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BOOK: Stockings and Suspenders
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Scanning the area, my gaze focused on
the growing crowd. So many people were present for the Gobbler Five K and mile
walk. Children ran around areas of the park, rolling in the grass, playing on
the jungle gyms and swings, while older family members warmed up and prepped
for the races. Early morning sunlight glinted off the concrete track around the
flood water detention basin but didn’t do much to warm the cool, late autumn
air. A slight, chilling breeze swayed the branches of the pine trees. In the
distance, white capped mountains reminded people winter was on its way. The
line of racers behind me grew in number. Once I had my race packet and number
in hand, I stepped away, turned and saw…
her
… Kristina… several feet
away talking to one of the volunteers.

The amazon beauty from the gym had her
long hair in two braids. The locks glowed like fire under the sun’s light as it
continued to rise and shine down upon the world. Black running tights molded to
her legs beneath orange running shorts. She wore a matching t-shirt over a long
sleeved brown shirt. Where she happened to find those colors in women’s
athletic wear, I had no idea, but she wore the outfit well. The colors fit the
spirit of Thanksgiving Day. The trill of her laughter carried on the cool air
over to my ears. Her merriment was musical splendor, sent a warm wave through
me.

Minutes passed. It seemed like my
world stood still, bringing to mind an Italian saying my grandfather had used
whenever he saw a beautiful woman. He’d smack his chest, declaring, ‘
un
colpo di fulmine’
. A way of saying he’d been struck by lightning, or
rather, fell in love at first sight. Since skepticism was my middle name, I
wasn’t going to claim being in love with a woman I hadn’t even met yet. But
with my mind conjuring all sorts of naughty images of what we could do together
and my cock straining within the tight confines of my thermal running pants, I
settled on the phrase, ‘
lust at first sight
. Lust. That was definitely a
word I could wrap my tongue around.

She took that particular moment, the
one in which I thought of the salacious word, to face in my direction and
smile. The joyous expression reached her eyes, lit up her whole face,
captivated me. Another word floated through my mind…
Angel
.

Next thing I knew she was in front of
me and her deep forest green gaze caught mine. Sensations I hadn’t felt since I
was a teen taking out a crush on a first date whizzed through me. I beat them
down, reminding myself I was an adult, a hardened man who’d done and seen
things in his life no one should have to see or do. A true cynic.

“Hi, I’m Kristina Cristkindle. I’ve
seen you over at the gym, haven’t I?” She held out a hand.

Her voice, like her laughter, was
music to my ears. So far she had the looks and was zooming up my rating scale
for personality. I accepted her handshake, silently complimenting her on her
grip. Strong. Just like I thought she’d be. A curious tingle ran up my arm, but
she released my hand before I had time to analyze the sensation.

“Sure have. I’m Jack Vorst. Are you a
new resident to the valley?” I chastised myself for sounding like a cop, but
some habits died hard. New residents were required to obtain a driver’s
license, register their vehicles and change their tags within thirty days of
moving to Las Vegas. The parking lot had a few out-of-state plates which made
me wonder who was visiting and who wasn’t doing what they were supposed to do.
Another pet peeve of mine—people who didn’t follow the rules.

“Nope. Just visiting for a little
while. I like being here this time of year. You?”

“Born, raised and still living here.
You running in the race?”

She nodded and presented her back. The
race number was pinned at an angle over her very fit, very cute ass.

Man, how I craved her, to touch and
enjoy every inch of her. Then I remembered that I wanted to ask her out the
next time I saw her, and here was my opportunity. I was sure Lory and Vic would
understand my missing Thanksgiving dinner, especially since they were so
concerned about my love life. “What are you doing tonight? I’d love to take you
out to dinner.”

Kristina turned back, cocked her head
to the side. “But it’s Thanksgiving. Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

What? Had she read my mind? I arched a
brow and mimicked her head tilt. “No.”

A slow grin lifted her luscious red
lips while a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. “Tell you what. I’ll go
out with you on one condition.”

Terms? Already? “What’s that?”

“You have to beat me in the race. If
you cross the finish line before me, I’ll have dinner with you. If not, we
shake hands and go our separate ways.”

Intrigued, I raked my gaze up and down
her form. Though she was almost as tall as my six feet, her inseam was a couple
of inches shorter, meaning my legs were longer. Bigger stride, more distance
with each step. I was also trained to sprint and had better endurance than most
when it came to fast running. Pretty sure I had this race in the bag I took her
up on her bet. Little did I know.

When the race started she was several
positions in front of me and even with trying my best to feed through the group
and catch up with her, I couldn’t. The moment I broke free of the cluster of
runners, I sprinted with all my worth to close the few yards between us. My
feet pounded in a rapid pace on the concrete track. Not expecting to push so
hard, my legs and lungs burned. We fed our way through and past the lead
runners until she and I were in the lead. Somehow she continued to stay ahead
of me, looking effortless, while I struggled in my pursuit. Was she even
breaking a sweat?

The moment I finished the three point
one miles, I found a grassy spot to collapse on. I hadn’t raced to win this
morning or even place. The best I’d hoped for was a personal record. Yet, I
took first for the men’s overall category. Unfortunately, there was no date in
my future.

Kristina strolled over to where I lay
prostrate on the ground, extended a hand and helped me up. The prickling returned,
rippling up my arm like warm goose bumps under my skin. “You did well, Jack.”

“You too. Congrats on your win.”

“It’s nothing really. I love running.
It’s a freeing experience. Just me, the wind against my face, all thoughts
quiet.” Her focus trailed from my face to a point behind me. “One sec.” She
stepped around me. “Are you all right?”

A lanky teenager nodded his head, took
a step and grimaced.

“You don’t seem fine,” she told the
kid, then looked over her shoulder. “Jack help me get him to the medics.”

“I don’t need them,” the teen
protested.

“Really? Let me be the judge of that.”
Kristina had the boy sit on the ground. She knelt in front of him and had him
put his foot on her thigh. She ran her hands down his leg, checked around his
ankle.

Envy stroked the primitive side of my
male ego. I didn’t know this woman, yet a surge of possessiveness and
territorial instincts gripped me. I wanted to be the one who she was touching.
“What are you doing?”

She glanced up with that damn
beautiful smile of hers. “I worked as a trainer for a football team once upon a
time, so I know some first aid. I’m taking a peek at his ankle to see if he
really is okay, or if we’re going to have to drag him over to the medics.”

“I told you, lady, I don’t need ’em.”

Ignoring him, she asked, “What do you
want for Christmas?”

Strange question, I thought at first,
but if it helped the kid get his mind off any pain, then it was worth it. Who
knew the teen would start rattling off a list. The whole thing reminded me of a
child sitting on Santa’s lap spouting off how they were good and deserved
presents over coal.

As if on cue, once the boy stopped
talking, a bright white light flashed between them. A brief thought about the
case I was supposed to be working on crossed my mind, but Kristina looked
nowhere near like an elf and appeared all human. I glanced over at the parking
lot. Cars were driving through. Sunlight glinted off the windows, recreating
what I had just seen.

“You’re right,” Kristina crooned.
“There doesn’t seem to be any reason you need to see the emergency techs, but
go over anyway to be safe. Okay?”

The kid nodded. He stood, leaned to
put weight on the injured area. “I don’t know what you did lady. It sure feels
a hell of a lot better.”

After the kid trotted away, Kristina stood,
pointed her face toward the sun. Its radiance cast a soft golden glow on her
skin.

Gorgeous. Like a work of art. I could
stare at her for hours and never grow tired of looking at her. I searched my
mind for a time when I had felt such adoration for a woman before today and
came up blank.

“So what do you want for Christmas?”

The reply rolled off my tongue without
much thought, “I want to date you.”

“How sweet.” She chuckled. “But
really, what does your heart truly desire?”

Her lighthearted question shut down my
thoughts, seemed to douse my body with a bucket of ice water. Quite some time
ago I realized no one could help me, give me what I longed for, so I no longer
needed to examine what my heart desired. “I don’t celebrate Christmas,” I
replied, hoping it’d be an easy way out of the conversation.

“I’m sorry. Hanukkah?”

“Nope. Not Jewish.”

“Ramada? Yule? Kwanzaa?” She cocked
her head, apparently confused.

I offered her a little half-smile, the
one where I lifted only one corner of my mouth. Lory had always told me it was
sexy and made her friends swoon. Kristina didn’t appear affected. All she did
was raise an eyebrow.

“No. I don’t celebrate any of it.” An
image of a little boy in an open doorway flashed across my inner sight. Another
chill ran rampant through me, hardened my thoughts, shut down any flirty
playfulness I felt. “And what I do and don’t celebrate isn’t up for
discussion.”

“Seems you lost your wonder of the
season. Your belief in magic.”

The woman was persistent, hitting the
dark parts of my soul that shouldn’t be exposed to the light of day. Crossing
my arms, I narrowed my eyes. “Seems that way.”

“That’s sad.” She reached out and laid
a hand on my arm, a gentle touch with no tingles, just a comforting warmth.

A bout of dizziness had my mind spinning
for a few seconds, and when it cleared, we were in one of the tents. Alone. The
flaps were down and tied closed. A couple of folding tables and chairs sat in
the middle of the area. How we ended up in the empty volunteer tent, I have no
clue.

She nestled up against me, her body
fitting like a puzzle piece into mine. Scents of cinnamon and mint drifted to
my nose. Her soft lips brushed the side of my neck, trailed up to my jaw where
her tongue darted out and traced a moist path to my mouth.

Taking her cues and prompts, I claimed
her mouth, plunged my fingers into her silky locks. I didn’t remember when she
undid her braids and didn’t care actually. Kissing her felt right, like we were
meant to be here in the moment. A profound peace stole over me. I wrapped her
in an embrace, relaxed into her arms, as she did in mine.

We seemed to kiss each other for all
we were worth. At least I know I did. To be held and lavished with affection
was like drinking that first glass of water after training exercises out in the
middle of the desert. I wanted to drink her all in, have her refreshing
qualities sate my needs.

Kristina slipped her hands beneath my
shirt and rolled it up and off me. Before I knew it, we were naked, slammed up
against each other, our body heat helping to stave off the chill of the air.
She was all muscle and curves, not a thin waif-like creature whose ribs and
other bones protruded and pushed against her skin. Still lip-locked with her, I
navigated us toward a table and lifted her with ease on to it.

In her sitting position, she was able
to wrap her legs around me. My cock brushed against the tuft of hair sitting
above her pussy. One quick move and I’d be within her wonderful moist heat. But
I hadn’t brought any protection with me, and I doubted she’d hid any in her
clothes.

She broke the kiss. “Check under the
table.” The words fell from her mouth in a husky, passion-filled tone.

Slowly, I stepped away and glanced
under the table. A purse lay on the ground. I retrieved it and tossed it onto
the table. “How?”

“Don’t worry about the hows and whys.
Just enjoy and experience the moment for what it is. There’s a small zipper
pocket inside,” she said. “Go in there and you’ll find what we need.”

Without hesitation, I dove into the
bag, found and tore open the little packet, and sheathed myself. I looked back
up. My amazon beauty reclined on her elbows. Waves of hair cascaded down her
back and over one shoulder. The dusty rose of her aureoles and nipples puckered
in the cool air. Her legs were parted revealing downy hair the same color as on
her head. A devilish gleam flickered in her eyes. My dick hardened more.

“Whatcha waiting for?”

I didn’t have to be asked twice.
Resuming my earlier position, I cupped her face, planted a soft kiss on the tip
of her nose and her lips. Though there was a sense of urgency due to the fact
we were still technically out in public and could get booked on indecent
exposure should we be caught, I wanted to take my time, savor her. Enjoy my
wish being granted to me.

BOOK: Stockings and Suspenders
8.11Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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