“Not exactly,” I chuckled. “It was just a perk.”
“A perk?” she laughed.
“Yep.” I winked and rocked my hips up. “So, I guess we better keep fucking like rabbits to make sure I earn the bonus.”
“This isn’t just our little bubble, is it?” she asked, her tone filled with wonder.
I shook my head and leaned in to take her lips in a passionate kiss before murmuring, “No. This is forever.”
“I have to say,” she said with a sly smile, “Santa has amazing taste in gifts. He couldn’t have picked a more perfect present for my Christmas than you.”
“You must have been good enough for the both of us because there’s no way I deserve you.”
“Well…” She tapped her lip with a finger, looking up as if deep in thought. Then she snapped her fingers and looked at me again. “You can be extra nice next year to make up for it!”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” I told her solemnly.
“Why not?”
After another kiss that left her breathless and in a daze of lust, I answered. “Because I plan to spend most of the year being very, very naughty.”
8
Bethenny
Icouldn’t remember the last time I had deliberately chosen something sexy to wear. I wanted to look amazing for Lincoln when we went to the New Year’s Eve party, though. As I dug through my closet, I figured I would need to buy a new dress since everything I owned had been picked with my role as mayor in mind. It was all prim and proper with high necklines that didn’t show as much as a hint of cleavage and hems that hit below my knees. I was starting to think that I would need to hunt through the local boutique when my fingers brushed against the silky back material of a little black dress I’d bought several years ago. I’d never worn it anywhere, but it would be perfect for tonight.
My lips curved into a satisfied smile as I hung the cocktail dress on the back of the closet door and pulled out a pair of lacy black panties and a matching bra to wear underneath. Then I grabbed a pair of black, thigh-high stockings.
I had the house all to myself since Lincoln went over to see the Mistletoes for a couple of hours. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but I had convinced him that he couldn’t leave his friend hanging again. Although Jake had been the one to invite him to Winter Falls for the holiday, this was the first time Lincoln had gone to see him since the roads had been cleared after the blizzard passed.
There were plenty of things I could be working on while he was busy with Jake, but falling for Lincoln had opened my eyes to how much being mayor had taken over my life. The time we spent in our little snowed-in bubble had been incredible, and I didn’t want to lose the connection we had built. So barring an emergency, today and tomorrow were all about Lincoln and me ringing in the New Year together. And I was determined to start it off with a bang…literally.
While I took a long bath, I fantasized about the kiss we would share at midnight—and what it would lead to when we came home after the party. I was still hot and bothered after I had climbed out of the warm water, toweled off, and did my hair and make up. Just as I was slipping my dress over my lingerie, I heard the front door open.
“Honey, I’m home,” Lincoln called with a chuckle.
I loved that he already considered my house and town his home even though it had only been a week since he’d shown up on my doorstep in the middle of the storm. “I’ll be out in a second.”
“Sorry I was gone longer than I planned.” His deep voice grew closer before fading away again as he padded into the closet next to the bathroom. “But you don’t have to worry about being late to the party. I just need to change and then I’ll be ready to go.”
“That is so not fair,” I complained as I tugged the hem of my dress into place before swinging the bathroom door open. “I just spent two hours getting ready for tonight, and it’s only going to take you five minutes, tops.”
“You could’ve pulled your hair into a ponytail and tossed on a pair of sweats, and you’d still outshine every woman there to—”
He stopped speaking mid-word as he walked out of the closet and saw me standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Flashing him a grin, I murmured, “I think I did at least a little better than sweats and a ponytail.”
“You did a fuck of a lot better,” he rasped, stalking toward me.
I took several steps back, until I bumped against the counter and he caged me in. Pressing my hands against his chest, my heart raced as I stared up at him. And the panties I’d just pulled on were already drenched. “I thought you said I didn’t need to worry about being late.”
“That was before I saw you.” His gaze heated as he dragged a finger along my plunging neckline, stroking the swell of my breast. “You had to have known the reaction you’d get from me, with you looking so fucking hot.”
“I was hoping.” I bit my bottom lip. “But I might have miscalculated because I figured you’d be ready to tear my dress from my body by the time the night was over.”
He winked at me as his hands slipped down to tug the silky black material up my thighs. Fisting my dress at my hips, he ground his hard length against my core with a groan. “Don’t worry, baby. That’s guaranteed to happen later…but it’s not going to stop me from taking you now.”
He lowered his head to kiss me, making my toes curl. Any concern I had about being late disappeared when his lips crashed against mine, and I pressed my body closer against his muscular form. Keeping hold of my dress with one hand, he cupped my ass. With the other, he flicked open the button of his pants before yanking down the zipper.