Stocking Stuffer, page 7
A swell of nerves made her feel almost shaky. How were she and Mack going to get through this tonight and not let anyone figure out they were doing . . . well . . . whatever they were doing? The house was filled to the brim with Macholan relatives and family friends who were there to celebrate the holidays and Jenna’s engagement. Bailey studied every face close to her, seeking Mack, but she didn’t see him. That filled her with a mixture of relief and disappointment.
“Bailey!” a familiar female voice squealed. Bailey looked up to see Jenna rushing down the staircase toward her. Jenna was a gorgeous blonde with deep blue eyes and a bright smile. She looked absolutely dazzling in a knee-length green cocktail dress.
“Jenna!” She hugged her old childhood friend.
“Congratulations!” Jenna said.
“What for? Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” Bailey asked in confusion.
“Thanks, but I owe you a congratulations. You have completely thrown Mack off his game. He’s been flustered all day, and I believe you have something to do with it, because every time someone mentions you, he goes all red in the face. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.” Jenna grinned wickedly. “So, what did you do to him?”
“Do to him?” Bailey was hung up on the idea of Mack being flustered by her.
“Yes, you clearly did something this year. I’ve asked about you each Christmas since high school, and he’s always been able to smoothly distract me. Not this year. Something is different.”
“Well, maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other in so long, and it’s just bound to be awkward now that we’re both home.”
“But you saw each other last night . . .” Jenna’s brows knit together.
“No, we—”
Jenna held up her phone, showing a picture of Bailey and Mack standing by the Santa’s village. “This was posted on Trouble Inc.’s social media profiles. Rob found it. Don’t know how the moms haven’t seen it yet.”
Bailey stared at the photo, marveling at how she and Mack looked as they handed out presents together.
“So cute, right? Did you guys plan that?”
Bailey shook her head and handed Jenna her phone back.
“We haven’t seen each other since he graduated, at least not really. This was the first time we’d spoken in ten years. We were volunteered for the positions by our department heads at the party, not knowing the other would get picked.”
“Wow, small world to end up at the same company and then the whole Santa thing.”
Small indeed, Bailey thought.
“So are you guys like, finally . . . you know . . . ,” Jenna whispered.
Bailey felt like she was in high school all over again.
“No, definitely not.”
“No?” Jenna pouted in disappointment. “Damn. I had hoped . . . You’ve been the only girl he’s ever talked about, even after all this time.” She nibbled her lip. “So if you guys aren’t . . . then are you dating someone right now?”
“Nope. There was a guy a few months ago, but it was more of a fun thing, nothing serious.”
“So you’re single?” Jenna’s eyes lit up with a mixture of hope and mischief. “We really need to catch up. Why the hell haven’t we gotten together in the last few years?” Jenna asked. “I could have been setting you up with some quality guys, and you could have gone on double dates with Rob and me.”
“Oh no . . . don’t get any ideas,” Bailey protested with a laugh. God, she’d missed her friend more than she’d realized. She’d been so focused on staying away from Mack that she’d forgotten about the other Macholans in her life, the ones who had been her friends, her extended family.
“Aw, come on. It can be your wedding gift to me. Let me meddle in your love life.”
Bailey fought to not roll her eyes. “You want to send me on a date as a wedding present for yourself?”
“Of course?” Jenna said emphatically. “It’s better than getting a toaster.”
Unable to help it, Bailey burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” A deep, sexy voice came from behind her. She shivered and her stomach knotted in anxious excitement. Mack had found her.
“Oh, hey, Mack,” Jenna said with a giggle, and suddenly she was holding up a sprig of mistletoe in their faces. “Oh dear, look at that, mistletoe,” Jenna said in a tone of pretend shock and amazement.
Mack’s cheeks actually turned pink, and Bailey’s own face flushed with embarrassing heat.
“Hey, you have to do it, guys. Or it’s bad luck,” Jenna warned.
Mack shot Bailey a questioning look, and she tilted her head in silent invitation. What the hell. It wasn’t as though this would be any worse than what they had done last night.
He cupped the back of her head and curled his other hand around her hip, the light but possessive hold sending shivers through her. Then he kissed her lightly, sweetly on the mouth.
“Son, that’s not exactly a real kiss,” Mack’s father said, and they jerked apart in mortification.
“Yeah, Mack, don’t wuss out,” Jenna said. “Do it properly this time. It’s not like she’s your sister.”
At this, Mack’s eyes darkened as he gazed down at Bailey. “She’s definitely not,” he murmured before slowly leaning in again toward her as Bailey gave him an encouraging nod.
Bailey closed her eyes, trying not to think about their audience. Mack’s mouth was on hers again, this time hot and demanding. Flashes of last night made her tremble against him, desperate to experience that all over again. She forgot anyone was watching. He parted her lips and slipped his tongue inside, reminding her of how incredible last night had been. She grabbed his shoulders, clinging to him. When they finally broke apart, she opened her eyes and glanced around. She and Mack were alone in the entryway. How long had they been kissing?
They both glanced around, and she exhaled a slow breath in relief that they were alone in the hall. Jenna and Mack’s father had left them to finish that kiss privately. She and Mack stared at each other.
“We really need to talk,” Mack murmured.
He held out his hand to her, and something caught in her chest as she put her hand in his. He curled his fingers around hers, leading her upstairs to his bedroom. Excitement fluttered in her belly as she realized she was once again the center of his attention.
It was strange, going into his room. The last time she’d been in his room, he’d been fifteen and she had been thirteen. He had shoved her into the hall after she’d gotten nosy and tried to open his nightstand drawer. He’d slammed his door, demanding privacy because he was a “man” and she was a kid. After that, she’d only seen the inside of his bedroom from her window when he had his blinds up. Now he led her into his sanctuary and closed the door, flipping the lock. She arched one brow in silent question.
“I think we can agree we both don’t want anyone walking in on us.”
That was true. Even if they were just talking, she didn’t want anyone jumping to conclusions.
“So . . .” He still held her hand, and she only just realized it, but she didn’t try to pull away.
“So . . . ,” she echoed, strangely nervous to be alone with him while their families were downstairs. The muffled sounds of the party below were a reminder of what they were risking by sneaking away up here.
“I want more,” Mack said softly.
“More?”
“More of this—more of you.” He pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her lower back. “Tell me I can have you for a few more days.”
Bailey stared up into his mercurial eyes, full of winter storms. He slid one hand up her back until he held her head cradled in his palm. She leaned into his touch, and at the same moment her body tightened with anticipation.
“Belong to me, Bailey, for a little while longer.” It was almost a command, and while she never bowed to a man for anything, when Mack spoke to her in that lust-roughened voice . . . her sanity went straight out the window.
“Belong to me . . .”
It was all she’d ever wanted, to belong to him. She was a fool no matter what she chose, so she might as well enjoy it.
“Yes,” she breathed the single word that could throw her heart onto a fiery pyre, but at least she would go out with mind-blowing pleasure.
He didn’t say another word, he simply kissed her hard, hungrily, insistently demanding entry to her mouth, and then she was spinning as he lifted her up and carried her toward his bed.
Mack was a lucky bastard, and he knew it. Bailey had granted him his Christmas wish. He sat back on his bed, and she straddled his lap. He slid his hands down her back, over her bottom, and up under the skirt of her plaid dress to cup her ass cheeks. His palm caressed the thin lace of her panties.
“You shouldn’t have worn these,” he murmured as he stole a slow kiss, using his tongue to remind her how much he enjoyed penetrating her in whatever way he could.
“Why?” She asked innocently, but rocked against his erection, rubbing herself on him.
“Because I want to rip them off and take you. Then you’d have to go back to your house and get another pair, naughty girl.” He chuckled darkly. “Or maybe you want to spend the rest of the night bare so I can pull you away anytime and get what I want.”
Her body shivered against his, and he fought off a groan as his blood surged to his groin. She brought out an animal side in him like no one else. She giggled, actually giggled, and the sound was so adorable that he laughed too. He had somehow forgotten what it was like to have Bailey in his life. He realized now more than ever that he didn’t want to let her go again, so he would have to convince her to stay. And he was going to start with kisses.
He fisted his hand in her hair, relishing the way the golden-brown silk strands flowed over his palm. She ground down on his lap, and he groaned. Fuck, he needed inside her, bad.
“You’re killing me, babe.” He kissed her again, even rougher this time.
“Then punish me,” she challenged and took his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged. The last thread of his control snapped. He rolled them over so she was on her back on the bed, but he got up and dug around in his drawer for a condom before coming back to her.
“On your knees,” he ordered.
Bailey shot him a bratty pout and rolled over until she was kneeling on his bed with her back to him. She looked at him over her shoulder. He came up behind her and reached around her front and pushed his hand up between her thighs until he found her center and cupped it. He stroked his fingers over her mound through the thin lace of her panties. Her breath quickened as he pulled the lace aside and touched her wet, bare sex with his fingers.
Then he sank two fingers roughly inside her while he curled his other hand around her throat. He didn’t squeeze at all—he simply held her prisoner, her back pressed to his chest while he pleasured her. Downstairs the house was full of guests, and no one knew what was happening in his childhood bedroom. He grew even harder at the thought of such tantalizing secrecy.
“Mack.” Bailey gasped his name, and he moved his hand from her throat, covering her mouth while he ground against her body from behind. He continued to use his fingers to send her over the edge. He felt her clenching around his fingers. He rubbed the pad of one finger on her clit furiously until she was stifling her screams. Mack made her experience every hot second of her orgasm before he let her come down from the high of it. She sagged back against him, and he removed his hand from her mouth. She parted her lips, gasping in quick little inhalations. He held her close, curling himself around her as she trembled in his arms.
“What about you?” Bailey whispered and rubbed her ass against his groin. He was still hard as hell.
He wasn’t sure what he planned to say, but then she turned on the bed and placed her hands on his chest, pushing him back a few steps and knelt on the carpet in front of him. She curled a finger in one of the belt loops of his jeans and tugged him a step closer. With the sultriest look he’d ever seen from any woman in his life, she unbuttoned his pants and unzipped his fly. Understanding now what she wanted, he freed his cock from his pants and stroked it as he gazed down at her. This was one fantasy he had denied himself, but now it was quickly becoming a reality. She leaned forward and flicked the tip of her tongue over the head of his shaft.
“Fuck,” he moaned as she teased him. “Just take it all before you kill me.” He was pretty sure he would agree to anything she asked for at this point if she did what her eyes promised she was about to do.
Her soft, husky laugh only made the blood pound harder in his ears. Bailey opened her mouth and took him inside. The feel of her wet mouth surrounding him made him nearly black out. He fought the urge to rock and fuck her mouth. He didn’t want to scare her off when she was giving him one hell of a gift. She took him deeper and let him slide out before she smiled. A moment later, he lost all control and was tunneling in and out of her mouth, while she held on to his hips, her fingers digging into his flesh. She swallowed as he hit the back of her throat, and the exquisite sensation nearly made him come right then.
She hummed in delight as though she enjoyed it, and that was all it took. He thrust faster, and then he was coming apart at the seams. He tried to pull out, but she held fast, swallowing before releasing him.
Fucking hell, he was done for. That was it. She had wrecked him for all other women. She was a goddess, and he wanted to fall on his knees and worship her.
“Did . . . did I do it okay?” she asked. The sultry vixen was gone, and she was once again the sweet, smart, beautiful girl next door. He loved the girl she’d been and now he loved the woman too.
“Yeah . . . God, yes.” He fixed his pants, and she climbed up off the floor with his help, and he pulled her against his chest. The need to cuddle her, to make her warm and happy with him, was overpowering.
“Good. I’ve never done that before,” she admitted, her face reddening at the confession.
“You haven’t?” She had just blown his circuits out, and that had been her first time?
“I’ve had a few boyfriends in the last couple of years, but I never really wanted to try that with them. But I wanted to try it with you.” She tucked her face against his chest as though she was embarrassed.
“You’re amazing. I . . . God, that was . . .” He had no words.
“I’ve struck you speechless,” she said, chuckling to herself.
He could only manage a laugh in response to that.
Mack pulled her back onto his bed, and both of them stretched out lazily on it. She laid her head on his chest, and he stroked the shining waves of her hair. He didn’t want to leave the cocoon of this room. He didn’t want to give her up to the world again or let the festivities below separate them.
“You can see my bedroom from this angle,” Bailey observed.
“Yeah.” He didn’t admit how many times he’d stared at her that year before he turned eighteen. She been so cute at sixteen, her long ponytail bouncing as she moved about her room. He’d always loved her energy—it made her glow. Everything around her seemed to be touched by that Bailey magic.
“You didn’t ever watch me . . .”
“Undress?” he offered with a smirk.
“No, I mean . . .” She halted. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”
He rolled her beneath him on the bed so fast she didn’t have time to fight him.
“What did you mean?” he asked. His gaze was locked on her mouth, that gorgeous mouth that had sent him to heaven only a few minutes ago.
“Nothing—”
“Bells,” he growled softly. “Did I see you do what?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and wrinkled her nose as though fighting to keep her mouth shut. He leaned down and licked at the pursed seam of her lips, and she opened to him. He languidly teased her with slow kisses until she was pliant beneath him.
“Now spill it,” he commanded in a seductive whisper.
“I used to . . . you know. I always watched you when you were in your room, and it made me flush so hot all over. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Is she saying . . . ? No, she can’t be. “You got off watching me?” he asked.
She nodded slowly, her face as red as the elf costume she’d worn yesterday.
“I love knowing that.” He grinned. It was so much more than a stroke to his ego. What he liked was knowing that she had discovered her sexuality while thinking about him. It felt special somehow.
“You’re really okay with that? That I basically objectified you?”
He cupped her chin, raising her face to look at him. “You were thinking of me, right? Not just any sexy guy?”
“Right.” She narrowed her eyes a little, as if trying to guess what he was going to say.
“Then I wasn’t an object. You were seeing me in your fantasy.” He brushed the backs of his knuckles over her cheek, marveling at how soft her skin was.
“Mack!” someone hollered up the stairs. It was his father’s voice.
“Shit!” he whispered and slid off the bed and ran to the locked bedroom door. “Yeah, Dad?” he yelled through the closed door.
“What are you doing up there? Everyone’s ready for dinner.”
“I spilled something on my sweater. I’m changing.” Mack opened his suitcase on the floor and dug through it, throwing clothes all about the room until he found a different sweater to wear. When he looked up, Bailey was sitting on the edge of his bed, swinging her legs with a grin.
“You’d better sneak down first. I’ll change and follow you.” He pulled his perfectly fine sweater off, and then she got up off the bed. She paused at his door and flicked the lock to open it. She bit her lip to hide a smile before she left. He changed into the dark gray Irish knit sweater. He saw that she’d left her lace panties on his floor. In that moment he knew he was forever in love with her. But what the hell was he going to do?
