Any Given Christmas (22 page)

“Slow down, you guys,” Emma called as Dean helped her down the steps.

“Let ‘em go, Em. They’re excited.”

“I have to admit, I am too.”

“Good.” One corner of his beautiful mouth curled upward. “I like it when you get excited.”

Her head whipped around to find that familiar flirtatious gleam in his eyes. She smiled. Ah. He was back. She’d missed flirty Dean. Not that she didn’t admire his serious side. But oddly enough, she missed his bigger-than-life personality.

Once he saw she was stable on her feet and wouldn’t slip on the icy drive, he rushed ahead of her to open the big double doors. With a
whoosh
, the interior of the barn was revealed along with the sounds of goats and cows and chickens and horses—and even a llama Dean introduced as Hal.

The kids scrambled, some holding Dean’s hands as they made their way inside where the scent of hay tickled Emma’s nose. The superstar quarterback led them toward a big man at the opposite end of the barn. Emma recognized him as Buck Doody, a sweet-souled farmer who last year had lost a large portion of his land to the bank and his wheat crop to a fungal disease. Buck had seven children, all under the age of twelve, and a wife who spent most of her time canning vegetables and chasing kids. The Doody family had fallen on hard times, and by the smile on Buck’s face, Emma knew that Dean had just relieved some of the man’s financial pressure.

“How many of you kids have animals like these at home?” Dean asked his eager audience. A few hands shot into the air.

“We got goats but they’re mean,” said Emily Anderson.

“We got chickens,” said Tristan Roberts.

“Ah,” Dean grinned, “But can you catch your chickens?”

“If we chase ‘em till they get tired.”

“Then I think these chickens might be better. Go ahead and see if you can catch one.”

Tristan looked up at Dean to see if there was some kind of trick, but Dean just stepped back while the boy finally walked over to where several hens pecked at the ground. As soon as Tristan got close a fat Rhode Island Red spread her wings and squatted until Tristan picked her up. The boy’s small hand smoothed over her shiny feathers. “She’s nice.”

“All these animals have been hand-raised. None of them are mean; they want you to pet them.” That’s all it took for the kids to scramble in twenty different directions. Whether they lived on a farm or in a subdivision, they all were eager to get up close and personal with their farm friends.

“There’s one just for you, Brenden,” Dean said to the boy who’d stood still while the others had run off.

Her most challenging and inspirational student looked up, but he did not make eye contact. Dean waved him toward a stall near the back of the barn. “His name is Blue,” Dean said, and gave the gray gelding a pat on the rump. “And he’s looking for a special little boy like you to help brush his coat. See how fuzzy he is?”

Brenden nodded.

“All that hair keeps him warm in the winter.”

Brenden took a small step back. Dean hunkered down and held out a soft bristled brush. “He looks big, but he won’t hurt you. I promise. Want to give it a try?”

Emma watched as Dean took Brenden’s hand and placed the brush in his palm. Then Dean lifted the boy and guided his hand to the horse, showing him how to stroke the brush across the animal’s long back.

Emma’s heart did a funny side-step. Dean looked completely comfortable in the midst of children. He had no problem communicating with them. He didn’t talk down to them or discount them if they asked a silly question. She sincerely hoped that someday he would settle down and have children of his own. He’d make an excellent father.

After several strokes of the brush, Brenden let out an excited grunt and buried his short little fingers in the horse’s thick hair. He wiggled them, forked them through, then gently floated them down the back. Beneath his soft touch the horse’s flesh rippled. Brenden looked at Dean and smiled.

With a grin that matched her young student’s, Dean glanced at her over the boy’s head. “It doesn’t get much better than this, Em.” Then he leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek.

That’s all it took before she was looking for a hankie.

N
ight fell without a breeze. Pale moonlight stroked the pine tops and cast deep shadows across the forest floor while the snow-covered meadow basked in a wintry glow.

Dean eased down into the hot springs with a sigh and made a mental note. He needed a camera. Or a poetry book. Or both. Montana encompassed some of the prettiest land in the nation. And he’d bought himself a piece of the glory. He glanced toward the darkened house where he’d left on a small light in the kitchen so he wouldn’t stub his toe in the dark. Again. Lesson learned.

His body ached from the solid workout he’d had just an hour ago. While he’d stood in the shower with the spray massage on his shoulder he realized he should have been out soaking up nature. Anyone could stand in a shower. It was Friday night and he had the opportunity to sit in his very own hot springs.

God, it was good to have money.

Not that he necessarily needed more. His newest contract was generous and he’d never been greedy. His paycheck and smart financial management had given him the opportunity of a lifetime—to buy a piece of heaven and help out a bunch of kids in need at the same time. This afternoon with Emma’s class had been amazing.

Life was good.

For the most part.

He lifted the bottle of Sam Adams to his mouth, took a drink, and thought of Brenden’s wide smile that afternoon as he’d sunk his little fingers into the horse’s thick winter coat. Dean grinned all over again. That Emma had been there to share the moment had made it even better.

His heart gave an extra thump and his stomach fluttered. Not from hunger. He always got that flutter when he thought of Emma. He missed her. Which is why he’d gone to some really lame lengths to have her around as much as possible. At night when she went home to her own little house, he missed seeing her smile. Hearing her laugh. He missed touching her, and holding her, and making love to her.

He had tried so hard to be a good guy, to respect her wishes not to get involved with him. But Emma had that killer smile that just knocked him out. She had that soft, feminine body that made his hands tingle. Her sweet scent always made him think of wildflowers and sunshine. And she had the biggest, warmest heart.

Shit.

He dropped his head back to the rock ledge and stared up through the canopy of pine as moonlight broke through the branches. When he was with her, he didn’t want to be anywhere else. The thought of getting on a plane and leaving her behind while he went back to his life in Texas soured in his stomach.

Maybe he could ask her to come along.

And what?

Move in with him?

Be his Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday girlfriend while he went out the rest of the week, flew in chartered jets, hung out with the team? While supermodels flirted with him and A-list actresses asked him to escort them to movie premieres? That was the life he’d created.

Emma would never leave Deer Lick. She loved the place. She loved the people who lived there and they loved her. The kids in her class depended on her. She thrived on small-town life. Hell, she’d come right out and told him she wanted a husband and children and the whole happily-ever-after.

And what the hell did
he
want? A few more years of sweat and blood and glory and a big fucking paycheck? Yeah,
that
would be fun to cuddle up next to in the middle of the night.

The sound of a car engine vibrated the air. Studded tires crunched on packed snow and brought his head up. Headlights swept the meadow then shut off and all went back to moonlight. A car door opened and closed. Dean groaned.

He should get out and go see who’d decided to drop by unannounced. Most likely Kate, armed with another lecture on life’s little secrets outside the NFL and inside the state of matrimony. Or maybe his father had come by for a beer and a thought-provoking chat.

A moment later he glimpsed a shadow coming toward the hot springs. As the shape came into the meadow and moonlight reflected off silky blond hair, a smile broke across his mouth. He slunk deeper into the water, back beneath the cover of the pines.

A beautiful trespasser.

She came to the edge of the hot springs and he watched in silence as she kicked off her shoes and unzipped her coat. Her old parka slid down her arms with a whoosh and hit the ground. Underneath, Emma was completely naked. Her exquisite thighs and flawless breasts were an erotic outline beneath the illuminating touch of nature’s spotlight.

If Dean hadn’t been smiling before, he was now.

As if standing naked in the cold didn’t bother her a bit, she stretched upward, lifted her hair, and secured it on the top of her head. The rush of cold air pebbled her nipples and Dean fisted his hands to keep from reaching out for her. No need to ruin the show.

She had the most amazing curves.

Seriously amazing.

With sleek moves she stepped down into the water and made her way toward the center of the pool. With each step, more and more of her beautiful body disappeared beneath the steaming water.

It was his good fortune that his water nymph wasn’t quite ready to completely disappear beneath the bubbly. She scooped up a handful of water and dribbled it over her peaked nipples.

“Mmmmmm.” She moaned and leaned her head back while her hands did a leisurely slide down her wet breasts and stomach until they disappeared beneath the water. Dean happily imagined where they went.

Oh, baby.

He pressed his palm against his erection for a momentary relief of the ache. His testicles tightened and he bit back a groan as she rolled her head and gave another low moan deep in her throat.

He should let her know he was there.

He really should.

It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

Too bad at the moment he didn’t have a noble bone in his body.

One of Emma’s hands eased out of the water and skated up her flat stomach to caress her breast while the other hand remained hidden beneath the steamy bubbles.

He was one lucky sonofabitch.

Who’d have ever thought his proper little schoolteacher could put on a show so sexy he was about to burst without any kind of manual stimulation?

Her head dropped back again as her fingers played across her nipples. When her head came back up she looked right into the shadows. Right to where he’d sat dead still, afraid to move and ruin the entertainment.

“This feels so… good,” she murmured. “But it would feel even better if you touched me. Dean.”

Surprise.
“You knew I was here?” His words were tight and rough in empathy for the intense ache in his groin.

She nodded.

“Was that all for me?”

Again, she nodded.

“You are fucking amazing.” He pushed through the water and grabbed her around the waist with both hands. He brought her hard against his body and kissed her. Once. Twice. When his tongue swept into her mouth she kissed him back with unleashed passion and enthusiasm. She tasted sweet in his mouth. Hot and eager. Her arms wrapped around his neck and those wet hard nipples lifted against his chest. The warmth of her body against his twisted his belly with pleasure.

She drew her head back and looked up at him through eyes glittered with lust. “Just for the record.” Her low and tantalizing tone hummed through his body. “
This
is hanky-panky and
I’m
initiating it.”

“Thank God you came to your senses.” His hands stilled on the small of her back. “What about Jesse?”

“Jesse who?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He slid his hands down to her nicely rounded ass and pushed his erection against her pelvis.

“Come on superstar.” She stroked her fingertip across his bottom lip. “You can do better than that.”

He laughed. “Is that a dare?”

One slim, sexy, naked shoulder shrugged. “Take it any way you want it.”

“In that case, I’m happy to oblige.” He lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me.”

He plunged inside her. He wasn’t gentle. He didn’t think that’s what she wanted. She wanted to know he desired her. Needed her. And as an honest man, he had no trouble admitting he needed her more than he needed to breathe.

He rocked his hips forward and her breath caught in her chest. “You okay, honey?”

She smiled against his mouth. “I’m perfect.”

Yeah. She really was.

She was also so incredibly hot and slippery inside it took all the power he had not to come the moment he entered her. Even as his desire tried to deter him, he knew he wanted to make it last, to give her what she wanted.

He’d been on an involuntary hunger strike and he planned to have Emma until he’d had his fill.

And that just might take a lifetime.

B
ubbling water sloshed up between their heated bodies as Emma clung to Dean’s neck. The plump head of his penis stroked her inside, against that special place that made her want to scream out his name. Or curse. Or growl like a damned tiger.

He lifted her up and down over him like she weighed nothing. As if he’d never slammed his shoulder into a hard-packed football field. And with every stroke she wanted more. She loved the feel of him inside her. The heat of his chest warmed her breasts. The thick length of him pushed as deep inside as he could go. Lightheaded, she moaned, thrust her fingers into his hair and pulled his head down to feed him long, hot, wet kisses.

“I need to go deeper, honey.”

Deeper?

Impossible.

“I want to touch your soul.” He stepped backward and lowered them to the rock seat. Hot water lapped between their bodies as he put her in total control. His hands slid up her thighs to her waist. “I’m all yours, Em. Do with me what you want.”

All hers?

She liked the sound of that. She kissed his smiling mouth then leaned down and slicked her tongue across his hard, flat nipple. His breath hissed from his lungs as she slowly raised her hips then lowered herself until the head of his cock bumped her cervix.

Ah,
deeper
.

Her muscles clenched around him, drew him in, then slid back up, creating that undeniable friction that pushed them both toward release. His hands gripped her waist, helped her rise and come down harder. Faster. She leaned her forehead against his as they found the perfect rhythm. With each thrust she whispered against his mouth. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

His hand moved upward to her breast. “Come on me, honey.” He pulled her aching nipple between his fingers and lightly pinched. “I want to feel you come.” He pinched again and thrust so far up inside her she gasped. Again and again he thrust until the first hot waves of her orgasm rolled up like a tidal wave. Each surge more and more intense until her skin lit on fire. Her toes curled. She hit the flashpoint, arched against him, and dropped her head back with a silent scream.

“That’s it, honey.” He thrust harder and her orgasm gripped him tight. With one last powerful thrust he groaned her name and every muscle in his body turned as hard as rock.

Her contractions milked him and she wrapped her arms around him while he buried his face in her neck.

“God, I love you, Em.”

Emma’s heart almost stopped beating. It felt as if he’d taken a bat to her chest and she gasped for air.

She knew the words had escaped out of passion.

She wished they’d been from his heart.

A
t midnight Dean decided a snack was in order. With his fingers intertwined with Emma’s, he decided she’d taste better than anything he had in the refrigerator.

He moved over the top of her and nudged her knees apart. Heat met moist heat while he kissed the side of her neck. “Do you know that right after we met I thought you were the proverbial crazy bridesmaid?”

She gave a low, sexy laugh. “Do you know that right after we met…” She tilted her head to give him better access and sighed with pleasure. “ . . . I thought you were an overrated Casanova?”

“Mmmm.” He slicked his tongue down the long, smooth column of her neck. “Good thing we didn’t go off first impressions.”

Her soft hands glided down his back to grip his buttocks. “Very good thing.”

He nibbled at her ear. “I like that we can talk like this.”

“A little less talk and a lot more action would be even better.” She wrapped her leg around his waist, drew his mouth down to hers and fed him a wet and wild kiss.

“All in good time, honey. I’m just snacking right now.” He eased his body down and captured her budded nipple in his mouth. “We’ll get to the full meal soon.”

Dean knew he could wordplay all night long, but he’d never get enough of the woman in his arms. He didn’t know what to do about that. It was easier to play and laugh with her than to deal with real emotions. They confused the hell out of him. He was barely in control of his little corner of the universe.

She untangled their fingers, reached down between them, and cupped her hand around his balls. “Please?” she whispered.

Confused?

Who was he kidding?