A Family for Christmas (13 page)

Really
liked it, if the evidence of his arousal was anything to go by.

Maybe
it was silly, but it thrilled her.

“Ever
since I’ve married you,” she admitted, trying to be as honest as she’d always
been, “I’ve never known what to expect.”

He
smiled as she came over to him, and he said as she crawled onto the bed, “You
don’t think I’m some sort of a perv, do you?”

She’d
been moving over him, unable to resist the sight of him, but she paused at the unanticipated
question. “Perv? What does that mean?”

He
reached over to pull her all the way over him, so she was straddling his hips.
“I mean, you were my babysitter once. You don’t think I’m some sort of perv for
getting so turned on by you now.”

The
words—and the feeling underlying it—sent another shiver of pleasure through her
body. She slid her hands from his belly and up to his chest, over his shirt.
“You weren’t having lascivious thoughts about me back then, were you?”

“Of
course not!”

He
sounded so offended that she giggled and leaned down to kiss him. “Then you’re
fine. That was a long time ago.”

His
hands cupped her bottom, settling her down on top of him so that she could feel
his erection through the fabric. “I guess so.”

“And
I’m your wife,” she added, feeling her own body start to respond. “You’re
allowed to get turned on by me.”

“Well,
that’s a relief.” He was chuckling as she kissed him, but he soon took over the
kiss, taking her head in one hand and sliding his tongue into her mouth.

She
was breathless when they finally pulled apart, and she shifted her hips
restlessly, arousal pulsing between her legs. “And you’re allowed to do
something about it,” she added throatily.

He
made a guttural sound and pulled her top off over her head, staring at her
naked breasts hungrily. “Lucky me.”

She
rubbed herself against his erection. “I might be a little lucky myself.”

He
stroked her body skillfully, from her thighs to her hips and up to her breasts.
She arched her back into his touch, still straddling his lap, and she gasped in
pleasure as he twirled her nipples.

“Do
you like that?” he asked, although he must already know the answer.

“Fuck,”
she gasped, arching even more as he sustained the caress. It was the first time
she’d ever said the word as an exclamation, but it somehow came out of her
mouth uninvited. “It feels so good.”

“It
looks like it feels good.”

She
probably looked shamelessly eager, starting to rock as the pulsing of arousal
grew too strong for her to control, but she just couldn’t care. His hands
stroked her, and his body was hot and hard beneath her. He could give her body
exactly what she needed.

Her
gasps turned to whimpers and then to moans as one of his hands slid down her
belly and even lower.

Her
body jerked when his fingers found her clit. “That seems like it might be a
good spot,” he murmured, a smile in his voice.

Her
eyes had fallen closed as the pleasure intensified, and she reached back to
cling desperately to his thighs to keep her balance. “It is,” she panted. “Oh,
it is. Please make me come.”

“I’m
definitely going to make you come. I want to see you totally come apart for
me.”

She
was already on the verge of coming apart, and more so as his erotic voice
worked her into higher tension. She was shaking now, trying to grind herself
against him as he massaged her clit and squeezed her bottom with his other
hand.

“I
love how responsive you are,” he murmured, his voice another caress. “I love
how easily I can turn you on.”

She’d
never in her life liked to think she was easy, but there was no denying how
quickly he could arouse her. She was close to orgasm already, panting
desperately and making a lot of silly, helpless sounds.

Two
of his fingers suddenly slid inside her channel, as his thumb kept pressing
into her clit. The sudden penetration pushed her over the edge, and she bent
back like a bow as the waves of pleasure slammed into her.

She
bit her lip to stifle her cry of release as she shuddered through the
contractions, her inner muscles squeezing around his fingers.

He
was stroking her gently when she’d finally worked through all the spasms, her
body washed with delicious satisfaction. “Wow,” she sighed, her voice cracking
on the word. “That was…” She slumped over him, trying to get her mind to work,
when it was doing nothing but howling about how good her body felt at the
moment.

“That
was what?” he asked, stroking her back and still holding her bottom with one
hand.

“That
was…beyond words.”

“Well,
good.” He tilted his head to kiss her hair. “I love how you’re not at all
self-conscious.”

For
the first time, a ripple of self-consciousness ran through her. Maybe he
thought it was strange that she wasn’t more shy or reticent about sex, since
she had only a couple of weeks’ experience. “Is that strange?”

“I
don’t know what’s strange.” He met her eyes when she lifted her head. “I’ve
only had sex with two women in my whole life, so I have no measure of what’s
normal. I’m just saying that I really like that about you.”

“Okay.
Good.” He seemed to mean it, so she decided there was nothing to worry about.

She
felt so relaxed she didn’t really want to move, but she could feel the bulge of
his erection beneath her, reminding her that there was more to come.

He’d
made her feel so good, and she could make him feel really good too.

That
thought inspired her enough to raise up again and adjust enough so she could
slide down his pants. She took his erection into her hands as it was freed, and
she loved the way he inhaled sharply in response to her touch.

She
leaned down to kiss him as she stroked him, and soon he was lining her up above
him again, moving aside her panties, and aligning his erection at her entrance.

She
sank down over him, gasping at the tight penetration. Then she started to move
over him as best she could, going by instinct since she’d never been on top
before. She held Gabe’s eyes as she moved, and it seemed to make the whole
thing hotter.

He
rocked his hips to match her motion, and he held onto her bottom, keeping their
alignment snug. “Yes, baby. So good. Keep moving just like that.”

Encouraged,
she tried to keep an even rhythm, but everything was feeling so good that she
kept getting excited and moving faster. Gabe was groaning in pleasure as she
tried to rein in her instinct to grind against him.

They
were gazing into each other’s eyes as the pleasure built up between them. And
they were still gazing into each other’s eyes as she lost control and started
to bounce shamelessly as another, deeper orgasm tightened inside her. And they
were still gazing into each other’s eyes when he choked on a desperate sound.

She
was almost sobbing, trying to reach that elusive peak. “Gonna come,” she
gasped, to let him know she was close, in case he couldn’t tell.

“I
know, baby.” His features twisted in effort, and he moved a hand between their
bodies to fumble near where they were joined.

Despite
her frantic motion, he found what he was looking for and gave her clit a clumsy
massage.

She
cried out as an orgasm hit her, freezing for a moment before letting go.

“That’s
right,” Gabe murmured throatily, as she shook desperately. “Ride it out, baby.
Take everything you want. Don’t hold anything back.”

She
rode him hard, sustaining the pleasure for so long she was hoarse when the
pleasure finally faded. But it wasn’t over yet, because Gabe had finally let go
himself.

She
watched his face break with the climax, felt his body rock hard as he came
beneath her, heard him choking out a helpless sound, as if he couldn’t hold
anything back either.

She
collapsed on top of him afterwards, and he gathered her in his arms. And she
loved how hot his body was, how it was starting to soften.

It
felt as good as her own body felt—like he’d needed and taken as much as she
had.

“Baby,”
Gabe was still murmuring with his gasps.

And
she loved that too.

She
had no idea how long they lay together, neither of them able to talk. Then she
finally started to feel the chill of the room and rolled off him so she could
reach down for her pajamas.

They
smiled at each other as Lydia pulled up the covers and Gabe reached over to
turn off the light. He reached out for her, and she snuggled against him.

It
was a long time before she realized that he wasn’t going to go back to his room
for the night.

Lydia opened her eyes the
next morning to discover that Gabe was still in bed with her. It was the first
time she’d ever woken up with a man in her life.

She
felt strange and groggy and soft, and it took a minute for her to register that
Gabe was still asleep. It must be morning, since light was streaming in through
the edges of the blinds, and she could clearly see his closed eyelids, his dark
eyelashes, the stubble on his jaw, the hair on the arm that was resting over
the covers.

He
was breathing slowly, deeply. Occasionally making a slight noise. She watched
him for a while until she wondered if it was creepy to watch a guy while he
slept.

She
was working through this enigma in her mind when Gabe started to shift. She was
watching as there was a momentary break in his breathing and then his eyes
opened.

He
turned his head and blinked at her.

“Hi,”
she said, since she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

A
smile spread slowly over his face. “Hi.” He rolled over on his side so he was
facing her.

She
opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t come up with anything
intelligent. Babbling out how she was feeling—that she was really glad he was
in her bed, really glad he was her husband—might be too much for first thing in
the morning.

“I
thought this bed didn’t feel quite right,” he said, stretching out his legs
under the covers.

“What’s
wrong with my bed?”

“Nothing.
It’s just softer than mine. And smaller.” His smile broadened, and his eyes
took on that intimate warmth she loved. “Kind of like you.”

She
snorted. “I’m not exactly small, you know.”

“You’re
smaller than me.”

“And
soft isn’t a word that most people apply to me.”

“What
do they know?” He reached over and pulled her against him. “I’m your husband,
and I say you’re softer and smaller than me.”

She
giggled and wrapped her arms around him. “I guess I can give you that much.”

“I’ll
take anything you give me,” he murmured against her hair, moving her body so
she was pressed up fully against him.

She
felt relaxed and content and like she wanted to keep touching him—but not
particularly urgent. He seemed to feel the same way, since he didn’t try to
deepen their embrace. So she just enjoyed the feel of lying in his arms like
this. Not about sex. Just about being together.

Maybe
this was what it was like to have a husband for real.

“I
should get up,” Gabe said, still sounding sleepy, without all of his normal
edges.

“It’s
not even eight yet.” She didn’t feel like getting up, and she didn’t want him
to get up either. She stroked his chest, over his t-shirt.

“Yeah.
I don’t normally sleep this late.”

“Me
either.”

“I’ve
got to drive to Raleigh today, so I need to leave by nine-thirty or so.”

She
stiffened, since this was the first time she was hearing about this. “What?
Why?”

“It’s
just a lunch meeting. We arranged it late yesterday afternoon, and I forgot
about it when you and Ellie came home. I’m coming back this afternoon.” He
shifted slightly. “Is that okay?”

“Of
course. It’s fine. I thought you meant you’d be out of town for a while.”

“My
folks said they’d watched Ellie today, so I wasn’t trying to pressure you into
watch—”

“I
know. I don’t mind that. I’m happy for Ellie to stay with me, since I don’t
have anything going on today anyway. I just thought you meant you were going to
be gone for a while.” She realized she was repeating herself, but she felt
compelled to explain her reaction.

When
he didn’t answer, she looked up at his face to see that he was smiling—just a
little.

“What?”
she demanded.

He
shook his head. “Nothing. It just seems like maybe you would have missed me if
I left.”

She
felt her cheeks reddening, which was ridiculous since she never blushed. “Why
would I have missed you?”

He
leaned down to brush her lips gently with his. “I have no idea.”

“Well,
don’t get smug about it. I bet you’ll miss me when I go visit churches through
South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama after Christmas.”

“What?”
He frowned. “When is this?”

“In
January or February. I don’t have it scheduled yet, but that’s what I was
planning—to get some more churches on board with my work in India. I’ll
probably be gone for a couple of weeks.” She felt a little thrill at his
disapproving expression. “So I bet you’ll miss me then.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me about this?”

He
sounded more than teasingly disapproving. He sounded faintly annoyed.

She
sat up on the bed. “I didn’t have it planned yet. I was just in the early
stages. Of course, I’d talk to you about the schedule and everything.”

“Oh.”

“Is
something wrong? You don’t have a problem with me doing something like that, do
you? I mean, you know the work I want to—”

“Of
course, I know. And, of course, I don’t have a problem with it. I’d just like
to be kept in the loop.”

“Sorry,”
she said, fighting against the instinct to defend herself. “I was going to keep
you in the loop. I didn’t mean to keep you out of it. It was just in the early
thought stages now.”

“Okay.
When you get further than the early stages, maybe you can let me know.” He gave
her a half-smile that proved he wasn’t unhappy with her.

She
smiled back and let him pull her down to press against him again. “I think this
means you
will
miss me,” she murmured.

“Maybe
a little.” He turned her over and pulled her up so he could kiss her, and the
kiss was just getting deeper when they both froze at the sound of a girlish
voice from the hallway.

“Daddy!
Dad, where are you?”

Ellie
didn’t sound angry or whiney. She sounded scared.

“I’m
here,” Gabe called out, loudly enough to be heard through the door. “I’m in
here, Ellie.” He rolled over and jumped to his feet, straightening his pants
just as the door started to open.

He
hurried over to where Ellie stood in the doorway, staring at them, her face a
little pale. “I’m here, sweetheart. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”
She rubbed at her nose. “I just didn’t know where you were.” Ellie looked over
at Lydia, who had sat up in the bed, hoping she was mostly presentable. “Are
you sleeping in late?”

“We
were,” she said with a smile, trying to sound natural. “But we had already
woken up.” She really hoped it wasn’t going to upset Ellie to see that her
father had slept in Lydia’s room.

Ellie
didn’t seem to think it was strange that Gabe hadn’t slept in his own bed. She
was returning the hug he gave her, but she smiled over at Lydia. “I like your
pajamas.”

Lydia
looked down at her pale blue, polar bear pajamas. “Thank you. You know, your
dad has to go to a meeting for lunch, so I was thinking maybe you and I could
do something fun. We could go visit Uncle Thomas and Mia, if you want. He has a
big huge yard that’s really fun to explore.”

Ellie
nodded. “That would be fun. Thank you.”

Lydia
caught Gabe’s eye, and they both smiled with their gazes alone. Ellie’s
attitude seemed to have changed for the better.

Maybe
yesterday had been a turning point.

***

“Just be careful,” Lydia called
up to Ellie. “Don’t put your weight on any branches that don’t seem really
strong.”

“I
won’t.” Ellie was climbing a big tree on Thomas’s property. He owned a large,
rambling house just outside of town, not far from their childhood home. Today
was one of his days off, and he’d had Mia all week, since Abigail was taking
their daughter out of town starting tomorrow to visit her parents for
Christmas.

Lydia
and Ellie had arrived around eleven, and Ellie and Mia had played some—which
mostly consisted of Ellie bossing the younger girl around.

Then
Ellie had declared she’d wanted to explore the woods that were part of Thomas’s
property, so Lydia had taken her for a walk, since Mia wanted to read instead.

“How
high did you get?” Ellie called down. She was about halfway up the tree and
climbing surprisingly well—since evidently she wasn’t a well-practiced
tree-climber.

“I
can’t remember. Just go as high as you’re comfortable.” Lydia was regretting
her random comment about loving to climb this particular tree when she was
Ellie’s age.

She’d
climbed all the way to the top all the time, though. And when no one else was
around. The tree looked very tall, and Ellie looked very small, but surely it
wasn’t dangerous. Not if Lydia had done it so many times herself, when she was
even younger.

“I’m
comfortable,” Ellie called down.

Lydia
reassured herself with the fact that the girl was doing fine. “Very good.”

She
stood under the tree watching Ellie, thinking back to when she was a girl. When
she wanted to be alone, she would climb the tree and sit for over an hour
sometimes, just thinking and watching the birds and bugs and leaves.

Ellie
got about two-thirds of the way up the tree and stopped.

“Everything
okay?” Lydia asked.

“Yes.”
Ellie was reaching up for another branch, but she kept pulling her arm back
before she reached it. “I’m going to come down now.”

“That’s
sounds like a good idea. You got up as high as I ever did.” Lydia wasn’t sure
if this was entirely true, but she wanted to encourage the girl.

“Good.”

Ellie
was coming down now, just as fast as she’d climbed.

“There’s
no hurry,” Lydia called, wincing slightly when Ellie almost missed a branch.
“Take your time.”

“I
am taking my time.”

Whether
this was true or not, Lydia didn’t argue. And she let out a sigh of relief when
Ellie neared the bottom.

“That
was fun,” Ellie said with a smile, stretching her leg down for the big branch
Lydia had boosted her up to earlier. “I didn’t know climbing trees was so much
fun.”

The
girl definitely could have used a brother. Imagine never having climbed a tree
at nine years old.

“I
always liked it—Ellie, wait, not too fast!” Lydia jumped forward when Ellie’s
foot missed the branch below it and her small body slipped down too quickly from
the branch above, since she’d expected to be secured on the lower branch.
Ellie’s body jarred against the big branch from the fall and then kind of
bounced off and down toward the ground.

Lydia
was right beneath her, so Ellie landed on her hard. They both fell down to the
ground.

“Ellie,”
Lydia gasped, trying to catch her breath and sit up. “Ellie, honey, are you
okay?”

Ellie
didn’t answer. Her body was a dead weight on top of her.

Terrified,
Lydia rearranged them so that Ellie was lying on the ground and she was sitting
up so she could see.

There
was blood streaming down over the girl’s face. So much blood Lydia almost
choked.

“Ellie,”
she rasped, trying to wipe the blood away from her closed eyes. “Ellie!”

There
was no answer, and Lydia experienced a wave of pure terror at the thought that
the girl might be dead. She wasn’t, though. She felt a pulse when she fumbled
for Ellie’s wrist, and she could see her chest rise and fall with her breath.

She
must have knocked herself out on the big branch as she fell.

Still
terrified, Lydia scrambled to her feet and reached down to pick up Ellie. But
then she stopped herself, hit with some vague memory that you weren’t supposed
to move people who had been injured, for fear of making the injury worse.

Instead
of reaching for Ellie, she reached for her phone and dialed her brother.

“What’s
going on?” Thomas said, picking up, clearly surprised by her call.

“Ellie
fell out of a tree. The big oak tree in the southwest corner. She’s bleeding
terribly. She won’t wake up!” The last sentence was a wail, as Lydia’s fear
caught up with her.

“Don’t
move her,” Thomas said, brisk and calm. “I’m on my way.”

Lydia
sat down next to Ellie, wiping the blood off her face as best she could and
realizing the gash was just above her hairline.

She
hadn’t seen her head impact the tree, but it must have hit the branch or
something on the way down.

Lydia
prayed and trembled for three minutes until Thomas appeared. He must have run
the whole way.

After
a quick look at Lydia, he knelt down next to Ellie and started to examine her
with professional calm.

“I
think she’s okay,” he said, after a minute.