Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Burk
The feel of her body splayed along mine will forever be branded in my head.
As I take her hand and practically drag her off the rink, I have to tell myself to slow it down.
There’s no reason for me to maul her right here in the middle of the festival, with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the rest of the busybodies to witness.
The moment we’re out of the rink, we head for one of the benches where we left our shoes. Joy takes a seat and starts removing her skates, with me hot on her heels. There’s an urgency hanging heavily in the air, a sexual tension that’s driving us both.
“I’m so sorry about Jonah,” a woman says, stopping in front of where we’re sitting. “He gets a little carried away on the ice.”
“It’s okay,” Joy tells her, offering a friendly smile.
“He’s been taking skating lessons, and he sometimes forgets he’s out there for fun and not playing hockey,” she replies with a chuckle.
“He’s a great skater,” I say, finishing taking off my first skate and shoving my foot into my boot.
“Are either of you hurt?”
“No,” Joy replies at the same time I say, “Only my ego, since I was shown up by a kid.”
The woman seems to relax, offering us both a smile. “Well, I’m glad. And I’m happy neither of you were hurt.”
The moment I have my second skate off and boot on, I stand up and meet her grin with my own. “We’re fine, but thank you for checking. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you both,” she replies before returning to the edge of the rink where she was watching her kids skate.
“That was nice of her,” Joy says, standing up and reaching for her skates.
“It was,” I agree, taking her empty hand and practically dragging her toward the rental stand.
We return the skates to the table, and I quickly slip a tip into the jar before wrapping my hand around hers and dragging her away. Not literally, but there’s definitely a hurry to my gait. It’s like each step I take gets me closer to her apartment.
Just as we reach the sidewalk on the opposite side of the rink, I stop and face her. “I’m sorry, I’m not meaning to rush. Is there anything else you wanted to see or do?”
She slowly shakes her head, meeting my gaze. “Nope. I’m fine with heading back to my place.”
Nodding, I watch for a break in traffic, which consists of one car passing by, and carefully navigate us past the parked cars and toward the alley behind her building. Joy unlocks the door, and we slip inside, heading up the stairs to her place.
Once we’re in the warm space, she starts to strip out of her boots, gloves, hat, and coat.
Her hair is a little mussed, but all I can think about is how it would look in the morning, splayed across her pillow.
Joy wears very little makeup, and I envision it smudged beneath her eyes as she rouses from a deep sleep.
“What?” she asks with a touch of hesitation.
“I love your hair,” I reply, recognizing the change she’s made. “You’re beautiful.”
A rosy blush covers her cheeks as she gives me a shy little grin. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. The most beautiful woman in my world.”
I reach and pull her into my arms. When my hands wrap around her waist, it’s then I realize I haven’t removed my winter wear.
I quickly rip my gloves off my hands and drop them where I stand.
My stocking cap goes next, followed by my thick coat.
When I step out of my boots, I finally pull her toward me once more.
This time, there’s only a regular clothing barrier between us, one I hope to discard soon.
If she says yes, of course.
“Is it okay if I kiss you again?”
“I’d be incredibly disappointed if you didn’t,” she whispers, eliminating any space between us.
When my lips brush hers, it’s as if I’m zapped with faulty Christmas lights. A zing of electricity jolts through my veins, causing the most breathtaking mixture of pleasure and pain. It devours me like a raging fire, burning me in the best way.
The only way.
I let the flames consume me willingly.
As if engaged in an orchestrated dance, we move backward until her ass bumps the counter.
When she hitches her right leg up, her heel circling to the back of my thigh, I step to her body and revel in the feel of her softness against my hardness.
Joy mewls, rocking her hips against my erection.
The friction is glorious, better than a tree full of presents on Christmas morning.
I want more.
Reaching behind her, I gently lift her up and deposit her onto the countertop. From this position, she’s able to wrap both legs around my waist, bringing the heat of her pussy in direct contact with my cock. It surges with need, thickening even more as desire grabs hold.
Any doubt I might have had about her wanting this as much as I do evaporates like water in the desert the moment she reaches between us and slides her hand long the length of me. I groan, unable to stop the sound. “Hell, Joy,” I mutter, closing my eyes as the pleasure courses through me.
“Nope, I’m going for Heaven, Burk,” she murmurs, cupping me firmly.
Friction.
So much glorious friction.
“I needed to get your attention, in case you were entertaining thoughts of slowing this down or that I’m not one-hundred-percent on board with this.”
“You have my undivided attention,” I grumble, my heart trying to beat out of my chest. I have to close my eyes to try to ward off the pleasure she’s evoking, but really it doesn’t help.
If anything, it makes it worse because I’m left alone with just my thoughts, and those are really, really fucking dirty.
“Good, because I know the man you are, and you’re probably worrying about crossing lines and morning regrets. Well, I’m here to reassure you there will be none of either. I want this, Burk. I want this with you.”
Opening my eyes, I watch the storm brewing in the depths of her green eyes.
It’s a heady mixture of lust and raw need, and a burst of pride swells in my chest when I see it.
I did that. I put that look in her eyes, on her face.
All I want to do now is prove to her I’m the only man to finish the job.
Sliding my hands up the column of her neck, my fingertips slip into her hair as I angle her head and claim her lips once more.
She tastes like heaven, her body molding to mine like a second skin.
Joy opens her mouth, granting my tongue access to take and plunder.
The kiss transforms into something dirtier quickly as hands start to move, gripping at clothes and tugging them off.
My Henley is pushed up, her fingers dancing across my fevered skin. We break the kiss long enough for me to help pull it over my head and toss it onto the floor. Her sweater goes next, exposing first the soft skin of her stomach and then the glorious mounds of her breasts.
Joy lifts her arms, granting me permission to remove her sweater completely.
It joins mine on the floor somewhere behind me.
I take her jaw in my hands and press my lips to hers once more.
Our tongues dance together as she wraps her arms around me, pulling her chest flush against mine.
Her breasts flatten against my skin, the thin, silky bra doing nothing to conceal the hardness of her nipples.
Ripping my mouth from hers, I trail it across her jaw and down her neck. I get a better view of her bra, smiling when I see the small ice-skating bears dancing across the material. I chuckle, swiping my thumb across first one hard nipple, then the second. “Jesus, you’re so beautiful.”
Joy gasps when I lean forward and draw one nipple between my lips.
Even through the material, I can feel it tighten more, making my mouth water.
I glance up and watch her eyes as I gently pull the left cup of her bra down like I’m revealing a Christmas surprise.
And maybe that’s exactly what I am doing.
My prize.
Swirling my tongue over the exposed nipple, I feel her entire body tighten as her back arches. She reaches for me, her fingers diving into my hair as she pulls me closer. I draw the tight bud into my mouth and suck greedily, practically getting off on the moan erupting from her mouth.
That’s when an idea hits me.
As much as I want to devour her in the kitchen, the thought of seeing her splayed out in another way takes root in my brain.
Slipping my hands beneath her ass and moving my mouth to hers, I lift her off the counter and spin toward the living room.
Her arms wrap around my neck, her body molded to my chest, as I devour her with a kiss.
When we reach the living room, I move to the couch and deposit her onto the cushions. “Don’t move.”
Moving fast, I plug in the lights on her Christmas tree, which she only leaves on if she’s home, and then start grabbing from the pile of blankets she keeps in a large basket beside the couch.
Once I have a nice, thick “bed” made beside the tree, I turn my attention back to the woman who completely captivates me.
Extending my hand, she takes it immediately and stands up. My eyes feast on her beauty, from her mussed hair to her exposed nipple, down to her long legs, even though they’re still covered.
My fingers glide across her stomach as they make their way to the fly of her jeans. When her muscles tighten, I can’t help but smile. “Still ticklish, I see.”
Her eyes narrow just a bit. “Be nice, Burkey Turkey.”
“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head, Easy-Bake. I’m about to be very nice.”
Her grin holds a hint of naughty as she bites down on her bottom lip.
With our eyes locked, she reaches down and releases the button on her jeans and lowers the zipper, as if she can’t wait another second for me to do it.
That’s okay though. Even if I’d much rather prefer to strip her naked myself, I can’t deny the view of her taking off her pants is something that’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.