The Christmas Sneak: Hope’s Turn Holidays

by Marie Harte

  “Was it love? Do you still miss him?”

  She watched him, frowning. “No. I don’t. I was infatuated, I think. And Flynn was great, but the idea of what he could be to me was even greater.” She blinked. “Wow. Look at us having deep discussions together. It wasn’t too long ago we were fighting all the time.”

  “In my defense, it wasn’t fighting so much as protecting myself from verbal darts. So more like surviving.”

  “See, I did scare you.”

  “You still do.” Because I’m falling for you. Hard. He cleared his throat, wishing her smug satisfaction didn’t make him like her so much. “Because you have the worst taste in food.”

  “I—what? My food is yummy.”

  “Your food is toxic,” he said drily. “Six boxes of toaster pastries? Doughnuts? Frozen dinners?”

  “Hey, I didn’t want to cook. And no one said you had to eat it.” She poked him in the chest. “Besides, you can’t cook worth a damn. How great was my breakfast this morning?”

  He had to admit, “Pretty damn good.”

  “Ha. Exactly.” She tucked her arm in his and led him off the dock and back around the lake. “I’m glad we could talk about stuff. It’s been weighing on me that no one might ever know I actually got engaged.”

  He felt protective, wanting to shield her from the hurt he could still feel in her. “Do your parents pressure you for grandkids? Mine used to. Then they saw how awful Rhonda was and how badly I took our divorce. Unfortunately, with Mitch and Becca now all happy and having babies, my mom is bugging me again.”

  Nora nodded. “My mom used to nag me about having children, but she stopped when I told her how hard it was to hear her and deal with the useless men in town.”

  “I’m sensing some man-hating there.”

  She squeezed his arm, and his heart raced from just being near her.

  “Sorry. That sounds mean.”

  “It is mean.”

  She laughed. “I know. But I got bitter fast, and that bitterness might have lingered.” She looked up at him, and when he said nothing to that, she smiled. “You don’t look that bright, but you’re smart not to comment.”

  “Thanks.”

  She chuckled. “I’m kidding. I’m tired of not finding the right guy.” She sobered quickly enough. “Deacon…”

  “What?” He pulled her to a stop so he could study her. “You okay?”

  She tugged him to walk again, so he did. “I’m thinking of leaving town.”

  That stopped him in his tracks, which stopped her again. “What?”

  “It’s just… I guess part of me still is that naïve girl wanting a family. I don’t think I can find it here.”

  “Do your parents know? Does Becca?” Panic had him tensing, so he deliberately relaxed his body.

  “No one knows.” She didn’t look at him, staring at the lake. “Don’t tell, okay? I’m still thinking it over. I just… Hope’s Turn is a great place for families. For raising kids. For small town life.”

  “It’s not that small. I think there are like 30,000 people here.”

  “That’s not the point. I’m frustrated, and I’m getting way too angry and mean for a woman my age. Deacon, I’m almost thirty-five. If I wait too long, I won’t be able to have kids anymore.”

  “What? Women are staring families in their forties now.”

  “But the risk of not having a healthy baby goes up the older you get.”

  “I guess.” He let her lead them into their walk again, then turned them around, wanting to talk her out of her decision to leave back in the warmth of the cabin. “But—”

  “Just forget I said anything. Okay?”

  “But Nora—”

  “Please?”

  “Fine.” He blew out a breath. “But you have to be super nice and super naked later.”

  She patted his arm. “I can handle the super naked. Super nice? That’s pushing it.”

  Two hours later, after a rousing game where Deacon owned all the good properties with hotels and she had to resort to bribery and the promise of sexual favors to get out of paying rent, Nora stood naked under her robe and fixed them some hot chocolate. She brought the mugs back to the bedroom, where Deacon had headed to change into his “after hot tub” clothes. Simon had at least packed Deacon reasonable clothing. Jenna would need a good talking to. Nora was super tired of wearing thongs, though Deacon seemed to love them.

  She caught him in just a pair of sweatpants, no shirt, and marveled at the sheer breadth of the man. He didn’t look like a guy years past his pro-athlete prime. Deacon had nothing but muscle, no fat that she could see. She’d always been a sucker for a nice body, and she’d never seen one nicer than Deacon’s.

  “You need a few tattoos,” she told him, aware her voice sounded deeper than normal.

  “Oh? Maybe your name over my shoulder?” He flexed and grinned. “Or your face? I could move my arm so that you’re frowning or smiling, depending on the amount of tension in my deltoids.”

  “Ha ha.” She smirked. “I definitely think you should avoid names on your body.”

  He nodded. “It’s the kiss of death for any relationship. A few friends of mine got tattoos and divorces followed.”

  She agreed. “I dated a guy with his ex’s name on his chest. It’s hard to think about a future with a guy who has Barb-and-Tom-4-Ever stamped on his body.”

  “Yeah, because Barb is nowhere near as sexy as Nora.” Deacon took the mug she handed him and sipped. “Oh, this is good.” He watched her while he drank, and her body tingled all over, turned on from a little eye-fucking, as Deacon liked to call it. “Nora?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I want you to promise me something.” He put his mug down, then took hers and placed it next to his.

  “What?”

  “What are you wearing under that robe?”

  “Huh? Nothing. What did you want me to promise?”

  “Nothing, hmm?”

  “Deacon?”

  He had her in his arms and breathless from his kiss in seconds. Then he spun her to face the wall and peeled the robe from her body.

  “Deacon?”

  “I’m right here. And right where I want to be.”

  Chapter 14

  Deacon couldn’t think past the need to have her. Skin to skin, in his arms, under his control. He couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said earlier, about leaving town.

  Leaving him.

  Deacon had put down ties in Hope’s Turn. He had a brewery. Friends. Family. Hell, he had a niece to spoil and a nephew to coach. But without Nora, he feared nothing much would matter.

  How the hell had the snarky beauty gotten under his skin so fast?

  But those questions could wait. He had pretty Nora naked and caged between him and the wall, bent over just right…

  He lowered his sweatpants to free the thick erection needing attention.

  “Deacon?” she asked, breathy. “What are you doing?”

  “Whatever I want,” he said, knowing how much she loved when he took control.

  He slid a hand around her front and cupped her breasts, pressing his cock against her lower back.

  “Oh,” she moaned.

  He kissed her neck, sucking on the tender flesh of her throat. Then he kissed his way to her ear and whispered, “Promise me you won’t leave before you talk to me.”

  “Wh-what?”

  He nudged her ankles wider and pulled her hips back, then positioned himself between her legs, seeking the hot, wet warmth of her sex. “Promise me, Nora.”

  “Deacon.”

  He shoved hard inside her, and she gasped as he pumped, a driving need to dominate her into saying yes all he could think about. He sawed in and out, loving her moans, her breathy pleas for more. And the knowledge that nothing separated them, that he might just give Nora that baby she’d been wanting, spurred him to new heights of arousal.

  “I’m gonna come inside you, so hard.”

  “Yes,” she moan
ed. “Yes, Deacon.”

  “Touch yourself. Come with me.”

  He watched her hand move between her legs, and the carnal need to consume her overwhelmed him. He gripped her hips and rode her into an orgasm that obliterated all thought, dimly aware of Nora coming as well.

  He held himself there, connecting them, having poured everything he had into her.

  What felt like an eternity later, Nora shifted, and he withdrew. But he didn’t let her leave him. He turned her around and kissed her, cementing what he felt even if he couldn’t say it yet.

  “God, Deacon.” She kissed him back and wound her arms around his neck, leaving her on tiptoe. “You feel so good inside me.”

  “Yeah, I do.” He smiled. “Come on. Let’s clean you up.” He carried her into the bathroom, which caused her to shriek in surprise.

  “Way to go all caveman on me.”

  “You mean in you.”

  “Very funny.” She let him clean her up, watching him with that look he’d come to recognize as affection mixed with confusion. “We’ve been having a lot of sex without condoms.”

  “Yep.”

  “And I’m safe. But probably after Sunday we should use them.”

  “Whatever you want.” Yes. She wanted more of him after this week.

  She frowned. “We haven’t been smart, you know. What if my body went weird, and I was suddenly pregnant?”

  “What if you were?” He looked at her abdomen, wondering how it would feel to cup her swollen belly and know his baby sat there. Warmth and love filled him, and he knew he’d welcome a child with Nora. Knew she’d be an amazing mother.

  An amazing wife.

  He blinked. “Would you keep the baby?”

  “What? Of course,” she automatically replied, then tried to backtrack. “Well, it’s a hypothetical situation. I mean, if you’re asking about abortion and a woman’s right to choose and—”

  “No. I just meant, would you keep a baby you and I made together?” He stroked her taut stomach, awash in emotion and a longing he hadn’t expected would feel so real.

  “Oh, ah. Yes. I would.”

  He couldn’t read the look she gave him, but she placed her hand over his on her stomach and smiled. “But that’s not anything we need to think about right now.”

  He stared at their hands. “I could use a condom next time if you want.”

  “No, not while we’re here. It feels better without them.” She paused. “Unless you’d feel more comfortable wearing one?”

  “Hell, no. I love leaving you all messed and sweaty.”

  “Now that’s an image.”

  “Yeah.”

  She gently pushed his hand from her belly, and he watched it fall with regret.

  Nora flushed and twirled her hair, a nervous tell, watching him with equal parts fascination and fear. The fear bothered him. “Deacon, this, you and me, is just sex. Nothing else. I mean, we’re just casual. Right?”

  “Just casual,” he agreed—verbally. Mentally, he knew as well as she did they were much, much more.

  She relaxed. “Right. No expectations.”

  And no fear of getting hurt without them.

  Deacon understood. Hell, he sympathized. Yet he also heard all that Nora had said and didn’t say. She worried about getting pregnant but didn’t want to use a condom. Did she secretly want his baby? And why didn’t that bother him the way it should? Because she’d insisted they remain friends with benefits that would only last the week, yet she’d already mentioned they would need condoms when they met again after Sunday.

  The little liar wanted him. She liked him. A lot. Now he just had to get her to feel his level of affection, which felt a lot like love and scared the crap out of him.

  Nora Nielson, terror of the town, had his heart in a vise and no idea that she could crush him with little effort. Just freakin’ great.

  He sighed.

  “Deacon? Are we still doing the hot tub or what?” She scooted out from under him and put her robe back on.

  “I am. I don’t know about you, but I’m sore from all that work I did to get you off.”

  “Get me off?” She huffed. “Please. I gave myself an orgasm. You were just along for the ride.”

  “And it was a hell of a ride, wasn’t it?” He grinned.

  She grinned back. “Brag much?”

  “You want me to do better? Because I’m pretty sure I can.”

  “Okay. I sense a bet coming.”

  “It will involve swallowing, so you know.”

  She rolled her eyes. “What is with guys and blowjobs?”

  “So you don’t care if I go down on you again?”

  They headed out toward the hot tub.

  “I’m not saying that,” Nora protested. “Women need oral sex. It’s like Vitamin D, only we need more than the sun to get our share.”

  “Vitamin O.” Deacon snickered. “Yeah, right.”

  “Whatever. Get in the tub and prepare to lose.”

  Just being with Nora made him a winner, but Deacon knew better than to admit that and let the sexy Amazon get an even larger head. Bad enough she owned him and didn’t know it.

  So he joined her and proceeded to lose. And lose again, just to see her smile and know he’d put it there.

  Nora lay in bed next to Deacon in the dark and wondered if she’d lost her mind. Talk about babies and not using condoms had given her too many daydreams about marriage and babies she didn’t and probably would never have. Not with Deacon.

  Not that long ago the man had been dating someone else, acting as if Nora didn’t exist. This secluded stay in the mountains had turned her into an idiot. What woman had unprotected sex continually, even while wondering “what if” about pregnancy?

  She trusted Deacon not to give her any diseases, but he couldn’t help giving her a baby.

  God, I can’t stop thinking about it! They had so much sex. It was as if fate had made up for all the bad choices Nora had made in the past, giving her a perfect week with a perfect man. Reality would never be so great, so she should just accept it and enjoy.

  Except she kept seeing Deacon’s hand on her belly, the wonder in his eyes, his smile.

  She groaned quietly and turned over and found herself plastered against Deacon’s chest.

  He murmured in his sleep and hugged her closer, setting her on fire with that hot body. The man generated more heat than a roaring fire. And the sheets weren’t helping. But when she shoved them off, her butt got cold, so she tugged them back, content to roast over Deacon’s naked body.

  He murmured her name and sighed, and she admitted to herself she’d started to fall in love with the man. It helped that he had his own issues, not a perfect mate at all.

  He experienced jealousy. He held grudges. He didn’t have all the answers or any idea how to have a meaningful relationship.

  In fact, in a lot of ways he was just like Nora.

  He might not be perfect, but could he be perfect for her?

  She felt silly for even considering that. And even more stupid for having confided so much to Deacon. A deep trust had grown between them. But how had it formed? From the mind-blowing sex? Or from a deeper understanding of the man she now slept with?

  Nora wished she could turn off her brain. Unfortunately, she’d woken to use the bathroom and had been unable to sleep for the past hour. Being near Deacon muddled her thinking, obviously. Her perceptions of him didn’t jive with what she now knew. Deacon looked tough but underneath was sincere and kind. Despite the sarcasm he wielded like an extension of his armor, he was more vulnerable than she would have guessed.

  Remembering all he’d said about his ex-wife, she felt compassion for a man who’d only wanted what Nora did—a family, someone to love.

  She sighed.

  “If you aren’t going to sleep,” Deacon murmured, “how about putting that mouth to better use?” He dragged her to meet his mouth for a kiss.

  She sighed again, this time into warm lips. The kiss turned f
rom gentle and teasing to hot in seconds. Nora sat up over him while Deacon played with her breasts. His hands moved over her body, lingering on her belly, which rekindled feelings of belonging and need. Then he shifted his fingers between her legs, grazing the slick nub that gave her such pleasure.

  She moaned and ground over him, moving on his hand while he continued to tease her.

  “You’re so fuckin’ hot, Nora,” Deacon said. “Come on, baby, sit on my face.”

  She scooted up his body and did as he asked, taken by his skilled lips and tongue.

  She was coming before she knew it, following his lead as he shifted her back down his body, over his cock.

  “Ride me,” he ordered, his voice like gravel.

  Taking him inside her, she felt the whole of him so deep. “Fill me,” she whispered, staring down at the shadow of him as she moved up and down, faster then slower, drawing out his pleasure in the hope of giving back what he’d so selflessly shared.

  “God, Nora. Baby, you feel so good.”

  She couldn’t see much in the dark, but that lack of vision enhanced her other senses. The tantalizing smell of Deacon’s aftershave and sex, the feel of his coarse hair against her body, of the steely muscle under her. And the sounds of his lovemaking, his grunts and groans, showing her how much he loved her body.

  “I love coming in you,” he said.

  “Me too.” She imagined so much more, but she couldn’t say it. Even admitting it to herself turned off the good inside her, bringing out angry worry and fears she couldn’t shake.

  But sex was real. As was the growing climax building inside her again.

  He struck her so deeply inside, hitting that special spot that triggered moans and cries for more.

  “Yeah. Oh fuck. I’m coming.” Deacon shoved hard one final time and jetted inside her, his entire body tense.

  She moved over him and touched off the sparks that blazed into another orgasm, the sensation overpowering.

  And she continued to move, giving as much as taking, sharing with Deacon in the only way she knew how, the only way that felt safe.

  Once she’d come back to herself, she lay flat over his chest, still joined, and felt him stroking her back.