Don't Open Till Christmas Read online

  “So do you,” she replied. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  “Just passing through. I’m a complete stranger at a party, remember?” he said, his voice low and intense. He did not want Noelle to start thinking about this, to start remembering all the reasons she thought they couldn’t see each other anymore. He just wanted her to go with it—to go for it—as she had last Sunday.

  She started to speak again. “But…”

  “Shh,” he ordered.

  Though close enough to feel the warmth of her skin, and see the way the fine hair on her temple moved under his breath, he somehow managed to keep himself under control. Because that close-but-so-far-away feeling, more than anything, would drive Noelle wild.

  One of his hands tightened the tiniest bit on her waist, while with the other, he laced their fingers together. Their bodies remaining separated by a thin strip of air, so that his trousers brushed her leg and their shoes nearly touched. The front of Noelle’s sexy black dress scraped lightly against the jacket of his tux, tantalizingly near, but an eternity farther apart than he wanted to be.

  They moved, slid, and swayed, ignoring the other dancers around them, and the changing of the song. And every movement, every dip, every note and every step built the tension and the desire. Soon, Mark could think of nothing else but having her again.

  Still leading her in the dance, he began to angle them across the floor, toward the rear of the ballroom. When they were close enough to an exit to avoid unwanted attention, he tugged her with him toward a closed door nearly hidden by the fabric-draped walls. Ignoring the small “private” sign, he opened the door and led her into a dark, shadowy corridor, obviously intended for use by the wait staff.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the closest private place,” was all he said.

  She picked up the pace, hurrying, almost stumbling in her sexy, strappy high heels. Her speed was all the answer he needed about whether Noelle was as desperate for him as he was for her.

  “Here,” she whispered, twisting at the brushed metal handle of another closed door. It opened, and this time she led the way, charging into the darkness without a second’s hesitation.

  He followed her, immediately realizing by the smell of lemony polish and cleanser that they were in some type of housekeeping closet. Good enough.

  Pushing the door closed behind them, he felt around on the wall until his fingers brushed against a light switch. “Watch your eyes,” he ordered as he flicked it on.

  A weak bulb flashed to life over their heads, flickered once or twice, then stayed on to bathe them in a small amount of light. But it was enough—enough to see they were completely alone in the supply-stacked closet. Enough to see the desire dripping off Noelle in waves.

  “I want you so much,” she whispered hoarsely before grabbing him by the shoulders and tugging him close.

  He covered her mouth with his for a deep, hungry kiss, cupping her head in his hands and letting his fingers drift between her loosely upswept curls. Her lips parted immediately, her tongue meeting his in a hungry feast of tasting and licking.

  When Noelle reached for the jacket of his tux and pushed it off his shoulders, Mark didn’t even hesitate. He let it fall, then stood back enough to allow her to unbutton his dress shirt. Once it had joined the jacket on the floor, Noelle looked at his chest, licking her lips appreciatively. “My God, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” she asked. “You’re like a big, beautifully wrapped birthday present I get to open and play with and not have to share with anybody.”

  He noticed she didn’t say Christmas, and laughed softly. “Well, I want to unwrap my present, too.”

  Reaching around her back for the zipper of her little black dress, he began to tug it down. Though he was not feeling the least bit patient, he was careful not to tear it. They’d have to get out of here eventually, and her hair tumbling out of its style would be enough to explain.

  She stepped closer, sliding her arms around his neck, kissing him again, tilting her head for a tighter fit of their mouths. He would have liked to dance like this, connected from head to toe. Naked would be good, too.

  As the kiss ended she murmured, “I’ve been dreaming about you every night.”

  “Ditto.”

  “I’ve been wanting more. So much more.” Sucking on his bottom lip, she nipped at it lightly, letting him know just how wild she was feeling.

  “Tell me what you’ve been dreaming of doing, Noelle,” he asked as he finished unzipping the dress.

  “Oh…this and that.”

  Her sultry smile told him exactly what kinds of this and that she meant. He couldn’t help thinking back to last Sunday, when they’d indulged in so many hours of sensual pleasures.

  “Which this did you like best?” he asked, watching as she lowered one shoulder, then the other, to let the dress fall.

  When he saw the sexy black bra she was wearing, though, he forgot about his own question. Smiling at the way her breasts pushed up and over the lacy hem, he lowered his face to bury it in her curves. He licked at the seam of her cleavage, marveling again at how soft and smooth her skin was against his cheek. Breathing in her scent, he kissed the top curves of each breast. Then, sliding his tongue beneath the fabric, he licked hungrily at one practically exposed nipple.

  “Mark!” She twined her fingers in his hair and held him tightly against her chest, forceful, taking the pressure and intensity she wanted.

  Unable to wait, he jerked the bra out of the way, lifting her breast to his eagerly awaiting mouth. Catching her nipple between his lips, he sucked hard on it, feeling the way she sagged against him in response. Her tender flesh pebbled harder against his tongue as he suckled her, and her little whimpers of delight urged him on.

  Reaching down, he pushed her dress to the floor and moved back to let her kick it out of the way. When he saw her skimpy panties and thigh-high black stockings, he almost erupted out of his pants. “Keep those stockings on when I’m inside you,” he growled. “I want to feel them when your legs are wrapped around my waist.” Then, before catching her mouth in another carnal kiss, he added, “And my neck.”

  Licking at his mouth, she reached down to unbutton his pants, then lowered the zipper. Her startled gasp told him the moment she realized he was wearing nothing underneath.

  “Naughty,” she murmured, brushing the tips of her fingers across his erection in a teasing caress.

  “Hey, they don’t make sexy, lacy underwear for men. Commando’s about as racy as a guy can get.”

  She laughed softly, but the laughter quickly faded as he pressed into her palm, dying for her cool touch. The temperature in the small closet increased, growing steamy hot, as she ran her fingers up and down his shaft. He groaned, wanting—needing—more.

  “Tell me what you want,” she ordered, as if knowing he was nearing the end of his rope.

  “I want you.” More than anything in the world.

  She kissed his neck, nibbling at the skin beneath his ear, whispering something soft and suggestive. Dropping her hand lower, she cupped his balls in her hand, handling him lightly, delicately, her touch sending pure heat rushing through him.

  “Be more specific about what you want,” she whispered. “Just like I was last weekend.”

  Last weekend. Oh, yeah, she’d definitely told him what she wanted, over and over again.

  But this was different. Mark had enjoyed giving her pleasure, had totally gotten off on seeing Noelle let go of all her inhibitions and become a slave to her own body’s desires.

  He wasn’t so sure he wanted to let himself do the same thing, however. Not just losing control, but he also didn’t want to push Noelle into anything she didn’t want to do.

  “Do you want me to lick you here?” she asked, squeezing him lightly, running the tip of one finger along the seam of his nuts, to the base of his dick.

  He shuddered and moaned. Dropping his head back, he said nothing, waiting, instead, for her to make h
er move.

  She didn’t. Instead, she continued to toy with him, caressing, not grasping. Teasing, not squeezing. Until he thought he was gonna lose it. “Noelle…”

  “You have to say it,” she whispered against his neck.

  “You’re killing me.”

  “Say it,” she ordered as she sucked on his earlobe, licking its edge. “Beg me for it, and I’ll make you very glad you did.”

  He could no longer resist. Thrusting his hands into her hair, he tugged her mouth to his, whispering, “Taste me, Noelle. Suck me,” just before covering her lips and kissing her deeply.

  She didn’t let him distract her for long. Once he’d given her the ravenous plea she’d asked for, Noelle seemed determined to drive him utterly wild. Pulling her mouth away midkiss, she slid down his body, her bare breasts scraping a hot path over the sweat-slickened skin of his chest and stomach. Her mouth followed suit.

  Cushioning her knees with Mark’s jacket, she knelt in front of him, staring at his engorged cock. From above, he watched her, anticipation making his whole body tense and anxious. The low lighting made her hair come alive like a mass of dark, sparkling embers, and cast shadows across her cheeks. But even in the dimness, he could see the smile on her face. And the way she licked her lips.

  “God,” he muttered, tensing in preparation for what was to come.

  Then she moved her mouth to his erection and licked at him. Lightly. Delicately. Tantalizingly.

  Mark leaned back against the closed door, wanting to close his eyes and enjoy. Wanting to watch her even more.

  Her tongue traced a line of fire from the moist tip of his sex down the thick line in the back. Shuddering, Mark drew in a few choppy breaths as she delicately sampled the base of his shaft, swirling her tongue over his tight balls.

  “You’re killing me,” he muttered, clenching his fists at his sides to try to maintain some kind of control. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to take much of this.”

  It was true. He’d enjoyed oral sex before, but no one had ever made him feel this incredibly good. Her mouth was magic, her tongue divine. Not content with merely tasting him, she also had her hand on him, her fingers teasing and caressing him into near incoherence.

  But he had to admit it: watching her was almost the best part of all.

  Noelle wasn’t going to allow him to stop her. “Don’t die yet, darling. I’m just getting started,” she whispered as she kissed her way back up. Without warning, she covered the bulbous tip of his cock with her lips and sucked him into her mouth.

  He groaned, deep in his throat, and dropped his head back, wondering if it was possible to die from an overdose of pleasure. Her soft mouth was incredibly good…warm, welcoming, moist. He had to admit, it was almost as delightful as her sweet, wet heat had been last weekend, and he hadn’t dropped dead then. Which meant he was free to enjoy every bit of what Noelle wanted to do to him now, didn’t it?

  “Mmm,” she murmured as she sucked him deeper, then pulled away. Again. And again. She freed him long enough to whisper, “You taste so good, don’t you dare ask me to stop.”

  As if.

  She returned to her task, sucking hard again while she used her hand to toy with him between his legs. Looking down at her, Mark couldn’t resist tangling his fingers in her beautiful hair. Rubbing the silkiness against his bare stomach, as he’d fantasized about doing a week ago, he savored the sensations battering him from all sides. Soon, even that required too much effort, and he gave up all thought and existing only for the pleasure of her mouth and hands.

  The tension built, began to spiral, and he recognized the signs of his own impending climax. “Enough,” he muttered through a tight, thick throat, though the words nearly killed him. “You’re going too far, sweetheart.”

  He tried to pull away, tried to tug her up so he could finish this in the proper way, in the proper place. Noelle, however, wouldn’t let him. Reaching one arm around to clasp her hand tightly on his bare ass, she held him there. She began to tug him close, then push him back, setting the rhythm she wanted until he was literally making love to her mouth.

  “Noelle!” he barked when the tension reached the breaking point.

  His demand had no impact whatsoever. Sucking him so deep he thought he was going to die of sensation, she demanded all he had to give. Mark was powerless to resist, incapable of stopping. And soon, to his shock and incredible delight, she devoured him right through his soul-shattering climax.

  9

  IF THE SOUND OF PASSING VOICES outside the cleaning closet hadn’t shocked both of them out of their erotic cloud, Noelle would probably have her legs wrapped around Mark’s hips right about now, letting him drive her into sexual oblivion. But the voices had passed by, and they’d both realized just how much they were risking intrusion on their private interlude.

  So instead of being pounded into with raging passion, she was currently standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom, trying to make some kind of coherent style out of her wild, messy hair. Not to mention wishing she had a toothbrush.

  It wasn’t that she hadn’t loved every bit of what she’d done to Mark—she definitely had. She just would have liked to freshen up a little more than was possible in a ritzy hotel bathroom.

  Noelle smiled at the memory, her knees almost growing weak when she gave herself over to the visual images of what had just happened. She wanted to sigh with wicked satisfaction just thinking about the sensations—his taste, his smell. The helpless sounds of pleasure he’d made. The look of uncontrollable ecstasy on his incredibly handsome face.

  Oh, yes, she’d absolutely adored her most daring sexual adventure yet. Almost as much as she’d adored the wild things Mark had made her feel with his mouth last weekend. Now, there was just one more step. Next time, they’d have to put the two activities together at the same time, so she’d be able to check a certain number off her sexual fantasy list. And probably lose her mind in the process.

  “Next time?” she asked her reflection as she carefully brushed her formerly done-up hair into a loose bunch of curls.

  The thought startled her. She’d thought after last weekend that there would never be a next time. Yet tonight, she’d given in to that same intense longing she’d felt for Mark since the moment he’d stormed into her dressing room the day after Thanksgiving. Now she was already anticipating another sensual interlude.

  So much for her plan to have a one-shot affair with a stranger from far far away. Mark wasn’t a stranger. He was a strong, sexy, amazing guy who happened to live close by and wanted her like mad. Almost as much as she wanted him. So she’d be crazy not to let him indulge her with every naughty fantasy she’d ever imagined, wouldn’t she?

  Noelle was a lot of things, but crazy wasn’t one of them. These barriers she’d tried to erect between them were obviously powerless against the overwhelming attraction they felt for one another, tonight had proved that.

  So why not just go for it?

  Go for an all-out sexual affair, limited by nothing—not distance, not conventions, not insecurity or fears of being hurt. While taking whatever fabulous moments she could with Mark, always, in the back of her mind, she’d absolutely force herself to remember it was temporary. Just a fling. History told her she just wasn’t the kind of woman who men truly fell in love with…or stayed with. But Mark wanted her for now. So why shouldn’t she take a slightly more risky approach and just have a wonderful time with him while she could? It’d be her Christmas present to herself since it was pretty unlikely she was going to get to fly off to St. Lucia this year.

  In the past, sex had come after emotion, after a few dates at the very least. She’d never gotten it right and had always ended up alone.

  This time, the sex had come right off the bat. And as long as she kept her emotions out of the equation, she might just have the experience of a lifetime.

  She could live a fantasy during this supposed season of miracles and finally have the kind of holiday season she’d g
iven up hope of ever having: a truly magical one.

  “You should go for it,” she told her reflection.

  “Oh, you definitely should go for it if it makes you look that happy,” a voice said.

  Shocked, Noelle turned and noticed another woman standing in front of a make-up mirror in the far corner of the ladies room. Noelle hadn’t noticed her arrival, probably because she was so intent on repairing the damage to her hair and makeup.

  The woman, a young blonde who’d been touching up her lipstick, straightened and offered Noelle a broad smile. “Sorry. I just recognized the look and couldn’t help commenting.”

  “Recognized the look?” Noelle asked, incredibly embarrassed. Had she put her dress on backward? Torn a stocking?

  The blonde walked over, her sapphire-blue cocktail dress bringing out the vivid blue of her eyes. She was a very pretty woman, soft-looking, with a nice smile and a curvy figure.

  Without a word, she reached up and fiddled with Noelle’s hair. “You missed a bobby pin,” she said, pulling one free of Noelle’s dark curls. “And you might want to put a little makeup on your neck, if you have some.”

  Noelle felt heat rise to her face.

  “It’s just a few red marks,” the woman said, sounding comforting rather than judgmental or amused.

  “I don’t have anything except lipstick,” she said, cursing her handbag—a teeny black velvet wallet pretending to be a purse. Panicking, she whirled around to look at herself in the mirror.

  Without a word, the other woman opened her own pocketbook and retrieved a small tube of cover-up. Twisting off the top, she squeezed a little bit onto her fingers, then dabbed it on one or two red spots on Noelle’s throat. Noelle finished the job of blending it in. When they were finished, their eyes met in the mirror and the two of them exchanged a quick smile as they surveyed their efforts.

  “Not bad at all,” the woman said. “My name’s Rachel, by the way.”

  The blonde had a slight southern accent that implied immediate warmth. She looked so conspiratorial about helping her cover up evidence of her mid-party make out session that Noelle could take no offense. “Thanks Rachel. I’m Noelle. This is so embarrassing,” she said. “Can I make it out of here, do you think?”