CHAPTER 9
***
Annie
The sleigh ride back to the silo is quiet, the gentle jingle of bells and the soft crunch of snow beneath us the only sounds in the crisp night air. The day’s activities have worn everyone out, but the lingering comfort of the farm’s magic has left us all in good spirits.
I lean into Sam, our sides pressed together under the thick blanket draped over us and feel the steady rhythm of his breathing. The others are equally content, exchanging tired glances and a few murmured words as the sleigh glides through the snowy landscape. I rest my head on Sam’s shoulder and take in the vast sky, recalling the brief encounter with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Wishes can only come true if you wish for them.
I close my eyes, and my lungs fill with the crisp night air as I unleash my wish into the vast unknown, daring to believe in the magic of Christmas.
We arrive at the silo and exchange goodnights, each couple retreating to their rooms with soft laughter and sleepy eyes. Sam and I share a look, something unspoken passing between us. My heart flutters with anticipation and nervousness as we climb the spiral staircase to our room. The day has been full of surprises, but now, alone with Sam in the quiet of the night, I’m acutely aware of the butterflies swirling in my tummy.
As we reach our door, my pulse quickens, the warmth of the day now replaced with a different kind of heat, a nervous excitement that makes my hands tremble ever so slightly. Sam opens the door, and when it clicks shut behind us, the room feels both intimate and vast, full of possibility.
I take a deep breath and glance toward the wall of windows. The view is nothing short of breathtaking—a sea of stars twinkling in the inky black sky, the kind of view that’s magical and mysterious, like the universe itself watches over us. The sight is enough to make me pause, my nervousness momentarily forgotten as I take it all in. But when I turn back to Sam, standing close and looking at me with darkened, seductive eyes, the butterflies return in full force.
We need to talk, to clear the air and figure out what’s happening between us. My mind races with everything I want to say—the night we never spoke of, this morning’s fiasco, the kiss we shared in the workshop, and all the affectionate touches we shared today that transcend our years of friendship. And then there’s the bomb Julia dropped about retiring and the job offer in New York. It’s all so daunting.
I steel myself for the conversation ahead. My heart pounds in my chest, my lips and mouth suddenly too dry for words. A wave of fear washes through me. I don’t want this day to end, for what’s happening between us to end. Before I can get a word out, Sam steps closer and takes my hand.
“Annie,” he says, his voice low and gentle. “I don’t want to talk tonight. I don’t want to break the spell today’s festivities cast on us.”
The sincerity in his voice and his soft, pleading eyes make my heart stutter. My thoughts blur, and the need to talk suddenly feels less urgent. Something deeper simmers beneath the surface between us. Something words can’t capture.
“Neither do I.” I nod, the tension between us shifting into something softer, tender, yet urgent. Without another word, Sam steps into my personal space and cradles my face in his hands. He tilts his head and captures my lips in a fiery, rapturous kiss.
I tip upward on the balls of my feet, gliding my hands over his abs to his pecs, feeling his strength and heat under my fingertips. His tongue slices through the barrier between my lips and I taste him, sweet and spicy, exactly as he was this afternoon. My tongue coils around his, sipping and drinking him in as he guides us to the side of the bed.
The back of my knee hits the mattress as Sam slides his hand down my back, lowering me to the bed. He briefly breaks the kiss, uprighting himself long enough to pull his shirt overhead. I’ve seen his naked chest many times before—in the pool, at the beach, after a summer run, and that drunken night when the lines blurred between us. But history didn’t prepare me for the wave of desire that overtakes me now.
Heat explodes inside me like a nuclear reactor, spreading lava-like heat through my veins at warp speed. My body flashes hot, prickling and puckering beneath my skin. My sex pulses, humming a tune my body hasn’t heard in far too long. Liquid heat pools between my legs, dampening my practical, cotton panties.
He reaches for the button on my jeans, and my insides curl when his fingertips graze my tummy. A metallic zzzzip tears through the silence, distinct and echoing. Coarse denim swishes as it glides over my hips and thighs, catching at my knees, then pooling at my ankles. Sam sinks to his knees, freeing my feet of socks and jeans, leaving my exposed skin with a lingering coolness that quickly fades when his hungry gaze focuses on the cotton at the crux of my thighs.
He glides his hands up the back of my calves, pausing at my knees to widen my legs. He tucks his chin to his chest and begins dotting my inner thighs with damp kisses. My sex pulses, tickling as it becomes heavy with want.
I grasp the comforter in my fist and fill my lungs with a shaky breath. By the time Sam nudges my panties with his nose, they’re soaked with my needy lust. When he glances up at me, it’s my undoing. There’s no going back.
“Please,” I beg.
He presses his lips to the cotton covering my mound and blows. White hot heat filters between my swollen lips, and a melting sensation overcomes me. His tongue slowly traces the line of my panties on either side of my center, teasing until I’m blind with need. I tilt my hips upward, wanting more, needing his lips on my flesh as desperately as I need air.
My heart rings in my ears, the rush of blood in my veins thundering as his fingertip slides beneath the fabric. He pulls the cotton to one side and presses his lips to my eager, slickened folds. My sex pulses and thrums. When he slips his tongue between my folds and swirls the tip, I’m dizzy and drunk with euphoria. His kisses deepen, lingering and suckling until I’m bucking beneath him.
I writhe and squirm as pleasure overcomes me. Muscles contract, spasming out of control as I ride the wave that is the ultimate height of pleasure. For the first time in a long time, I feel whole, connected to Sam like I’ve always wanted—like I wished for on the stars.
***
Sam
Annie comes hard and fast against my tongue, slicking my lips and face with her climax. I continue licking and kissing her until her labored moans cease. Her body relaxes, limp and sated, filling my heart with a fullness I’ve never experienced with anyone but her.
I quickly shuck the rest of my clothing and tug Annie’s soaked panties down her legs, revealing pink delicate folds, swollen and slick. I climb over her and settle between her thighs, my cock thick and hard as steel. I’ve waited forever for this sobering moment, when nothing can come between us.
Annie stares up at me with heavy lids, her breathing labored and shallow. She slides her feet along the bedding, trapping my hips between her thighs. My cock twitches and bounces at her opening, eagerly waiting for the ultimate invitation to enter. Her fingertips glide down my chest and wriggle between our bodies. I flinch when she cradles my length in her delicate hand. I clench my teeth when her thumb swirls around its head then smears the precum leaking from the one-eyed monster.
She guides me to her core, her fiery heat licking at my cock, teasing and luring me into what I know is nothing short of sheer bliss. I dip into her slowly as she guides me into her haven. I shudder as spine-tingling heat spiders throughout my body, tensing my muscles to keep myself in check.
Her hands slide to my hips, then grip my ass as she urges me forward. I sink into her, stretching her as she envelops me, and she’s the safe haven my heart’s craved for as long as I can remember. I shudder as sweat prickles along my spine. Our bodies still, and I catch the moment of vulnerability in her darkened eyes. She’s mine—forever and always. I’ll never let her go after tonight.