Chapter 11 – Cristiano
Most folks wished for a white Christmas.
A simple blanket of fluffy snow to add to the charm of the holiday.
When Mother Nature threw a fit, when she decided to unleash her fury, people scrunched up their noses and complained about the sheets and sheets of white crap dumping on their lawns and roads. A blizzard became a sore spot.
It made me laugh.
She only gave them what they wanted.
Mother Nature’s gift also meant that flights were a mess. Nicky’s sister had to leave and wasn’t coming back until later tomorrow, if the storm ravaging the East Coast relented enough to make even that possible.
Just my angel and me for Christmas. As it should be.
Hoisting my shovel and tossing a pile of frothy, white fluff, I watched the clumps of wet snow scatter through the air. The wind howled at my coat, pelting me with clusters of flakes. The front was already done, and with one more pass, the backyard had a clear path to the back gate.
For now.
This might be the last chance I had to convince my girl that I was worthy of her affection. That there was more to this thing between us than the wicked games we played.
I was scared shitless.
Tomorrow was Christmas, and the only gift I wanted was knowing that Nicky wanted to be my girl.
Not just the object of a dark fantasy.
I stomped my boots at the door before turning the knob and letting myself into the soothing, spicy warmth of the kitchen. Nicky looked up from the barstool where she perched.
“Done already?” A frown tugged at her mouth.
I tried not to take the scowl personally.
It had been permanently etched on her face the last few days.
Ever since her sister took a cab to the airport.
I would have come sooner, would have made her forget that her family abandoned her for the holidays, but there were logistical nightmares that required my immediate attention.
I had to content myself with watching her from a distance.
Thank heavens I’d installed those cameras… .
It wasn’t creepy. It was sweet. It showed how much I cared, studying her, knowing what she did, thought—felt. I knew it all.
“I’ll shovel the paths again in a couple of hours.
” I dusted my gloves before pulling them off and shrugged out of my coat.
I would bring in the gifts I’d wrapped and place them under the tree when she was asleep.
It was a risk bringing the packages in now.
The naughty thing might open them before morning.
“If I stay on top of it, you’ll be the only house on the block with cleared access. ”
With a sigh that pulled straight from her heart, Nicky spun around the stool to face me. “I’m sorry. I should have started with a ‘thank you’ for taking the time to do that.”
She’d watched me every so often, when I started with the front sidewalk forty-five minutes ago. But she hadn’t stopped to come out to me, which was good because she’d stayed warm this way. I slipped out of the winter boots, tucking them to the side of the mat where they could create a puddle.
“You’re welcome, angel.” I know you’re having a shitty holiday. “Now, let me make it better.”
Nicky shook her head. “No, just…wait.”
She hopped off the stool. Going to the stove, she grabbed a plate from the cabinet, piled something hot and savory onto the dish, and brought it to the end of the counter with a fork.
“When I saw you out there, I reheated this,” she explained. “It’s the least I could do. Sorry that it’s only leftovers.”
A shining warmth invaded my chest. It didn’t matter what was on the plate. This beautiful woman had taken the time to cook…for me.
“You can eat it in the dining room if you don’t want to take the—” she gestured at my face “—ski mask thingy completely off.”
“It’s called a balaclava,” I teased gently, closing the distance and reaching for her. Cazzo, she was warm. And soft. And curvy in all the right places.
Nicky huffed, clearly not amused. “Just eat while it’s hot, okay?”
I caught her chin, tipping it up, and leaned down so our faces were close together. “Thank you, angel.”
Those blue eyes widened. Heat and hunger swirled through them, but it was the deeper emotions, the ones she suppressed, that punched me straight in the chest.
“You’re welcome,” she breathed.
I booped my nose against hers before scooping up the plate and disappearing into the formal dining room.
Not turning on the overhead chandelier, I took a seat at the shadowed table.
Tapered candles glowed in the center, and I absently wondered if one of those plastic sticks was the one I’d used the first night.
Probably not. That dirty memento probably lost its ability to serve in any decorating function.
I kept the door cracked so I could watch her.
She didn’t try to peek, didn’t seem interested in catching me without the mask.
Bent over the cookies, she piped frosting onto them, used a tool to blend the colors, and concentrated on whatever beauty she was creating.
Occasionally, she flicked at her phone, studying whatever was on the screen.
Gulping down bites of the spiced beef, scooping mashed potatoes, and ripping chunks of dinner roll with my teeth, it felt like a crime not to linger over the meal.
Everything tasted amazing. But I was starved for something else.
With the last piece of roll, I mopped up the remnants, making the plate seem clean.
Rising, I strode back into the kitchen. It was time for dessert. I took five seconds to rinse the plate and load it in the dishwasher.
“How was it?” Nicky didn’t look up from her work.
“It was delicious.” I crossed to where she worked.
It was hard to believe the small house on the dish in front of her was a cookie.
Nicky had painted it with icing to look like a miniature palace.
The window glowed from the light of a teeny, tiny candle.
Snow dripped from the sill. The shingles on the roof were likewise dusted with white, sugary flakes.
She was concentrating on a wreath over the door, adding dots of holly in bright red. “But now I’m ready for dessert.”
I plucked an unused piping bag of frosting, checking to make sure the plastic tip wasn’t clipped.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Nicky leaned protectively over the cookie. “These are a special order. My first customer wants three dozen for her family gathering tomorrow, and she paid a premium.”
Pride bloomed inside me. “You turned your art into a business?”
Nicky watched me. A slow, real smile spread across her mouth. “I did.”
“Who is it for?” I ran the piping bag through my fist, testing the girth. It wasn’t as solid as I would have liked, but it would serve.
“One of the social divas from the other night. She called me up the morning after the Jefferson’s holiday party to place an order for them— What are you doing?” Nicky squeaked.
I let the smile invade my voice as I leaned over her. “Be good for me now, angel. It’s Christmas.”
Pulling her into my arms, I tugged the mask down so my lips were free. The edges at the eye opening tore, making the opening wider. I took a deep breath, burying my nose in her hair. Nicky let out a low moan of pleasure and tipped her head—exposing her throat.
She called me a monster? A dangerous title. Didn’t she know monsters had teeth? I grazed mine along the column of her neck, making her shiver.
Gone was the scowl. Now if I could only make her smile….
I pressed a kiss against her pulse. “I can taste your heartbeat.” I sucked hard, making her moan again. “Do you hear that wild beat? That’s mine, angel. All mine.”
Nicky gasped as I sank my teeth into her flesh, bruising her skin.
Caspita! I loved the way she responded to me.
The way she tasted. The sounds that she made.
I continued to kiss and bite her, taking my time to savor every inch of her neck, her jaw, wanting to find her lips, but not ready to share a first kiss.
No…that would come later.
When the mask was gone, I would lay myself bare to her. Nicky would kiss me. Not the masked man, not the beast who chased her through the dark.
“I’m going to gobble you up,” I promised. “Tonight, you’re mine.”
“You’ll have to catch me first.”
The glee in her voice should have been a warning. I was about to point out that I had, in fact, caught her. That she was trapped on the stool, captured in my arms. But the naughty girl was quick and wily.
She’d plucked a tub of frosting while I’d been occupied in tasting her and squirted a healthy heap in her hand. Without mercy, she smeared it over the widened opening in the mask.
I reared back with a shout, temporarily blinded by sticky, sweet sugar.
Fumbling blindly for a towel, I heard the stool scrape on the floor. Quick feet dashed from the kitchen.
The moment I could see, I prowled forward, remembering at the last second to grab the bag of unclipped icing. A thrill shot through my veins. “Such a naughty, wicked girl!”
A squeal sounded from somewhere deep in the house.
I stalked forward, checking room after room.
She wasn’t upstairs, so I returned to the living room, and scanned the area more closely.
Tonight, the tree’s lights were multicolored.
They blinked and winked in a merry dance of blues, reds, yellows, and greens.
On the floor were items she’d been using earlier to wrap gifts.
Scissors, tape, and tubes of paper lay next to bins of ribbon and premade bows. A beautiful mess.
I whispered to the sofa, ready to pounce.
With a wild screech, Nicky scampered out from behind it, launching something white and round at me. I caught the fake snowball, smiling in amusement.
She made it to the middle of the room before her foot caught on the tube of wrapping paper.
I pounced. “Should have cleared this stuff away when you were done wrapping gifts,” I scolded, sliding my hand over her thigh.