Three Nights before Christmas (19 page)

“Good to know. What’s next on the tour?”

He grabbed her bag and led her through the door. “Living room. No TV. No internet. But a big ass fireplace and plenty of history. Just imagine all the people who used to travel through here.”

Lacey stood in the middle of the room and turned in a slow circle, taking in the heavy ceiling beams, the scarred wood floors, the well-worn furniture. “It looks so different than when it was a museum.”

“The NFS has been renting it out for several years now. It’s a great place for families who want to unplug and explore nature.”

“And single men who want to rebuild steam locomotives?”

“Ah, but we’re a rare breed,” he grinned.

“I notice you haven’t decorated for Christmas.”

“Wasn’t planning on being here for Christmas. I usually work it so my coworkers with families can have it off. Then, when you came along, I used all my decorations to pretty-up the annex for you.”

“I guess I’m high maintenance like that.”

He laughed and wiped at a smudge of grease on her cheek. “Horribly high maintenance.”

A little smile softened her lips. “Show me more.”

He took her hand and led her down the hall. “The good news is that there’s indoor plumbing, so no midnight trips to an outhouse. That’s what the miners who used this station would’ve been used to.”

“And the bad news?”

“You’re always about the bad news, aren’t you?” he teased.

She grimaced. “Force of habit. I’m trying to break it.”

“Well, in this case the only bad news is that the bathroom isn’t exactly luxury.”

“Does it have a door and four walls?”

“Yep.”

“Then it’s luxury.”

His blood felt thick, slow, and painful. He’d been inside prisons before. He could guess at the deprivations she’d suffered. Knowing she might’ve been telling the truth at her trial—that love-blindness had fooled her into trusting a man she shouldn’t have, a man who’d betrayed her and blamed her under oath—and that Austin had played a vital role in sending her away for it…

It just about killed him.

By the time they reached the end of the hall, his throat had gone scratchy and rough. He had to swallow hard to say, “Here’s the bedroom.”

“Only one?”

“There’s another one, and you’re welcome to have it if you want some space… or if you have a thing for bunk beds.”

She rolled her lips together, clearly trying to suppress a smile. The simple movement lifted some of the sadness from him—but not the guilt. That wouldn’t go away until he knew the truth about what had happened three years ago and came to terms with his own role in it.

“I never want to see another bunk bed as long as I live. Besides, I’d rather sleep with you.”

He dipped his head, murmuring, “Right answer,” before kissing her softly.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him closer and pressing her soft breasts against his chest. Her suitcase fell from his hand and landed on the floor with a
thud
as he pulled her even closer, sifting his fingers into her hair and deepening the kiss. Damn, but she was good at this. Her confidence in kissing, touching, taking what she wanted…it twisted him up inside and made him harder than a sycamore.

He swept both hands down to her ass and lifted her. Without hesitation, without even pausing in her kiss, she wrapped herself around him and let him carry her to the bed. He laid her down and followed, stretching out on top of her, never letting an inch of air come between them.

His palm stroked down her thigh, under her knee, over her calf, making her shiver. He bent her leg so he could reach her thick, woolly sock. “These gotta go,” he whispered against her mouth before slipping the sock off her foot. When he’d tossed both socks to the floor, he turned his attention to the button of her jeans. “And these.”

Her bare toes tucked themselves under the rim of his socks. “These first.”

He raised himself to his knees so he could strip off his socks without breaking their kiss. It wasn’t easy, but their soft laughs turned to softer moans as the distance meant their hands could wander, explore. Lacey yanked open his button-fly and dipped her hand inside, cupping his hard cock and making him groan into her mouth. The sound reverberated, coming back to him as he rocked himself against her hand. “So good. So, so good.”

Better than anyone, ever. He couldn’t believe he’d found this with her of all people. But he wasn’t a man who second-guessed fate. He’d seen too many incredible things to believe in coincidence.

He tugged at her green Henley, pulling it up to expose the white tank top beneath. He’d grown so used to seeing her in these clothes. They were stained and ripped beyond repair. They were her uniform, and he wanted her out of them so he could get to the sexy-as-hell body they covered.

He swept his hands under her tank, the soft skin of her belly giving way to her thick bra. In some ways, she had so little. He’d been with women who wore a different set of sexy lingerie every time they were together, thinking it would thrill him, entice him, keep him guessing. Lacey’s bra and underwear didn’t even match, but he wanted to see them over and over… mostly hanging from his lamp after he tossed them there.

He slid his palms beneath her and flicked open the clasp of her bra. She arched her back to make more room, the move thrusting her breasts against his chest. He groaned and dropped his face to the crook of her neck. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are?”

“Tell me.” Her voice carried an unspoken plea, as if her real answer was,
No, but I really want to believe you.

He raised her shoulders off the mattress so he could shove her shirt off. Her tank was scrunched up above her breasts, and her bra was loose but still covering the good bits. She raised her arms, and he got rid of the tank and bra at once, leaving her bare from the waist up. Her hand worked its way beneath his boxer briefs and touched his naked skin, making him suck in a sharp breath.

“Fuck.” He rubbed his cock harder against her palm so she wouldn’t second guess his honesty. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”

“More,” she pleaded, kissing his chest, teasing his nipples with the tip of her tongue.

“Can’t think when you do that.” Breath panted from his chest, which constricted more with every flick of her tongue. He pushed her gently back onto the bed. “My turn.”

Jesus, but she was a sight to behold. Her arms fell back against the pillows above her head. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and lay in disarray. Her gaze had gone unfocused with lust. Her breasts were full and soft, tipped with dark brown nipples so tight they looked painful. He couldn’t resist her. Dipping his head, he mimicked her teasing licks, running his tongue around the soft skin until she squirmed and squeezed him so tightly he thought he might come in her hand. He drew a quick breath and reluctantly pulled her hand away from his dick. “More later. Need you naked now.”

He got to work stripping her of her jeans and green cotton panties. They’d had sex several times since the day he’d come home from Bozeman to find her vibrating with pent-up frustration in the annex. Yet he’d never seen her naked. Never tasted her. She’d been too explosive for foreplay. Hell, so had he. But today changed things. Today they were no longer fuck buddies, getting each other off whenever they could, simply for the sake of easing the agony. She was staying with him now, and he wanted more. Wanted to fall asleep holding her, his palm cupping her naked breast. Wanted to lick her awake, his face between her thighs guaranteeing she had the best possible start to her day. Wanted to seduce her in the kitchen, have her casually walk in on him in the shower.

He wanted getting-to-know-you sex, not angry sex.

He swept his palms over her, learning her from neck to shoulder. Breast to belly button. Pussy to thigh. Pushing her knee to the side, he opened her wider, spreading her for his pleasure and hers. “What do you want?” he asked, knowing she had to the confidence to tell him, and knowing that confidence would ratchet up his need like nothing else.

“Taste me,” came her eager reply.

With a groan, he buried his face between her soft thighs. She was wet, so wet and so open he lapped at her like a man dying of thirst. His tongue ran through her folds to tease her clit, and her breath caught, her hips jerking her hard against him. He gripped her ass so tight she wouldn’t be able to move, and he drew her clit into his mouth, playing and sucking and eating at her with greedy lips.

She panted hard, each breath carrying his name. “Austin. Aust—”

When she broke apart, he kept going, kept loving on her until she’d have no doubts about how he felt. Her fingers tightened in his hair, yanking it so hard his vision blurred, but he didn’t care. He kept at her, making her slick with come, swollen with need. And when she cried out a second time, her thighs clasping his head and his ears ringing with her orgasm, all his doubts fled.

When he fell, he fell hard.

And he was falling for her.

‡

S
he was naked.

Naked with Austin.

Not just naked but spread out with her limp limbs giving him unfettered access to her most private parts. Her body trembled with the aftershock of her orgasm, but those trembles were nothing compared to the forces at work inside her.

She hadn’t been this exposed in years. The last man she’d trusted like this had used her before publicly destroying her.

When she’d left prison three weeks ago, she’d sworn she wouldn’t get naked in front of someone else until she was ready. It would be her decision. She’d sworn that the next hands to touch her would do it for her pleasure, not in an emotionless search for weapons or drugs.

Though Austin had stripped her clothes off her, she’d been with him all the way—to the point that prison strip searches were the last thing on her mind. He’d certainly explored her, but he’d done it with an eager, curious touch that bore no relation to the frisks she’d grown used to.

She clamped her jaw closed in a futile attempt to dam the roiling emotions she wasn’t ready to share. Getting naked was a big enough hurdle. Baring her soul was another matter completely.

Austin’s big body curled over hers, his back bowed and his forehead pressed to her chest. His breath heated her nipple as he clearly fought for control.

She didn’t want him in control.

She ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing small, tender circles against his scalp. She wished she hadn’t bitten her nails down to nothing. Then she could give him affectionate scratches and watch him shudder with desire.

He kissed her nipple, then kissed it again, using his thumb to mimic the circles she made in his hair. The moment was more intimate than any she could remember sharing with someone before. He’d never really gotten around to telling her how sexy he found her, but the fact he’d lost the power to speak had told her more than any words.

She wanted to show him what this moment meant to her.

Gripping the sides of his head, she tilted him back to meet her eyes. “I want you naked.”

He grinned. “Good.”

Scrambling off the bed, he shoved his jeans and boxer briefs down and kicked them off. She laughed. “Less than two seconds. That has to be some kind of record.”

“You talking about how fast I made you come?” he teased back.

“Let’s see if I can return the favor.” She lifted her arms and he lay on top of her, stretching their arms over their heads as he threaded his fingers with hers. He used his knees to keep some of his weight off, but still he was heavy enough to push her into the mattress. His hard cock slipped between her folds, not trying to nudge inside her but sliding along her lips and overly sensitized clit in a way that made her sigh with longing.

“Got more in you?” he whispered in her ear, rocking his hips to hit her just right. The words, verging on dirty, demanded honesty from her, and she reveled in the fact he spoke so openly of her desire.

“So much more.”

“Good.” He rubbed his hard, slick cock against her again. “Me, too.”

Letting go of one of her hands, he stretched for the bedside table and yanked open a drawer. Before he could roll on the condom, though, she stilled his hand. “Roll onto your back.”

His face almost pleading, he said, “Baby, I don’t think I can—”

“If you can’t last, then I’ll take anything you have to give me, whatever way you give it to me. But I want to taste you, too. I want you in my mouth.” She wanted him everywhere. It terrified her and made her overflow with power at the same time.

He flopped over with almost comical speed. “I guess I can make the sacrifice… but only for you.”

She chuckled as she kissed her way over his hard abs. “Such a hero.”

“Anything for my woman.”

My woman.
She didn’t want to be owned, possessed. But belonging?

It was too heady a desire to wrap her lust-addled brain around. So she settled for wrapping her lips around him instead.

“Oooh, fuck.” He held her head but didn’t try to control her. She didn’t want tame submission from him, though.

She wanted him wild.