by Evelyn Sola
“Okay,” I say as I rub the back of Nick’s head. “Thank goodness your taste in women has improved, Nicky.”
“Exponentially,” Allison says, raising her glass.
“Here, here!” Nick says, clinking his glass with his mother’s.
The party continues while Allison serves the dessert she brought.
“I’m sorry, my little drunk,” he says, holding me in his arms. “Sometimes my family speaks before they think, especially if they’ve been drinking. I don’t care about Paige or any other woman. You are my pretty girl. Just you.”
I pull him close and put my hands around his neck.
“I know you have a past, but guess what, Nicky?” I surprise us both when I get on my tippy toes and rub my nose against his. “I don’t care who came before me. Do you know why? Because I’m here now. You belong to me, so Paige and whoever else will have to deal with it. I’m your pretty girl.” He pulls me closer and kisses me.
“Damn right, I do, and you are.” When “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” starts to play, he increases the volume.
“Joey,” Allison says as she and Becker walk back into the room. “Remember when Nicky was about two or three and he danced naked to this song. Then he peed on the floor?”
Everyone, including Nick, laughs at the story. He responds by turning the music up higher. Then he takes my hands and we dance around the Christmas tree. Soon, everyone joins in and our first party as a couple continues.
“You know what we need?” I ask after hiccupping again. “Tea! We need tea. I’ll be right back!” I leave everyone and head for the kitchen, but Nick follows me, a hand on my hip keeping me steady. While I order him to boil water, I run upstairs and find what I’m looking for hidden in the back of his closet.
I return downstairs to find Nick standing in the kitchen, staring at the tea kettle with his back to me.
“The water will never boil if you stand over it like that.” He doesn’t turn around until I put my hands on his ass cheeks and squeeze. “I can’t wait to bite that later.”
I don’t think my words about my teeth on his butt register because his eyes widen when he turns around and sees me. Then he bursts into laughter.
“Not only do I never know what the hell will come out of your mouth next, but I also have no idea what you’ll be wearing from one moment to the other.” He touches the brim of my wide, floppy hat. His eyes light up when he starts playing with some of the feathers.
“I found this beauty on clearance at the mall. My mom and I like to dress up when Dad watches the Kentucky Derby every May.” I show off my find.
“You do realize it’s powder blue and your clothes are red and green?”
“What are you saying, Nicky?” I do a dramatic spin while holding on to my hat. “Are you saying you don’t like my hat?”
He pulls me flush against his chest and grazes the side of my neck with his nose.
“On the contrary. There isn’t a thing about you I don’t like.” Just as the kettle starts to whistle, his mother walks into the kitchen.
“You kids need help in here?” she asks. I turn to look at her, but Nick doesn’t let me go. Her eyes light up at the sight of my hat.
“Oh my God. I love it,” she says as she walks over to us. She reaches out to me, takes the hat off my head, and puts it on her own head. “Let’s go show everyone else.” She takes my hand and pulls me out of Nick’s arms.
“Hey!” Nick protests. “Give me back my girlfriend.”
“Bring us the tea,” Allison orders.
“Yes, bring us the tea, peasant!” I say as Allison pulls me with her.
“So, we’re using really bad British accents now?” he yells behind us.
CHAPTER 23
NICK
When I bring the tray holding the kettle and teacups to the family room, I find my family taking turns wearing Miranda’s hat and taking pictures while speaking in the worst British accents I’ve ever heard.
Uncle Joe showing up was a surprise, but I knew my family would like Miranda. What I didn’t expect was for this party to be as much fun as it is, and it’s all because of her. Even Uncle Joe takes a turn with the hat, and he smiles widely for the camera. He even calls everyone over, and Henry snaps a selfie with all of us with Uncle Joe sitting in the middle.
My favorite picture happens when Miranda puts the hat on me, and someone snaps a picture at the exact moment she kisses my cheek. I’d love to make that one the background picture on my phone but can’t risk Mona seeing it until we tell her about our relationship.
“I thought this damn party would never end,” I say a few hours later. I wave one last time as everyone backs out of my driveway and close the door. The minute I do, I reach for Miranda, but she giggles and runs from me. Unfortunately for her, all the alcohol she drank combined with her heels slows her down. I reach her in two steps and scoop her into my arms.
She screams until I get us to the sectional. As soon as I sit down, she straddles me and starts to unbutton my shirt.
“Do you know how sexy you are?” she asks as she nibbles on the side of my neck. I’m already hard and if this was any other time, I’d let her have her way with me, but we need to talk first. I grab her hands and move them away from my shirt.
“Do you know what a tease you are? You say something like that right as I’m opening the door for guests?” She tries to reach for my shirt again, but I hold both of her wrists with just one hand. I grab her face with my free one and force her to look into my eyes. “Say it again.”
I hold her face, not allowing her to look away. She can’t move her face, but she lowers her eyes and shrugs her shoulders.
“I’m scared,” she whispers.
I almost want to laugh at her. She makes this announcement right as I’m opening the door, teases me all night, and now when she should have liquid courage, she’s scared.
“You don’t ever have to be afraid with me. Say it. Please.”
Those big eyes that I love so much find mine again. She bites her lip and stiffens her shoulders.
“Hold on. I’m mentally putting on my big girl panties.” She hiccups.
“I prefer your panties off.” I shock her by slapping her ass. She jostles on my lap and lets out a strangled laugh, hiccupping again.
“Okay. Here goes.” She takes a deep breath that pushes her perfect breasts against my chest. “I love you, Nicholas Bain. I love you. Even though we’re completely mismatched. I mean, you’re old as dirt, my mom works for you and is not your biggest fan. She’ll probably try to murder you with her bare hands when she finds out about us. And I bring nothing to this relationship, but I am head over heels in love with you. Are you happy now?”
I patiently wait to make sure she’s done talking. She stares at me, eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them. She’s breathing so hard, she’s practically panting. When I let go of her wrists, she crosses her arms across her chest as she waits for me to speak.
“That’s quite a declaration. So, despite the fact maybe, if I’m lucky, a month away from the nursing home and my hostile relationship with your mother, I, too, am head over heels in love with you. I fell in love with you the night we met. And sweetness, you know what you bring to this relationship? You bring yourself, and to me, that’s everything. You’re everything I need and everything I want.”
Miranda relaxes at my words and smiles wide. She puts her arms around my neck and looks into my eyes. She leans in and kisses me softly. This time, when she starts to unbutton my shirt, I let her. As she undresses me, I pull the small remote out of my pocket, turn off the lights, and lower the volume of the music.
“Time for my second dessert, Nicky.” She slides off my lap, and after helping me out of my pants, gets on her knees and takes my dick all the way to the back of her throat.
“Oh, fuck,” I croak as Miranda cups my balls. “Baby,” I moan when she swirls her tongue on the tip of my dick. “Let me take off your clothes and sink into you. I
want to make love to you.”
Seconds later we’re both naked with nothing but the lights from the Christmas tree providing a soft glow in the house. When “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” comes on, I lie on my back while Miranda explores my body with her hands and mouth.
I stick my hand in her hair at the same time she bites my lower abs. She sucks and nips, teasing me with so much promise. I reach down and stroke my dick, which is just begging to get inside of her.
She shoves my hand away from my cock.
“Uh-uh. That belongs to me, Nicky.” She finally moves away from my dick and climbs up my body. She looks down at me, smiles, and captures my lips. Hungry for her, I hold her head as I deepen the kiss, so desperate I’m willing to swallow her whole. As hungry as the kiss is, she ends it, but instead of straddling me and letting me slide inside of her, she scoots all the way down again. She kisses the tip of my cock before flicking her tongue against the slit.
“You taste so good, Nicky. I think about how good you taste every minute we’re apart.”
CHAPTER 24
MIRANDA
“This is my new favorite place,” I say against his mouth. I kiss him deeply before putting my attention on his neck, a very sensitive spot on his body.
“This house?” he asks. Despite the last few hours of lovemaking, I can feel him harden underneath me.
“Nope.”
“This sectional?”
“As much as I love this sectional and that it’s big enough for us both, it’s not my favorite place. I’m talking about this.” I take both his arms and wrap them around me. I hug him tight as we snuggle underneath our red fleece blanket. “These arms. This chest. You. You’re my favorite place.”
Confident about my declaration and our love, I lift my head and look into his eyes. Despite my lack of clothes, I feel even more exposed with just that look.
I hold his stare, my heart beating rapidly as I wait for him to speak.
“I want to be your only place.” His words are soft but said with so much emotion, I feel tears pool in my eyes.
“You are. It happened fast, but I think we were meant to meet each other. Maybe that’s why my mother kept talking about you every single night.” I feel his laugh vibrate through his chest. When he swats me on the ass, I bite his chest. “Was it always that fast for you with other women?”
“Miranda, I’m here naked with you. Are you really asking me about other women? Trust me when I tell you I don’t want to hear about you and some other guy.”
I kiss him in the middle of his chest and tickle him with my hair. I look up at his face before kissing him again.
“I told you I don’t care who came first. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. I want to know everything about you, and there were two boyfriends before you. I didn’t love either one. That takes care of that.”
He lies back down on the couch and plays with my hair with one hand as he caresses my spine with the other. I run my lips across his chest as “White Christmas” plays.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this. You’re special, and I knew that the minute I saw you. I knew I was in big, big trouble as soon as I looked into your eyes.”
He stops speaking and I go back to kissing his chest, and I feel his dick hardening underneath me. Before I can give it some attention, he speaks again.
“I felt like a fool after Paige. I was basically starting my life all over again. Uncle Joe made it mandatory for me to go to the Christmas party, and the last thing I wanted to do was be there, but it was the best thing for me.” He stops again, and caresses my lower back, right above my buttocks. I hold my breath as I wait for him to speak again. “When things ended with Paige, I remember I was venting to my mom one day. She let me rage, and when I finally quieted down, she said something profound. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now it makes sense.”
“What did she say?” I ask when he stops talking.
“She said that I might be at a low point now, but this could be preparing me for something beautiful. She said sometimes the worst things that happen to us can lead us to the best. She gave me the example of her marriage to my dad. It was never a good marriage, but she got me out of it, and I was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to her. She said she was sure I was on the cusp of something amazing in my life. I thought it was her way of trying to make me feel better, but she was right. I don’t think I ever would have left Chicago if things didn’t happen as they did, but guess what? I left and I met this beautiful girl. She’s thirteen years younger than I am, and her mother, who hates me, works for me. The universe doesn’t make things easy for me, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I look into his eyes, and I tear up at his words before I look away and stick my head in his shoulder.
“Hey, hey,” he says as he strokes my hair. “Look at me.” I look up and quickly swipe a stray tear. “Why are you crying?”
“Because I just love you. And I’m happy. You’re the best Christmas surprise ever.”
He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “Me too. I love you so much. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, you’re the only thing I’ve thought about.”
“We’ve come a long way in just a few short weeks, haven’t we, Nicky?”
“We have.”
He kisses my temple and when I look into his eyes again, I remember the night we met. It seems like a million years ago and just yesterday all at once. I’ve learned so much about this man, yet still don’t know enough.
“You know my plan was to give you the stink eye all night for being an ass to my mom. All the times she talked about you, she never mentioned you were hot. I never expected we’d be in a relationship, but my dad always says life will happen whether you expect it or not. I think your mom and my dad think alike. I’m babbling, but I never expected you, but you happened. I never expected to fall in love with you, but I did. And it’s crazy because it happened so fast, but I can’t control my heart.”
“We’re doing this love thing,” he says.
“We’re definitely doing it, but I don’t want to hide it. I’m telling my mom about us on Sunday.”
“This is our relationship, so we’ll tell her together. About tomorrow. Do you really need to go to work?” She lifts her head and looks at me.
“If I don’t go to work, how else am I going to pay for your Christmas present? And remember, I only make thirteen dollars an hour, so manage your expectations. I can’t afford any of the high-end stuff you have around here.”
I roll my eyes, but I tighten my arms around her, pressing her into my body even more.
“You’re my present. And if that’s the only reason you need to go to work tomorrow, then don’t go and spend the day with me. Let’s go into the city, or we can drive up to New Hampshire and see Santa’s Village. I want to spend all my time with you.”
“You might just get your wish when my mom finds out.”
CHAPTER 25
MIRANDA
“I’m working until ten,” I tell him.
I can feel his frustration through the phone. I know how he feels because I feel the same way. I’m basically being held hostage by family obligations this week. Between work, my brother surprising us by showing up days ahead of schedule, and an unexpected visit by my aunt and her kids, I can’t get away for a minute.
All of this makes me so thankful for the extra day I spent with Nick. I took his advice and took a sick day the Saturday after his party, but instead of going to enjoy some Christmas lights somewhere, the heavy rain kept us in the house for most of the day.
As disappointed as I was by the weather, he promised we would go another day. We spent the day wearing matching Christmas pajamas and watching Christmas movies. Having eaten most of the leftovers for lunch, we begrudgingly showered to go out to dinner.
I blush at the thought of us together in his shower. The minute we stepped inside and closed the glass door, something came over
him and he ordered me to get on my knees. The minute I did, he was hard and ready, tapping his stiffness against my lips. I did the only thing I could do and let him in, but instead of finishing in my mouth like I hoped he would, he pulled out and ordered me to stand and turn around. As soon as I did, he had me bent over and was sliding into me within seconds. With both hands on my hips, he had me screaming his name in no time. The orgasm ripped through me, surprising me with its intensity. If not for the strong hands holding me in place, I know I would have fallen. He wasn’t far behind me. He let out a growl as he thrust one last time, emptying inside of me.
“Come over afterward,” he says. He puts me on hold, and I hear him respond to someone’s question. His voice is rougher than normal, and his words are clipped. I know it’s this situation that’s giving him a short temper. “Sorry, sweetness. No one can seem to do anything right today. I’ll prepare us a late supper. You can sit on my lap while I feed you, or we can order in. I miss you.”
I can imagine it now. He’ll pounce on me the minute I walk through the door. He promised me dinner two nights ago too. It was the last time we saw each other, just two days after declaring our love. It was the first day we’d been apart since the night of his dinner party and had only been away from each other for a few hours. The minute I walked through the door, he kissed me. We didn’t make it to the couch this time. We found ourselves naked, writhing on the floor like animals while he fucked me senseless.
“I can’t.” The words hang heavy between us.
“Because of your guests?” I can hear the disappointment in his voice, and even though I can’t see him, I know he’s frowning.
“The guests. My brother. We have a house full of people, and I can’t get away. Some of the neighbors are coming by tonight too.”
“I could come to you if we had come clean to your mother like we talked about Friday night, Miranda.” I lean against the wall in my bedroom as I feel the weight of his words.