Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
NICHOLAS
F rom the moment I walked into my rental house, the lyrics for “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” played through the speakers, and I was slapped in the face with nothing I could have ever expected.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?”
Cujo cockapoo came barreling down the hall, wearing one antler in the middle of his head and a red reindeer nose. He resembled Max from How the Grinch Stole Christmas . It didn’t end there; it was only the beginning. The entire entrance was decorated in Grinch decor.
“Oh my God…” I strained through a clenched jaw. “I’m going to kill her…”
Cujo barked, quickly detouring to the left, and I was slapped in the face yet again with the twelve-foot, fully decked-out Grinch Christmas tree in the back of the open space of the living room. I wasn’t talking about a few ornaments thrown on a tree.
No… there was a whole ass Grinch head where the star or an gel should be, and his arm hung out the side with his signature pinched fingers, holding a string that had a red glittery ball dangling from it.
The rest was themed out the same way with ornaments and several huge Whoville-type bows while ribbons and garland shined bright with all the mixed patterns surrounded by warm colored lights.
To top it all off, it had plush dolls of Cindy Lou, Max, and the Grinch hanging off several branches. These weren’t decorations you could buy in one shopping spree; this was years and years of collections, and I didn’t have to wonder where it all came from.
I was upset she didn’t ask my permission, fully aware I’d say no. However, the thought and time behind this was too much for me to ignore. At least it was themed out to my liking, but I’d never repeat it out loud.
Especially to her.
The last thing I wanted to do was give her false hope that I turned into the man I always dreaded.
I couldn’t help but shift my gaze from one decoration to the next, from the obnoxious couch pillows to the Whoville blanket and everything in between. There wasn’t a character she didn’t bring into this house. Including the entire town of Whoville in ceramic glass, which was displayed by the big front window. Despite the house looking like the Grinch literally moved in, it was somewhat tastefully done, whatever that meant.
Before I could utter a word, Noelle appeared out of thin air. “Surprise!” she shouted from behind me, walking into the room with trouble in her arms disguised as Max.
She wore a sweater that read “Mrs. Claus working for the Grinch” proudly displayed across her chest. The Santa hat, skirt, and knee-high red boots with matching stockings really brought the whole outfit together for me. The Santa hat was a nice touch .
“I’m surprised you only did the inside.” That was the first thing I could muster when she was wearing something like that.
As a kid, I used to appreciate her little outfits, but now, now, it was on another level of how much she fascinated me and kept my attention. I dated some through the years, but it was never serious. My business was my priority, and I didn’t leave room for much more.
“I’m doing that tomorrow,” she sassed, aware I knew she meant it.
She took off Max’s 2.0 headpiece and put him in his crate that was suddenly in my living room as if he had moved in as well.
Once Noelle was looking at me, I gestured to the open space. “Is this your idea of a peace offering?”
“No,” she confidently baited. “This is my grenade.”
“Well, what do you know?” I mocked. “I caught it, and now I’m holding the pin. The way I see it, you have two choices. You can surrender to me, or I’ll have to punish you for being a bad girl.”
“Surrender to you? What the hell does that mean?”
“It means you owe me a dinner.”
She extended out her hip in a defiant manner. “A dinner for what exactly?”
Twirling my index finger in a circle in the air beside me, I responded, “Need I say more?”
“Oh,” she celebrated with a pleased expression on her face. “I’m getting punished for bringing some holiday cheer into your life? Also, do you need me to remind you that you specifically asked for the Mistletoe welcome, and I’d hate not to live up to your town expectations.” She left for a minute and came back with a cookie basket. “That reminds me, I made these for you.”
I wasn’t going to pass up one of her delicious cookies. Reaching into the basket, I grabbed one and immediately took a big bite. Within seconds, I was spitting it out into my hand .
“Oh yeah…” she mocked in a snide tone. “I ran out of chocolate chips, so I used raisins instead.”
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I walked into the nearest bathroom and tossed it in the trash where it belonged.
“You know how much I hate raisins,” I called out, stepping back into the room.
“Oh yeah…” She smiled wide. “Oops.”
“This is how you treat your new boss?”
“I’m just following your orders and trying to make you feel welcome.”
“Is that a threat?”
She winked at me. “Never.”
“Does that mean you won’t have dinner with me?”
“That’s exactly what it means.”
Listening carefully, I asked, “You’re choosing to be punished, then?”
In two determined strides, she was in my face. “Mrs. Claus never backs down from a challenge.”
I grinned, knowing I just won the golden ticket. Without thinking twice about it, I followed Dan’s advice to show her I really had changed.
Specifically, when it came to her.
Gripping the back of her neck, I tugged her toward me.
In a steady breath, I warned, “Then I’ll have no choice but to bring out the Grinch in me.”
NOELLE
My hands were pressed against the mantel on the brick fireplace beside the tree in one quick movement. The heat from the flames instantly warmed my skin as he spread my legs from behind.
With my back now to his front, it gave him the leverage he sought .
What is happening?
My mind raced with mixed emotions while my body completely betrayed me. It didn’t just melt into his touch—it molded.
Shit!
I needed to stop this.
I couldn’t let this go any further.
Why can’t I get my mouth to move?
“You feel that fire?” he asked into my ear in a husky tone that wasn’t referring to the flames burning in front of us.
There was a mirror in front of us, and I caught a glimpse of our skin glistening in the fire's soft glow as the song changed to “Santa Baby.”
He rubbed his lips against the soft skin of my neck, rasping, “Now you’re on the naughty list…”
NICHOLAS
Her heated gaze lingered on the Christmas ribbon I was pulling off the tree. Slowly, I draped it around her waist.
“I like to wrap my gifts before I open them.”
Instead of tying her waist, I tied her wrists, and she didn’t stop me. If anything, the brazen glimmer in her eyes indicated she wanted me to keep going.
I didn’t struggle with my conflicting emotions at that moment. I thought I’d be trying to decipher between right and wrong, but the lines were blurred for most of our relationship, and by the expression on her pretty face, it was a mutual thought.
After hanging her wrists on a strong nail, holding up a heavy stocking, I brought her pouty lips to mine, and she sucked in a breath.
“But if you’re a good girl… maybe I’ll even let you come down Santa’s pole. ”
She giggled in that addicting way. “You’re horrible.”
It wasn’t our flirty banter that was anything new between us, it was my actions following through with what I was saying that was new. I slowly began to slide my fingers up her inner thigh.
“Don’t you want a white Christmas? Because I could stuff your chimney, seeing as my stocking is so well hung.” I smiled. “Don’t you want to fill the Grinch with your holiday spirit?”
Smiling as she leaned her head against my chest, she questioned, “How many puns do you have?”
“Elle…” Inch by inch, I made my way up her leg. “We both know I can go all night with burying my face in your mistletoe.”
Her eyes glazed over, dilating.
It was all the encouragement I needed to slide my fingers over her silk bottoms and her pussy.
“You’re really pretty when you’re wet, Elle.”
She sucked in another breath, shutting her eyes and leaning farther into me, almost like her legs were buckling. “You’re definitely on the naughty list,” she panted.
“I thought we settled this the first day we met. I’m eternally on the naughty list, babe.”
“You remember that?”
“I remember everything.”
I was barely touching her through the thin satin on my callused fingers and her clit, but she was already breathless for me. Slowly, once again, I continued my sweet torture, back and forth, a little faster each time, driving her to the brink of insanity.
The way she breathed.
The way her mouth parted and her tongue moved to wet her dry lips.
The way her body responded with every movement of my hand until all of a sudden, she drew in a rigid breath against my lips as soon as I spanked her ass…
Hard .
Causing her to stick her ass out farther at the angle I wanted, and her wrists struggled against the ribbon.
“You’ve been a bad girl, Miss Woods… what would Santa say?”
Not faltering, she snapped, “To go fuc? — ”
I spanked her ass again. “I’m sorry, what was that? To go what?”
She glared at me, and I grabbed the vibrating Santa hat off the mantel beside her wrists before I placed it on her clit. She hissed upon contact, making my cock twitch from the moan that quickly followed.
“What were you saying? Huh? You want me to go what?”
It didn’t take long for her knees to buckle and her eyes to shut.
“Ah…” Her body quivered, pulling at the ties still knotted around her wrists. “You’re not playing fair.”
“You think I care?”
She was coming apart at the seams, and I loved every second of it.
“What do you say?” I teased. “You want to cum for me?”
Her mouth opened as I intensified the pressure of the Santa hat against her clit. Her pussy was getting wetter, only betraying her torn stare as she started to come.
Her chest heaved, and her pussy surrendered.
She wanted me to kiss her.
She wanted me to touch her.
She wanted me to claim her.
I didn’t.
My stare instantly caught her dark, hooded glare, fighting the urge to give her what she wanted. Our eyes caught in the mirror, and we watched each other for a few seconds before that was enough to drive her over the edge, making her come down my hand.
She was warm.
So fucking warm.
And I was fucked…
So royally fucked.