Santa Baby: a Crescent Cove Romantic Comedy Collection Read online

  “Laurie?” I asked as soon as my twin answered, turning away so I didn’t have to see the melting expression that overtook Ally’s face.

  “She’s fine. Curled up with some rum and an episode of Empire.”

  “What?”

  Oliver laughed. “Make that rum raisin ice cream and an episode of some Care Bears crap on Disney. So easy to rile, brother.”

  “How was the party?”

  “Good. She was a hit. I collected numbers like it was my damn job. Now to sort through the prospects.”

  Christ, only my brother would use his three-year-old niece both as a way to ditch a party and as date bait. “Can you keep her tonight? I know it wasn’t part of the deal—”

  “Well, now, this is interesting. What happened to Ally?”

  I swallowed and tried to come up with something that wasn’t a lie. And also was absolutely not the truth. “Plans changed. Can you keep Laurie or not? I’ll be there early to get her.”

  “Of course I can. This Care Bear shit isn’t half bad, if you’re practically wasted.” Before I could question him, Oliver sighed. “I had two fingers of Scotch. Your child is perfectly safe.”

  “Thanks. I’ll owe you. Tell her I love her?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, Ally turned away, and if I wasn’t mistaken, lifted her fist to her mouth.

  “Will do. Whatever happened to your plans, hope it’s good. Don’t forget the condom this time, little brother.” Oliver clicked off before I could toss something back, probably rude as hell.

  Pocketing my phone, I dipped back my head. The relentless rain streaked down my face as I hauled in a breath that didn’t do a damn thing to ease the constriction in my lungs.

  Time to get this night moving. First, some insurance she wouldn’t run.

  “Ally,” I rasped, sure she could hear me, rain or no rain.

  She turned, studying me warily.

  “Your panties. Give them to me.”

  “What?” Her mouth rounded.

  I moved in closer and spoke against her hair, raising my voice just above the rain. “You want to be discreet. I do too. I also want to smell your pussy before we get in that hotel room. Take them off and give them to me.” I eased back enough so our eyes were level. “Nice and slow.”

  Even with the weight of what we were about to do between us, it was good to see I could still shock her. Enough that she seemed to move as if she was in a trance, casting a quick glance around to discover what I already had—the driving rain had sent the few tourists still wandering about scurrying into pubs and the ice cream shop, seeking shelter from the storm.

  Right fucking now, the storm was inside me, throbbing in my head, my dick, my chest. Everywhere she’d touched and the places she still hadn’t.

  But she would.

  She shifted closer to the railing, reaching out to use it for balance. And bent to whip off her panties, barely even glancing my way as she pressed them into my hand.

  Warm. Even with the cool rain sluicing down my neck and face, there was no denying the heat I held in my palm.

  Blinking the water out of my eyes, I held her gaze and lowered my head, drawing in a deep breath of Ally and rain, mixed together. Her excitement and the burnt ozone in the air, colliding together and somehow mixing. Sweetness layered over fire.

  Helpless to resist, I buried my face in them and she watched me, hair streaming back from her face, lashes starred, mouth trembling and used from mine. The tip of my tongue touched the delicate fabric and she shuddered visibly, hauling her thin jacket in more tightly around her body.

  We were both soaked to the core, but she’d had a goddamn head start.

  Stepping in close again, I flexed my groin lightly against hers. Her breath hissed out. She was well aware of how she’d affected me. “I’ll text you the room number. If you don’t come to me, I’ll find you.”

  She said nothing, her soft exhalations somehow loud in spite of the storm.

  A finger under her chin brought her face up to mine. “Every moment you make me wait is one more I’ll spend between your legs, making you beg.” Cupping her panties in my fist, I stepped back. “The choice is yours.”

  Seven

  I collapsed against my seat and slammed the door closed. Rain thrummed against the roof of my car. Again, I was sitting behind the wheel with decisions whirling in my head.

  I’d walked away from him a few nights ago.

  Okay, ran. I wasn’t proud of it, but my self-preservation instincts had been in full effect. And I’d been able to ignore him for the last few days. Moving out of my house and into Sage’s apartment had taken up some time. Falling on my face in exhaustion had been the only way to survive after Sunday.

  Now I was right here again. Choices had been made. Panties had been surrendered.

  I bounced my head against my headrest. I hadn’t even blinked, just forked them over.

  I wasn’t that girl, dammit.

  Or maybe I was.

  I squirmed in my seat as rain and my own slickness soaked my dress and coated my inner thighs. The rain had activated the dryer crystals I’d splurged on and my entire car smelled like wet springtime and a hint of sex.

  Harbingers of the night to come?

  He’d promised to make me beg. And sweet Jesus, I believed him.

  The pocket of my denim jacket buzzed against the side of my breast. I hissed out a breath and fumbled it out.

  Just a single number.

  Seventeen.

  Was it wrong that Winger immediately popped into my head? And right now, I felt like an illicit seventeen-year-old girl making crazy decisions. Of course, things would have been a lot easier if I had lost my virginity at seventeen like most of the girls I’d known in high school.

  But no, had to tack on another decade for me. Late bloomer times one thousand.

  A second later, another text came through.

  Countdown begins.

  Trumpets were blaring in my brain. Europe’s “The Final Countdown” was on repeat. God, I needed to get a grip.

  I curled my fingers around my phone and stuffed it back into my pocket. I couldn’t even come up with a pithy reply. All we did was swap barbs. That was what we did. And all I could think of replying was…

  Okay.

  Yeah, not even close to worldly. Just dumb. So I didn’t reply at all. Part of me wanted to race inside and get it over with.

  I hadn’t been lying when I’d said that to him.

  As insane as it would be to do this with Seth, I was so damn overdue that my ovaries and hormones would officially go on strike if I said no to this opportunity. I had a feeling my sanity would be added to that list as well.

  I shouldered the door open and winced at the grinding metal on metal action of the hinge. Time to oil that one up again. I needed to make this car last a little longer.

  The winters were rough on cars in this area of New York. Snow and salt were as stubborn and bitchy as my boss, Mitch.

  And I was officially stalling in the worst way possible.

  My phone buzzed again.

  You’re dangerously close to being carried in here, damn the consequences.

  Yeah, no. That wouldn’t do. I could walk—well, drive. I could just turn over the engine and drive home. He wouldn’t follow.

  Maybe.

  The heat in his eyes had been as thrilling as it was terrifying. There was no turning back on tonight. Honestly, there’d been no turning back for me the moment he’d let me know he was interested in seeing me naked—babymaking or not.

  I dashed out into the night and headed for the front door. I couldn’t get in the side entrance since I didn’t have a card key. Evidently, I hadn’t thought this out very well.

  I kept my head down and skirted around the edges of the lobby. My hair hung in wet, ropy ringlets down my back. Not an inch of me was dry.

  And I do mean not an inch.

  At any second, it felt like everyone in the room would be able to tell I was sans underwear. The c
ute yellow dress had been a nice idea when I’d left the house, but now it was the consistency of damp tissue paper.

  Good thing I’d made sure all the important parts were nice and tidy.

  God, what a thought. Could people see my little landing strip through the skirt of my dress?

  Would Seth when I went upstairs?

  I dragged the edges of my jacket together to cover up my nipples, which were definitely on display. I’d worn a sheer bra so it wouldn’t show through the summery dress. Mistakes firing every-damn-where tonight.

  I glanced up to get my bearings and the woman behind the counter made eye contact with me. I couldn’t remember her name, but she’d been in the diner. Everyone in the damn town had been in the diner at one time or three.

  Fuck.

  Quickly, I looked away and sprinted for the elevator, holding my skirt down with the other hand as I darted through the doors.

  I slapped the button for the second floor, desperately happy there was no one else in the elevator. I should have taken the stairs, but the possibility that my ass could be on display if my skirt flared up had nixed that idea before I could even slot it in my brain.

  The doors opened onto the ornate floor. The hotel was high-end with an ornate brocade runner over a finely stitched ruby carpet. The walls were a textured cream with paintings and sconces giving it a rich, old world feel.

  Rich was the name of the game. New England money with a side of stately age.

  Outside my comfort zone by miles. Hell, again this one could be measured by galaxies. All of this was Seth’s life, not mine.

  Even his booty call couldn’t be normal.

  Thankfully, the hallway was empty and quiet. I sure as hell hoped it was soundproofed to go with the fancy-ass decor. I glanced at my watch.

  Evidently, I would have some begging to do.

  Why did I find that so hot?

  The feminist residing in my chest should have been appalled. Or maybe she’d request equal rights all around.

  A little tit-for-tat on the begging. He could start.

  Maybe.

  Oh, who was I kidding? I would be the one standing there like a deer in headlights, praying he wouldn’t figure out just how much I sucked at this.

  A fumbling accidental orgasm when I was nineteen was as close to experience as I had. And when I said accidental, it was the God’s honest truth.

  Enough friction could eventually give anyone an orgasm, even if it was a depressing and awkward trip to the finish line. It wasn’t Craig Kimmel’s fault—well, not entirely. We’d just had no chemistry.

  I couldn’t say the same about Seth. I’d felt the pull the very first day I’d laid eyes on him while I was making a mad dash for class. Seth had been amused at my graceless entry.

  He’d also been—and still was—stupidly sexy.

  I wasn’t sure when I’d been slotted as the best friend. Maybe it had been that first day we’d met when I’d been wearing a shapeless sweatshirt over my pajama top and he’d instinctively saved me from a tardy slip on the second day of the school year.

  Or maybe it had been when I’d laughed at him for checking out the chick in front of him as if her boobs were mana from heaven.

  All I knew was I’d never had a chance before now.

  And it was both hilarious and terrifying. I just wasn’t sure which one was going to win out.

  I slowly crept down the hall as the numbers increased. Seventeen was at the end of the hall. A suite, I’d guess, with a huge bed with sumptuous sheets and class. And I was a drowned rat on her way to get laid.

  A testament of my life to date.

  Before I could lift my hand to knock on the door, it flew open and Seth reached out to drag me into the suite. Good guess there. Everything was as high-end as the hallway, but right now, I didn’t care.

  Right now, there was only him and me and a flashing need in his eyes that mirrored my own. His gaze dropped to my dress and the naked excitement went dark as his brows lowered.

  I looked down at myself. In the brightly lit living space, there was no denying the see-through nature of my dress was even worse than I’d feared. My nipples pushed at the thin material of my bra and right on through to the cotton dress.

  “You walked through the hotel like this?”

  I lifted my chin. “Someone kept me out in the rain.”

  He stalked to me and dragged my denim jacket off. My skin instantly flooded with chill-bumps, making my nipples even tighter.

  His hands fisted at his sides and the muscle in his jaw pulsed. Didn’t he like what he saw?

  I crossed my arms over my breasts, but he pulled them back to my sides. “No, don’t cover yourself.”

  “Then why do you look like you’re about to go all T-Rex at the end of Jurassic Park?” My question became more a squeak when he spun me around to look at the back.

  “Jesus fuck.” He fell to his knees and I yelped as his fingers raked up the outside of my thighs. “This perfect ass was on complete display to everyone?”

  I tried to turn around, but he held me still. “Well, someone demanded my panties.” The reply ended in a growl of exasperation. I didn’t understand him at all.

  My skirt rose as his touch grew bolder. When the cool air of the room hit my over-sensitized flesh, I had to bite back a whole different kind of growl.

  His fingers went from my thighs to the heavy curve of my ass. He lifted my dress higher and I tried to move away from him.

  “I know I’m not perfect.”

  His grip intensified as his tongue flicked over the crease where my butt met thigh. I wobbled on my feet, but he held me still. “This ass is perfection.” He filled his hands and I wanted to die.

  I could only imagine how much flesh overflowed even his big hands. No matter how much running around I did, I had a butt for days. Probably because of my deep and abiding love for ice cream.

  Living over an ice cream parlor definitely wasn’t helping my affliction.

  “Open your legs, Al.”

  “Seth, I don’t need all this. I’m totally a sure thing.”

  “Then open your fucking legs.”

  My boots thudded on the carpet as I widened my stance. I felt ridiculous. On display in a way I’d never imagined.

  He bunched up my skirt and maneuvered me until I was actually sticking out my ass. Before I could slap his hands away and smack him for being so ridiculous, his warm, wet tongue slid between my thighs and along my dripping pussy.

  The little squeak became a moan as I dragged in all available oxygen in the room. I had no choice but to bend my knees or I’d topple onto my face.

  He didn’t let up. Didn’t give an inch.

  Or rather he gave me a lot more than I thought was possible with just his tongue and lips. He curled inside of me and carved out every space, every drop of wetness and I lost my balance as the room fuzzed.

  I grabbed for something and found his wrist. He held my ass apart to get deeper. Leaving no part of me untouched. I didn’t have time to be embarrassed.

  There was nothing but his tongue and his hands, holding me open.

  I gripped his wrist and his hand turned to lock onto my arm, then he did the same with the other until I was tethered to him. I should have had control at that point, but there was no controlling this man. There was only surviving.

  And I wasn’t entirely sure that was possible. His devil of a tongue slid between my folds and up to my clit then back until I was a mess.

  God, I didn’t have any resistance to this insidious level of seduction. He played my body like he played his piano late at night when he’d had too many glasses of whiskey.

  He let one of my hands go and slowly slipped a finger inside of me.

  I purred out his name and my body went tighter and tighter in reaction to his invasion. I was helpless against his mouth and the pressure of the pads of his fingers at my clit.

  The first orgasm sucker-punched me. Somehow, I didn’t even realize I’d coasted up and through
the teasing and into the victory circle. My thighs shook and my scream ended in his name.

  “Fuck, you’re so damn tight.” He pushed a second finger inside me and I arched to get away from him. My body was too sensitive as I soared and crashed in the space of thirty seconds.

  “That’s it, baby. Give me everything.”

  I tried to curl into myself, but he wouldn’t let me go. My knees trembled and the heel of my boot tapped out the little aftershocks as my body tried to process this level of stimuli.

  He stood up and buried his face in my neck as he turned his hand and fucked me with his fingers. I cried out as the pleasure twisted into pain. “Seth, wait.”

  He paused. “I’m sorry. Was I too rough? You soaked my face, so I thought you were with me.” He made sweet hushing sounds against my ear. “I’m sorry. I got too into it.”

  I breathed through the invasion of just two of his thick fingers. How the hell was I going to take his cock?

  God, I was so over my head.

  “Don’t tense up.” He wrapped his other arm around my waist and fit his cock against my ass. “You’re perfect. We’re so good together, can’t you feel it?”

  I nodded, but I couldn’t think around the invasion of his fingers.

  He pulled out of me and went to my clit. “Sweet little circles until you’re ready for me. I want inside you so bad I can’t think straight, but I can wait. I’ve waited this long, right?” He laughed against my neck and I wanted to weep in reaction.

  My stupid virginity was going to ruin everything.

  “Where did you go?”

  “Never mind.”

  His eyebrows snapped down and he pulled his fingers from between my thighs before turning me toward him. “No, not never mind. No matter how much I want you, if it’s too soon, I’ll survive. I promise.”

  I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck. “No. I want this more than you could ever know.”

  His fingers dug into my hips. “Thank God.”

  I stared at his chin and traced the bristles of his scruffy face. My fingertips went farther down to his neck, where his Adam’s apple jumped under my touch.