Bought By Santa (Seasonal Obsessions #1)

Chapter 35

The Breeder

T wo days pass in a blur, and I barely move from the bed. My heart feels shattered, and every time I try to pick up the pieces, they slip through my fingers. The weight of grief, guilt, and Caspian’s words crush me— you’re making Nick weak. The last thing I ever wanted was to be a burden to him, to be the reason he falters.

Nick stays with me as much as he can, his presence both comforting and suffocating. Every time he’s near, the guilt gnaws at me harder. Caspian’s voice echoes in my mind, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m failing, that I’m dragging Nick down when he needs to be strong.

But finally, Nick’s had enough. He comes to me with that determined look in his eyes, the one that leaves no room for argument. “Get up, Carolina. You need to get dressed.”

There’s no room for refusal. I drag myself out of bed, my limbs heavy as I pull on clothes that feel foreign against my skin. The warmth of his hand is steadying as he leads me out of the apartment, down to the car.

We drive in silence, the tension thick between us. I know where we’re going before we arrive—Caspian’s estate. The place that now belongs to Nick, the place that holds so many memories, none of them good.

Nick’s voice breaks the quiet. “I spoke with Ruby and Jack. They don’t want the estate. They have no interest in it.” His eyes flicker to me as he continues, “But I need to know if you want to live here. We can make it our own. Wipe away the past, shape a new future.”

As soon as we step inside, my mental images of pools of blood and bodies are put to shame. The house is clean, too clean, and the overwhelming smell of bleach wraps around me, making my nostrils flare.

Despite the scent, the air is heavy with history, with the ghosts of everything that happened here. I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight of it, but I force myself to keep moving, to keep looking.

We walk through the rooms, and I take in every detail. The dark, oppressive decor, the outdated furniture, the way the walls seem to close in on me. But as I walk, I start to see it differently. I imagine brighter colors, open spaces, a place that could be filled with warmth instead of the cold shadows of the past.

By the time we finish the tour in the basement where Nick killed his dad, something shifts inside me. I turn to the man who owns my heart, my voice steady for the first time in days. “Let’s do it. Let’s make this place ours. We can erase the old memories and create new ones.”

Nick’s relief is palpable. He nods, and together, we start to talk about what we could do—tearing down walls, bringing in light, making it modern, making it ours. It’s the first time since everything happened that I feel a glimmer of hope, a spark of something better. Maybe, just maybe, we can take this place that was filled with so much pain and turn it into something new, something good.

“There’s something we have to do first,” I say, pulling on Nick’s hand when he turns to walk back upstairs.

“What’s that?” he asks, curiosity lilting his words. “If you want, we can destroy the basement, and—”

Shaking my head, I lick my lips. “No, that’s not what I want.” I tear on the buttons of my coat, throwing it to the side at the same time as I kick off my shoes. “I want to make it ours.”

He smirks knowingly. “It’s already ours, Hellcat,” he deadpans.

I roll my eyes and pull my sweater over my head before hooking my thumbs into my pants, slowly pushing them down my legs. “Well, if you don’t want to mark it with me, I’ll just do it alone.” I cup my heavy breasts, squeezing the flesh in my hands.

“Fuck no,” he growls. Within seconds, he’s on me, shoving me back against the wall. His lips claim mine in a hard kiss while he ruts against me. “All your orgasms are mine!”

I lick his tongue with mine, tugging at his hair as I deepen the kiss. I kiss him with an intensity that’s so hot I’m almost surprised the basement isn’t catching fire. “All yours,” I reply before biting down on his bottom lip. I don’t let go until the skin breaks, and he hisses when blood forms. “So stop holding back and give me some.”

Pulling back, he lets out a surprised chuckle. “Holding back?” he questions, his dark gaze trailing over my naked body. “I think you need a reminder of your place, Hellcat.”

I’m teetering on the edge of something reckless, something that screams danger in a way that sends shivers down my spine. The light of the basement reflects off the cold, intimidating walls, casting shadows that dance with our movements. I know what I want, need, even as my heart pounds against my ribcage.

“Do you need a reminder?” he asks, his voice a low growl tinged with a possessiveness that should frighten me, but instead ignites a fire deep inside me. It’s a call to the wild part of my soul, the part that yearns for this man.

Without hesitance, I drop to my knees before him, gazing up into those dark eyes that see right through me. “I think I do,” I purr.

My fingers work deftly, freeing him from the confines of his tailored pants. The air between us crackles with electricity as I wrap my lips around him, taking him deep.

“Fuck,” he curses, threading his fingers through my blonde hair, guiding me with an unyielding grip. His hips push forward gently at first, then with more insistence. I revel in the feeling of him, hard and pulsing, the salty taste of his skin on my tongue. This is where I belong, here at his feet, worshiping him in the most intimate way.

“You’re mine, Carolina,” Nick rasps, his voice laced with dirty promises as he watches me with intense eyes. “All mine. I’ll protect you, own you, in ways you can’t even imagine.”

A moan escapes me, vibrating around him, and I feel his body tense. There’s pleasure in submission, in knowing I hold his ecstasy in my mouth, but there’s also power here, in the way he surrenders to the sensation, in how he grows even harder.

“Good girl,” he praises, his tone dripping with a toxic love that wraps around me like a vise. “Take me deeper, show me how much you want this. Show me you understand what it means to be mine.”

His words are a spell, binding me to him, and I obey, pushing past my limits to accommodate him fully. I cup his balls, fondling them carefully while I let him fuck my mouth. The sounds he makes has my clit pulsating and my core clenching around nothing. I move one hand between my thighs and begin fingering myself.

“What did I just say?” he growls, and when I look up at him, his dark gaze is ablaze. “Your orgasms belong to me, Carolina. So get those fingers out of your cunt.”

“But I—”

“Now!”

With a huff, I do as he says, secretly loving the way he commands me.

“Look at me,” he commands, and I lift my gaze to meet his, lost in the depths of his desire. “You’re so fucking pretty like this,” he rasps.

I don’t try to answer since there’s no point. Instead, I dart my tongue around his shaft, loving his primal groans, and the way he shudders, especially when I add pressure to his nuts.

“God, yes,” he groans, his hand tightening in my hair, his body quivering on the brink. “You were made for this, for me.”

Suddenly, he pulls his cock from my mouth and grips my shoulders, pulling me up from the floor. Heat courses through my body, a flame stoked by Nick. The coldness of the basement wall presses against my skin as he turns me around, pressing me face-first against the unforgiving surface.

His breath is hot on my neck. “Spread your legs for me,” he growls, and I obey without hesitation, shifting my stance to grant him better access to my core.

He trails his fingers down my spine, igniting an insatiable need that pools deep in my belly. “Nick,” I gasp, feeling the head of his cock nudging at my entrance.

He doesn’t ease into me; instead, he claims me with a single, powerful thrust that has me biting back a scream. The raw intensity of it, the way our bodies crash together—it’s more than just sex. It’s possession and love, each movement writing our story on these cold, stone walls.

“Mine,” he pants, punctuating the word with another deep drive that robs me of thought. “You’re mine, Carolina. Every inch of you.”

The dominance in his voice sends a shiver down my spine, but it’s laced with an undercurrent of something deeper, something that tethers me to him in ways I can’t comprehend. His hands roam over my body, claiming every curve, every edge, as if he’s branding me as his own.

“Everything,” I breathe out, the word barely audible above the sound of our frantic coupling. My nails scrape against the wall, searching for purchase in a world spinning out of control. “I want to be your everything.”

“You already are.” His affirmation is a snarl, possessive and fiercely protective. “I’ll destroy anyone who tries to come between us. You hear me? Anyone.”

I nod, a simple gesture that seals my consent, my willingness to belong to this man who embodies danger and desire in equal measure. As he moves within me, I feel the edges of my being blur until there’s no Carolina, no Nicklas—just us, entwined and inseparable.

His lips tracing the shell of my ear. “Give yourself to me. Let me fill you up with my jizz. I want to watch it drip out of your cunt and onto the place my dad took his last breath.”

Well… shit. Wrong as it might be, I want that too.

“Nick, please… fuck me harder!” The plea escapes me as I teeter on the brink, desperate for release. I’m lost in the sensation of him, the unyielding strength and the tender care with which he handles me.

“Come for me,” he commands, his voice rough with his own need. “Let me feel you clench around me.”

And I do. I shatter, waves of pleasure crashing over me, washing away all doubt, all fear. I’m his, wholly and completely—and he’s mine. Nick follows me over the edge, his release hot and potent inside me.

Rather than giving me time to recover, he roughly pulls me over to the spot where Caspian died. “Squat down,” he orders, and I do. We both watch between my legs as juices leak out of my pussy and onto the cold floor. “That’s so fucking hot,” he rasps.

“This place is ours now,” I say, a wicked grin splitting my lips as I reach down, smearing the liquid over the floor.

Nick takes my hand and pulls me flush against him. “I love you so fucking much,” he growls against my lips.

“Forevermore,” I vow. “I’ll love you forevermore, Nicklas Knight.”