Christmas at Emelia's: Blossom Creek Novella

by Lexi Buchanan

Watching my sister closely, I realize she’s nervous about that, and I have a good idea it’s because of her growing feelings for the sheriff. I’ve already made the move to Blossom Creek. I’m no longer in Essex. I have a feeling Emma is starting to want more than she did back home.

  “Don’t worry, Em. Mom and Dad have always wanted what’s best for us. Don’t go getting worked up over a decision you may or may not need to make. Just go with the flow and let your heart lead you. For once in my life, that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Emma wraps her arms around my waist. “I knew there was a reason why you’re my best friend, as well as my brother.”

  “Why is that then?”

  “Because you always know what to say.”

  Seven

  Jared Peters

  My favorite time of day has to be as it turns from dusk to evening during the winter months when snow is thick on the sidewalk and heavy in the air. The town quiets and I can hear myself think without echoes around me. The station is silent as the night deputies catch up on paperwork, and outside, my window is bare of pedestrians. I finally feel as though I can breathe as I put my jacket on to leave for the night.

  I’m leaving ten minutes earlier than usual, thanks to an absolute beauty who is hopefully waiting for me to pick her up. I haven’t been this excited in a very long time. I hope I don’t mess tonight up with Emma. I’m rusty at this whole dating thing, but the thought of having Emma in my home warms my heart. It’s lonely living alone, and although I do like my own space, I miss having someone to unwind with after a long day of work. Someone to eat with. To cuddle in front of a blazing fire with.

  The cabin I call home is larger than what I need, but I was sold at the location and price. When I bought it, I’d thought I’d have a wife and children to fill it with. Unfortunately, that hasn’t worked out too well, which is my fault for not looking. Now that I have looked, the woman inside of my head doesn’t even live in Blossom Creek. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that because I like this woman.

  “Leaving early, boss?” Jennifer, the night telephone operator, asks, jarring my thoughts.

  “It’s been a very long day.”

  “Have a good night,” she replies.

  “You too.” I smile and pause on my way out. “You know to call me if I’m needed.”

  “Sure do. But I won’t.” She chuckles.

  Catching my breath as I walk outside into the freezing evening, I glance up to the sky and notice it’s clear with stars shining bright. I cast my eyes back to the station and watch as Jennifer shakes her head at me. I laugh. Jennifer has worked as the night operator three days a week for the past few years. I’d be lost without her. She’s always in control of situations that arise, and her calm demeanor helps tremendously.

  The inside of my truck is an icebox as I quickly turn the ignition and get the heating going. I’m usually overheated when I’m with Emma, but I think this might benefit me more if it’s nice and warm for the woman.

  Emma has an air about her that I find deceiving. When I’d first seen her on the sidewalk surrounded by her luggage, she’d been a bit disoriented. I’d thought she was stuck up and full of herself. I’d still gone to help her, and I’d soon realized she was nothing like that. She valued people and hated having someone else do things for her.

  Now, I couldn’t get her out of my head, which is why I’m going to see where things go with her.

  As I pull up to the inn, I spot Emma waiting just inside the door. I’m early and so is she. Seeing her there makes me wonder how long she’s been waiting. Before I can move from the truck, Emma is already opening the passenger door and climbing inside. Her gray eyes meet mine and my heart fills with hope and excitement that Emma is here with me. As for Emma, her feelings are written on her face. Since I’ve met her, I’ve noticed how transparent she is. Not to mention how beautiful.

  Breaking the silence, I ask, “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  Emma smiles. “A few minutes. I wanted to be ready for you.”

  “Hmm.” Unable to resist another moment, I reach toward her and she meets me halfway as I brush my lips over hers. “I didn’t want to leave you earlier,” I admit against her teasing mouth. My eyes follow the movement of her tongue as she licks her red lips. “I promised you supper.”

  “You did.” Emma caresses my cheek. “Why don’t you take me back to your place and let me cook for you. You’ve been working hard all day.”

  Emma catches me off guard with her offer. I can’t remember the last time anyone offered to come to my place and cook me a meal. “Only if that’s what you want.”

  “More than anything,” she whispers.

  Clearing my throat, I turn in my seat and move us out of town. “My cabin is hopefully tidy.” I wince, unable to remember how I left it this morning. I’m not a slob, but if I’m called out early, like I was today, I sometimes get home to a sink full of breakfast dishes. “It’s not that far from town, otherwise I wouldn’t be risking taking you there in this weather.”

  “I appreciate that.” Emma sighs. “Don’t forget, I’m used to this kind of weather. I have a truck very similar to yours. Winter tires and chains.” Smiling, Emma gets comfortable so she can watch me. Her eyes don’t move from my face. “I’m curious about you.”

  I grin and give her a quick side glance before focusing on the road in front of us. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I’m an open book to you.” I slow as we approach the turn that leads up to the cabin and take it like a toddler would take it on a three-wheeler. The plows have been out a few times today and cleared the main roads. However, the road up to my cabin hasn’t been done since lunch, so the ground is thick and slick. The tires with their thick chains crunch as we go, my shoulders tense as I fight to keep the truck on the road.

  Emma doesn’t say anything until the truck comes to a complete stop and I cut the engine, and then she lets out a loud sigh. “That was nerve-racking.”

  “Don’t get out. I’ll come around.” I jump out of the truck and catch my breath at the cold. The snow starts again too, which makes me wonder whether I’m going to be lucky enough to have Emma in my bed tonight. Although making love to her sounds damn good, I’d settle with having her cuddled up to me in sleep.

  Popping her door open, I reach in and tug her out and into my arms. She laughs and wraps her arms around my neck as I carry her up the front porch.

  “I can walk.”

  “I like you in my arms.” Squeezing her closer, I dip my face and quickly capture her lips with mine. “I like you a lot.”

  “Mmm.” She licks her lips. “I like you a lot, too.”

  Grinning, I help her to her feet and steady her, then I open the door and usher us both inside. The place is freezing, and our breaths create a mist as we breathe. “I’ll start a fire; it’ll warm this place quickly.”

  “I have a large hearth too. It’s the only way to warm my cabin up.”

  Surprised, I raise my brows. “You live out in the middle of nowhere too?”

  Laughing, Emma removes her jacket and gloves, and stands in front of the hearth as I get the kindling lit. “I love my cabin. It’s a small one-bedroom, but it’s mine. Dad and Levi always make sure I have enough wood stacked.”

  “I keep it stacked in the shed. Get a good workout in chopping it up.” I grin. “Good, sweaty work.”

  “Maybe I’ll help you next time you have wood needing chopping.” The moment the words leave her mouth, her eyes cloud over and she sighs.

  “Don’t think about it for now.” I stand and remove my outdoor clothing.

  “Let me start cooking. It will warm me up quicker.”

  Wanting to tell the woman I have ways of warming her up quicker, I instead put my hand on the small of her back and show her the kitchen.

  Her eyes light up. “This is fabulous!” She claps her hands together and moves to twirl in the middle of the room while I’m left speechless.

  Emma is adorable danci
ng around my kitchen. Her body moves to a tune inside her head as she hums, opening and closing cabinets. Desire races through me for this amazing woman. Her smile. Her happiness. Everything is so alive when Emma is around, especially my heart.

  I rest a hip against the counter and smile into the gray eyes that have bewitched me.

  “You need a warm supper,” she comments. “And I am going to enjoy cooking something up in this kitchen.”

  “I’ve never seen anyone excited to be in a kitchen before.” I curve my hand around the back of her head and bring her into my body.

  Emma reaches up and rubs her fingers over the stubble on my cheeks, her smile lighting her face, and if I’m not mistaken, a teasing light enters her eyes. “You are so going to get lucky tonight.”

  My mouth falls open, and Emma laughs and nudges my mouth closed.

  “Go and relax,” she says. I blink a few times, and backing out of the kitchen, I catch a smile on her lips.

  The woman will be a handful, but oh, what a handful that will be.

  “I can hear the wheels turning in your head,” Emma shouts.

  “I’m thinking about you.” Moving through my bedroom, I grab a pair of sweats and a T-shirt on my way into the bathroom.

  It takes me ten minutes to shower and dress, then I let my nose direct me to the kitchen. “Smells amazing. Steak?”

  “That was quick.” Emma turns and places baked potatoes onto the two waiting plates. “Yes, I hope you don’t mind me using the meat.”

  I shake my head. “I handed you the kitchen.” I laugh. “Not sure I would have had a choice after you saw it, though.”

  “You wouldn’t.” Emma serves the steak and passes me the plates. “I’ve set the table.”

  Once everything is on the table, I hold a chair out for her, and she grins with delight.

  “Thank you.”

  Letting the silence surround us, I bite into my steak and sigh in pleasure. “Cooked perfectly.” I take a drink from the bottle of beer Emma had put on the table, and eye the woman. “Tell me about you. Things that aren’t gossiped about here in town.”

  “Gosh, I’m not sure what hasn’t been whispered.” Wiggling around as though she’s uncomfortable, she adds, “However, I’m sure I have a few things kept under lock and key.”

  “Sounds mysterious.” I raise a brow and continue to eat.

  “For shock value, I will tell you that my parents were raised as brother and sister.” Emma grins with a whimsical smile on her lips.

  I pause, then say, “I’m waiting for more information because this story sounds intriguing.”

  “You’re not shocked?”

  “Why should I be? Tell me, Emma.”

  “Grandma married Grandpa while pregnant with Mom and her twin. Everyone thought Grandpa was the father. My father, Dante, was the oldest of Grandpa’s kids and wasn’t at home. Anyway, move forward a lot of years and Mom fell in love with Dante.” She smiles. “Dad became a priest; would you believe? He figured he was going to hell for loving his sister. Eventually, the truth came out and Mom and Dad got married and opened Emelia’s in Essex.” She shrugs. “That’s my parents’ story.”

  “That’s a unique story for sure.” We finish eating and now the room is toasty and warm. My mind starts wondering how long it will take me to get Emma out of her clothes.

  “How long have you been the sheriff?”

  “What?” It takes me a moment to get my head into the conversation, but I end up giving Emma a lazy look when she moves and starts to straddle my lap. I shove the chair backward and groan when she settles on me.

  “This is better. You were saying?”

  “I have no idea what I was saying,” I confess, shivering as her fingers tickle the nape of my neck.

  “Sheriff? How long?”

  “Oh!” I grab Emma by the ass and move her over my erection. Gasping at the feel, I say, “Eight years. The previous sheriff stepped down, and I got the job. He’s a deputy now. Takes care of the paperwork.” I pause. “He has nothing else but the job. So, he’s safe in the office.”

  “You are a sweet man, Jared Peters.” Emma wiggles around. “Tell me more.”

  “I can’t think when you’re sitting on my dick.”

  “I’ll move.”

  “No way.” I clamp my hands onto her hips. “I was in the Marines first. Straight from high school. Did ten years. Joined the sheriff’s office and eventually became the sheriff. A few bumps in the road through the years, but I’m happy with my job. The deputies and admin staff are good people. Dependable. I’ve never been married. No family anymore. With me, you get what you see.”

  “Hmm, do you want to know what I see when I look at you?”

  I nod for her to continue.

  “The first thing I noticed was how well your pants fit over your thighs and butt.” She chuckles. “You bent over to help me with my bags when I arrived in town. Then when you stood, I became all flustered. I adore the stubble on your face. Your green eyes and how deeply the color changes when you’re looking at me.” Becoming serious, she adds, “What I also see is a hardworking man. One who doesn’t stop until the people of this town are safe. You’d help anyone who needed you. No matter the job. You don’t stop. That’s why you’re still the sheriff. The people know you look after them.”

  “You see too much,” I admit gruffly.

  “What about you, Jared? Who is there for you?” Emma asks quietly, wrapping herself around me, her fingers relaxing as they comb through my hair.

  “No one,” I admit, and lean forward to capture her lips with mine. “I want you, Emma. Hold on.”

  I stand, and Emma wraps her arms and legs around me, and whispers, “In front of the fire.”

  “That is the plan.” Kneeling, I lay Emma on the rug in front of the hearth and hover over her. “Promise me you won’t leave town without saying goodbye. I need you to promise me that.”

  Tears appear in her eyes as she quickly grabs my face and brings me closer.

  “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to say goodbye to you, Jared.”

  I catch a runaway tear with a finger and follow the trail it was heading with my lips. “So beautiful,” I whisper. She tugs me on top of her when I nuzzle into the curve of her neck.

  “I want your weight.”

  “You make it difficult for me to breathe.”

  “Make love to me.”

  “My pleasure.”

  In no time, our clothing is tossed around the room and I’m sliding inside of Emma. She hooks a leg over my hip, and I reach around and hold her butt cheek in my large hand, tilting her hips upward. I sink deeper and catch my breath.

  “I tingle from head to toe, Jared.” Emma moans, digging her fingers into my ass.

  Nothing has ever felt so right as being here with her does—having her in my cabin, cooking me supper. And now I have her where I’ve imagined her since we met.

  “Your body isn’t the only one tingling.” I hiss as she squeezes around my dick. “Slow, Emma.” I hold her gaze and slowly start to love her.

  The way her body cups me is like being inside a tight, wet glove. Emma hisses and shudders in my arms, her breasts quivering. Watching her face, I dip down and capture a tight peak with my mouth. Sucking and nipping with my teeth have it hard as a rock, and I do the same with the other.

  Emma digs her fingers in harder and stops me from moving as she frantically grinds on my shaft, rubbing her pink little clit. She’s close, thank God, and watching her take her pleasure from me is hot as hell. Reaching between us, I rub her clit with a finger while I tighten my ass and hammer between her sexy legs. Her pussy sucks and squeezes my cock and then she’s coming. I can’t hold myself back anymore and I thrust hard, coming in a stream of release that blows my mind. It doesn’t help that Emma continues pulsating around me, drawing my pleasure out.

  Her arms and legs fall from me like limp noodles, and she stretches. I think I’m going to explode again at the pleasure that wraps around my cock
.

  “You, Jared Peters, have a magic penis.”

  I burst out laughing at the unexpected comment. “I think you need to explain that.” I gather her in my arms and flip us so that I’m lying on my back with Emma draped over me.

  “My first man-made orgasm,” she whispers, and a delightful blush covers her cheeks. “Can we do it again?”

  “God!” I rearrange us slightly and drag a blanket from the sofa to cover us. “I can guarantee we’ll be doing that again.” Sliding my hand from her delicate spine, over the delicious curve of her bottom to land on her thigh, I growl when she wiggles around and lays her leg across my body. “About the other, um, thing…no one has given you an orgasm? For real? Who have you been dating?”

  “Selfish men,” she mutters. “It’s true, and I also don’t have that much experience, to be honest. I always felt like there was something wrong with me.”

  “Woman, there is nothing wrong with you. Every delicious curve you have turns me on. Your smile lights up a room, along with your enthusiasm for life. We fit well together. In fact”—I reach down and grab my erection and guide it back inside her—“the way you massage my dick drives me insane.” I thrust hard. “And I’m not a selfish man.”

  Eight

  Vivien Taylor

  The snow stopped overnight, to which I’m grateful. It means I managed to drive into town to my store, Temptations. The snowplow has been out a few times, which makes the town accessible again. I like to bake at home when I’m worried and nervous. However, my kitchen at the store is stocked so much better. I’m excited to start on the robins for Emelia’s opening. But first, I have pastries to prepare so Ingrid can fill them with custard and decorate them before we open.

  One of the best things about owning this store is having my sister work alongside me. I’d dreaded it when she’d first suggested what a fantastic idea it was. We hadn’t always seen eye to eye growing up. However, it’s turned out amazing. Not only is she my best friend, but I get to boss her around without any arguments from her. I don’t take advantage either, which helps keep the peace. Mom wanting her home for Christmas has thrown a wrench in the works. I want her to stay here with me where she’s away from Mom and Dad’s watchful eye. I mean, they’re good parents and have always made sure we were cared for. They just have this idea of what Ingrid and I should do with our lives, and unfortunately, it doesn’t go along with our plans. It’s frustrating, and in the end, I’ll get involved when they pressure Ingrid to return home.