The Christmas Vow (Hallelujah Crossing)

Chapter 5

“ I heard you liked it up here.”

Rayla turned from the overlook to see Krissy Mae sashay her ass out of the surrounding forest and pause beside her.

“Who’d you hear that from? And you look beat.”

“Santa wasn’t in a good mood today.”

Running over the schedule she frowned. “I thought Janson was a laidback guy.”

“He is but we had your Santa I Need to Fuck there and he wasn’t happy with anyone. Surprised he didn’t get all the kids scared away.”

“I thought he was Santa I’d Love to Fuck? Now you need to?”

She paused beside her, her skin with a healthy, gorgeous glow to it.

Bitch.

“I’d love to, you need to.” Krissy Mae adjusted the tie on her cutoff shirt, exposing more of her toned stomach. “I came up to invite you to dinner. You know, you did breakfast the other morning.”

“That was this morning.”

“Seriously? Shit. I thought I had done more days of work than only one. You need to take one for the team and get his jollies off for him or he’s going to singlehandedly ruin Christmas.”

“No pressure or anything.”

Krissy Mae dropped an arm over her shoulders. “You’ll see, listen to me, I know what you need. Now come on, I have to walk my ass back down this damn mountain.”

“So do I, you know.”

“But you didn’t just run your ass off.”

Rayla rolled her eyes as she slipped an arm around her friend’s tiny waist. “Come on you old, decrepit woman. Let’s get you to your padded automated chair.”

Krissy Mae’s laugh made her smile. Together, they traversed the mountain trail back down to the village. Conversation between them was easy and light. A heavy dose of teasing but all in all fun. When they reached the streets of the village, Krissy Mae stopped.

“I have to get some things from the store for dinner. One hour should be good and it will be ready.”

“Fine, I have to head to the warehouse and get my outfit so I can wash it. I’ll see you soon.”

Krissy Mae walked off with a wave and a bounce in her step.

“Hey grandma!” she hollered after her.

Krissy Mae walked backwards with a very un-family friendly hand gesture. “What?”

“Grocery store is the other way. You’re heading where we both know twins are staying.”

“Didn’t say what I was shopping for!” An eyebrow waggle and she whipped back around.

Rayla chuckled all the way to the large warehouse and slipped in the employee side door.

Even back here, she could hear the loud raucous sounds from the overexcited children who wanted to see Santa. Wrap presents. Take photos and more.

Glad it’s my day off.

Her phone buzzed and she dug it from her back pocket of her shorts as she pushed into the back room, shutting the door and muting some of the noise. Nose scrunching when she didn’t recognize the number, she hesitated on the chance it was one of her family.

Then again, it may be Grant.

“Hello?” Phone to her ear, she made her way over to where her cubby was along the far wall.

Nothing. She pulled it away and glanced at the screen, needing to ensure the call was still connected. It was.

“Hello?” Repeating her question, she touched the outfit she was going to wear and pulled it from the cubby. A piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

“Is anyone there?”

“Rayla?”

“Grant?” She crouched to pick up the sheet and stood, crumpling it in her hand. “Oh my god! I’ve been so worried about you. Where are you? How are you? Why the fuck haven’t you shown up yet?”

“I’m coming, Rayla. I’m sorry I’m so late in getting there.” His words were rough and broken.

“You asked me to meet you here, Grant, not the other way around.”

Sounds she couldn’t decipher were in the background.

“I’ll be there before you leave. I ran into a bit of trouble heading back.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble? Do you need me to come to you?”

“No, stay there. You’re safer in Hallelujah Crossing.”

From what? “Where are you?”

“Have to go. I’ll see you soon, promise. And Rayla?”

Her heart flopped. “Yeah Grant?”

“Thanks for always being there for me.”

Tears burned her eyes as the call faded into obscurity. She licked her lips as she slipped the phone back into her pocket, no need to see if he was still there. She knew he wasn’t.

“Be safe, Grant. Wherever you are. I need you safe so when I see you next, I can kick your ass for making so worried.”

“What does one have to do in order to get you to be so worried about them?”

Dark decadence flowed over her at the low, husky voice who owned her nights. And any spare time she had to think, really.

Turning to look at him over her shoulder, she shifted slightly to tighten her thighs.

“Not be a stalker is a good start.”

His grin had to be under panty-melting in the dictionary because he just did, and hers had.

“Looks like I’m ahead of the game.”

Safer ground. Find safer ground. Problem was, with this man, nothing was safe. And she honestly didn’t want to be.

But I will.

“I hear you were a cranky Santa today.”

“You weren’t there.” A casual shrug followed his statement.

She glared at him doing her best to convince herself she wasn’t lusting after him. “That’s no reason to be an asshole.”

“Are you sure? My Mrs. Claus wasn’t there, surely I’m allowed to be upset at that.”

“You’re married?” She’d kissed and lusted over a married man?

His chuckle demolished the tiny bit left of her insignificant panties. Even her toes curled at the sound and her body perked right up.

Including her nipples which weren’t being very good about hiding.

The skim of his knuckles was nearly faint enough she didn’t feel it. Nearly. As it was, it set off tendrils of lust and want through her entire body.

“Told you. I am marrying you, baby.” He threaded his fingers in her hair, not even flinching at the sweat there from her hike out in the heat. “You. As long as I’m Santa, you’re my Mrs. Claus.”

“Presumptuous.”

Ryker blinked and gave a one shouldered shrug, obviously not the least bit repentant. “I say confident.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you would. Still shouldn’t be mean to others.”

“Then don’t stand your husband up.”

Rayla both loved and hated how that statement made her feel.

He tugged her closer to him, settling her between his powerful thighs and against the oh-so hard, broad chest. His touch skimmed along her shoulders and down until his hands settled upon her back. Large palms keeping them pressed together and it irritated her at how much she enjoyed being so close to him. Touching him.

Being touched.

“Who earns such concern from you, baby?”

“One of the few I call friend.” She closed her eyes and simply allowed herself to feel. To accept this man’s strength. Fleeting though it may be, right now, with her defenses so weak, she didn’t question the wisdom of doing this. Merely accepted what he offered.

Smooth strokes worked up and down her back, pushing her closer to where her body said she needed to be. The relaxed part of her body, the rest of her was clamoring to get closer.

And naked.

With the man holding her.

“She okay?” A thread of concern filtered through the simple yet caring question.

“He.”

The singular word fell without thought.

Ryker stiffened, all motions stopping.

Dredging up enough energy to move, Rayla drew back and glanced at him. Thunderheads brewed in his blue eyes, making them far darker than they usually were. A tic in his cheek combined with the tilting of his dark eyebrows had her frowning.

“What? You don’t think a woman like me can have a friend?”

“I think I hate you mentioning anything about another man. Especially when you’re in my arms.” His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. “Kidnapping is becoming a high possibility on my list, baby.”

A nervous bark of laughter escaped her. “Somehow I don’t know if you’re entirely joking or not.”

“Who is he to you?” One large hand gripped the back of her neck, holding her immobile to him. Almost as if he knew she had been planning on stepping back. “Has he touched you?”

There was no denying the dangerous and proprietary tone to his last question. Swallowing, she shifted against him, and he merely tightened his grip.

He ran his nose along her cheek before brushing it against hers. Then he stared in her eyes, his still hard and unforgiving.

“Has. He. Touched. You?”

Rayla settled her palms against his chest and pushed. This was to much. To intense. To everything!

He backed her against the door and claimed her mouth in a punishing kiss, that still curled her toes inside her shoes. Moaning, she curved her fingers into his shirt, anchoring them closer together and gave in to him.

Ryker wasn’t happy. At the same time, he was fucking ecstatic as he had his tongue back in Rayla’s mouth, her taste sliding over his tastebuds.

More.

That’s what his body chanted.

Begged.

Demanded .

Skimming his hands down her lush curves, he grasped her hips and flexed his stiff cock into her softness. Her moan was going to be the death of him.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew he should stop. That such a choice would be the intelligent thing to do. They were at work. In the back room. Someone could come in and try the door at any minute.

None of that mattered. All he could focus on right then was how incredible she felt in his arms. Soft where he was hard. Her tongue stroked and danced along his, her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt and he longed for those nails to dig into his flesh. Mark him.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he bent close and nipped at her throat, needing his mark on her. So everyone knew who she belonged to. Especially that fucking bartender.

“Baby. I want to fuck you. I want your pussy choking my cock as you come all over it.”

She shuddered beneath his touch and he didn’t relent. Continued with his all-out tactile assault on her senses. His fingers delved beneath her shirt and pushed up, allowing his hands to trail along her sides as he learned her curves.

“Ryker.”

God, hearing her moan his name like that, was enough of a gift he wouldn’t ask for much more. Hearing her scream it would be the only thing better. He kept his cock pressed against her and palmed her breasts, squeezing for a moment before he muttered to himself and shoved her bra up, freeing them for his touch.

Circling her nipples with his thumbs he grinned wickedly against her throat as she moaned and whimpered, shifting.

“You like that?” He grazed along her carotid. “Yeah, you do. Could you come like this? With me playing with these nipples?”

Her hips rocked into him and he said a prayer, or three, that he wouldn’t lose it in his pants like a youth experiencing his first girl.

“I think you can.” He plucked and pinched as he slowly moved with her own rocking hips, dragging his length along her core.

Rayla dug her nails into his chest and he growled in pure satisfaction. Yeah, that’s what he wanted.

Cupping one breast, he bit her lower lip before he dipped his head and sucked the taut nipple into his mouth, shirt and all.

“Shit,” she moaned. One hand moved from his chest and sank into his hair, gripping the strands even as she pressed him tighter to her.

He flicked his tongue over the bud, circling it before drawing it back in his mouth for another round of sucking and laving. Ryker pinched her other nipple as he moved his free hand down over her belly and past her waistband.

Dragging a knuckle over the front of her panties, he sucked harder at the wetness he found, then he rubbed. Using his finger, he moved up and down her slit, pushing his knuckle in a bit but leaving her clit alone.

He pulled pack just enough to see he’d soaked her shirt. Her lower lip was shiny and a bit swollen from his earlier kisses. Jumping up there quick he planted another on her, unable to help himself from indulging.

“Are you protected?” The words fell from his lips to hers on a guttural growl.

He saw her trying to make sense of his statement. “What?” A pant was the best he could label it as.

Ryker fumbled with the fasteners of the pants he wore, groaning in ecstasy when his hand freed his hard cock.

“Are. You. Protected?” He nuzzled his nose along her face before claiming her mouth one more time. The kiss was short, powerful and possessive. “I’m not pulling out once I’m in you and I want to fuck you bare, but if you’re not protected, tell me now. Otherwise I’m doing my fucking damnedest to get you pregnant with my baby.”

She trembled in his arms and he inhaled, deep, taking in her intoxicating scent. He’d never found a woman who enticed him so with a smell.

“I’m not going to lie to you baby. That’s my end goal here. You housing our child in this belly. Letting me take care of you like you deserve.” He thrust against her once more. “So I need you to tell me if you’re protected.”

“I am.”

Equal parts happy and furious, he took it and ran. He shoved her shorts down over full hips, reluctantly releasing her body from his hands so he could take them off her. Crouching before her, he placed a kiss on her light blue covered pussy, the material damp.

She squirmed and he smacked her there. “No pulling away.”

Her whimper wasn’t contained and he lifted one foot free of the shorts gathered at her ankles. Then he skimmed his touch back up the outside of her legs, totally enjoying the feel of her satin skin beneath his fingertips and palms.

When he encountered the top of her panties, he curved his fingers in them and slowly drew down, exposing the secret he’d been desperate to uncover since he first laid eyes on her.

“Fucking beautiful.”

She wasn’t bare, her hair was clipped close and tight, allowing him to view the swollen lips and the presence of her arousal. Her scent floated to him and he swallowed another groan. Without thought, he leaned forward and dragged his tongue right up the slit of her pussy.

Heady, earthy, spicy and addictive as all fucking hell. Her taste spread out over his tongue and he allowed her panties to slide down her legs on their own as he grabbed her hips, yanking her closer to his mouth.

“Shit!”

Her panted moan flamed his own desire and he opened his eyes to watch her as he ate her pussy. Wildness and an increasing need filled her gaze and he dug his fingers in harder. Circling her clit, he flicked it fast with his tongue, gauging her reactions. What added to her pleasure, what she preferred more?

His cock punched relentlessly against his jeans and couldn’t wait longer. Even though he would be happy to die with his face between her legs. One last draw on her clit and he pushed to his feet in a single motion, as he used his right hand to keep them touching, he undid his jeans with his left.

She tilted her head back to follow his movement, eyes hazy with desire and more than a bit unfocused.

“You’re good at that.”

He leaned closer, sharing her own taste with her. “You taste delicious and I’ve got far better skills than I gave right here, baby. I need inside you too fucking much to wait longer.” He fisted his cock, pumping slowly.

She didn’t take her gaze from his and he wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed or needed to lock on a point. He got it, he needed one.

Swiping the head of his cock between her lips, coating it with her moisture, he tapped it against her clit a few times, loving the gasp and shifting of hips when he did. Ryker bent at the knees and pushed in until he notched at her entrance.

She nibbled on her lower lip as her hands skated along his shoulders before tangling in the short hairs at his neck. The second her short square nails bit into his skin, he thrust deep, shoving to the hilt inside her.

Her scream rocked him. Ryker bit the inside of his cheek to keep from losing it so quickly. It took everything he had within him to control the urge to release immediately. In the back of his head a primal need began to pound starting off as a slow beat it grew louder with every second he remained buried inside her silken heat.

Rayla trembled as her nails dug deeper into his skin. Lifting his head, he gazed at her easily getting lost in her different colored eyes before dipping close and stealing a kiss. What should’ve been so hard became incredibly easy as he understood something a friend of his had said long time ago.

When you find that one person, the one who was created for you and you alone every moment you spend together strengthens that bond into you can no longer ignore the obvious. Whether it is sitting together on the couch, walking down the street, or being connected in the most intimate of ways you always know there will never be another for you other than this one person.

She licked her lips pulled back so there was a little bit of space between them mouths held his gaze and huffed. “I’m going to need you to fuck me, now .”