Mountain Man Santa (Naughty and Spice)

Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

STACEY

A s soon as the words leave his lips, Jerry grimaces regretfully, resting his head on my chest and breathing hard. Yet, his arms wrap tighter around me as minutes pass in silence.

Finally, he says regretfully, “I know you’re not supposed to say that in the middle of having sex and all. Sorry about that.”

Palming his cheeks, I make him look at me. His face is serious, verging on downright miserable, and his mouth turns down at the edges. I still straddle him, his cock buried inside me, making the moment strangely intimate and awkward at the same time.

“You can be such a big lug sometimes.”

He looks down again, nodding.

“But that’s also something I love about you, along with so many other things…” My hands remain on his bearded cheeks. But he refuses to tip his head up towards me this time.

Finally, he growls, “You know, a three-word answer would cut it, Shortie, not the long-winded reply you’re crafting to cushion the blow.”

“What blow?”

“You know.”

I can see the little boy in him, his face pensive and vulnerable. It’s not a side of my boss I typically notice, but none of this is. “What if I said ‘I love you,’ too?”

He hoists me off his lap to sit next to him. Shaking his head, he says, “I wouldn’t believe you.”

“Why not?” I ask, knitting my brows.

“Because you took too long to say it,” he grumbles, standing up to put his pants back on. “Forget I mentioned it.”

“Forget you mentioned it? How do I forget something like that?”

He shrugs. “I say a lot of stupid things, and you’ve always forgotten the rest of them. You’ll forget this, too.” He runs his hand through his short hair, inadvertently making his bedhead even sexier and more disheveled.

I worry my lower lip as my heart warms and expands, replaying his words in my head. But I’m also confused by his actions and the way he’s acting. “Did you say it by accident without really meaning it?” I ask, standing up and striding towards him, his hoodie falling almost to my knees.

“What kinda guy do you take me for? I would never do that.”

“But isn’t that the whole point of not saying it during sex? Because in the heat of the moment, you might feel things you don’t afterward?”

He shakes his head emphatically. “That’s definitely not what happened.”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I stare up into his face, “I love you, Jerry. Is that short and sweet enough for you?”

He shakes his head.

I sigh, “Alright, let me try again. I love how you make me feel and how intensely you live your life, doing everything with enthusiasm, whether it’s making food or pleasing the hell out of me. I love your gorgeous, huge body, and what a brute you are. I love your rough edges and masculine strength. I even love how grumpy you are all the time because it makes the moments where you go all soft and tender with me that much more amazing. And I love the fact that you worked your ass off to turn your life around, despite the odds, to become the generous, kind-hearted, decent, wonderful man I know and love today.”

Emotion fills his eyes, stealing the breath from my chest. He looks away quickly, trying to play it off. But I won’t let him.

Palming his cheeks and turning his face back towards mine, I say, “We don’t have to figure out what’s happening between us right now. Or what the future does and doesn’t hold. Instead, let’s agree to love each other for the next couple of days…without regrets or expectations. No strings attached, but nothing held back.”

“I’m not sure I can do that,” he says in a raw voice.

“Then, do your best, and so will I. Okay?”

He looks at me ambivalently, nodding his head, all of the toughness drained from his face.

Emotion brims beneath Jerry’s tough outer surface, and the mood feels heavy. To lighten it, I focus on his wonderfully muscular chest, twirling my fingertips lightly over his flesh and tracing his firm planes until he shivers at my touch.

“You want a naughty list, which means me being more vulnerable, trusting, and giving than I’ve been with anyone in my entire life. And I want to know what it feels like to actually be loved by a man rather than tolerated by a fool like Elliott. It’s a fair trade, don’t you think?”

His big hands come up, palming my cheeks, and he nods begrudgingly, resting his forehead on mine and breathing me in. “It may be a fair trade, but things are never gonna be the same between us.”

I nod. “I believe that happened back at your office tonight.”

“You have a point,” he says, letting his hands fall from my cheeks to my waist, caressing every inch of skin in between slowly and seductively. “Love comes with loyalty, Shortie. You think you can give me that?’

Palming his cheeks and staring into his face, I can see where hurt still lingers deep down inside of him. “I couldn’t be more different than your ex-girlfriend. If anything, I’m loyal to a fault, and once I make up my mind, nothing can change it. Not my dad. Not my brothers. Not your past. Nobody and nothing.”

His hands grip my waist, pulling me against his erect cock. This guy’s tireless when it comes to sexy matters, and it takes my breath away. “If you’re gonna love me, it’s gotta be every part of me…even the gross stuff.”

“The gross stuff? You mean, worse than the smell of cooking sauerkraut?”

He laughs. “Not gross like smells or anything like that. I think you’ll find that I keep an impeccable house and have good hygiene. Nothing like that. I mean, a gross past.”

“Part of loving is trust, right?” I ask, gazing into his big, dark eyes. “You can trust me with your gross past, too.”

He nods hesitantly. “Trust. That’s not an easy one for me, Stace. All I can do is offer my best.”

“The same for me, Jerr.”

Letting my hips go, he raises a finger between us. “Hold that thought, then. We need to make this official.”

I watch curiously as he strides from the dimly lit living room into the large kitchen, flipping the switch and flooding it with bright light. Various casserole dishes filled with pierogis and sausages cool on the stove, along with a plate of homemade black rye bread, crock pots with the stinky stuff, and condiments like sour cream, mustard, and butter.

But he’s searching for something. He finally finds it on top of the refrigerator, striding back into the living room.

“Here,” he says, handing me a Sharpie. “You get one, and I get one. We’re gonna write what we want from each other in permanent marker. To seal the deal.”

My brows lift. “In permanent marker?”

He nods, grabbing my hand and leading me back to the couch. Taking a seat, he bids me to snuggle between his legs, ordering, “Take off the hoodie. I’m writing our naughty list on your back.”

“On my back?”

He nods. “You’re not gonna be running around naked with anybody but me for the next few days, right?”

I nod.

“I’ll make sure I write it low enough so nobody sees it above your collar line. You good with that?”

“Okay, but what am I writing on you?”

He shrugs. “Whatever you want from me, Stace.”

I swallow the thick lump his words form in my throat. Is he ready for that?

I pull off the hoodie, leaning forward a little so that he can write on my back while still keeping my ass pressed firmly against his rod. His big, hot palm rests on my shoulder blade as I hear him remove the pen cap, and I shudder at the feel of the cold ink on my bare skin.

Removing the cap from my pen, I pull the leg of his pajama pants up, revealing his thick, muscular calf. He’s got the perfect amount of hair to make him uber-sexy while still allowing me to write visible words.

As he writes, he reads the list to me, “Sensual kissing. Spanking. Oral. Balancing act. Permission. You on top. Doggy style. Quickie. Sixty-nine. Shower. Handcuffs. Blow job. Sexy strip. Go deep. Reverse cowgirl. Film it. Washing machine… Baby girl, what have I missed?”

I’m so absorbed in what I’m writing on his leg that I have to stop and think for a moment. “Mmm…sexy lingerie…although that’s definitely not happening with this storm raging. Sex toys?”

“Not happening, either. Do I look like the kinda guy who has a stash of vibrators or dildos lying around?” he asks grumpily, making me laugh.

“Oh, you don’t?” I laugh, leaning back into him.

“Be careful, Shortie. You’re gonna smear the ink.”

“Sexting.”

“Alright.”

“Dirty talk…”

“Yeah, I’d like to hear some of it cross your lips, too, baby.”

“I refuse stuff like sex outside or in an inappropriate place with this blizzard raging.”

“That’s a good one,” he says, writing it on my back.

“Wait, I said not to put that one.”

I feel him draw a line through the words he just wrote, and I wonder what my back will look like.

I can feel his hot breath on the shell of my ear as he leans closer, reminding me, “Stace, we already did that one in my office. Does it get any more inappropriate or fucking amazing?”

“You’re right,” I agree, shivering with pleasure as I relive the passionate memory. “Our first time couldn’t have been more perfect…or more taboo…”

“Hey, hold still. You’re making my handwriting illegible.” I feel him cross some more things off my back. “Sensual kissing. Spanking. Permission. Oral. Balancing act. You on top… We’ve been pretty damn busy so far, Stace. I’m quite impressed. Not that you’re off the hook in any of these areas. I want all of this again…multiple times.”

I chuckle, trying hard to hold still. “Alright then. Repeats allowed.”

“What are your thoughts on the ass, pretty girl?”

“Oh my gosh, Jerry, you really are dirty.”

“I already told you. There’s not a fucking thing on this planet I wouldn’t do to get you off and keep you coming back for more. Well, except share, but I’ve already made that abundantly clear, I hope. Nothing makes me happier than making you happy.”

“Then, I’m going to say ‘no’ to the ass. I mean, look how big you are. I can’t even imagine.” I feel his rod get even harder against me.

“We’ll leave that one alone for now. What else?”

My breath catches in my throat, and I swallow hard. “Make love.”

“Make love? Isn’t all of this making love?”

I shake my head. “No, it isn’t. And if you want something that I’ve never done, it would be that.”

“Seriously?”

I nod firmly. His giant palm strokes my back gently as he writes with his other hand. “Alright, it’s added to the list. Anything else?”

“No.”

“In that case, I reserve the right to add to this list anytime I want because this is barely scratching the surface. What’d you write on my leg?”

I shrug. “I was just doodling and playing around. You can look at it whenever you want.”

“In that case, I want you in front of the fire on my bear rug. I don’t know what you do to me, but I’m already nursing another painful hard-on.” He thrusts against my ass for emphasis. “I’m not sure what you mean by lovemaking, so let’s start there. I’m pretty damn certain it’ll be new to me, too.”