he tugged the hair tie from her hair, letting it tumble down her back.
She felt Nick tense beside her, and a small flicker of jealousy woke up inside of her. She’d dreamed of a man looking at her like that, like a desired woman, and not just a woman with money. Without thinking, she leaned up and placed a kiss to Nick’s lips. They both jerked back as a spark went through them.
She touched her lips. “Static electricity.” She laughed.
“Mhm. Sure it is,” Leena said playfully and reached over to take the strand of white lights from Anna. “Now, enough of all the couple stuff and help us. This tree isn’t going to decorate itself!” Leena said as she plugged the lights into the wall, and they began to flicker, blinking on and off as they were programmed to do.
Nick kissed the nape of her neck and moved away from her. As she watched him, she couldn’t help but fixate on how easily he had done that, the kiss. Nick DeMarco hardly seemed like the type to be able to act. Which made her wonder if he was acting, or if all their kissing earlier hadn’t made him a little sexually frustrated to the point where he was behaving like they were a couple to get her into bed.
She laughed at the idea and shook her head. Nick was carefully picking up certain colored balls, at Leena’s command, of course. Anna was setting to work, tying pearl-white ribbon through the ornaments that needed it, and then passing them to her mother, who was placing them with painstaking care.
“Tasha?” Nick asked.
The sound of someone speaking to her shook her from her trance. “Hmm?”
“You’re not going to get out of this. Come on, grab me that tiger.”
She leaned down, stretching so she could reach, and picked up the tiger. It was light and looked like cardboard up close. “What’s the meaning of this one?” She passed it to Nick.
Laughter bubbled up from everyone, except Anna, who was ever so quickly turning a flaming red.
“I had an accident with hair dye. More specifically, Nick and Jake tricked poor innocent little me into having one.”
Both brothers laughed even harder.
“We called her tiger head for what, a month?” Jake asked, laughing hard.
“Oh, at least. We found this at the zoo one year, couldn’t resist buying it for the tree,” Nick added, seemingly forgetting he was even the slightest bit angry with his brother.
“Shut up! Or I’m going to tell your women about the time I walked in and you were mea —”
Anna didn’t get to finish. Nick leapt over the pile of ornaments around him, took the small amount of garland on the floor up and quickly shoved it into her mouth. “Not a chance in hell, little sister.”
Everyone burst into laughter, and Tasha finally picked up a glass cardinal and hung it on the tree herself. It felt strange being a part of such a personal family moment. She was glad to be included though.
The hours passed in a rather loud and joyful fashion. Ornaments were carefully hung and stories were playfully told of all the DeMarco children, when the sun fully set.
“Mom, look what we missed.” Anna pointed to the unlit menorah. “Guess we were having too much fun embarrassing each other. I’ll light the candles tonight, I’m the closest anyway.”
Elaine smiled and Peter tossed a lighter to Anna. Catching it a little too late, she flushed and walked to the menorah on the mantle. Tasha didn’t know much about the Jewish faith, and she watched in fascination as Anna began to speak in Hebrew. The words were garbled to her untrained ears, but the way Anna said them was like a song. As she lit the candles, Tasha couldn’t help but feel wonderful about the events around her. Even Nick, had fully stopped looking like he was ready to kill Jake and Leena.
She was transfixed, staring at the candles, lost in a trance and thinking about absolutely nothing when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Tilting her head up and back, she looked into Nick’s eyes.
He smiled at her and mouthed, “I think we’re pulling it off.”
Her own smile followed. They certainly were. He wasn’t so terrible to be fake dating either. It had only been a day, and she could already understand why Leena had been so smitten for so long. He was attractive; there was no doubt about that. He was charming and suave too, but he was also insecure and funny. Things he didn’t show the world too often, and she found herself rather enjoying that side of him. You have co-starred along worse fake boyfriends than Nick. She smiled bigger at the thought and laughed.
“Who’s up for looking at lights?” Peter asked, tucking Elaine against him.
“I have an idea,” Nick said. “Why don’t you all go and leave me and my amazing new, umm, date alone to get better acquainted.”
“If you’re going to have sex, find a room. I don’t care how old I am, I don’t want to be scarred by seeing my older brother going at it.” Anna snickered.
Tasha wasn’t certain why, but she liked the idea of getting a little alone time to drop the charade. She liked Christmas lights, but she was ready for a tiny break from the role of new girlfriend or new desire interest.
“I’d be okay with that, but rest assured there will be no sex happening,” she said with a playful wink.
Anna groaned, Nick scoffed and Leena and Jake both laughed.
“Very good! I’ll grab us some hot cocoa. Everyone go get changed. The great light looking of 2015 begins in t-minus five!” Peter grinned enthusiastically and wandered in the direction of the kitchen.
“Nick, you must remember, if anything starts to smell like fire,” his mother started.
“Yes, mother. I do manage to cook for myself quite often,” Nick said sourly.
Elaine kissed his cheek. “Yes, well this is Christmas Eve dinner. Almost as important as tomorrow’s dinner.”
He heard Tasha laugh and glared at her.
“I’ve got it, Mom. Go look at the lights, instead of making me look like a ten-year-old in front of my guest.”
“I’m counting on you, Nick,” Elaine said as she walked out the front door to go with the others.
Closing the door behind her, he sighed and moved into the living room where Tasha was sitting, curled on the sofa.
He sat opposite Tasha, feeling as if he needed to give her a break from their lie. Christmas at the chalet didn’t leave a lot of alone time, and he didn’t want to overwhelm her. Grow a pair. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself because every time you’ve kissed her, it felt like you woke up. Nick scowled at the thought.
The house was beginning to smell like Christmas. Turkey on Christmas Day, ham on Christmas Eve. The smell of the precooked meat getting the final touches of heat wafted through the warm currents of air from the heater. It had stopped snowin
g, and there was a small, powdery blanket laying on the ground that he could see from where he sat. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Christmas, but if they’d had a fireplace going, he might have been able to pretend he had a life with Tasha, and that he wasn’t using her.
“So, what does it feel like to officially be acting in your real life?” he asked casually as he stared at the flickering menorah candles.
Tasha smiled at him and relaxed into the couch. “It’s very…different,” she finished with a grin. “While I’m not a fan of deceiving anyone, you’re quite the wonderful fake boyfriend, as you said you would be. Leena seems to completely trust our reaction to one another. Even though she never bothered to ask what sparked it, which goes to show how badly little-miss-OCD wanted it to work, if she didn’t ask anything like that.”
Nick chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure she will. We didn’t have a lot of time before I turned into a colossal dick. If I know Leena, she’s likely to try and pull all the details from you the minute you’re alone.”
Tasha’s face scrunched into a grimace. “Shit, I can’t be alone with her. Lying isn’t my strong suit.”
“Well then, I suppose we should come up with a story before everyone returns.” He patted the couch next to him and smiled. “Come and sit next to fake boyfriend Nick, and he will make it all better.”
She laughed, and he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. There was something about Tasha, just her entire being maybe, that made him feel as if he could let his guard down. Like he could with Leena. Simply because he was a no frills, fun comes second business leader, didn’t mean he liked it that way. That had been what had drawn him to Leena in the first place, that she had made him let go of his control, just a little bit. Except in the bedroom. An image of her, breasts crushed into the mattress as he entered her from behind flashed to life.
“Nick?”
He opened his eyes, pissed that he had allowed himself to go there. “Sorry. I just, the memories are a little overwhelming sometimes. I’d love to say I didn’t drink myself into a stupor thinking about it more than once in the past year. But being here, where it all started and ended, seems to be a little overbearing.”
Her smile softened, and she did finally move to sit next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. She smelled nice, not like Christmas, but still a clean scent, almost like fresh air. It was nice, the sensation of them sitting together. He tilted his head down and looked at her.
Tasha was every bit as stunning in a pair of jeans and no movie magic makeup as she was in a gown and all made-up. Her dark hair hung straight to her shoulders and almost gleamed in the dancing light of the candles and flickering light bulbs. Her dark eyes were more than just a glossy black that close. He could see swirls of gold and even a gray in their depths. The pink gloss on her lips was as shimmery as any he had ever seen, but it didn’t look clumpy, just emphasized the perfect pout of her lips.
Tasha Morningstar was exquisite, and for the week, all his.
His lips pressed against hers before either of them realized what was happening. His tongue ran along the seam, and she opened them on a moan. Effortlessly, their tongues mingled together, stroking, sucking and deepening the kiss. Her body twisted, her knees knocking into his. He smiled against her lips, but didn’t stop.
Every inch of him was on fire, from where their mouths touched to where their hands were beginning to wind around one another. Each need he’d suppressed for the past year because of Leena took hold of him. Every impulse to control and gain pleasure from it rode him hard, demanding he let go of everything and simply feel.
Her hands went to his chest, dragging down his dress shirt, and he could feel sparks igniting like fireworks everywhere her fingers trailed. His hips bucked in her direction, and he pushed her backward, pressing her into the couch before he knew it. Nick’s mind was foggy with pleasure as his hands caressed her breasts through the black wool sweater. When she groaned, he felt himself harden in response.
He tore his mouth from hers and nipped at the column of her neck, and one hand grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head. She resisted for a half a second, and it drew a low growl from him. She nipped his ear as he kissed her collarbone, and he tightened his grip on her wrists, circulating his hips above her body.
Every stroke of their bodies was maddening. He could feel her wetness growing through the thin sweatpants she wore, and his body kicked into overdrive. He didn’t think, just spoke, just reacted.
“Lay still,” his voice was husky as he pulled down her sweats and placed a kiss over her core through her panties, letting his tongue slip out and push the cloth into her folds.
Tasha bucked at the movement of his tongue, and he lifted his head, staring into her heated gaze. Her lips were puffy and parted, her eyes watching him as intently as someone could watch anything.
“Lay still,” he repeated and stroked his tongue over the wet center of her body.
If she cared that he was telling her what to do, or touching her that way at all, she did nothing to stop him. She went still beneath him, clutching his hair in her hands. Blowing lightly across her panties, Nick pushed them aside and slipped his tongue deep within her.
Her whimper cut through the sounds of their breathing. He grinned against her, swirling his tongue around before thrusting it in and out. His hips ground into the couch beneath him, and he felt Tasha close her legs around his head.
His free hand flicked across her swollen nub. Her thighs and her core trembled around him.
The small command slipped out, “Finish for me, Tasha.” Her name was a deep growl.
She screamed, a cry that rang out and sent a jolt of satisfaction through him that almost had him finishing himself. He licked and lapped at her until her body stilled. His right hand released her wrists, and when he sat back, she opened her eyes. He hadn’t even known she’d closed them.
For a brief moment, the look of a well-sated woman met his gaze. As quickly as she’d yielded to his touch, recognition flashed in her eyes.
“What did we just do?” There was no panic or anger in her voice. Just a monotone question as she rapidly jerked her sweats up, lifting her ass to get them all the way on. The expression in her eyes was dead, all traces of passion evaporated.
He suddenly felt self-conscious. Practically leaping up, Nick scooted away from her, sitting as opposite as he could get from her on the sectional cushion, and then dropped his weight down. A lump formed in his throat. There were so many things she could be upset about—giving into reckless abandon, his small but still very there, commands or that she’d been intimate with her best friends ex. Nick swallowed hard.
“Don’t answer that, not that you were going to.” Tasha ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing down what had ruffled when she’d writhing under his tongue. “We’re adults. I found that entirely pleasurable, but it’s not happening again. I don’t do bed hopping, and a week-long game doesn’t warrant another interaction like that.” Her voice wasn’t cold, nor were her words clipped, they were simply monotone still.
“Tasha, I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I was upset, and then suddenly, I wasn’t. You were touching me, and something inside me just demanded I do something.”
She gave a slightly bitter laugh. “Please, I’m not upset at how damned talented you are. I’m just annoyed that we didn’t set boundaries. Clearly, we both needed it, and it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
He didn’t get to reply, even though he was going to agree with her. The sound of footsteps just outside perked them both up. She darted to sit against him again, and he felt his dick jump back to life. Tasha felt it too because she leaned up and smirked at him just as his mother opened the front door.
“Oh, thank heavens! Dinner doesn’t even smell burned!”
“Come on Brother Scrooge! It’s Christmas!” Anna shouted as she knocked irritatingly on the door.
Nick rolled over and groaned. His sister had not changed a bit. She woke them all at the c
rack of dawn every Christmas. Why he’d thought things would be different this year was beyond him.
“Nick! Come on,” Anna pounded again. “You’d better be awake in there. You know Mom won’t let us start until we’re all out here!”
Nick groaned again. “Yes, Anna, I’m awake. I couldn’t fucking sleep through that if I wanted to. Give me three minutes. Go pester someone else, and I’ll be out.”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Nick pulled the covers back and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He felt like crap. Dinner had been fine, but he hadn’t been able to stop analyzing what had occurred between him and Tasha. She’d enjoyed it, he’d fucking enjoyed it, but he couldn’t wonder if it was inappropriate. Then, he couldn’t wonder if it wouldn’t be good to do it again. His body could use the release, and friends with benefits seemed to work just fine for some people.
“Doesn’t mean Tasha would even be into it,” he said to no one as he pulled a pair of jeans on, picking them up from the floor. He never left clothes on the floor.
Forgetting that someone that wasn’t family was in the cabin, he forwent a shirt and walked out to the living room, yawning.
“Merry Christmas and all that stuff, everyone.” He sounded as if he needed another twenty minutes, or three hours, of sleep.
A chorus of Merry Christmas’ rang out, but his eyes landed on Tasha. Her eyes were trailing up and down his bare chest, a look of hunger in them that he didn’t mind one bit. She looked adorable; nothing at all like Leena would look on Christmas morning though. She was wearing black and white plaid pajama bottoms that appeared to be flannel and a long sleeve black shirt. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, with many of the black strands falling loose. Nothing about her screamed Christmas is here, and he rather enjoyed it.