My Secret Santa Clayton (Silver Ridge Christmas)

22. Clay

TWENTY-TWO

Clay

I sat on the couch, book in hand, glancing down at Grace every now and then. She had dozed off with her head on my shoulder hours ago, and I hadn't moved since. The only sound in the room was the soft rustle of pages as I turned them, and the crackling fire in the hearth.

I read each line but took none of it in; my mind buzzed with the need to keep watch over her.

“Clay?” Her voice broke through my concentration. Grace stirred, lifting her head slightly. “What time is it?”

“Close to midnight,” I replied.

“What…” she blinked slowly, processing this. “Why didn’t you go to bed?”

I closed my book with a chuckle. “If you think I'm sleeping tonight, you're out of your mind.”

Grace frowned up at me, her brows knitting together. “Why?”

“Because I have to keep an eye on you. I swore I'd protect you...and that's what I intend to do.”

She sighed and shifted to face me fully. Her fingers trailed up my neck, gentle but firm, until she cradled my cheek in her hand. “I'd prefer you sleep.”

I shook my head, a half smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “I won't sleep until you're safe.”

“Bet I can make you sleep,” Grace said, a mischievous glint in her brown eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

Grace stood and stepped away from me, her movements fluid even in my oversized clothing. She smiled at me, that same playful look on her face as she pulled the sweater over her head. I tried to ignore how the sight of her in my t-shirt and sweatpants made my heart beat faster.

Like she was really mine.

“Interested?” she asked, tossing the sweater aside with an impish grin.

Fuck…yeah, I was very interested, and she knew that.

Grace turned on her heel and started toward the bedroom, each step deliberate. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of the sweatpants and slid them down her legs, stepping out of them with a grace that seemed innate to her every move. The fabric pooled at her feet, forgotten as she continued her path. I could see her ass peeking out underneath my t-shirt, no panties.

Jesus.

I watched her, my body tensing as she revealed herself bit by bit. My eyes followed the curve of her hips, the smooth expanse of her back, and I felt the steady thump of my heart against my ribcage. She reached behind her back, fingers deftly unclasping her bra and letting it fall away.

The air between us felt charged, alive with an energy I couldn't ignore. I remained motionless, rooted to the couch as she glanced over her shoulder. Her brown eyes locked onto mine, a playful challenge dancing within them, and then she winked.

What a tease.

A growl rumbled up from my throat as I placed the book on the coffee table. I had no illusions left.

Resisting her was never an option.

I stood, my muscles tensing in anticipation. The bedroom door was ajar, a sliver of light casting shadows on the floor. I could see her there, waiting. Grace stood naked, arms crossed over her chest, her smirk taunting me from across the room.

“Playing dirty, huh?” I said, my voice low and steady.

“Thought you'd appreciate that,” she replied, her tone teasing and confident.

“Appreciate doesn't begin to cover it.” I leaned against the doorframe, watching her. She didn't cover herself, didn't falter in that bold look she fixed me with.

I swallowed hard.

“Okay,” I conceded, “I’m starting to get it...but I don’t know what this has to do with me sleeping.”

Grace rolled her eyes at me and took a small step forward. “Well,” she said, the corner of her mouth lifting, “if you fuck me hard enough, you’ll be too tired to stay up all night.”

I stepped forward, close enough to feel the heat radiating from her skin but still not touching. My hand reached out, fingers brushing a strand of her short brown hair, coiling it around my finger. Her breath caught, and I could almost feel the beat of her heart in the tense silence between us.

“Or we could both stay up all night,” I rumbled.

I closed the gap, my hands finding the curves of her hips with certainty. She drew in a sharp breath as I leaned down, my lips tracing the line of her neck with feathery lightness. Her gasp filled the room, and for a moment, everything else fell away.

Grace's fingers curled into the hair at the nape of my neck, yanking me toward her. Her lips crashed against mine with a ferocity that stole my breath. Every inch of me sparked to life as I tasted the fierce need in her kiss.

“Clay...” she murmured against my mouth, her voice carrying all the years of longing we'd kept buried.

“Grace,” I said, breathless.

Her hands moved down my chest, fingers tracing every ridge and valley of muscle through my t-shirt, her touch setting my blood on fire. She pulled back just enough to work at my belt, her movements quick but precise.

“Got it,” she said, her gaze locked on mine. She was already taking out my hard cock, fingers curling around my shaft.

“Fuck…no matter how much I try to resist you,” I said, my voice rough with arousal, “you always find a way to pull me back in.”

Grace's smile turned wicked. Her eyes caught the dim light, shining with a fire of their own. I couldn't look away as she lowered herself to her knees, her hand still moving over me.

“You don’t have to…” I started.

“I want to,” she drawled. “Let me do this for you, Clay.”

I watched her, entranced, as she looked up at me, those deep brown eyes seemingly asking for consent. There was no need; this moment was what we both craved.

“Grace,” I managed to say, my voice strained with the effort to maintain control.

“Shh,” she whispered between strokes, “just enjoy.”

Then her mouth was on me, taking me deep, sucking tight.

Holy fuck .

My fingers found their way into the silk of her dark hair, gently holding her. The building pressure within me twisted, tightened.

With all the danger, all the angst, I’d almost forgotten how fucking dirty she could be. Her boldness made her adventurous. Needy.

“God, you're good at this,” I said, the words escaping in ragged breaths.

She hummed in response, sending vibrations through me that nearly broke my resolve. The tension grew, every muscle in my body stood on edge, waiting for release.

“Grace,” I groaned. That name scorched me, owned me.

She paused and lifted her gaze to mine, holding me captive without a word. She took me deep, her lips tight against me, every inch glistening. “Damn,” I breathed, staring down and locking eyes with her.

I held her there, my hands gripping her hair, the world narrowing down to the heat of her mouth on me. My hips jerked forward without my approval, a raw response I couldn't control. Her touch, her warmth, it was all too much. The need to bury myself inside her became an ache that hollowed out my gut.

I took her arms and pulled her off of my cock, the two of us stumbling closer to the bed as we tore at my remaining clothes. I couldn’t stop kissing her, not even as we fell to the bed, Grace beneath me.

I wanted to fuck her, I wanted it bad.

But I needed to do this first.

I parted her legs, big hands on her creamy thighs. I dipped my head down, tongue tracing the softness between her thighs. She tasted like sin and salvation, and I feasted on her.

“More,” Grace breathed, her voice coming from somewhere far above me.

“Patience,” I growled against her. “Just feel.”

Grace gasped, her back arching off the bed as my tongue found that sweet spot along her folds. Her hands clutched at the sheets, knuckles white.

“Right there,” she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

I hummed against her as I tasted her, the flavor of her arousal mingling with the winter scents of woodsmoke and snow.

“Clay,” she said. “Don't stop.”

I wasn’t planning on it. I wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, not when every part of me was attuned to her reactions—the way her body shivered, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the soft moans that filled the room.

I slid two fingers inside her, the rhythm set by her body's quaking. She moaned and threw her head back as I kept up the pressure with my tongue.

“Clay,” she whimpered, and her voice cut through me. “I need you to fuck me.”

Her plea sent a jolt straight to my core, and I rocked my hips against the bed seeking some relief. I wanted to drive her over the edge with just my mouth and hands, but the urgency in her voice was too much.

I couldn't wait any longer.

I pulled my mouth away from her, my breaths heavy and ragged as I crawled up her body. I cradled her face in my hands and met her lips with mine, a demanding kiss that said everything words couldn't. My cock found her, pressing at the warmth between her thighs.

“Give it to me, Clay,” she breathed against my lips, her legs wrapping around my waist with an urgency that spurred me forward.

I entered her slowly, feeling her stretch to accommodate me. She clung to me, her nails biting into my skin as she let out a soft moan. I felt every twitch of her inner walls, every spasm, every groan.

“Grace,” I gasped. “Tell me what you need.”

“More,” she whispered, pulling me closer, her legs tightening their hold. “I need more of you.”

I kissed her, groaned into her mouth, the taste of her intoxicating. I moved inside her slow and steady, each inch a rediscovery of what I'd been missing for years.

“God,” she gasped when I almost pulled out completely before driving back into her warmth. “You feel so good...”

“Keep talking like that, and I won't last long,” I admitted, my movements deliberate as I watched her face soften, those defenses she wore like armor falling away with every thrust.

My heart hammered against my ribs, every beat syncing with the rhythm of our bodies. I continued to move inside her, each thrust punctuated by the slap of skin on skin, our gasps and moans harmonizing in the dim light of the room. I was getting faster, couldn’t help it. The sensation of her tightness nearly overwhelmed me; it felt like we were molded for each other—two halves of a whole reunited at last.

“Look at you,” I murmured, watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest as her eyes closed. “So perfect. So beautiful.”

“Clay,” she breathed out, her voice strained with the waves of sensation that I could see washing over her. “Don't stop.”

“Never,” I replied, holding her gaze with mine, making every word a vow as I filled her completely, again and again.

Grace's moans filled the room, her hands clenching the sheets tight. She braced herself against my every move. Her hips met mine with equal fervor, her eyes locked onto mine as she surrendered to the intensity between us.

She was coming…she was coming, and I wanted to make her come again, but I couldn’t last.

Not like this.

Not with her pussy clenching around my cock, with her eyes gazing into mine, with those red lips parted.

I couldn't look away from her, not even for a second. I watched every shift in her expression, each sign of pleasure that crossed her features. Then it happened—her body tensed, and she cried out.

The sight pushed me over the edge, and I followed her down.

The release hit me like a freight train, powerful and all-consuming. In that moment, I knew—she was everything to me, always had been, always would be. Protecting Grace wasn't just instinct; it was my purpose. As I gave her everything I had, I knew this was what it felt like to come home.

I wouldn’t leave her again. Wouldn’t let a damn thing happen to her.

“Clay,” she whispered in the silence after.

I pushed myself up to kiss her, long and slow, my heart still racing in my chest. We rolled to our sides together, and I gently pulled out of her. Her eyes met mine, full of that same fierce intensity I'd fallen for years ago.

And I said it, no pretense.

“I love you.”

Grace stared at me, searching my eyes for…something, I wasn’t sure. I’d thrown her off, though I didn’t know why.

“You don't mean that,” she said.

“Grace,” I replied, “I never stopped. Not for a second. Ever since I left you…I've loved you, remembered you, wanted you.”

Sadness clouded her brown eyes, all wrong for the moment. She didn’t love me. Fuck . It gnawed at me. I wanted to ask, to understand what lay behind that sorrow.

But she said, “I love you too, Clay,” and I knew she meant it.

Before I could ask her what was wrong—what the caveat was—she pressed her lips to mine. The kiss became our world. Her hands found their way to my face, pulling me deeper into her embrace. My body responded without thought, readying itself for another round as I lost myself in the feel of her against me.

We could talk tomorrow.

Right now, we were in love.