Giving In (The Sandy Cove Series Book 1) (31 page)

His lips graze my earlobe and he whispers
seductively, “Have you ever had sex under a Christmas tree
before?”

I giggle as his stubbly chin tickles me while
nuzzling my neck.

“I don’t believe I have but there’s a first time
for everything, right?”

Everything about this man makes me feel like
I’m on fire, especially the way he eases into my body like he’s
savoring every inch of me. The glow from the tree lights makes the
sweat from our bodies sparkle, and that’s how I feel inside,
sparkly. It may sound a bit immature, but it’s the truth. My body
reacts to his in ways I’ve only read about or dreamt about.

When he suckles my nipples and palms my breasts
as they heave from the relentless pleasure, he surges into me. I
swear if I didn’t hold back, my orgasm would take over, and I’d be
lost and upset that it was over. With Cruz though, there’s no
holding back. His tenderness and forcefulness is unlike anything I
could have ever imagined. I never thought being with someone like
this could do the things his body does to me. His lips heighten my
release when he goes down on me, tasting me like I’m his last meal.
Licking me, sucking me and his fingers invading all the sensitive
areas he’s become so familiar with. He brings me to the hilt of
pleasure over and over again. The way he grips my ass just to pull
my center closer to his mouth, it would honestly take no more than
that to make me come. Just seeing the top of his head, gripping
onto his thick waves and watching him, watching me as he eats at me
makes me feel like I could drift into another world, and sometimes
I feel like I actually do. When he comes up for air and kisses me,
I can taste myself on his lips and the thought of that used to make
me feel uncomfortable, but with this man, there’s nothing hotter,
nothing more erotic than the fact that my taste remains on the
tongue of the man I love. God, the things he can do with that mouth
of his.

It’s so intimate and hot all wrapped up in the
only package I need this Christmas, and it’s him. Our bodies slap
together with the cries and moans that I’m sure my neighbors can
hear, but I don’t care. My wish is for it to always be like this.
When we fuck, we fuck and I discover things I like more and more
when we do. Cruz likes to experiment, and I’m opening up to the
fact that I do too. When we make love, that’s a different story.
Our high is being with each other, wrapped up in a tangled mess of
lips, arms, legs and tongues.

Yes, when I come with him I see stars. I bask in
the glory of our bodies intermittently coming to life. The desire
when we are with each other is beyond any words I could possibly
speak. People in movies make it look glamorous and dramatic and
sometimes with the two of us, it is. Other times it’s nothing but
sheer, mind-blowing, hot-as-fucking-hell,
stick-a-cherry-on-top-of-the sundae and fuck-me-into-next-week kind
of experience.

When we finish, Cruz reaches back and grabs a
blanket off the sofa. He nestles his front against my back and
wraps us up in it, and we revel in the beauty of the twinkling
lights.

“That was unbelievable.”

“I’ll say,” he whispers as his big arms surround
me.

“It’s been almost a month, baby.” He wiggles his
eyebrows and beams up at me.

I’m very aware of how long it’s been. Phone sex
only takes you so far. Nothing compares to the real thing.

“Thank you for this, Cruz. It’s so wonderful and
special. My first Christmas tree in my very first home. I don’t
know how to thank you.”

He kisses my cheek and sits up.

“No need to thank me, Turnip. But there’s
more.”

I sit up clutching the blanket to my body.

“More? What more could you possibly do?”

He goes under the tree and retrieves two small
boxes, and I look at his fine as all hell naked ass.

Oh, sweet lord, I only need that under my
tree.

He turns to me smiling.

“Well, presents, of course, and stop looking at
my ass.”

Busted.

I’m shocked and giddy all at the same time. I
didn’t get a chance to get him anything yet, and now I feel
embarrassed because of it.

“Oh, babe, I haven’t gotten you anything yet. I
wasn’t expecting you till the twenty eighth.” Cruz hands me the
first box, and I hesitate with it in my hands.

“Open it, Turnip. It doesn’t bite.”

I rip open the shiny paper to reveal a white,
square box. I pop open the lid and take out the tissue paper on
top, tossing it aside.

I pull out… A mug. Yes, a mug. It says ‘I heart
cops’. I laugh.

“Oh, honey you shouldn’t have.”

He smiles at me. “Smart ass.”

“Look inside.”

I pull out a t-shirt that’s stuffed inside
it.

Baby blue, like his eyes and I unroll it.

It says ‘Property of Sandy Cove Police
Force’.

“You like it?” I hold it to my chest. I beam at
him. My smile is so big. My cop. I’m property of Cruz.

“Of course I love it. It came from you.”

With a devilish grin and a raise of his eyebrows
he tells me, “Now this is to be worn to bed every night by you when
I’m not here, but when I am here I expect it to be worn sans
panties. Got it?”

I nod. “Got it.”

I lean over and give him a lingering kiss.

“So perfect,” he whispers against my lips. “Open
the other one.”

It’s a smaller box, long and rectangular in
shape. I rip open the paper and inside is some kind of gift
certificate.

“YMCA?”

He shakes his head and points to it.

“It’s for swim lessons.”

I’m amazed at his gift. It’s not diamonds. It’s
not pearls. It’s not airline tickets for some exotic island
destination. It’s something from the heart. Something I need, not
what I want, and I think it’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever
received.

“It means a lot to you that I do this, huh?” and
I know it does, I just need some clarification. He takes my hand
and puts it to his lips. Kissing each finger, then reaching the
palm of my hand.

“You are precious cargo my dear, and I want you
safe. You mentioned it to me after the whole dipping the toes in
the water thing so I thought it would be perfect.”

I reach up to stroke his perfect face, looking
into his perfect eyes, feeling his perfect skin.

“It’s perfect. Like you.”

Our lips meet and Cruz gives me a kiss that
should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the hottest,
most loving kiss.

That kiss sounds the bell for round two with my
perfect man.

Christmas was wonderful. Craw, Greta and I
spent the night at my parents, waking up to Mom’s French toast, and
Dad making us open presents one at a time. Mom was a bit melancholy
knowing that this would be the last time all three of her children
would ever be under her roof on Christmas morning.

And I’ll never have that. I mean I could adopt.
I can’t see myself going through life without children. If I end up
with Cruz, who has made it clear to me in the past that he doesn’t
want children, that is either something I’ll have to deal with in
order to be with him, or something we must discuss. I’m getting way
ahead of myself. I mean the man can’t even tell me he loves me,
even though I know he does.

Greta’s wedding is tonight. My sister is getting
married, and as happy as I am for her, I can’t wait for it to be
over. She’s a pain in the ass, to put it lightly.

Grandmother had Christmas Day at her house. It’s
cold in there. No pictures of family, only old portraits of
strangers. Like the ones you see on the Antique Road Show. She
really doesn’t engage in any conversations with me. Mostly Greta.
Craw and I stick together because we were cut from the same
cloth.

The only time she actually asked me a question
that day was if Chad was looking forward to the wedding. Now she
damn well knows we aren’t together, so I don’t follow what kind of
game she’s playing. Then Greta lets out of the bag that I have a
boyfriend, and he will be my date. Grandmother’s only reply was
“Oh.”

So much for a delightfully stimulating
conversation between the two of us.

I wake Cruz up by doing none other than sticking
my hands down his boxer briefs.

Don’t judge.

Cruz groans, but has a smile on his face at the
same time.

“Woman, didn’t you get enough the last few
nights and days for that matter.” I remove my hand from his
hardness, and I straddle him.

“Nope. I can never get enough of you. In the
kitchen, on the stairs, on the sofa, under the Christmas tree, on
the bathroom sink, in the shower. Would you like me to go on?”

He laughs and pulls my body down onto his.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve covered every inch of
this place.”

I kiss both his cheeks and his nose, and my hand
goes back to where it previously was.

“I think we have time to check out a new
location? You game?”

He sends a fiery kiss to my lips, and I’m lost,
as usual.

“I could never deprive you, but look what time
it is. You don’t want your sister going crazy ‘cause you’re late
for your hair appointment.”

I groan. “Ugh, I guess not, but you could always
join me in a location we have already visited.”

He looks at me with the devil in his eye. Yes,
he is the devil, my devil, and if this is the way I’m going to
hell, I’m fully prepared.

“And where is that?”

“Care for a shower?”

I can’t think straight walking down this
aisle. I hate that there are three hundred people staring at me,
but my eye catches only one person. His blue eyes brazen, dressed
in a tux, looking like sin on a shingle, and he’s all mine. Cruz
looks at me as I take each step slowly as instructed by my sister.
The organ and trumpets make their sounds reverberate throughout the
church. Cruz winks at me as I try to be as steady on my heels as I
can. I wear heels all the time, but today I’m nervous for some odd
reason. Could it be that all eyes are on me right now, or someone
in my grandmother’s circle is thinking ‘oh, there’s the
granddaughter who doesn’t like money,’ or is it that I know Chad is
going to be here and so is Cruz, and I do not want any trouble?
Maybe a bit of all of the above. I take my place in one of the
aisles with the rest of the bridesmaids and wait for my Cinderella
looking sister to come down the aisle. She is breathtaking and
looks so happy. Her fiancé, Jeff, stands in front of the altar,
beaming from ear to ear. In spite of all my sister misgivings, and
her unreasonable ability to make a simple situation all about her,
when it doesn’t, I love her very much and am so happy for her. I
know she’s going to have a beautiful life.

We arrive at the reception venue, which is my
grandmother’s country club., Well my dad’s too. She is an owner of
it, and my dad has a piece of the pie even though he doesn’t have
anything to do with it. Grandmother insisted he have some. Mom told
him just to go along with it for argument’s sake. So he’s been a
silent partner, only golfing there on an occasion with Mr. Knox and
clients. Dad could care less about the social aspect of it, as well
as the monetary part of it.