Her Christmas Lumberjack (Crave County: Lumberjacks Love Curves)

7. Aurora

7

AURORA

I shouldn’t do this. Sleeping with Nolan was never part of the plan. I told myself I’d leave as soon as possible, but here I am, lying on his bed as he strips off in front of me, my body still shaky from the orgasm he gave me. The desire that has been growing since I met Nolan is throbbing between my legs, and as he reveals his thick, muscular body, pure need overrides my better judgment.

I want him.

No, I need him.

My mouth falls open as I look at him, taking in his broad chest and dark tattoos. My gaze drifts down to his cock, and I shiver as I take it in. It’s as huge as the rest of him, engorged and dripping with pre-cum, and heat blooms deep inside me.

“Open your legs, sugar,” he says, his voice a deep growl.

I do as he tells me, aching for him, too needy to be shy. He clambers onto the bed and positions himself at my entrance, gripping the base of his cock. I take a deep breath and focus on his face—those bright blue eyes, his beard still wet with my juices.

God, he’s so handsome.

I feel his hardness poke against my sensitive core, and my stomach flutters with nerves. Swallowing hard, I keep my gaze on Nolan, our eyes locked as he pushes slowly inside me. My walls stretch around his girth, and I suck in a breath as he fills me up completely, bottoming out with a groan. Every nerve tingles as I adjust to the feel of him, tipping my head back with a sigh. I was scared it would hurt…but it feels incredible. A delicious mix of pain and pleasure that makes me hungry for more.

“How does it feel, sugar?” Nolan asks, leaning down so his face is close to mine. “You okay?”

In response, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard, moving my hips against him. He tastes like sex—raw and musky—and I moan as his tongue fills my mouth. His cock starts to slide in and out of my pussy, every inch hitting delicious spots deep inside me that I never knew existed. He’s moving hesitantly, like he’s scared to break me, and I pull away from our kiss with a gasp.

“It feels so good,” I tell him. “Please…go faster…I can take it.”

Nolan’s eyes darken. “Okay, sugar. Show me how good you can take it.”

He moves, thrusting his hips in a punishing rhythm that makes my back arch with pleasure. His naked body rubs against me, his hard chest brushing my sensitive nipples, and I wrap my legs around his hips, wanting him closer, deeper.

Nolan’s gaze is fixed on me, his eyes molten. He’s looking at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, sweat beading on his forehead as he fucks me hard, our bodies meeting desperately. It’s so intense. The bed groans beneath us, springs creaking, the sounds of Nolan’s cock slapping into me filling the room. I close my eyes and a sob escapes my lips, the sensations overwhelming me.

“Look at me, sugar.” Nolan’s voice is a command. “I want to see those pretty eyes when I fuck you.”

I do as he says, my body trembling as my orgasm blooms.

“Oh, God!” I whimper. “Oh, Nolan…”

The sound of his name seems to spur him on. I see stars as he stuffs me full of his cock again and again, pounding me until all I can do is scream. He grabs my chin and forces me to look at him, those eyes never leaving my face as he says, “Come on my cock, sugar. Show me what a good girl you are.”

My pleasure builds, everything tightening, an elastic band pulled taut. My vision blurs, nothing but pools of blue swimming in front of me. Then the world explodes.

“NOLAN!”

Pure bliss rockets through me. A dam bursting. I squirm wildly, but Nolan pins me down with his body, his movements turning jerky.

“Fuck, Aurora. That’s it.”

His voice sounds far away, and a moment later, he lets out a primal moan, his cock throbbing inside me as he fills me with hot strings of cum. Finally, he collapses on top of me, arms tightening around my back as I shudder through the aftershocks of my orgasm. After a while, our breathing slows, and the only sound is the gentle wind outside swirling snowflakes past the window.

“That was fucking incredible,” Nolan says, easing off me and pulling my back against his chest. “You were perfect, Aurora.”

“So were you.”

I grin to myself, butterflies swirling in my belly. It feels so good to be in Nolan’s arms, our naked bodies melded, hearts beating in time. It feels right.

Nolan presses kisses on my neck, his breath warming my ear as he says, “I have an idea…a way for us to make Christmas Eve special.”

I roll over to face him, smiling at the twinkle in his eye. “Sounds good. I want to hear it.”

“The idea is pretty simple…basically, we stay in bed all day and do that all over again.”

He runs the pad of his thumb against my bottom lip, eyes on my mouth like he’s about to kiss me.

“I think that’s the best Christmas Eve idea anybody has ever had.”

Our lips meet, warm and yielding, and I surrender myself to Nolan, letting the rest of the world fall away.

I crane my neck to check the time on my phone. It’s after midnight, and I’m in Nolan’s room, curled up beside him. We spent all day in bed together, aside from a couple of breaks for food, and it was better than I ever could have imagined. My whole body feels warm and sated, and the delicious soreness between my legs is a constant reminder of how Nolan claimed me again and again.

But my mind isn’t as calm.

All day I’ve let myself forget everything—the lies, the secrets. Now it’s hitting me all over again, a familiar anxiety gnawing at my brain.

Who knows how much progress Liz is making?

As I look at Nolan, his handsome features relaxed in sleep, I feel a rush of determination. I can’t just lie here doing nothing. Sleep feels a million miles away, so I quietly grab my phone and get out of bed, pulling on Nolan’s t-shirt before padding into the guestroom.

My bag is in the corner where I left it yesterday. I rifle through the Reese’s and empty chip packets before my hand closes on the folder that Liz gave me before I left Denver. I open it and spread the papers out beside the bed so they’re hidden from the door, in case Nolan comes in unexpectedly. Once everything is laid out, I quickly check my phone for updates from Liz.

Nothing.

I can’t decide whether this is good or bad news. Either she’s so busy putting together a rock-solid case that she hasn’t had time to message me, or there are no updates because things aren’t progressing. Hopefully, it’s the latter.

Despite Liz’s radio silence, I roll my eyes when I see three texts and a missed call from Samuel Thorne.

Give me updates!

Still waiting…

I’m not paying you to ignore me!

I turn my phone off and pore over the documents, reading each one until my eyes blur. There’s the will that names Samuel’s father, various plans of the land I found at the clerk’s office, family letters, and sworn statements. I read each one over and over until my eyes are dry and scratchy.

Let there be something.

Anything.

I might work for Liz, but my loyalty is toward Nolan now. I never thought I’d say this, but screw the law. This is his home. His livelihood. I’ll do anything it takes to bring Samuel’s case crumbling down. But as the hours pass, lack of sleep is catching up with me. When I can no longer read the words in front of me without dozing off for minutes at a time, I shove the papers into my bag and put it back in the corner. Then I get into bed with Nolan, the first light of dawn already creeping through the curtains. I’m too tired to think anymore, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m fast asleep.

It feels like only moments have passed when I’m woken up by Rudolph, his tongue licking my hand, but it’s been hours. The sky outside is completely light now, and I can hear Nolan in the kitchen cooking breakfast. My head feels like it’s full of cotton wool as I trudge toward the smell of bacon, smiling at the sight of Nolan leaning over the stove. He’s already dressed in jeans and a green flannel shirt, and I can’t help giggling when I see that he’s wearing a Santa hat.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he says, turning to me with a smile. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” I join him by the stove, rising on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I love your hat.”

“Thanks, I thought you would. Hey, how’d you like your eggs?”

“Sunny side up. Thank you.”

He stops cooking long enough to give me a long, lingering kiss. It melts and breaks my heart all at once. Last night’s failure to find anything useful is still raw, and as Nolan carries our breakfast to the table, his face lit up like a Christmas tree, I know there’s only one thing for it.

I have to tell Nolan everything.

If he knows what Samuel is planning, at least he can prepare himself. Nolan and Declan can hire a lawyer of their own and get ready to fight the claim with all they’ve got. If I can’t do anything to disprove the claim, the least I can do is make sure they’re forewarned.

It’s the right thing to do.

The only thing to do.

But it still sits heavy in my chest, squeezing my lungs until it feels like I can’t breathe. When I tell Nolan the truth, he’ll hate me. Whatever has bloomed between us over the past few days will be over forever, and I’ll never see him again. Thinking about it is like a knife slicing through me, but deep down, I know it was always going to end this way. Nolan would have found out the truth one way or another. It’s better he hears it from me.

“What do you want to do today, sugar?” Nolan asks from across the table, digging into his breakfast. “I know it won’t be a typical Christmas, but I still want you to have fun.”

My throat burns too much to respond. I take a sip of orange juice, catching sight of the snow falling outside.

A white Christmas.

It must be snowing where my parents are too. If only I’d gone to the mountains with them instead of taking this case. It would be awful if I never met Nolan, but breaking his heart seems even worse.

“Aurora?” he asks, frowning in concern. “You okay?”

Before I can answer, I hear a skidding sound coming from the hallway. Something being dragged along. Rudolph’s paws tapping against the wooden floor. He’s whining with excitement, and I watch as he enters the living room, my stomach plummeting when I see he has my bag between his jaws. He stuffs his head inside it, papers flying everywhere as he hunts for something he can’t quite reach. A moment later, he reappears, teeth clenched around a packet of Reese’s

“Shit,” Nolan says, jumping up. He grabs the orange packet and pulls it out of Rudolph’s mouth. “You can’t eat that, buddy. It’s chocolate.”

My heart is in my throat. Nolan checks the Reese’s and there are no holes in the pack. Rudolph didn’t get to it. But the floor is littered with my documents, and I jump up from the table, grabbing every piece of paper I can reach. I stuff as many as possible back into my bag.

“Don’t worry, sugar, I’ve got it,” Nolan says.

I’m not fast enough. He grabs one of the documents, and all I can do is watch in horror as he looks down at it. I recognize the paper from here. It’s his grandfather’s will—the one that leaves everything to Samuel’s father. Nolan’s face is blank at first. Then confused. Then angry. His features harden, his eyes still on the will as he asks, “Aurora, what is this?”

Only when he finally looks up do I see the worst expression of all written on every line of his face. The one I’ve been dreading.

Hurt.