Chapter Forty-One
Rick
Rick walked Ashlee to her door and gave her a hug. “Thank you for all your help tonight. I know making a Christmas dance proposal poster wasn’t exactly how you wanted to spend your evening, especially when it was for someone else.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said, playing with a strand of her hair.
“Honestly, it was a lot of fun. Although I initially thought it was weird she was out with another guy tonight.” Ashlee smiled a little coyly and fluttered her lashes.
“Then again, she probably thought you were out with me, too, so that makes you guys even.”
Rick had met Ashlee at the bookstore, and they talked about books and being new to town, since Ashlee had only been there a few months and was still making friends.
He mentioned the book club to her and that Marianne ran it, but she said that the women hadn’t exactly been welcoming her with open arms. Rick didn’t understand it because she was really nice, but he also wasn’t an expert on female dynamics.
Then they bumped into each other when he was picking out poster board and twinkle lights after Josie and Colin had convinced him that the best way to get back into Kaylee’s good graces and to check something else off her list would be to make her a Christmas dance proposal poster.
Also, it would mark off a romantic moment, as long as Kaylee didn’t think it was cheesy.
He’d asked Ashlee where the glue guns were, and she’d asked what he was working on.
He told her about the poster, and she had offered to let him come over and raid her craft room.
They spent several hours working on the poster, and he took her out for ice cream as a thank-you.
He hadn’t been trying to make Kaylee jealous, but when she walked in and he saw the look on her face, he knew she was pissed off, and then she had the nerve to take Benny’s hand and let him call her babe.
She was lucky he hadn’t jumped to his feet and picked her up, carrying her out of there while smacking her bratty little behind.
“Rick, if it doesn’t work out with Kaylee, just know that there are lots of girls who would appreciate a sweet, romantic guy like you.”
Uh-oh, that was not what he wanted to hear from someone he considered a friend. “I appreciate that, but I’m kind of hung up on her.”
“I get it. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you around.”
Rick walked back to the inn as snow began to fall around his head and shoulders, small flurries swirling and dancing in the air.
As he glanced around at the buildings and little houses he passed, he thought about how much he’d grown to love this town and the people in it.
He always thought that small towns weren’t for him because Rick preferred anonymity to knowing his neighbors, but after how much the people had welcomed him, how helpful and kind they’d been, he wondered if maybe it was just the town he grew up in, and it wasn’t every town that was like that.
He climbed the steps to the inn, where the white Christmas lights wrapped around the railing, and he opened the left-hand side of the double glass doors, stepping into the warm, homey lobby.
A fake Christmas tree was stationed in the corner, adorned with twinkling white lights reminiscent of those outside, silver and gold ornaments gracing every branch.
Next to the tree was a hutch labeled hot cocoa bar with packets of hot chocolate, marshmallows, a hot water dispenser, and a clear container of chocolate chip cookies for guests to enjoy.
Greta was working the front desk and beamed at Rick as he passed by.
“Good evening, Rick.”
“Hi there, Greta, did you have a good night?”
“I did. And you have a visitor waiting by your door.”
“A visitor?” He paused on the stairs, his heart bouncing around in his chest like a Ping-Pong ball. “Who?”
“Kaylee Kringle,” she said, holding up the hotel guest book. “I made her sign in.”
Rick’s heart lodged in his throat as he rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he turned the corner, Rick saw Kaylee pacing in front of his hotel room door, her face pinched with anxiety, and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight.
“Kaylee,” he called out softly, striding toward her. “What are you doing here?”
She whirled around and crossed her arms over her chest. “What am I doing here? Why weren’t you here?
” She marched toward him like a virago, and he sidestepped her so he could get to his door, but she kept coming, talking to his back.
“Where have you been, and furthermore, what the heck did you do to my house?”
Rick had to fight back his laughter as he imagined what she must’ve looked like when she saw all the blowups.
“Well, first I had to walk Ashlee home.”
“Oh yeah, Ashlee! You mean the woman that you went out with tonight? Was that after you decorated my house with pornographic reindeer?”
He stopped in front of his door, matching her stance and energy. “It was after, obviously. She was just helping me with something.
“Oh, I can just imagine what she was helping you with,” she sniped.
“It’s not like that. She’s actually a really lovely person. I was lost in the craft aisle at the store, and she offered to give me a hand.”
Her entire expression said I bet even though she wasn’t speaking.
“As to what I did to your house, it was my apology. You wanted to have your house decorated for Christmas, and I obliged.”
“You put a pole-dancing gingerbread man, reindeer screwing on my roof, and another gingerbread man taking a bath in a mug. We’re not even going to talk about the other two gingerbread people who were kissing; it was like coming home to a cookie romance novel.
“I thought you’d appreciate it since you like that kind of thing.”
“Are you slut-shaming me for my book preferences?”
“No, I did the gingerbread man because Josie mentioned that you loved making gingerbread houses and gingerbread cookies. As far as the reindeer, I thought they were hysterical and that you would laugh, too. And the ‘I’m sorry’ in the window was sincere.
” He put his hand on the door so he could lean down until they were eye level.
“I’m sorry, Kaylee. I don’t wanna do this back-and-forth with you anymore.
I don’t wanna fight. I don’t wanna be just an agent to you. I want more.”
Kaylee didn’t say anything for a beat, finally admitting, “The reindeer might’ve been funny if I didn’t think that you were alluding to what had happened between us.”
Rick burst out laughing. “You thought I put reindeer fucking on your roof as a reminder of the two of us?”
Kaylee’s lips twitched. “Maybe.”
He leaned over her, resting his head on her shoulder, guffawing loudly. “What the hell, Kaylee! It’s not like we were making reindeer noises while we were—”
A door opened behind them, and a grumpy voice called out, “Excuse me! It is late, and we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow morning. We are trying to sleep, and you are being very rude. Knock it off before I make a formal complaint.”
Rick turned around, and it was the same woman from the ski lodge scolding them.
“Sorry about that. We’re just young and alive,” he said.
He unlocked his door, holding it for Kaylee, and smiled at the woman as she glared at him.
“You have yourself a good night,” he said.
Once the door was shut, Kaylee burst into laughter, her hand covering her mouth so her response was muffled. “Oh my gosh, was that the same woman from the restaurant?”
“I think so.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
“She is a thief of joy because I’m still not over imagining the two of us screwing like reindeer.”
Kaylee’s face flushed red. “That is not exactly what I meant.”
“Well, it’s how I took it, and I prefer it that way because it’s hysterical.”
“Whatever floats your boat, Rick.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Kaylee.” Rick cupped her cheek, stroking her soft skin with his thumb. “You float my boat. You float my boat all over the Pacific, all over the Atlantic, all the freshwater rivers—”
Kaylee shook her head. “Stop. I get the metaphor. If you really like me that much, then why were you out with Ashlee?”
“I told you she was helping me with a craft project.”
“What craft project?”
“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but—” He crossed the room and picked up the poster board, flicking on the light switch. It was a picture of Elvis, and the poster read I’ll have a blue Christmas if you don’t go to the dance with me.
“Is that a Christmas dance proposal?”
“Yes, and Josie thought you’d like it, and I figured it would mark off another thing on your list.”
“Have a romantic moment,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I know it’s cheesy and corny, and I just didn’t know what else to do to make you forgive me because I want you to forgive me so badly, Kaylee.”
Kaylee’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “It is romantic and cheesy and corny, and I love it.” Her gaze lifted to meet his. “So, you don’t like Ashlee?”
“No, we just talked. And I wasn’t the one holding someone else’s hand tonight.”
Kaylee scoffed. “He took me in and out of the ice cream shop because he knew you were in there and I was bothered.”
“Is that why he called you ‘babe’?” he muttered darkly.
“He was messing with you,” Kaylee said, her smile bright, and it chased away his black thoughts. “He’s a good guy, and he knows he and I are just friends.”
“And what about us?” Rick said, crossing the room and reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. He held out the poster to her, and she took it with both hands. “Are we just friends?”
“Is that what you want us to be ?” she asked.
“No, not even a little bit,” he said.
Rick took the poster from her and set it on top of the dresser on the right side of the room before cupping her face, his gaze boring into hers. “I want to be everything to you.”
She sucked in a breath seconds before his mouth closed over hers, and he kissed her slowly, his tongue seeking entrance and lightly playing with hers. He continued kissing her in sweet strokes until her hands were pulling on his shirt.
“What are you doing?” Kaylee whispered.
“I thought you wanted me to go slow,” he said.
“What?”
“On Sunday, you said that I went too fast and I needed to slow down.”
“I didn’t mean it,” she said.
“Still, I like to do what I’m told will make you happy.”
Kaylee’s hands reached for his pants, slipping the belt loose from its buckle. “What will make me happy is for you to beg me.”
Rick lost the ability to breathe for a moment as she sank to her knees in front of him, loosening his belt and popping the button on his jeans.
She dragged his zipper down slowly, her gaze meeting his.
The exquisite torture of undressing him was driving him insane, but he had a feeling she knew that, and he refused to tell her to hurry up.
“The last time we did this, you had to be in control,” she murmured.
“I like to be in control,” he said.
“I think you’ll like this, too.” She grabbed the top of his jeans and dragged them down his legs until they stopped at his ankles, trapping him.
Kaylee took hold of his boxers and removed the last obstacle between her and his rock-hard cock.
When he stood straight, his dick was right in front of her face, and he waited with bated breath for her to take him, to touch him, to wrap those gorgeous, lush lips around him and suck him inside her mouth until his knees went weak.
Oh fucking hell.
Or heaven, as he should’ve thought, as she wrapped her hand around him, squeezing him, pumping him, playing with him.
Her lips brushed against the tip of his cock, and he wanted to weep.
Her little tongue darted out, licking up the rest of his arousal, and he arched his back, wanting to be closer, needing to be deeper, and she obliged him with her mouth.
Slowly opening over him, taking the head of his cock inside and running her tongue over and around and tickling the underside.
His hips thrust of their own volition, and she pulled back, smirking. “Remember, I’m in control.”
“You’re a brat,” he said.
“And I think you like it,” she fired back.
He wanted to argue, but then she opened her mouth wider, her hands gripping his hips as she drove down on him until he hit the back of her throat and her muscles spasmed around him.
Then all he could think was Yes, yes, I love it, keep being a brat, yes, more of that.
Rick lost all train of thought when she pulled nearly all the way back and then drove down again.
He let her set the pace even though he wanted nothing more than to take her by her hair and slam into her.
The best part wasn’t just about getting off.
It was about Kaylee. He wanted her in more ways than he even understood, and in order to win her, he needed to let her be in control.
Kaylee moved faster, her mouth loose around him as she went down and sucking as she came back up, driving him crazy.
He took her hair in his hands, lightly running his fingers through it, brushing it back off her forehead so he could get a better view.
He could feel his balls clinch, begging for relief.
“You’re gonna make me come.”
Kaylee sucked harder, releasing him with a little pop. “I want you to come.”
“Do you want me to come in your mouth, or do you want me to come inside you?”
“I don’t care how you come as long as I’m the one making you do it, as long as you’re saying my name.”
Fuck, he loved this side of Kaylee. She wasn’t all shy, sweetness, or quiet anger, but in the bedroom, she was hot, assertive, and so fucking beautiful.
Rick took off his shoes and stepped out of his underwear and jeans before he picked her up.
When she protested, he lay back on the bed, taking her with him.
“You’re still in charge, but my legs are getting tired, and I imagine your knees don’t feel great on the floor.”
Kaylee’s eyes shone brightly, and he scooted back when she moved down his body and between his legs, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock. “Thank you for your consideration.”
His laugh turned into a groan as she lifted her shirt above her head and tossed it aside.
She wore a lacy red bra that cupped her breasts.
She reached behind and unhooked her bra clasp, and he sat back up, his hands covering her breasts, squeezing them.
Kaylee released a hushed breath as he leaned over, kissing first one peak and then the other. “I didn’t get to see these last time.”
“Like I said, you needed to slow down,” she teased.
Rick pinched her nipple. “Brat.”
She wrapped her hands around his cock and squeezed. “Jerk.”
Rick took her lips, murmuring against them, “Beautiful.”
She laughed. “You, too.”