Hung By the Fire (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 22

twenty-two

BETHANY

I heard the front door open on a near silent whoosh. It was easy to tell Cole was trying to be as quiet as possible, considering it was probably after midnight. A rustling sounded through the house, likely him removing his coat, followed by two quiet thuds as his boots came off. The house was quiet, as expected, with the only illumination the glow of the lights over the mantle.

I’d come out here after putting Joy down for the night. Somewhere along the way, the fire had burned out and I must have fallen asleep.

The sound of shuffling socked feet came nearer, as Cole moved from the entry way through the living room to head for his room.

“Hey.”

He stopped short at my low, whispered word.

“Hey yourself. Why aren’t you in bed?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” Except I did. The more time I spent with Cole in that bed, the weirder it felt to be there alone. Sure, I got used to it when he was at work, but after two nights of being alone, it didn’t feel right anymore. I felt lonely. I couldn’t tell him that though. The very idea was likely to send him fleeing in the opposite direction. So I gave him the other truth. “It was so peaceful out here, with just the Christmas lights on and the fire burning, I decided to read for a while, then must have fallen asleep.” I pushed back my hair and smiled up at him. “What time is it?”

“Almost one. Cap sent me home early. Said he wanted me to be here when Joy woke up, even if it was a day late. It’s been a hellish few days and sleeping in my bed, with you next to me, sounds ideal right now.” He neared me and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

I reached out and grasped it, but didn’t move. Instead, I tugged, until he came down to his knees next to the couch.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t you open your present early.”

“Oh yeah? What present is that?” he dropped his voice to that sexy growl he knew got me going.

“Me, of course.”

I sat up, the blanket slipping down to my lap, revealing my not-safe-for-work Christmas nightshirt.

Cole threw back his head on a laugh, but I quickly shushed him. I had no intention of the littlest household member interrupting us right now.

“Santa’s snack, huh?” He drew his fingers around the glasses of milk that were strategically placed over my breasts, down around the words, to the plate of cookies near the bottom.

I winked his way. “My sister, Pilar, sent it to me.”

“Tell her this Santa couldn’t have a better a snack. I think I’m needing to indulge in some of those cookies. It’s been too long.”

I don’t know how three days away from him felt like three years, but it had. I didn’t know how I was going to handle leaving here. Returning to Edisonville was beginning to feel all wrong, but how could I stay when the future I wanted may never be mine?

Cole grabbed the edge of the blanket, tossing it off my legs and went to stand.

I halted his movement. “No, let’s stay here tonight.” The fire had burned out, but the heat kept the house plenty warm. “Under the lights. In front of the fireplace. Our own little Christmas wonderland.” I tried to keep what I was feeling out of my eyes, my voice, but I seriously doubted my ability.

I watched as a myriad of emotions played across his face. Hope and fear. Wonder and worry. Desire and heat. Then one I’d never seen before. I’d spent so much time watching him over the past few weeks, I had learned most of his looks, no matter how much he tried to hide them. I wanted to think this new one meant a future for us, but pinning my hopes on it was not something a smart woman would do.

Except, around Cole and Joy, sometimes I felt not so smart.

“Here is perfect. Stand first.”

I did as he asked. He grabbed the blanket I’d had wrapped around me and laid it out on the carpet. Tossing a pillow down, he turned back to me. Those emotions I thought I saw moments ago were banked now, the sexy, dirty man I’d come to know taking their place.

“You are so fucking pretty and perfect, whiskey girl. I’m still not sure what you’re doing here, with me, but I’m not questioning it anymore.”

I tried not to read into his words, truly I did. Tried not to think if he meant he was giving in to what was building between us or only the desire that flared to life all the time.

Not now. Don’t think about that now. Be with him.

His hands went to my waist, pulling the nightshirt up and over my head, before tossing it heedlessly behind him. Cupping my unfettered breasts, he leaned forward, running his lips over the bare skin.

“So soft,” he murmured, before using his fingers to pinch my nipples. “Except these beauties. They get hard when you think of me, don’t they, whiskey girl? Like my cock gets hard for you. You want my mouth here?” he spoke as he circled my areola, getting closer and closer to the hard points. “You want me to take them between my teeth and give a little tug? You like that, don’t you? A little pain with your pleasure and you’re drenched.”

I most certainly was now. He could get me wet with his words alone and this time was no exception. I rubbed my legs together, the movement giving me no relief. Only Cole could provide that.

He most certainly didn’t miss my movements.

Sliding both hands down my sides and into my panties, he grabbed my ass and pulled me closer to him. Close enough to feel the hard ridge of his cock against my belly. He squeezed, tightening his hold on me, while slipping one hand lower, cupping my pussy from the back.

“Yes, my whiskey girl is wet, like I knew you’d be.” He removed his hand and brought it to his mouth, my moisture glistening on his skin, before sucking it inside. “So damn good.” He stepped back while simultaneously pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it the way of my top. “I think you owe me something, don’t you, Bethany?”

My mind was a jumbled mess of nothing but sensations and need at the moment. If he thought I’d be able to remember something, he had another think coming. At this point, I’d be hard-pressed to remember my own name.

Sliding his belt out of the loops, he let that drop to the floor and walked the few feet to the tree. “I want you naked,” he said before flicking the tree lights on. Even with the added illumination, the room was still barely lit. He came up behind me, brushing my hair over my shoulder and licking a path from the nape of my neck to my ear. “I want to see you with nothing on but the lights dripping colors on your skin. Like some sort of canvas, one only I get to see.”

It took me less than a second to divest myself of said panties. When I turned to face him, he’d lowered the zipper on his work pants, pulling them and his boxer briefs down, before kicking them away.

I purred, the sound low and sultry even to my own ears. “The stockings aren’t the only thing hung tonight.”

“You got that right,” Cole laughed as he made his way to the ground, yanking his socks off, before laying on his back.

“Come on, whiskey girl, you promised to sit on my face, didn’t you? Like the nasty girl you are. That’s the snack this Santa wants. All the cookies I could ever want to eat,” his mouth kicked up in a grin even as his voice lowered with every word. He pointed to his mouth with one hand. “Bring that sweet pussy right here,” he purred and gripped his cock with his other, “and you can have this.”

I wanted to fall on him, wanted to do everything he said, but a bout of shyness started to creep in. I may have spoken a good game when I let out this little fantasy, but I’d never actually done it.

Not to mention, it wasn’t like I was stick figure thin.

“Um, I?—”

“Nope, don’t you dare. I see that face. I will not listen to anything you have to say. If you don’t want to hear me complain about how crappy I am with Joy, I don’t want to hear you say you’re too much.” He licked his lips, moving one hand to my ankle. “Settle that delectable pussy on my mouth so I can give you everything you want.”

It wasn’t everything I wanted because it wasn’t forever. But it was what he was willing to give at the moment. In this moment, I could convince myself it was enough.

Moving, so I stood above him straddling his shoulders, I slowly lowered myself.

“You know, this feels a lot more awkward doing then when I read it in books.”

He slapped my ass and I jolted, not from fear or anger though. This man had me turned so many ways I didn’t know what was going on anymore.

“Get on my face.”

He grasped my hips and with a final tug, I found myself covering his mouth, his tongue already finding its way around my opening.

“Oh God,” I groaned, rocking back and forth on his face. Even lost in a haze of bliss and sensation, I watched his dick bobbing in front of me, waiting for its turn. Levering myself forward, I propped myself on one hand as I took him in the other, guiding him to my mouth.

“Fuck yeah, whiskey girl. Suck on me. You know how good it feels to be in your mouth?” He put his hands between my legs, pulling my folds back, giving his mouth and tongue even more access. “I think you enjoy it too.” A lick up one lip. “You’re getting wetter and wetter.” Now a lick on the other. “Tell me.”

“I love it. Love having you in my mouth.” I stroked down his shaft, my mouth following. Down and back, down and back, tonguing the head with each pass. “So hot and hard.”

“I can tell. Your cream is all over my mouth, my face. Move those hips, I want you to get yourself off on me.”

My body reacted instinctively, rocking back and forth, using everything he gave me to chase my pleasure. One of his arms wound around my waist, allowing me movement, but keeping me pressed to him. The other curled, caressing me along my torso, until it cupped my breasts.

Every sensation, from the feel of Cole’s hands and mouth to his cock in my mouth, had my senses whirling. I felt too much, like every nerve ending in my skin was turned up to one hundred and connected to an electrical source. Heat ricocheted through my body. I had no control. My body moved in perfect rhythm to get what it wanted. My brain shut off all thought except feeling lost in the sensation of what Cole was doing to me.

“Come for me, whiskey girl.”

He caught my clit between his teeth and with a final tug I threw my head back. “Cole,” escaped on a low moan, just before I bit down on my lip as I came. I rocked over him, chasing every last bit of pleasure I could find. Every last bit he was giving me.

As if I was a marionette and all the strings attached to my body were cut at once, I slumped forward, barely catching myself before I face-planted right onto his cock. Not that I was opposed to having him in my mouth again, but I needed a second to regain my breath.

A second I apparently was not going to have, as Cole flipped me onto my back and moved between my legs before I could even blink. He raised himself on his hands above me, watching me. He leaned forward, grabbing his wallet from his pants and pulling out a condom. Within seconds he was poised above me again. For all the time I’d spent studying him lately, this was the first where I had no clue what I was seeing. Even that first night I had an idea, but now he was like a closed book.

Or an open one, maybe for the first time.

Shoving the thought away, before it gave me hope where maybe none should exist, I put my hands around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

“Bethany,” my name almost sounding like a prayer or a wish on his lips.

“Make love to me.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them. Before I could do something, anything, to protect my heart. Behind those words was love, and no matter how much I hoped and prayed and wished, having Cole say those words back was something that may never happen.

“I shou?—”

“Shhhh.” He stared into my eyes, the gold in his so bright it was like looking into the sun. Something flickered through them, and while I wanted to think it mimicked my own feelings, I tamped down the thought.

Cole dropped his head to my neck, his words muffled but I could have sworn I heard, “Let me love you tonight,” but that couldn’t be right, could it? Was it my own brain playing tricks on me? Hearing something I so desperately wanted, enough to imagine it?

“Cole?” I heard the question in my voice, but I had no clear idea what I was asking. What did you say? Did you mean it? What’s going to happen with us? The possible answer to any of them terrified me.

“No.” He lifted his head again, our gazes ensnaring one another. “No words tonight. Not now.”

I felt a tear slide from my eye, but I nodded. I didn’t need words to let him know how I felt. I was sure he could tell by my touch, by my kiss. I’d give him everything I had right now, knowing it may well come back to bite me in my ass later.

“No words.”

He pushed into me, our breaths coming out in a huff and mingling. With one hand, he pulled mine from behind his neck, entwining our fingers by the sides of my head. He stroked in and out, our gazes locked on each other. I could barely take another breath, I was so wrapped up in the moment.

His strokes were slow and languid, as if he had all the time in the world. My body didn’t share the same opinion, however. I was dying, every thrust, every withdrawal, setting fire to my insides. I curled my legs over his ass, hoping to spur him on, but it did nothing except earn me a grin that would have disintegrated my panties had I been wearing any.

Cole leaned forward, his mouth brushing mine. Once. Twice. Three times. Until he finally took full possession, his taste a mix of himself and me. I let my tongue tangle with his. I reveled in it. Reveled in the feeling of being cared for, in being cherished. It was in everything he did, not only right now.

The tear from before finally broke free, as he lifted his mouth from mine. With a gentle kiss to the cascading liquid, he gripped my hands tighter, his movements losing their patience. My body met him, thrust for thrust, the need building in both of us until it was unstoppable. Insurmountable.

Letting go of my hand, he reached between our bodies, his thumb finding the source of my pleasure. With every circle around my clit, my breathing grew choppier, until panting was all I heard. Sensation was all I knew.

When he pushed down, I arched back, a scream about to leave my throat. Cole crashed his mouth to mine, taking my voice and my breath and my heart. Like he didn’t already have that.

Breaking our kiss, he reared back, his gaze pinning me as strongly as his body. My body started to quake, mini-orgasms wracking me as I waited on a precipice I would gladly go over. So many emotions flickered in his eyes, and I wanted to know each one, know every one of his thoughts. I had to hope he’d give them all to me at some point. On a strangled groan he lowered his chest, bringing our mouths a whisper away from each other, not touching but sharing the same sultry air, and pushed himself into me a final time. My body ignited once more as he poured himself into me with a groan of satisfaction I’d remember for the rest of my life.

For seconds, or minutes, or hours, we fought to regain our breath.

Cole pulled out, leaning over to grab a tissue off the side table and wrapped the condom in it. He curled his arm around me, pulling me close until my head rested on his chest.

“Merry Christmas, whiskey girl,” he whispered into the still room.

“Merry Christmas, Cole.”

While my breath may have finally righted itself, I didn’t think my heart ever would.