Yule Tied Up (Verona Falls University: Christmas Story)

5. Mackenzie

CHAPTER 5

Mackenzie

The bath is heaven, hot and full of scented bath oil and bubbles. Strains of music come from the living space. It feels like a dream being here with these men. I think of the people I’ve lost, and everything I’ve been through, and experience a pang of sadness. When the boys are all out, and it’s just me and Lucy, I sometimes hold her to me and let myself cry.

The tears don’t come tonight, though. I push the melancholy away and focus on the here and now. This is a special moment in time for us, and I’m determined to enjoy every minute of it. The way the men keep looking at me, as if they want to devour me, makes heat condense between my thighs.

Smiling, I dip further into the water and let my hand slide between my legs. I slip a finger between my pussy lips, gently caressing my clit, liking the way the silken water feels against my skin.

Crack!

I bolt up in the bath, the water sloshing everywhere.

What was that? My heart hammers against the inside of my ribs, adrenaline shooting through my veins.

“Guys?” I shout.

They don’t answer. Crap, they can’t hear me over the music.

I try again. “Dom!”

A moment later, he appears in the doorway, his brow furrowed with concern. “What is it?”

“I think I heard something outside,” I tell him. “A twig cracking or something.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just the fireplace? The wood is cracking and popping.”

I shake my head. “I’m sure. It came from outside.”

I use my arms to cover my naked body, though it’s mostly obscured by the bubbles. It’s not Domenic I’m hiding myself from, though.

“I’ll go check.” He glances at the tiny bathroom window. The blind is up, revealing the darkness beyond. We’re alone out here, or so we thought, so I didn’t pull it down. The window is placed high up in the wall, and the glass is thick and patterned, so not easy to see through. Still, Dom yanks the blind down before exiting the room.

I hug my knees to my chest and bite my lower lip. Should I get out? I don’t want to spoil things if I’m wrong.

He comes back a few minutes later, snow frosting his shoulders and sparkling in his hair. “There are prints by the window, animal, small. Looks like a dog, so maybe a fox?”

“Or a wolf?” I stare, wide-eyed at the blind, imaging a wolf out there.

“There aren’t wolves here, baby,” Dom says with a smile.

“Actually, there are.” Kirill pokes his head around the door. “But they won’t hurt us. They’re generally very wary of humans. Dinner will be ready in five minutes.”

“There are wolves?” I say. Then I smile. “That’s actually kind of cool.”

“Arroooo,” Dom howls, and his green eyes darken as he lowers his chin, fixing me in his gaze. “I’ll eat you up, Little Red.”

I like this playful side to him. “Let me get out of the bath first, and eat some real food, and then you can eat me.”

“Every, single, inch.”

He licks his lips, and I splash him with the water.

He leaves the bathroom, chuckling, and I climb out of the bath and wrap my body in a clean, fluffy towel. I catch myself glancing over at the blind, because even though it’s shut, and Dom has been outside and checked, I’ve still got this strange sense of someone being out there.

I head into the bedroom, where all the bags are, and dress in clean, comfy clothes. I take my hair down and run a brush through it, and then spritz a light spray of perfume over myself. I also add a touch of mascara and a coat of tinted lip balm because I want to look nice tonight. It might just be a meal in, but we’re all here, alone, and it feels as if the night might take a very sexy turn.

There’s nothing as heady as knowing three men are wanting you, waiting until the moment they can have you. It still gives me that tiny frisson of fear, and I love that. Love the tremor of anxiety I get that they might be too much. Go too hard. Too fast. Take me over, devour me, until there’s nothing left.

Yeah, I love the dark part of us, as much as I love the light.

I blow myself a kiss in the mirror and leave the bedroom. The fire is roaring now, and the whole cabin has gotten lovely and toasty.

Dom and Kirill have warmed the beef bourguignon I made in the crockpot before we left and dished it out. Candles burn in the center of the table, and sprigs of holly have been placed around them.

I pass from the living area into the kitchen.

“Stop right there,” Kirill suddenly exclaims.

I freeze. “What? What is it?” For some crazy reason, my thoughts go to the twig snapping outside.

He throws himself at me, so he’s standing directly in front of me. “Look up.”

I do, following his line of sight. A spring of mistletoe has been pinned to the beam above our heads.

“Aww.” I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself against his body. “Did you put that up there?”

He grabs my ass and yanks me closer. “Nope. That was down to the gods of mistletoe.”

I arch an eyebrow. “The gods of mistletoe? I had no idea there was such a thing.”

“There is now, and you can’t disobey them. Girls who disobey the gods get punished.”

I wriggle against him, feeling him growing hard, and stand on tiptoes so my lips brush his. “Maybe this girl wants to be punished.”

He growls and then kisses me hard. His tongue finds mine, and I grind against his erection, the food already forgotten.

Someone clears their throat behind us, and we break the kiss.

Tino is standing there, all dark hair and muscles and tattoos, and in his hands is a length of ribbon that he’s taken from the tree.

“What’s that for?” I ask.

He moves closer and pulls the ribbon tighter in his hands. “I have an idea for a game. We blindfold our duchess and each take turns kissing her under the mistletoe and see if she knows which of us it is.”

They call me Duchess after our rocky beginnings at Verona Falls University. Because of something terrible in my past, I had conducted myself a certain way—acting cold and aloof, when deep inside I was a hot mess. I hadn’t trusted anyone enough back then to share my secret, but the fates had seen fit to throw these men in my path. Eventually, we’d had no choice but to share everything.

I grin. “I’m going to know who is kissing me.”

He steps in behind me, so I’m now sandwiched between him and Kirill, and leans in close to speak against my ear. “Shh, don’t spoil the game.”

He loops the length of ribbon over my eyes. It’s a thick red satin and blocks my view immediately. A tremor of excitement goes through me. I wonder what else they might do with this ribbon.

The room goes silent around me. “Guys?” I’m nervous now.

“We’re just figuring out who gets to go first.” It’s Dom’s voice.

I draw a breath and clench and unclench my fingers at my sides. I could easily pull down the ribbon, if I wanted, but I also don’t want to spoil their game. I sense a figure stand in front of me and draw a breath.

The crazy idea that this isn’t one of my men and is the same person I imagined cracked a twig outside of the bathroom jumps into my head. But then they move closer, and Dom’s familiar woodsy scent washes over me. His hands cup my cheek and lace through my hair, and his mouth finds mine.

I relax, arching my body into his. I wind my arms around his neck and sink deeper into the kiss. Fuck, all these men can kiss, but when they’re putting this extra effort into it because of a little competition, it’s like being in heaven.