A Hot Holiday Collection

Chapter 3

3

DELIA

W ith the house all to myself, I’d made better progress on grading than I’d expected. So much so that I started to wonder if I should look into pushing my flight up a few days since I might even be done tomorrow if today was as productive as yesterday. After I’d gotten past the few papers that had a mishmash of AP and MLA writing styles, I hadn’t run into any more major issues, which sped up the grading process.

If my luck continued to hold, I’d be able to push through the rest of the papers in no time at all. It would be my own little Christmas miracle since I had expected to be bogged down in grading for several days.

Excited about the possibility of surprising my family by coming home earlier than planned, I’d hopped out of bed bright and early and had already made great headway on my list of students by eight o’clock.

My head jerked up when the doorbell rang, my eyes narrowing as I heaved a deep sigh. Since nobody else was home and I hadn’t ordered anything, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would be at the door. I grabbed my cell phone off the desktop to open the app for the door view cam to see who was there. I couldn’t see the person’s face because they were looking away from the camera, but there was no mistaking the red hat and coat with fluffy white trim. Santa was at the door, and I knew exactly who to blame—my sorority sisters.

“He must be why everyone was acting so strange,” I muttered, setting my phone down and pushing my chair back as he pressed the doorbell again.

I continued to grumble to myself as I stomped out of my room and made my way downstairs. Santa must’ve been in a rush because the bell peeled again as I reached the bottom of the stairs. “Hold your horses! I’m coming,” I yelled, flipping the locks so I could fling the door open.

I had assumed my sorority sisters had ordered me a singing telegram to cheer me up over being stuck on campus, but it only took me one look at Santa’s bare muscular chest to disabuse me of that notion. The costume the guy was wearing was too sexy for him to be anything but a stripper.

As my gaze drifted down the V leading toward the generous package tenting his red pants, my cheeks filled with heat. There were plenty of hot guys on campus, but I’d never reacted to any of them like this...with one exception. Danny Holland. I’d never talked to him, but something about Leland’s best friend caught my attention every time I saw him across campus.

If Danny had ever asked me out, I would’ve lifted my dating ban in a heartbeat. Then I would have pestered Leland to make sure his best friend actually showed up. But from what I’d learned about him, Danny didn’t date—a fact that had comforted me more than it should. I’d tried to subtly pump Leland for information, but he’d been strangely tight-lipped when it came to coughing up details about his best friend. All I really knew about Danny was that he was a straight-A student who wanted to attend Harvard Law School and worked out a ton. And that I was ridiculously attracted to him.

I’d thought my libido wouldn’t wake up for anyone else, but the stripper on my doorstep proved me wrong. My panties felt as though they were about to spontaneously combust, and butterflies swirled in my belly. It was only a few degrees above freezing this morning, but I barely resisted the urge to fan myself. With desire coursing through my veins, I was as hot as I would be at the beach.

The sexy Santa cleared his throat, and I finally tore my gaze away from his impressive bulge. When my eyes locked with his familiar green orbs, my lips parted on a gasp. It was almost as though I’d conjured Danny from my filthy fantasies, and my attraction to the stranger on my doorstep suddenly made sense. His dark hair and scruff were hidden by the hat and beard, but there was no mistaking his identity. “What’re you doing here?”

“Your sorority sisters ordered you a Sexy Santa.” He gestured down the length of his muscular body with a sweep of his hand. “So here I am.”

My head reared back in shock. “You’re a stripper?”

“Not usually, but I made an exception today.” His eyes narrowed, and the knuckles on his hand holding a red velvet bag turned white. “Why did you assume I’m a stripper? I could’ve been a dirty singing telegram or something like that. How often do your friends order strippers to the house?”

“This is the first time since I’ve lived here, but with how you’re dressed and a body like yours, what else was I supposed to guess?” My gaze darted toward the sorority house next door. A few of their members were still in town. No way in heck did I want any of them to see Danny dressed like this. There would be a freaking stampede across my lawn to get to him. I had no idea how it had happened, but the guy I’d crushed on for two years was my present from my sorority sisters, and I wasn’t going to share him with anyone else. I’d waited far too long to let this opportunity pass me by. I wasn’t going to let another girl steal him from me.

Stretching my arm out to wrap the soft material of his Santa coat in my fist, I jerked him toward me. “Get in here before someone sees you.”

“Do I look that bad?” He glanced down at his chest and flexed his pectorals. “I thought I did the costume justice.”

“Bad?” I echoed, shaking my head as I slammed the door shut behind us. “Not even close.”

He flashed me a cocky grin, his green eyes gleaming with confidence. “So, you like the way I look?”

“I always have,” I sighed as I greedily took in the way his muscular thighs filled out the red pants of his costume.

“Always?”

“Um.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to decide if I should tell him that I’d been crushing on him for two years. Would my confession scare him away? Or would he be flattered?

I was lost in my head when he yanked me forward, and I pressed my palms against his chest to steady myself so I didn’t trip over my own feet. I couldn’t think straight with my hands on his bare skin, so it took me longer than it should have to realize I’d missed whatever he’d just said. “Pardon me?”

Instead of repeating himself, he murmured, “Fuck waiting,” before lowering his head. Then his mouth crashed against mine, and I couldn’t have cared less about talking. All of my focus was on his kiss. My very first, and I was ecstatic to share it with Danny.

I savored the feel of his lips moving against mine. A thrill of excitement raced down my spine when the hand cradling the back of my skull tugged on my hair to tilt my head back so he could deepen the kiss. When he nipped my bottom lip, I gasped, and he took full advantage of my parted lips, his tongue sweeping inside to tangle with mine. I didn’t want to miss anything, but my eyes drifted shut as I lost myself to his kiss. I wasn’t sure how much time passed as we stood in the foyer, wrapped up in each other. It could’ve been a minute or an hour...either way, I wanted this kiss to go on forever.

His hard length pressed against my belly, and the dampness in my panties grew. With only one kiss, I was already drenched and needy. When he tore his mouth from mine, his chest heaving, a whimper of protest escaped my lips. His fingers dug into my hips as he lifted me off my feet. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

I wrapped my legs around his waist, too turned on to feel embarrassed when my core pressed against his rock-hard abs. He had to be able to feel how hot and wet I was for him, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to me was the progress Danny made up the stairs toward my room...and my twin-sized bed. My sexy Santa was the best gift I’d ever received, and I couldn’t wait to unwrap him and get to the really good stuff hiding under that costume.