Hollidae Fling

by Joy Avery

  Jake swiped the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “Be crazy. Normal is boring. Come on. Let’s get this tree up.” He captured her hand and pulled her toward the house. “I have to make sure your sister gets her money’s worth.”

  Sienna stopped. “What?” So Evelyn had arranged this.

  Jake burst into laughter. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Your sister only hired me to install your lights. Absolutely nothing more. Now let’s go, woman, it’s cold out here.”

  Jake removed the tree from the bed of his truck and hauled it onto the porch. Inside, he commented on the fact that they’d forgotten to get a tree stand. She joked that they could just prop it in a corner. When he left to grab one from his place, she took the opportunity to take a hot shower to knock the chill off her bones.

  For kicks and giggles, Sienna dressed in a pair of red and white striped leggings and a green T-shirt. Looking in the mirror, she laughed at herself. But it felt like the perfect tree decorating outfit. She couldn’t wait to see Jake’s reaction.

  About a half hour later, Jake returned.

  “Sorry it took— Whoa,” Jake said, eyeing her from head to toe. Amusement lit his face. “You changed clothes.”

  “So did you,” she said. Instead of the long-sleeved, flannel shirt, khakis and work boots he wore earlier, he now sported a burgundy button-down, dark denim jeans and comfortable-looking brown leather shoes. “You look nice.”

  “And you look—”

  “Ridiculous, I know.” She shrugged. “But it’s Christmas, so ridiculous is allowed.”

  “I was actually going to say you look like a gorgeous elf that should be sitting on a shelf.”

  She laughed. “Get in here.” She took a deep whiff of him as he passed by. God, he always smelled so good and manly.

  “We need to establish the mood before we can decorate the tree.” He pointed to her stereo system. “May I?”

  “Sure.”

  It didn’t surprise her when he set the dial to Christmas tunes.

  Once Jake got the tree in the stand, it didn’t take them long at all to decorate it. It probably would have taken even less time had they not stopped every five minutes to perform karaoke—unsuccessfully, in her case, but Jake could actually sing, though he downplayed his talent.

  They stood back and admired their work. The teal, apple green, silver, white bulbs, sparkly silver ribbon she’d added and twinkling clear lights. By far, her favorite thing on the tree was the black angel tree topper. The porcelain beauty wore a white and silver sequined gown and donned snow-white feather wings. The heirloom had belonged to her grandmother and was the only piece of decoration she still owned.

  “It’s beautiful,” Sienna said, more to herself than to Jake. “The entire tree.”

  “We did a nice job. We work great together. Baking pies, serving meals, decorating trees. We make a pretty good team,” Jake said.

  “I agree.”

  They stared at one another. Jake’s eyes lowered to her mouth, then shot upward as if he’d remembered she could see him.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “It’s late. I should get going.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, thank you for today. The amazing lights. The tree. Everything. I owe you.”

  “You’re welcome and no, you don’t owe me anything. Your renewed belief in Christmas is payment enough.”

  “Will I see you at Evelyn and Archer’s function?”

  “I’m not sure I can make it.”

  A ping of disappointment washed over her. “I see. Well then, I guess this is goodbye until you return to remove the lights. Which will be when, exactly?”

  “Early January,” he said.

  “Wow. That’s a long time.”

  “Long time?” Jake said.

  Somehow, she knew he would ask that. Deciding to play clueless, she said, “Huh?”

  “You said that’s a long time. What does that mean?”

  She gave a shaky laugh. “Oh. You meant that. I just meant that’s a long time to have Christmas lights up.” The explanation wasn’t perfect, but it was safer than admitting what she’d really meant, that January was a long time to go without seeing him again.

  “I can send someone by sooner, if that’s what you prefer,” Jake said.

  “Send someone?” Did this mean he wouldn’t be the one returning?

  “I love putting the lights up. Not so much taking them down.”

  “I see. Well…” She jutted her hand forward. “Thank you again for everything.”

  Jake eyed her hand as if he were confused by her offering it. Eventually, he captured it and gave her a firm, business-like shake. Releasing her hand, he said, “Have a good night,” then headed for the door.

  Watching him walk away affected Sienna more than it should have. With each step he took, the more anxious she grew to stop him. At one point, Jake had simply been someone her sister had hired for a service. Now, things between them felt like far more than just a simple business transaction. She liked Jake. It terrified her to admit it.

  “It’s not really all that late,” she found herself saying. “You can stay, if you want. Maybe even overnight.” Oh God, had she really just propositioned him? Where had this burst of boldness come from?

  Jake stopped and faced her. His unreadable expression made her stomach quiver and curtailed her confidence. “Of course, you don’t have to stay overnight.” But a moment later, she regained her lost courage, plus some. “But I’m hoping you choose to.”

  One corner of Jake’s mouth lifted into a smile as he closed the distance between them. “Why?”

  Sienna was sure he already knew the answer to the question, but she responded anyway. “Because I really want to spend the night with you.”

  Jake’s brow shot up as if Sienna’s boldness had taken him by surprise. He could join the club, because it had stunned her, too. She continued, “I know you’re not looking for commitment and neither am I, but who’s to say we can’t have a holiday fling. Or more like a Hollidae fling.”

  He chuckled at the play on his last name. “A Hollidae fling, huh?”

  She nodded.

  “I need a drink first,” he said.

  Sienna pushed her brows together. “You need alcohol to sleep with me? Wow.” She turned and tried to move away, but Jake hooked an arm around her waist.

  Close to her ear, he whispered. “I need alcohol to calm myself down. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. The way I want you, I’m not sure I’ll last five minutes without it.”

  Sienna grinned. His honesty was refreshing. “It’s been a long time for me, too. We can fumble through our first time together. We’ll get it right the second.”

  Jake cupped her chin and tilted her head toward him. A second later, his mouth eased down onto hers. The kiss was sweet and gentle, slow and thorough. Parting her lips, she welcomed him inside. Their tongues tangled, teased, danced harmoniously. Her nipples beaded inside her bra, growing painfully taut. Butterflies multiplied in her belly. Her feminine treasure throbbed. And even with her eyes closed, her world spun. This reaction from a simple kiss. Then again, nothing about this kiss qualified as simple.

  When Jake broke their lips apart, Sienna whined. “Don’t stop.”

  He rotated her to face him, gave her a gentle peck, then he backed away and moved toward the front door. For a terrifying second, she thought he would leave her in this hyper-aroused state. Instead, he turned the lights out.

  The room glowed with a romantic ambience, courtesy of the lit tree and sensual flicker of the fireplace. Jake neared her again, scooped her into his arms, carried her to the sofa and eased down with her in his lap.

  Sienna maneuvered until she straddled him. A glimpse into his dark, lustful eyes convinced her that he wanted this just as much as she did. So did the erection pushing into her inner thigh.

  Clinging to his daunting gaze, she removed her shirt, then her bra. Jake’s eyes lowered to her exposed breasts. She felt his dick twitch under her. A se
cond later, he leaned forward and peppered several kisses on her neck before kissing a trail along her shoulder, back across her collarbone, and down to the valley between her breasts, dragging his tongue along the curve and to her nipple.

  When he sucked one of her rock-hard beads into his mouth, she cried out in pleasure. Giving it and the opposite equal satisfaction, he kissed his way back to her mouth. This time when their lips touched, there was nothing gentle about it.

  “We have a problem,” Jake said against her mouth.

  Reluctantly, Sienna pulled away. With her breath heavy, she said, “Problem? What problem?”

  Jake’s breathing was just as ragged when he said, “I don’t have protection. I wasn’t expecting…”

  Wasn’t expecting her to invite him into her bed, he probably wanted to say. “I have protection. Plenty of protection in my craft room.”

  Jake’s brow furrowed. “In your craft room?”

  “I use condoms in some of my cards. Bridal and birthday cards mostly.” Still woozy from their kiss, she nearly toppled off Jake’s lap when she attempted to get up.

  “Whoa,” he said, his cat-like reflexes coming into play again.

  “Whoopsie.” Had it not been for the adrenaline and her heightened state of arousal, she might have been embarrassed. “I’ll be right back.”

  Sienna moved calmly toward the hallway, but when she was out of eyeshot of Jake, she sprinted the rest of the way. Inside her craft room, she tossed supplies willy-nilly until she found the container holding the magnum-sized condoms. God, she hoped they weren’t too big.

  When she returned, there was no sign of Jake. Had he left? “Jake?”

  “Down here,” he said.

  Sienna’s mouth fell open at the sight of Jake relaxed on the floor. He’d used the oversized throw blanket normally draped over the sofa to form a makeshift pallet in front of the fireplace, placing throw pillows as cushioning underneath. The only thing he wore was a pair of black, fitted boxer briefs. His body was beautiful. Every hard inch of him. From his sculpted arms to his defined six-pack, to his muscular thighs and legs. When her eyes settled on his crotch, Sienna drew her bottom lip between her teeth. He would fill the Magnums just fine.

  “See something you like?” Jake asked.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Jake chuckled. “Join me.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice.

  Jake wasted no time ridding her of her pants and underwear. On his knees, he lifted her leg in the air and kissed from the insole of her foot up to her inner thigh. She trembled with delight and anticipation. No matter how fast and often she inhaled, she couldn’t seem to get enough air.

  She lost her mind when Jake buried two long fingers inside her and worked them slowly. He pressed his warm lips against her aching mound, kissing gently, then used a stiff tongue to tease her engorged clit. Clinching the plush throw fabric between tight fists, she cried out. When he twirled his tongue in a manner she could only describe as absolutely magical, then suckled her between his lips, she came fast and hard. She screamed out in pleasure.

  Spent from the powerful release, Sienna couldn’t move. Jake kissed his way back up her body. She twitched each time his soft lips touched her skin. Aftershocks from one hell of a powerful quake. At her breasts, he took time to explore each one again. His teasing, twirling, tactful tongue heightening her arousal.

  Continuing his unhurried journey, Jake finally made it to her mouth. He kissed her so deep and so hard that it stirred her soul. The moments following were a blur, with Jake removing his boxers, retrieving a condom, sheathing himself. Settling between her legs, he stared down at her.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said.

  Something tender glinted in his eyes, making her need for him greater. “I want you,” she said.

  “You have no idea how bad I want you, too.”

  Sienna gasped when he slid all the way inside her, then stopped as if giving her body time to adapt to him. When he started to move, his strokes were slow and steady…at first. With every stroke his pace grew faster, harder, deeper. She cried his name, over and over again.

  Her entire body was on fire. Nothing had ever felt so damn good, so damn satisfying. The air swelled with their moans, cries, whimpers and sounds of hot, sweaty flesh meeting hot, sweaty flesh. Before long, Sienna felt the paralyzing grip of a second orgasm. After a few more strokes, she shattered. Jake wasn’t far behind. Releasing a primal growl that vibrated off the walls, he throbbed inside her, causing her muscles to contract around him even more. A third, equally wonderful orgasm swallowed her whole.

  Jake collapsed down, his dick still buried deep inside her. He nestled his face in the crook of her neck, kissing her skin. “Maybe I will stay the night,” he said.

  She had no objections.

  The second Jake arrived at his sister-in-law’s home, he regretted being there. Or maybe it was the deception he hated. After all this time, still having to play the role of grief-stricken widower to appease his dead wife’s still-mourning sister.

  While he’d been devastated by Nicole’s death, too, he’d been equally tormented by her infidelity. Knowledge of her misdeeds had oddly helped him with the grieving process. Yes, he’d hurt, but had also hated. It had taken him a long time to release all the anger that ate away at him. A little resurfaced every time he had to sit and listen to Janet go on and on about how perfect Nicole had been. The perfect sister. The perfect friend. The perfect wife. Little did she know.

  He lifted his hand and eyed the wedding band he hadn’t worn since meeting Sienna. For the first time ever, the ring felt out of place on his finger. Wearing it now was only a part of the guise.

  Jake stared ahead at the two-story brick home in front of him. No one had seen him yet. If he backed out of the driveway now, they’d be none the wiser. Every time he saw Janet, the urge to reveal the truth—that Nicole hadn’t been as flawless as Janet thought she was, to disclose the secret life she’d lived right under their unsuspecting noses—was overwhelming. But what purpose would that serve?

  Regardless of how he felt, Jake had to admit that Janet was a remarkable sister-in-law. She truly worked at making him feel like he still had family. Like when she’d invited him to accompany them on their holiday cruise to the Mediterranean—all expenses paid—simply because she didn’t want him to be alone on Christmas. An image of Sienna filtered into his head. This year, he wouldn’t be alone.

  The porch light flicked on and Janet exited the house. The First Lady of Calvary Baptist believed her little sister had been perfect. He wouldn’t ruin that for her.

  Chapter Nine

  Sienna snarled across the room when she heard Malcolm’s obnoxious laugh. Always gotta be the center of attention. She still couldn’t believe Archer had invited him. In the past, Malcolm had done all he could to avoid family gatherings. Hers and his own. Yet, there he stood, pretending to be having the time of his life.

  “Play nice,” Evelyn said. “Christmas is two weeks away, don’t let him steal your joy.”

  Wasn’t she playing nice? Being an adult, she’d both smiled and spoken to Malcolm when he’d arrived. How much more cordial was she expected to be toward the lying, cheating man-child, who’d stolen her Christmas joy the minute he’d entered the house?

  “Why is he even here?” He hadn’t accepted the invitation the year before, had sparsely attended these types of functions when they were together, now he wanted to be all up in the mix like he still belonged at family gatherings.

  “You know why he’s here,” Evelyn said. “The oldest reason in the book. Jealousy. He knows you’re getting it on with someone else.”

  A smile crept across her face when Jake filtered into her head, instantly washing the feelings of disdain away.

  “Look at that glow,” Evelyn said. “You really like Jake, don’t you?”

  “Don’t start. It’s just a fling, Eve. Jake and I are just having fun.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’re having a
lot of fun.” Evelyn winked. “But that’s not what I asked you.”

  Sienna sipped her spiked eggnog. “I’ll admit. Maybe I like him a little.”

  Evelyn flashed a who-do-you-think-you’re-fooling look. Ugh. The woman could always read her like an open book. “Okay, maybe a lot.” Far more than she should. Especially when she and Jake were nothing more than friends with benefits. “And I know what you’re going to say, Evelyn.” The same thing she’d said when Sienna had first started seeing Malcolm.

  “Really?” Evelyn said in that motherly tone she’d perfected over the years. “Humor me and tell me what you think I’m going to say, little sister.”

  “That I’m moving too fast. That you’re not sure Jake is the one for me.”

  “I see.”

  “There’s no need to worry, Eve. Jake and I are just…flinging.”

  “Does Jake know this?” Evelyn asked.

  Sienna pushed her brows together. “What does that mean?”

  “Word on the street is that he really likes you. Really likes you,” Evelyn repeated.

  Of course, the street Evelyn referred to had to be her husband, who often gossiped worse than any woman Sienna knew. Jake had told her he, Archer and Rowe had had breakfast together. Had Jake discussed her? Obviously, he had.

  “And actually,” Evelyn said, “I was going to say Jake would be exactly the type of man I would choose for you.”

  “Did you?” Sienna asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You orchestrated this, didn’t you? When you hired Jake to install my Christmas lights, you hoped we would be attracted to each other.”

  “What? No. Of course not. How was I to ever imagine two damaged and lost souls would find healing and a home in each other? Did I orchestrate this?”

  Yep, guilty. Sienna hugged her sister. “Even though Jake and I are only friends, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And for the record, any man who could make my baby sister love Christmas again has my blessings. To fling. To date. To marry. Whatever.”

  Marry? That was definitely off the table. “You are too much,” Sienna said.