by Melody Grace
Long enough to imagine holding her like this, with nothing between them. His hands exploring every lush inch of her—and his mouth following in their wake. Kissing. Teasing.
Making that smart mouth call his name.
Dash’s grip tightened, and maybe it was just his imagination, but he could swear, Ellie breathed a little more quickly too.
Her jacket was hanging open. Dash slid one hand under the bulky fabric, still resting on her waist, but closer now, palm against her sweater. Ellie shifted, and then his fingertips were grazing the narrow band of bare skin, just above the waistband of her jeans.
He didn’t move a muscle.
It was crazy, they were standing fully-clothed in a crowd full of people, but he couldn’t remember the last time he needed a woman so much. Blood was rushing south fast, and he sent silent thanks that there were a couple of layers of coats between their bodies.
What he wouldn’t give to be alone with her right now.
The carol ended, and the crowd around them applauded. Ellie seemed to jolt back to life. She quickly ducked out of his arms, blushing furiously. Her eyes seemed stunned, the desire clear all over her gorgeous face.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dash murmured, holding her gaze.
She bit her lower lip. “I shouldn’t…” she whispered, tempting.
Not “can’t.” Not “I don’t want to.” “Shouldn’t.”
He felt a rush of victory. She wanted this too. And damn it, he was going to explode if he didn’t kiss her soon. Kiss her in a way that was going to turn some heads in this small town of hers—and maybe get them cited for public indecency, too.
If he was lucky.
Not waiting another moment, Dash grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. Ellie made a noise of surprise, but she followed, fast on his heels as he strode to the outskirts of the square. He dragged her around the corner onto a quiet street, empty in the dark save the snowflakes spiraling to the ground.
“Where are we going?” she asked, sounding breathless.
Dash spun around, and backed her up against the wall.
Ellie’s question faded. Her eyes flared, bright in the dark.
“You drive me crazy,” Dash whispered, planting a hand on either side of her head. “Do you even realize what you’re doing to me right now?”
Ellie inhaled in a rush, her eyes moving to his mouth. Her lips parted in anticipation, her eyes drifting shut, and her body seemed to melt against him. Everything about her was screaming to be kissed, but Dash held back. He needed more this time.
“It’s your turn,” he told her, slowly tracing the edge of her jaw. “Tell me what you want.”
Ellie blinked, surprised.
“Tell me.” He leaned closer, until his lips grazed her earlobe. He bit down softly, and she gave a breathy moan. “Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”
Ellie took another breath. Then her voice came, faint but determined, as the snow kept falling all around them.
“Kiss me. Please.”
7
Rules were made to be broken.
It was Ellie’s only excuse as the words slipped from her lips, clear between them in the snow-swept silence of the empty street.
“Kiss me. Please.”
Dash’s eyes flashed dark with lust, and then he did exactly what she asked. He kissed her, hard and deep, demanding everything she had to give –and more.
This time, she didn’t hold back. Her body was a live wire, already wound tight from his slow, teasing touch during the carol concert, and now, she was ready to combust. Ellie reached up and locked her arms around his neck, pressing closer as his mouth worked its wicked magic, tongue sliding deep between her lips in a heady, intoxicating dance.
She drank him in, savoring every taste. His mouth burned hot in the cold night; his body pressing her into the wall with no room to breathe, no space to do anything at all but surrender to this incredible feeling.
Like falling.
Like flying.
She melted into him, her head spinning, not caring that they were just steps away from the whole town, and how everyone would gossip if only they could see.
All she wanted was him.
His hands were cupping her face, but soon, he wanted more. They roved down over her back and hips, squeezing the curve of her ass and bringing her body even closer, molded to his form. Ellie couldn’t resist exploring too: sliding her hands under his coat, up across his chest, feeling the taut muscles she’d admired last night; even better up close beneath her fingertips.
Dash broke away, dipping his head to whisper a trail of kisses down her neck. She shuddered at the touch: ice cold and blazing hot all in one. His hands slipped inside her coat, skimming over her waist and grazing the swell of her chest. She bit back a moan and pleasure shivered through her.
“Dash…” she whispered, caught up in the heat and the whiskey-sweet burn. He caressed her again as his teeth nipped her neck and the delicious contradiction—soft and rough—sent a shock of desire through her so strong it made her legs weak and left her gasping for air.
Ellie had never felt like this before, not even close. God, those backseat fumbles with local boys had never moved her like this, never robbed the breath from her lungs and made every inch of her skin light up with electricity. She was totally lost to the moment, until a burst of voices from down the street filtered through the dizzy haze and Dash yanked away.
Children raced past, followed by an exasperated mother calling, “Careful now!”
She met his eyes and flushed. Dash looked just about as undone as she felt: his hair in a tousled mess from her raking fingers, his eyes dark as he inhaled a shaky breath.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, and Ellie couldn’t have agreed more. “Where are you parked?”
“I’m not. I mean, I got a ride with one of the guests,” she told him breathlessly.
“OK then, cab it is.” Dash grabbed her hand and started walking fast across the square. Ellie looked around, but the stand out front of the pub was empty. Riley was fixing the lights out front, so she called over to him, “Is Eddie around? I need a ride back to the inn.”
“I think he’s still caroling,” Riley called back. “He’ll be another half hour if you want to wait.”
“No, thanks.” Her mind raced. Thirty minutes was way too long not to be in Dash’s arms, and besides, she knew her voice of reason was going to be whispering louder every minute there were no kisses to drown it out. She didn’t want time to talk herself out of this.
She didn’t want to talk at all.
Dash was clearly impatient, too. He looked around, and then saw something across the street. “Come on,” he grinned, tugging Ellie after him. She followed to where the Janssen boys had a row of rickety sleighs lined up, with a row of horses from their stable getting strapped up.
“A sleigh?” Ellie stopped dead. “Come on, they’re for the tourists!”
“When was the last time you rode in style like this?” Dash countered, smiling.
She paused. “Not since I was a kid,” she admitted.
“Then tonight’s the night.” He reached Frank Janssen and called out, “Can you take us back to the inn?”
Frank gave Ellie a knowing look. “Sure I can. Hop on up.”
She blushed again. Ellie felt like her desire was written all over her face, but Frank turned his attention to the horses, so she let Dash help her up into the small sleigh. They settled on the narrow bench, Dash scooting in close with his arm around her. There was a blanket waiting, and he tucked it around their laps. She could still hear the carols from the square as the horses pulled away. Their sleigh glided up the street, snow falling softly around them.
“Sleigh bells ring…” Dash sang softly.
Ellie laughed. “Admit it, you called ahead and ordered up a Hollywood Christmas.”
“You got me. It took a lot of organizing, but I pulled it together. Those guys cost extra.” He nodded as they passed the c
orner with snowmen lined up, fresh from the contest this afternoon.
She snuggled closer, savoring the moment. White snow and a dark night, and warm arms around her, holding her close.
Just for one night.
Ellie felt a pang, realizing that nothing had changed. He was still leaving, and she was still making the same mistake all over again. But then Dash tilted her head up to his and kissed her again, and she decided:
This was a mistake worth making.
She melted into the taste of him, the smoky sweetness of his lips, and the intoxicating slide of his tongue, deep in her mouth. Main Street made way for snow-covered hills and the still, icy branches sweeping low overhead, but still, she kissed him. The heat was rising, slower this time. Deeper. It snaked through Ellie’s bloodstream like the burn of good bourbon, warming her from the inside out and making her crave more of his touch.
All of him.
Dash slid one hand under the blanket, tracing dizzying circles on the inside of her knee. She clung to his coat lapels, scared that if she let her hands roam free, there would be no stopping them, but Dash didn’t seem to care; he teased her, nibbling gently on Ellie’s lower lip and nuzzling at the sensitive curve of her jaw. The whisper of his lips against her cold skin burned Ellie to the core; by the time Frank pulled the sleigh to a halt on the road outside the inn, she felt like she was on fire.
“This is as far as I can take you,” he apologized, turning back to them. “The sled will get stuck in the snow if I try and drive up the track.”
“That’s no problem.” Ellie reluctantly tore herself from Dash’s embrace. “Thanks!”
“We appreciate the ride.” Dash leapt down, then offered his hand to help Ellie out. She carefully climbed down, the snow crunching beneath her feet. It was deeper there, settled thickly on the driveway to the inn, a powder-perfect layer.
Dash reached for his wallet and turned back to pay Frank, and Ellie used the moment to scoop a handful of soft powder. She carefully pat it into an icy snowball, out of sight by her side. Finally, Frank jangled the reins again and the horses trotted away.
“Happy holidays!” Ellie remembered to call after him. He answered with a wave.
“Shall we?” Dash offered his arm, extra-polite as they headed up the driveway. But Ellie casually stepped in front, getting a good distance between them before she brought out the snowball, turn and let fly.
Splat!
It burst against his chest, sending snow in all directions. Dash clutched his hands to the point of impact, groaning dramatically. “I’m hit! My lady betrays me!”
Ellie laughed, but then he lunged for the nearest snowbank and scooped up a handful with a determined glint in his eye. “Dash…” she started, warning.
“What? You started it.” He grinned like a little kid who meant trouble. She took off at a run, managing to get five steps away before his snowball hit her in the back.
“Bullseye!”
“Oh, you’re going to regret that!” She laughed, already forming another snowball in her hands. “You’re looking at a champion, right here.”
“Doesn’t look that way to me,” he taunted. Ellie pretended to feign right, then she went left, letting the snowball loose in a perfect lazy arc that hit him right in the face.
“You were saying?”
Dash stood very still, brushing snow from his face. Ellie wondered for a moment if she’d gone too far, then she saw the smile he was hiding. “Oh, you’ll pay for that,” he said, reaching down to scoop more snow.
Ellie slowly backed away. “Big talk,” she teased him, getting ready to run. “But do you have the goods to back it up?”
He arched an eyebrow, and the look he gave was anything but playful. “You can bet on it.”
She felt another curl of lust, but then Dash suddenly let fly with a volley of small, deadly snowballs. There was no time for hesitation, not with him steadily advancing, snowballs getting closer. “Too slow!” she called, turning and sprinting for the house. Their footsteps crunched, laughter echoing into the dark night as he chased her up the driveway.
Ellie made it twenty feet from the house before he closed the distance between them. He tackled her hard, his arms closing around her waist and propelling them both into the air—and down into a snowdrift.
She felt the icy powder give way as they sank down. Dash rolled on top, pinning her beneath him in the snow. “Do you surrender?”
“Never.” She grinned.
He laughed, leaning over her, his face just inches away. Snowflakes clustered in his hair, and his cheeks were red, breath fogging the space between them.
“Yield,” he whispered, leaning closer.
She shook her head. “Make me.”
His mouth found mine, demanding submission, and this time, she willingly gave it.
Ellie arched up, pressing her body to his, not caring about the cold melting snow working its way under her clothing, or the chilly winds in the air tonight. If she could have stripped him naked right there in the snow, she would have; anything to feel his skin blaze against hers. She could have kissed him forever, but it felt like no time at all before Dash pulled back with a groan. “You’re freezing,” he said, pressing one hand to her cheek. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up.”
“I’m feeling plenty warm,” she told him as he tugged Ellie to her feet. He laughed.
“That’s what people say right before they die of pneumonia. Come on.”
Inside, the cold hits Ellie all at once. “Heat,” she managed through chattering teeth as they clattered up the stairs to the apartment. “Fire.” She headed for the living room, but Dash stopped her.
“I’ve got a better idea.”
Dash led her to the bathroom and turned the shower on full-blast. Within moments, the small room was filled with steam. Ellie let out a sigh of relief.
“I can feel my face again.”
“It’s still there.” Dash gave a curious smile, cupping her face in his cold hands. Then it hit her. They were alone.
Finally, alone.
Ellie swallowed, suddenly nervous. After the slow build between them, now it was real. He was right there in front of her, and all she had to do was reach out and touch.
She slowly opened his coat and tugged it off over his shoulders.
Dash met her eyes, a challenge.
A dare.
He stripped her coat off and let it fall to the floor.
Next, her scarf: unwinding it from her neck. She pulled his sweater up, over his head. He peeled hers, wet and clinging to the T-shirt beneath. Both of them, pulled over her stomach, up across her chest. Ellie lifted her arms, helping him, then quickly stripped off her wet jeans until she was standing there in her bra and panties. Exposed.
Dash drank her in with his gaze, every inch of her. She shivered under the intensity of those dark eyes, but she felt a thrill too, seeing the blatant desire on his face.
He wanted her too.
Dash took a step towards her, and slowly pushed the damp hair back from her face. He traced one fingertip down the side of her neck, over her shoulder, around to her collarbone. “Ellie…” he murmured, and she felt it all the way to the bone. He traced a slow circle at the base of her throat, then dipped lower, to the slim hollow of her cleavage.
She exhaled in a gasp, feeling the sparks fly at his touch. Over the swell of her breasts, teasing at the lacy edge of her bra.
Her legs felt weak, her heart was racing. And all he’d done was touch, barely touch her at all.
Her patience frayed. She kissed him hard, skin to skin as she grappled with his belt. The clasp caught, and Dash pushed her hands away to yank it open himself. He shoved his pants and briefs down, kicking them aside. Ellie couldn’t help but glance lower, then flush.
He hadn’t been lying, he really did have the goods to back it up.
Dash chuckled. He leaned closer. “Told you so,” he murmured in her ear.
She shoved him away, laughing. “Arrogant, much?�
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“You tell me.” He grinned back, and suddenly, Ellie wasn’t nervous anymore. It had only been a couple of days, but she knew him, better than anyone.
Dash.
She tugged him backwards, into the small shower and under the spray for another long kiss. The hot water felt incredible on her cold skin, but better yet was the feel of his naked body, his bare torso pressing her back against the tile, his hands roving over every inch of her. The kiss turned hungry, fevered, but she still couldn’t get enough. She tasted his lips, his throat, the taut muscles of his arms. Her hands slid lower, closing around the hard, thick length of him, and Dash gasped a curse out loud. He clutched Ellie closer as she explored every inch, teasing and stroking, until he finally tore away, spinning her to face the wall, her hands flat on the slick tile.
“Who are you?” she thought she heard him whisper, but his words were lost under the spray. She tried to turn, she needed to be touching him again, but Dash pressed her gently into place. “Wait,” he murmured. “I can’t think straight when you’re touching me, and I need to remember this. Every moment. Just relax…”
He dropped a tender kiss on her bare shoulder, and Ellie sank back against him as he reached for a bottle of shower gel and squeezed some into his palm. He slid his hands around from behind and slowly spread the gel across her chest. She shuddered with pleasure as he teased and stroked, moving in hypnotic circles until she was stiff and aching for his touch.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” Dash murmured in her ear, and all Ellie could do was moan at the sensation, the hot water cascading over her, and his hands—oh, his hands—swirling over her skin, smoothing and stroking down over her belly and thighs before returning to toy with her breasts. It was incredible, the pleasure building deep inside, the sweet agony of his teasing caress. Finally, he closed his fingertips around her, squeezing and toying with the hard, aching peaks. She gasped. The pleasure struck through her, straight between her thighs, and she fell back against him, straining eagerly into his hands.
“God, Ellie…” Dash’s voice was ragged before he dipped his head to kiss her neck. He sounded tormented, and she knew exactly what it was like to be so close to the edge, unraveling by the minute. She could feel him, hard against her, and she wriggled into him, making him groan. He bit down softly on her shoulder as his hands trailed lower, over her stomach, and lower still.