Christmas Criminal

18. Nick

18

NICK

Thursday, December 19th

B y the time we get back to my house, our limbs are icicles. When I lock my front door behind me, I turn to Noelle, taking her jacket and hanging it in the closet with mine, and then I wrap her up tight in my arms, running my hands along her skin to warm them up even though I can barely feel my own.

"Wine?" I ask, as we continue into the kitchen.

"Yes, please."

I pour us each a glass and we continue into the living room, where I get a fire started and we sit in front of it, each of us attempting to warm the other's skin because it's not as fun to rub yourself warm. I tug her between my legs, my hands running along her outer thighs and her upper arms.

She has her hands on my knees, squeezing and rubbing her way along my shins in a way that she doesn't intend to be sexual, but it's very much inspiring those thoughts. She's touching my shins and it's turning me on.

I leave a little kiss on her neck, brushing her hair out of my way so it doesn't get stuck in my stubble.

"Mm," she says, leaning into the kiss. "If this is what I get for going to the tree lighting, maybe it's worth it."

I snort, wrapping my arms tighter around her. "Please. You loved that tree lighting. You were staring up at it literally like a kid on Christmas."

She elbows me. "I was not!"

I laugh as I sigh into her neck. "Noelle, you were watching the tree lighting, but I was watching you. And I know what I saw."

Her head shakes, and I can only imagine she's rolling her eyes. "You think you saw me enjoying it. But it was really a strategic attempt to remove myself from the Christmas that has been thrust upon me. Sometimes you have to embrace your challenges in order to overcome them."

I kiss her neck again. "You're my little Christmas elf. My small little spitfire."

She nestles in closer to me and speaks in a mocking tone. "Well, if you're going to see what you want to see..."

I tug her closer and leave a triad of kisses along her shoulder.

She's quiet for a moment, tucked into my shoulder. "Hey, what's that?" she asks.

I lift my head to follow her gaze and realize it's hooked on the gift underneath the tree. "It's a present. Sometimes people do that, on Christmas. Give each other cute little things."

She twists to look at me. "Who's it for?"

"You, Criminal."

"You got me a present?"

"Well, yeah. You keep letting me play with your vagina, so I figured it was only right."

She snorts, elbowing me. "What is it?"

"You'll have to wait until Christmas to see."

She turns to face me fully, her eyebrows raised. "Are you coming to Christmas with my family?"

I gauge her expression carefully. Her mom's invite was incredibly thoughtful, but I don't want to impose on another family's Christmas.

It would be one thing if we were an established couple. If I didn't think she was going to run right back to Philadelphia once the season is over.

She's here now, and I'm loving every moment, but I'm under no false pretense that she's going to want to give up her flashy life to live in a town she hates.

"If you want me to, I'll go."

Her eyes narrow. "You sound uncertain."

" You sound uncertain."

She swallows, licking her lips. "I want you to come."

Lord help me, my chest swells. "Yeah?"

"I think that would be really nice."

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. "Okay, I'll come for Christmas."

She giggles. "Just know there will likely be at least three fights and Christina is going to cry."

I only shrug. "Sounds like a fun time. Let me know what I can bring."

She nods, her smile widening.

I reach out and pinch her cheek, causing her nose to crinkle. "Look who's excited for Christmas."

"I'm not excited," she insists, even with that grin plastered to her face.

"Okay," I say, bundling her up in my arms and kissing her.

"I'm not!"

"Mm-hmm." I cup her jaw with one hand and tug her ass closer to me with the other.

"Nick!"

"I love it when you scream my name."

I lick at the seam of her lips and she opens to me, a breathy moan escaping her as I pull her closer. Her hands wind up into my hair, holding my lips against hers as she presses her body against mine. She throws her legs over mine so they wrap around my waist and pulls herself close to me. My hands dip to her ass, pulling her right up against me.

A minute ago, we were both freezing, desperate for warmth, but now the heat is overtaking us.

Noelle's hips push against me, the slightest pressure against my dick as we kiss.

Now that my hands are warm, I dip them underneath her sweater, along the skin of her back. I peel it up over her head and drop it to the ground next to us, anxious to feel her skin on mine. When she does the same to me, pressing her stomach against mine, my nerves light on fire.

This girl is something special .

I tug on her hips as they rock into me, and reach up to unclasp her bra. It falls between us and I waste no time taking one perfect pink nipple into my mouth. She moans, her body bowing to me, and my dick throbs at the noise.

I grunt as I clamp one arm around her back and press us up from the ground with one hand on the coffee table. She lets out a surprised gasp as I take a few steps toward the couch and throw her on it, taking the opportunity to unclasp her jeans and shimmy them down her legs, pulling her underwear with them.

And her pointed nipples might as well be the lights on my very own personal Christmas tree.

I nudge her knees apart with mine, settling myself between her legs and kissing her deeply. She writhes against me, her hands dipping to my pants to undo my jeans and push them down over my hips. She tugs at the waistband of my underwear, freeing me and taking me in her hand.

I breathe in sharply as I feel every single one of her fingers tighten around me. I let my head dip into her neck, smelling that delicious chocolatey rose scent of hers as she pumps me. A strangled sound escapes my throat as my hands roam her body, thumbing her nipples and grabbing at her hips.

"I want you," she breathes into my ear.

I nod, fumbling for my jeans on the floor. "Condom," I mumble in explanation, as I search my pockets.

And come up empty. I blink as I sit up and search again. "Fuck."

"Do you have one upstairs?"

I shake my head. "I put my last three in my pocket. I swear," I say. I think back through the night. I did put them in my pockets, I'm sure of it.

But I also put my wallet in that pocket.

And if I had to take a wild guess, I'd bet those three condoms are somewhere on the ground in the town square.

I hang my head. "They must have fallen out of my pocket."

"Nick," she groans, throwing her arm over her face.

And god, her tits look downright edible right now. I take an indulgent moment to torture myself, my eyes scanning her body. The slickness between her thighs glints in the light of the Christmas tree.

"I'm sorry."

She sits up, and it's like my hand magnetically attaches to her breast, my thumb running over that pointed nipple.

She runs her hands over my chest, my abdomen. When she looks up at me, she bites her lip. "We could go without, if you want."

I raise my eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"I mean, I'm on birth control and I trust you. And I mean, once you're the subject of a fake STD rumor, it's not like you forego testing." She shakes her head. "But I get it if you don't want to. I mean really, it's fine. We haven't known each other that long, so I really won't be mad if you're not comfortable with that."

A sense of relief washes over me that my fuckup is not the end of our night.

I rest my hand on the back of her neck and draw her lips to mine.

"I trust you, Noelle," I say against her lips as her hands land on my upper arms and slowly travel up around my neck.

"You do?"

I nod as I lay her back down on the couch, my hand trailing along her stomach as my lips press against her neck. I kiss her, my tongue winding into her mouth as I position myself at her entrance and slowly sink into her.

A strangled sound escapes me once I'm seated deeply inside her that matches her breathy moan.

"Fuck, Noelle."

Her pussy flutters around me, and the small movements send a shiver through my body.

If I'm not careful, I'm going to blow way too early.

"God, you feel so good," she mutters, her hips rocking up into me.

I groan, resting my head in her neck and brushing my lips against her skin.

I move slowly, intentionally. Pump into her rhythmically while making sure I hit that little bundle of nerves.

But god, the way she clenches around me has my orgasm building rapidly.

And as I feel that tension coiling in my lower abdomen, I realize I have to re-examine my strategy.

I pull out of her before I can lose it, and leave a quick trail of kisses along her chest, sucking each nipple into my mouth as I run my thumb over her clit.

"Nick," she gasps in surprise.

"You feel too good," I murmur against her skin as I struggle to catch my breath.

She groans, but it quickly morphs into needy little pants as I press my fingers inside of her and take her clit into my mouth. I've learned what she likes. A little twirl of my tongue, the most delicate suction.

Her hips are jumping, begging for more in only a matter of seconds.

When I've regained control of myself, I leave a wet trail of kisses back up her body and an indulgent kiss on her lips all while keeping up the movement of my fingers inside of her. As her back arches up, her stomach meeting mine, I press my dick inside of her again, and she gasps in response.

"Yes, yes, yes," she mutters, as I keep my thumb on her clit, giving her the gentlest of swirls as her pussy clenches around me.

I fuck her harder, sensing her orgasm building, and her nails dig into my back in response.

"I can't wait to feel you come on me bare," I whisper into her ear, running for the finish line as fast as I can because at this point, I'm just praying I can hold out for her.

She feels too fucking good.

When she tenses underneath me, I feel a sense of victory. She moans, the sound so light and delicate for a girl who's getting railed this hard.

I continue until she melts, her body going soft underneath me.

And with a few more jerky thrusts, I come.

We lay there for a minute afterward, her fingers running through my hair as I catch my breath.

"That felt really good," she whispers.

"Too good," I agree, coming up to my elbows and leaving a kiss on her nose. "I really thought I wasn't going to be able to hold on for a second there."

She raises her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

I nod. "It was scary."

She laughs. "You were very innovative."

I shake my head. "Just desperate to not be the kind of guy who leaves his girl high and dry."

"I'm sure you would have made up for it," she says.

"I do repent for my sins on my knees."

When we finally stumble upstairs, I pull one of my I heart math T-shirts over her head and we tumble into bed together, her head on my chest. I pull her as close as I can, my nose tucked in between strands of her hair, and listen to her breathing as it slowly deepens. She clings to me even in her sleep, and something about the way she nestles deeper into my shoulder in her dreams has my chest swelling.

I never meant to, but somewhere over the past few weeks, I've fallen head over heels for my criminal.

And I can't help but dread the end of this holiday, when she's going to return to her apartment in the city and run her business like the smart, talented woman she is.

When she's not committing crimes, at least.

And I'm going to pine for the girl I only got to keep for a moment. The one who, in the quiet hours of the night, has me thinking, This is it. This is what I've been looking for.