by Jodi Olson
He rose, took her hand in his and helped her up. Brushing the hay off each other’s body and picking the strands from their hair, they quickly dressed in silence. Before they left the loft, Spencer helped her hide the presents behind the bales of hay.
He started down the ladder first and saw her hesitation. “It’s okay; I’m right here, you won’t fall, I promise.”
Watching her come down the ladder was almost as good as watching her go up. Her feet on each rung gave her derriere a seductive sway with each step. He was hard all over again. I wish we had more time so I could fuck her again. On the other hand, maybe it would be best for her if I stayed away. I truly don’t want to hurt her.
As they left the barn, Spencer saw Karen standing on the porch. Her hands were full of grocery bags. He jogged to the porch and took the bags from her just before they were about to be dropped. As he settled the bags in his arms he couldn’t help notice the funny way Karen was looking at he and Maggie.
“So… Did you two have a nice visit while I was gone?” she asked as she removed a piece of hay from Spencer’s hair.
Spencer didn’t know what to say, but with the hay in his hair there was no doubt she knew exactly what they’d been doing why she had been gone. He looked at Maggie to gauge her reaction.
Her cheeks colored a slight shade of pink, “Yes, Spencer and I had a wonderful time catching up.”
Spencer desperately wanted to change the subject. “So, how did the visit go with the doctor sis? Is everything okay?”
Karen’s eyes twinkled, “More than okay, what would you say if I told you that you’re going to be an uncle in about six months?”
“That’s wonderful news sis. I’m really happy for you.” He leaned over the bags planting a kiss on her forehead.
*****
After dinner Maggie helped Karen with the dishes. As she thought back to her earlier conversation with Karen, Maggie felt she was beginning to understand Spencer’s situation. She’d asked Karen about his previous girlfriend, Lynne, and what had happened. Karen told her, Spencer and Lynne had been at an office Holiday party his boss gave every Christmas Eve. The two had been fighting all day, but Spencer had never told her what it was about. Lynne had continued the argument at the party and he’d told her to go home. She’d left angry, but she’d left. When Spencer got home she wasn’t there. He went to bed thinking she was still upset and probably got a hotel room just to make a point. On Christmas day the police came to his home and told him she was dead.
“No wonder he hates Christmas.”
“Yes he truly does and for all the wrong reasons. I’m hoping you being here will change his mind about the holidays. He’s asked about you quite often over the past few months.”
Maggie shrugged, “I really have no idea how to help him, but I’m willing to try.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something. I’m going to turn in: it’s been an exhausting day.”
As Maggie relaxed on the sofa she watched Spencer bring out his laptop. Did that man ever stop working? Karen had told her over the phone he worked from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. She rose from the sofa and walked to him. “Spencer, I’m going to turn in, goodnight.” She brushed her hand along his cheek. “It’s good-seeing you again.” She kissed his cheek before walking down the hall to her bedroom.
He watched her walk away, a flood of emotions welling up inside him. “Goodnight Maggie. Sweet Dreams.” He wanted to take her in his arms and give her a kiss she wouldn’t forget-but he couldn’t. He’d overheard his sister tell Maggie about Lynne, and what happened that night. What does Maggie think of me now? Do I care?
Three
Spencer covered his ears with the pillow. Christmas music was blaring before the sun was even up. Damn! It’s only six a.m. If I hear Holly Jolly Christmas one more time, I’m going to keel over and die.
Unable to stand it any longer he threw off the covers and got out of bed. After showering and getting dressed he padded down the hall toward the kitchen. I need coffee. He smelled brownies and apple pie. He hadn’t had homemade apple pie in years; it was one of his favorites. But Karen didn’t bake, she hated baking.
Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, he watched Maggie lick the spoon that was covered in chocolate from the brownies she’d just made. He stifled a groan, I wish it was my cock she had in her mouth right now instead of some damn spoon.
For a minute, he almost forgot about the music playing in the background. “Turn that damn music off or I’m going to rip that cord out of the wall and smash the damn thing. I don’t want to hear any Christmas music. Do you understand?’
Maggie turned, her chocolate covered spoon now brandished as a weapon. “I understand all right. You’re Mr. Grinch and an ass all rolled into one.”
“Ouch! Listen, you know why I hate Christmas. I heard Karen telling you.”
“Yes, I know why, but you need to move on Spencer.” She turned to rinse the spoon off. “It’s been five years.”
He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but she left him standing alone in the kitchen, walked to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Should I go to her, or just leave her alone? Hopefully she’ll come out of there soon.
Spencer waited patiently for Maggie to return but she never came back. He went into the kitchen to get more coffee when he spotted a flyer on the table. He picked it up and read: Sleigh rides five and six p.m. Dinner sleigh rides: two and a half hours. Maggie would love that. He grimaced, I wonder how much ‘Christmas’ is involved? He knew he needed to make up for the way he’d acted and he decided he would do this-for her. He needed to put a smile back on her face. Two hours alone with Maggie, well we won’t really be alone, but at least she can’t hide from me if she gets mad again. He quickly called for reservations for the six p.m. spot. Maggie told me to move on and with any luck, this would prove to her that I’m trying to do just that.
He heard the bedroom door open and quickly opened his laptop to make it appear he’d been working the whole time. When she walked past him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “I’m sorry I got so angry with you.”
“It’s okay, Spencer.”
“No, it’s not. Maggie, I want to make it up to you. Come into town with me tonight.”
“Why?”
“I want to spend time with you.”
She stepped back, her eyes narrowed and she warily eyed him. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
“Great. We need to leave in about twenty minutes. Will that give you enough time to get ready?” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her softly on the lips. He saw he was making her uncomfortable and he released her.
She rose and brushed a lock of hair from her face; her breath was shallow. “Yes, I can be ready in twenty minutes.” She started to walk away, but paused and turned to look at him. Now what’s got into him? He’s grinning and acting like a kid at Christmas. Maybe he’s starting to enjoy the holidays again? I can only hope.
Quickly, she showered and dressed: black pants and a red sweater decorated with white snowflakes. She slipped on her boots, and with five minutes to spare she grabbed her coat from the chair and met Spencer in the living room.
He rose from his chair and took her hand. “You look great, Maggie.”
“Thank you. You look good too,” she said as she let him help her with her coat.
Maggie had no clue as to where they were going. Spencer’s not going into town because we passed it ten minutes ago. Where is he taking me and why does he have that stupid grin on his face? “Spencer, where are we going?”
“Well, I might as well tell you since we’re almost there. Do you remember telling Karen you’ve always wanted to go for a sleigh ride in the country?”
“Yes, I remember, so what?”
“We’re going on a sleigh ride, tonight, this evening.”
“You didn’t have to do this Spencer.” Her gloved hand covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. “I know it isn’t something you want to
do.”
“Maggie, I’d do anything for you.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “We’ll stop at the lodge and have dinner before we come back.”
“Thank you Spencer. No one has ever done anything like this for me.”
“Well, all I can say is, they were idiots.”
*****
Spencer helped Maggie into the sleigh, to a seat behind the driver. There were two more couples in the seats behind them. Two black draft horses stamped their hooves on the frozen ground, their snorts producing frosty plumes from their noses. The red sleigh was decked for the holidays with all the paraphernalia to include bells and white twinkling lights. The snow began to fall in big soft flakes as they started toward the lake.
About ten minutes into the ride, Spencer saw Maggie trying to pull the blanket tighter around her legs. He reached over to help her, “Are you cold?
“Just a bit.”
Spencer drew her closer so he could share more of his body heat, but sitting so close was killing him. He ached for her and wanted to be inside her again. When we’re together, like this, nothing else matters, not even my work. Whoa, where did that come from? He had no idea what was happening, but he knew that he was tired of being alone.
The lodge was everything they could have imagined: rustic, yet inviting with glowing candles and a crackling fireplace. The lodge held several couples, but the seating allowed each a degree of intimacy. In the corner two guitarists played a mixture of Christmas tunes and romantic standards.
The food was a western style gourmet meal. The waiter brought them their dinner to the dulcet strains of It Had To Be You. Spencer placed his hand on top of Maggie’s giving it a gentle squeeze. “Are you enjoying yourself, sweetheart?”
“Yes, the snow is so lovely, just like one big fluffy blanket.”
“It’s pretty, but I don’t think I would exactly call it a blanket. That snow can’t provide you the heat I can,” he grinned. Spencer saw he’d made her blush and he loved it. She was beautiful and she was all his, at least for tonight.
Lost in thoughts of wanting to take her back home and into his bed, he didn’t hear Maggie mention Lynne’s name. She repeated the question, unfortunately.
“Spencer, how did Lynne die? “
He placed his wine glass on the table and stared at the fireplace. “A drunk driver hit her head-on going the wrong way on a freeway exit.” Anger filled his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about this. I’m sorry Maggie.” He pushed away from the table.
“Spencer,” she grabbed his hand, “please, you need to talk about it or you’ll never heal. It’ll just eat you up inside.”
Reluctantly he sat back down and several minutes passed before he spoke. “On Christmas Eve, Lynne and I had been fighting. She complained that I never wanted to spend time with her. She was right, you know. I always buried myself in my work.”
“I’m sure she understood Spencer. You were just starting your new job.”
“There’s more. She didn’t want to go to the office party. She’d mentioned she wasn’t feeling well. I made her go so I could impress the boss with how supportive she was of my career. At the party, she started drinking and then she mentioned you.”
“I didn’t know Lynne knew anything about me. You were arguing about-me?”
“She overheard me one night talking to Karen about you. She started asking questions and I told her the truth.” He raised his head to look her in the eyes. “I never stopped thinking about you Maggie.”
“I-I-had no idea.”
He could see the surprised look in her eyes. So his sister must have never told her about his feelings. “Maggie we need to go, the sleigh ride will be heading back in a few minutes.”
As they approached the sleigh Maggie touched his arm. “Spencer, it wasn’t your fault. Accidents happen and she was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.” She reached up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
He gave her a small grin and helped her into the sleigh.
I want to tell him I love him, but I know he’s not ready to hear it. He did seem more like his old self. At least until I brought up Lynne. As the sleigh started to move she looked at him. She could see he was lost in thought. He looked like he could use a hug. She took the arm he had around her shoulders and pulled it tightly around her grabbing his other hand at the same time locking his arms around her. He didn’t pull back but let her snuggle closer into his strong arms. She didn’t let go until the sleigh ride was over. Even walking to the car she held onto his arm forcing the intimacy, holding his hand.
They rode in silence back to Karen’s with Maggie staring out the window watching the snow. The way it was falling, they could have a foot of snow by morning.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I hope Spencer gets through it. I believe he’s made a big step today and I want only the best for him.
Once they were inside the house she hugged him again, wrapping her arms around his neck pressing her lips to his. “I had a lovely time Spencer. The sleigh ride and dinner, it really meant a lot to me that you made this happen.”
“I had a great time too, Maggie; and you have to be proud of me.”
“And why is that?”
“I never made one Grinch-like comment about those bells on the horses or the sleigh.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, I noticed that. The Grinch seems to be gone.”
“Maggie?”
There was something in his voice now, something that stilled her heart. “Yes?”
“Stay with me tonight. I need to bury myself deep inside you.”
Maggie felt his erection pressing against her thigh and it made her instantly wet with desire. She didn’t answer; she simply took his hand and led him to her bedroom. Tonight has turned out better than I could ever have hoped.
Four
Spencer woke and found Maggie still asleep, her arms wrapped around his body. I lost count of the number of times we made love after the third. She’s going to kill me at this rate.
He took her mouth in a hungry kiss hoping to wake her so he could have her one last time before they had to face the day. Kneeling between her thighs, he held on to her hips, bending his head to her swollen labia. His hot breath warmed her moist folds, and he watched as she shuddered. He gently licked up and down her slit, hearing her moan, and feeling her as she thrust her sex into his face.
“Spencer, lick me deeper. I need to feel you inside me.” Her fist grabbed a handful of his hair pulling him to where she needed him most.
He didn’t have to be asked twice, her whimpers and arousal were enough to drive him over the edge. Opening her pussy wide, he darted his tongue in as far as he was able to reach. His fingers slid up to pluck at her clit. The constant pressure of his tongue and finger forced her into an intense orgasm and she cried out her release. But he wasn’t finished with his feast yet.
He slowly slid up to her breasts, sucking and licking each nipple, teasing them to the point of complete arousal. He took one between his teeth, gently pulled, loving how she responded. I want her now. No, I need her now.
He moved to his knees, his cock poised at her hot center, and he entered her slowly. Her sighs as he thrust into her almost made him lose control. He took her mouth in a heated kiss.
She met him thrust for thrust, tightening the muscles of her fiery channel each time he pulled back, and then loosening again each time he entered her core. He felt her orgasm, and he pumped into her until his own climax peaked and came crashing down.
Glistening with sweat, they lay in each other’s arms until their breathing was under control. When he heard Karen’s voice in the hallway, he jumped from the bed and got dressed. He smiled at Maggie, waving as he snuck out of her room to his. As he washed his face and brushed his teeth he couldn’t help smiling. He knew Karen would be wondering about him, and he hurried down to the kitchen. Maggie joined them within minutes, freshly dressed and bathed. She was beautiful.
“Do you want some coffee,
Maggie?” he asked, pouring her a cup before she even answered him.
“Thank you; that would be great.”
Karen looked at them and she grinned from ear to ear. “It’s about time you two got together.”
“You set us up, didn’t you?” Spencer asked.
“Of course I did. And don’t worry; I’m really happy for both of you.”
As he continued to watch Karen and Maggie he could only smile. I need to go into town and do some Christmas shopping. Man, I never thought I’d say that again. It’s all because of Maggie. I love her, and if everything works out, tomorrow I’ll ask her to marry me. He made his excuses about having to do something in town; and he left before anyone could ask any questions.
The mall was crowded as expected for Christmas Eve, and Spencer couldn’t find a parking spot. Instead of cursing he waited patiently for one to come available. Inside the mall they played All I want for Christmas is You and his thoughts drifted to what he wanted most for Christmas; Maggie to say yes to my marriage proposal. Nothing else matters but Maggie.
By the time he was ready to leave the mall, he had gifts for Karen and Tony. He’d even picked up a stuffed toy for the baby. For Maggie he’d bought a heart necklace and a sapphire and diamond ring. I hope she likes these.
*****
Maggie helped Karen carry the Christmas tree ornaments in from the garage while Tony brought in the tree he’d just cut down. She wondered why Spencer had gone into town all of a sudden. Maybe it had something to do with his laptop not working or something. Or did he run into town to get something for his sister? Whatever it was, I wish he was back. I miss him terribly. She thought wistfully of the sleigh ride and their making love all night, then again this morning and she blushed. I hope Karen didn’t notice.
In a few more days, she would return home to Ohio and work. She hated the thought of going home, but she knew she couldn’t stay here. Spencer would be leaving in a few days as well. It’s probably killing him to be away from work for a week.