Angeline watched the logs glow a vibrant orangish-red. Alex hadn’t stirred them once for the past hour and a half as they talked. It was almost as if they had their whole lifetimes to catch up on, and they were trying to make up for it in one evening. The only other light in the room besides the fire was the luminous Christmas tree. She didn’t know if it was the glow of her growing infatuation with Alex or not, but she’d never seen a more beautiful tree in her life.
“It’s nice,” she murmured, transferring her gaze from the festive pine to the fireplace.
“What is?” The sound of his deep, gruff voice so near her ear, the way he nuzzled a tendril of hair with his nose caused both a deepening of her relaxation and her skin to prickle in anticipation. How could it have been just yesterday that she found the rough quality of his voice harsh?
“That we don’t have to stoke the fire to keep warm.”
But she was privately thinking that it was nice to suspend her worries about being with Alex for once. She recalled what he’d said earlier about how his manner of making love to her was a personal choice and proclivity, not some way of punishing her for her relationship with his father. Even his inflammatory suggestion that it turned her on to be restrained during sex couldn’t penetrate her lassitude and happiness. Was what he’d said true? Maybe. She’d worry about it another time. The future didn’t exist, only this magical night did.
And Alex.
She sat with her back partially on Alex’s chest, his arms surrounding her. Both of them had their feet propped up on the coffee table. They’d eaten her dinner of roast chicken, potatoes, baked apples and a cranberry walnut salad earlier, followed by Angeline’s freshly baked sugar cookies and coffee. The chicken had been cooked perfectly. She wasn’t stuffed by any means, but she was feeling the effects of a good meal and several glasses of wine. Alex straightened and she felt his chin rest on the top of her head.
“The snow has let up,” he said quietly.
“Oh.”
“Disappointed?” She could tell by the sound of his voice that he wore his characteristic small grin.
“No…I mean, yes. Aren’t you a little?” she asked.
“No.”
She lifted her head and twisted around to look at his face. She’d been right. He was smiling. Something fluttered in her gut at the sight of his rugged, handsome face full of mirth.
“I’m not disappointed a little, I’m disappointed a lot. I’d gladly be shut in with you until spring.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You don’t believe me? There aren’t many guys who would turn down being trapped with a gorgeous, sexy woman who also just happens to be a fantastic cook.”
“Sex and food. That’s all men ever think about.”
He shook his head, his expression suddenly sober. “You forgot football.”
She snorted. He kissed her, absorbing her laughter. The kiss continued until Angeline forgot what it was she’d been laughing about. He spread one hand along the back of her ribs and rubbed her softly. Her pussy clenched in longing. Something about how big his hand was, how his hold made her feel so delicate, aroused her greatly. The kiss continued, at first slow and sensual as they explored each other fully, then greedy and hot as their fires amplified.
Alex sealed the kiss and lifted his head. He watched her face with an intent focus as his large hands settled on her breasts. Neither of them spoke for several taut moments as he took his time, stroking and molding her breasts to his palm. Her breath burned in her lungs by the time he calmly reached for the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head. She obligingly put up her arms and the sweater fell to the couch behind her. Alex’s blue eyes glowed like banked embers as he peeled the satin cups of her bra off her breasts, pushing the fabric down below her nipples.
Angeline made a choked sound of longing when he ran his fingertips over the exposed crests, and they tightened even further.
“Talk about a perfect Christmas present,” he muttered.
Laughter burst out of her throat, only to be followed by a soft moan when he ever so lightly pinched both nipples at once, alleviating the sharp ache that plagued them. Her hips squirmed as she instinctively tried to get friction on the hungry flesh between her thighs.
“Alex,” she whispered, her laughter forgotten as she stared into his rapt face while he caressed her breasts. She glanced down to see what he saw and groaned. The stretchy fabric beneath her breasts caused them to thrust forward in a flagrantly
sexual manner. Her nipples were responding eagerly to Alex’s hot gaze and skilled fingertips. Anticipation mounted in her pussy when he slowly leaned forward and slipped a nipple into his warm mouth.
His wet, slightly abrasive tongue and gentle sucking felt divine. Liquid heat flooded her pussy. She put both of her hands on the back of his head, holding him to her, running her fingers through his thick, soft hair and scraping his scalp with her nails. She wiggled her hips on the couch, desperate to still the delicious ache mounting in her pussy.
Maybe she grew a little frantic, because he suddenly lifted his head and cursed softly. The next thing she knew, he’d gently grabbed both her forearms and shoved them behind her back. He held both her wrists with one large hand and met her gaze.
“Give them to me, Angel.”
She whimpered as she arched her back and thrust her breasts high into the air. She couldn’t believe offering herself to him in such a deliberate manner while he held her wrists could arouse her so greatly. It felt like her sizzling clit would ignite with just the lightest of caresses.
“Now hold still,” he ordered before he lowered his dark head, his eyes still intent on her face. She cried out when he began to suck on her right nipple—not gently like before, but with a firm, strong suction. Her muscles quivered as she restrained herself from wiggling her hips around on the couch to get stimulation on her tingling pussy and burning clit.