Chapter 9
nine
MADDOX
My sister honks from outside and I shake my head. A normal person would just text to say they’ve arrived or even climb out of their car and knock on the door, but no, Sabrina McMahon does both—she’s texts AND honks. Fifteen minutes ago she messaged me to say she and Reindeer are on their way, and by my calculations, the trip should have taken twenty-two minutes, so it seems my sister’s lead foot was in force tonight.
Grabbing my bomber jacket, I slip it on over my dark Henley and zip it up. Locking the door behind me, I shove my hands into my pockets and head out to meet my sister. The front passenger door opens and Reindeer hops out. My step almost falters as I take her in because, fuck me sideways, she’s stunning. She’s wearing black leather pants that look like a second skin and a black bomber jacket over what I think is a red sweater. Her locks have been straightened, and the ends brush her shoulders. It’s clipped back on one side. “Is that a poinsettia in your hair?”
“Mmmhmpf.” She nods with a smile. “Only time of year I can wear it. I always bring it out tonight ’cause it goes with my sweater.” She unzips her jacket, and I smile when I see it’s a Christmas sweater. Where most people have ugly ones, Reindeer’s is gorgeous. Hers is red and white and it has a combination of reindeer, snowflakes, and love hearts on it. It’s quintessentially her and I find myself smiling, and not just because the neckline showcases her stunning tits.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her as she goes to open the back door. “What are you doing?”
“Your legs are longer than mine.” My gaze drops to her legs, and I notice her boots. They’re black, have a wedge heel, and come up over her knees. Suddenly, I’m picturing her in nothing but her boots. Her perky tits begging for me to suck them, but at the sound of the car horn honking, I quickly shake off the dirty thoughts. Internally slapping myself up the side of the head as I remind myself she’s getting married in a few short weeks. It pains me I missed my chance with her, but thankfully, I have my memories of our time together.
“Well, thank you. Let me.” Opening the door for her, I watch her ass as she climbs in, and once she’s seated, I close the door behind her. Readjusting my dick, I climb in, and when I turn toward my sister, she has a look on her face that I can’t read.
“Maddox,” she says by way of greeting.
“Sabrina,” I say her name with a nod. “I was expecting you in another five minutes.”
“What can I say, traffic was on my side.”
“Or your foot was flat to the floor.”
“Or that,” she replies with a shrug. “Ready to get our Christmas fair on?”
She fiddles with her phone and “Winter Wonderland” begins to play through the speakers. Soon, the three of us are singing along as my sister, aka Lightning McQueen, drives us to the festival.
Parking her car, we all climb out. Sabrina links her arm with Rubes and me and the three of us walk toward the festival.
The tree has been lit and this year, I reckon, it would rival the one in Rockefeller Center in New York … just on a smaller scale, but it is no less stunning. Holly, the manager at the Chamber of Commerce, along with Amos from Winter Farms outdid themselves this year. Amos deserves an extra pat on the back; he donated the trees for the street decorations too.
“You having fun, Reindeer?” I ask, bumping her shoulder as we watch Sabrina dance with Delivery Dan. We’re standing next to the makeshift dance floor with a cup of mulled wine in our hands. To our right, the G-team—the Gossip team—as I affectionately call Mildred, Berniece, and Sheila. The three of them are dancing together and giggling like schoolgirls. When I get to their age, I hope I have just as much life and spirit in me as they do.
“Mmmhmpf,” she replies, but it doesn’t seem sincere. Then she smiles but it’s not her usual vibrant one.
“Wanna try that again?”
“No, I am. It’s been a great night, I just wish Joel was here.”
“Where is he tonight?” She shrugs and a silence falls between us as the song changes to “Driving Home For Christmas” by Chris Rea. “Would a spin around the dance floor cheer you up?”
Again, she shrugs, but not giving her a chance to say no, I take her almost empty cup and place them both in the trash, then I grab her hand and pull her onto the dance floor. Spinning her out, I pull her back in, and slide my hand around her waist and rest it on her hip, not giving her a chance to pull away from me. I hold one of her hands between us and she drapes her other arm over my shoulder. She rests her head on my chest and we sway to the music. Several songs pass us by and after twirling and whirling around the dance floor, we find ourselves near the entrance to the dance area when Sheila yells out at the top of her lungs, “Kiss!” Her voice carries over the sound of the music and the music stops when she once again shouts, “Kiss!”
Everyone pauses what they’re doing and they look toward Sheila. She’s smiling like a carnival clown and then she points at me and Reindeer. Furrowing my brows, I look inquisitively over at her. She moves her finger upward and when I lift my gaze, my eyes widen when I see what’s above our heads. Reindeer and I are standing under the mistletoe hanging in the entranceway.
The silence that fell over the festival is broken when someone begins to chant, “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.” Soon after, everyone is chanting, “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.”
My sister calls out, “Pucker up,” and then she makes kissy sounds.
Looking down at Reindeer, I see her cheeks are pink with embarrassment but for the first time tonight, she’s smiling.
“Guess we better keep up with tradition.”
“Guess so,” she replies. She lifts her gaze to mine and as we stare at one another, everyone around us fades into the distance and I’m taken back to a time in our past…
…Everyone has gone to bed and I’ve been tasked with making sure Reindeer gets home safely. The two of us are standing just below the back deck. We’re gazing into each other’s eyes under the moonlit night sky. My heart skips a beat as I lose myself in her eyes. I know this is wrong, she’s my sister’s best friend, but she’s grown into a sexy as hell woman and it’s been hard—pun intended—to keep my hands off of her ever since I got home .
“Maddox,” she breathlessly utters my name. She rests her hand on my chest and takes a step closer to me.
Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek in my palm and an electrical current zaps from her to me. Like two magnets, our heads begin to move and I have no control. Her eyes close just as I press my lips to hers. As soon as our lips touch, every nerve ending in my body comes alive. Her tongue seeks access to my mouth, and I willingly open. She slides her hand into my hair at my nape and gently tugs on the strands.
Our tongues battle it out, slipping into each other’s mouth with ease. Her body presses into mine but the moment is broken when Sabrina calls out her name…
“Ruby.” The sound of my sister’s voice snaps me back to the present and just like all those years ago, the two of us guiltily jump apart, but unlike last time, we didn’t kiss. “Just kiss him on the cheek and then you can bleach your mouth with alcohol.”
Quickly, I lean forward and beat her to it. I press my lips to her cheek, and like always, my lips tingle when my skin touches hers, and an electrical current zaps from her to me.
Her eyes widen at the spark that jolts between us. She covers her cheek and lifts her gaze to mine. I’m about to lift my hand and cup her cheek when she whispers my name, “Maddox…” That one word is full of everything but before I can utter a word, she turns around and races away from me.