Mischief and Mistletoe (2 page)

“Yes
, Momma. See you later, Aunt T’mara,” she said before grabbing her goodies and jetting from the room.

Tamara waited until Candace had cleared the room before she burst out laughing. “Girl, I don’t know how you do it.”

Charlotte glanced pointedly down at Tamara’s stomach. “From where I’m sitting it looks as if you’re about to find out.”

“Yeah
, but my kid isn’t going to be so expressive and such an extrovert.”

Charlotte arched an eyebrow. “Really.”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“Of course not,” Charlotte scoffed. “You haven’t met a word you didn’t want to say five times over nor have you ever had an opinion you felt the need to keep to yourself. Your kid isn’t going be like Candace. She or he is going to be ten times
worse
.”

Tamara placed her hand on her stomach and frowned. “Did I ask you all that?”

“Nope.” Charlotte went back to finishing her pie. “But I sure didn’t have a problem telling you all that.”

“See…this is why nobody likes you.”

“I like her,” Charlotte’s husband Ty said as he entered the room.

“Well
, you’re biased,” Tamara grumbled.

“That I am.” The handsome Caucasian man dropped a quick kiss on Tamara’s head before round
ing the table to his wife’s side.

Charlotte put down the bowl and spatula and went straight into his arms, where she belonged from the moment they met. She had to get on her tiptoes to kiss her extremely tall cowboy but it was so worth it. Everything they’
d gone through over the last five years had been worth it, because he was. “You’re looking mighty fine, Mr. Wilcox.”

“Only to you
, Mrs. Wilcox.”

“I beg to differ. No man in the world comes close to you.”
At least not to her.

Ty was the epitome of tall
, dark and handsome cowboy. He towered over her five-four frame by yards, and he was so damn good-looking that it really made no sense. His dark brown curly hair brushed his temple and his nape, short enough not to appear too girlish, and long enough she would have something to pull on in bed. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue with long lashes that almost seemed too feminine. His eyelashes were the only thing feminine on him though. Ty had a strong jawline, a nose that seemed as if it might have been broken once or twice, and as usual, about this time in the evening the beginning hint of stubble on his cheeks.

Oh yeah, Ty put the
Fi-hine
in fine. “Tamara, don’t you agree my husband is all that and a bag of chips.”

“He’s ay-
ight, I guess. If you like that type.” Tamara picked up a Christmas cookie and shrugged.

Charlotte arched an eyebrow. “And what type would that be.”

“Panties-wetting type.” Tamara winked as Ty roared with laughter. “But whatever. I’m just here for the goodies.”

“I’m here for the goodies
, too.” Ty pulled Charlotte in close to him and covered her mouth with his. The second Ty kissed her everything else fell to the wayside. Even after all these years together he still made her feel like a blushing bride. Their tongues entwined, stroking each other to a fever pitch. They kissed as if they hadn’t seen each other in years instead of just hours ago, but for some reason it was always like that with them. The desperation had by no means waned and, God willing, it never would.

They stayed connected for a few seconds longer than Emily Post would have suggested with company about, then pulled away slowly, knowing this wasn’t the end
, it was only the beginning.

Charlotte took a step back and placed her hand over
her heart to calm herself a bit. “Did you finish up?”

“Barely, the snow is ridiculous out there. It’s getting so bad you can
hardly see three feet in front of you. I sent the men home and helped the others find the extra bedding for the bunkhouse. Good thinking you stocked up on food for it the other day when you were in town or we might have had five extra mouths to feed for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

“It’ll melt—”

“Oh shut up,” Charlotte said. “It’s not melting and you’re not going anywhere. Deal with it.”

Tamara crossed her arms over her enormous breasts and pouted. “Hey
, it’s all gravy to me. Now I have a real reason not to deal with Russell tonight.”

“Says the woman who packed him an overnight bag, just in case
,” Charlotte teased.

“All that means was I was doing my wifely duties by preparing for the wors
t, but crisis averted. He stays there, I’ll stay here. Problem solved.”

“Think again.” There was a devilish grin in her husband’s blue eyes that let Charlotte know everything wasn’t as it seemed.

Tamara frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just got off the phone with him. He’s on his way over here now.”

“No,” Tamara said with dying hope.

“He was halfway here when he called so I’m willing to bet you got twenty minutes at best to find a good hiding spot.”

Tamara snorted. “I’m not hiding from nobody.” When neither Charlotte nor Ty contradicted her…she began to fidget. “I’m going go…find baby girl and see what’s she’s doing.”

“Don’t bring my baby into your drama.”

“I’m not. We’re just about to watch TV, upstairs, in the guestroom…with the door locked.”

“Chicken,” Charlotte teased.

“Eat me.” Tamara stuck her tongue out as she made her way to the door.

Charlotte laughed as she watched her friend waddle from the room. Tamara talked a good game but that
was all it ever was. There was going to be a showdown at the Dollar Ranch tonight and Charlotte couldn’t wait for it to begin.

Ty dropped one more quick kiss on Charlotte’s upturned lips before heading to the refrigerator and taking out a beer. He twisted the top off then took a long drink from the chilled bottle before leaning back against the door and watching his wife transfer the pie into the oven. The sweet smell of Southern cooking began to fill the air and it was arguably one of the only bright parts of this day.

Charlotte closed the oven then set the timer before standing and stretching her lower back. She caught the expression on Ty’s face and frowned. “You okay
, baby?”

He had a lot going on in his head, but nothing so daunting that he wanted to worry her, but after
five years of marriage he knew better than to just say nothing. He wasn’t stupid after all. “Yes, I was just hoping this storm would pass right over us.”

Charlotte set the oven mitts
down near the stove. “At least we’ll get the white Christmas we’re always talking about.”

That was his baby. Glass half full all the time. He loved that about her. He needed it from her because sometimes he had a hard time seeing the good in anything that wasn’t his two girls. Even now, he couldn’t stop himself from being a little pessimistic. “Yeah
, but at what cost?”

“The horses will be fine. The men will be fine. In fact
, the only person I’m worried that might not be fine is Tamara.”

Ty moved closer to her as he took another drink. “Worry makes you smile like that, does it?”

Charlotte laughed. “Okay, worried was maybe not the exact word I was looking for.”

“I bet it wasn’t.” He cased her around the island until her back was to the
counter and his was facing the stove.

“Whatever are you implying
, kind sir?” she said coyly.

Her full
, pouty lips were turned up in a smile, just begging to be kissed, but he wasn’t going to give in to temptation just yet. “If I didn’t know better,” Ty paused to tuck a thick black curl of her chin-length hair behind her ear. She was finally growing it out and he couldn’t stop playing with the soft, natural curls she wore. “I’d say you were looking forward to this evening.”

Her pretty brown eyes twinkled with excitement. “You know me so well. I. Can’t. Wait.”

“Something is seriously wrong with you.”

“You just now noticing that
?”

“No.” Ty set the beer bottle on the island then took hold of her hips. He lifted her with ease and sat her on the island. She was as light as she had been the day
they met, even if certain parts of her were fuller. But he didn’t mind fuller. Perfection was for air-brushed men’s magazines. What he had was a real woman, who had given birth to his child and whose body had been changed forever because of it. She was more beautiful to him today than she was the day they met, and that was saying something. “There is absolutely nothing about you that I haven’t noticed.”

Charlotte licked her lips. “Oh yeah, like what?”

“Like you enjoy the madness of our friends’ crazy marriage.”

“It’s not mad nor is it crazy. It’s fun. They love each other to pieces but they’re still trying to figure it out. I just want to be their Yoda.”

“You don’t want to be Yoda, you want to be nosey.”

“Stop it.”

“You stop it. Don’t think for a second either Russell or I believe Tamara just got it in her head to come over. Admit it. You were afraid the storm would keep her home and she wouldn’t be here for Christmas.”

“I admit nothing.”

“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face. You two hate to be apart.”

“What’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing, if it could be peaceful.” Ty stepped between the vee of her legs and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her lower half a little bit closer to his harder half. He leaned forward and nuzzled the side of her neck in the manner he knew drove her insane. “Why must we always find our way into the midst of their drama?”

She trembled in his arms but held fast to her point. “Because we’re family and that’s the sort of thing family does.”

“Why can’t we do those other things families do? Awkward phone calls on birthdays and holidays and keep it like that?” He gently licked the shell of her ear and blew softly over it, never in it, putting just enough pressure behind it to cause her to shiver and shake.

“Because…because…” It took two tries before she was able to get the sentence out. “Because she’s not just my sister from another mister, she’s not only our daughter’s godmother, she’s also my best friend in the entire world. Asking me not to want her around every second of the day would be like me asking you not to get a hard on when I walk into the room naked.”

Ty’s cock stiffened at the idea. How could it not? His wife’s nude mocha-tinged skin was the thing sonnets were written about. “Impossible.”

“Exactly.”

“Look, the Good Lord knows I would never, ever try to get between the black version of Thelma and Louis especially since, if I recall correctly, one of the dudes died, I’m just saying there are other ways of getting her here for the holidays.”

“Then we’ll have to practice them next year because I already have this year covered.”

“You’re a spoiled brat. You know that, right?”

“Who do you think made me this way?”

“I take full responsibility.” Ty placed his hands on the end of her dress and slowly began to drag it up. “I’m thinking that since I’ve been a very good boy this year, Santa should reward me a little early.”

Charlotte shifted from side to side so he could pull the dress up and past her thighs
, leaving just enough to cover her bottom but still giving him enough playing room. “And what did you ask Santa for?”

“You.” Ty rubbed his fingertips down from the top of her thighs to her kneecap before working his way back up her inner thigh. He took his time, not just to arouse her but because he never grew tired of watching the way his pale
flesh looked against her darker skin. Even after all these years he still found the sight extremely sensual.

Her thighs quivered as she took in a shaky breath, drawing his
fingers just a bit farther up. “You already got me.”

Unable to resist, he went for it. He slipped his hand under her dress and rubbed the back of his knuckles against her pussy-covered panties. Much to his delight, they were slightly damp. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling the holiday spirit. “What do you think the chances are I can pull these down,” he said as he tugged slightly on the crotch, “and push inside you before anyone interrupts us?”

“I think,” she panted. “It’s probably ninety/ten.”

“In our favor?”

She laughed. “No.”

And just then the kitchen door shot open and Candace entered the room. “We need juices. The show is getting good.”

Charlotte laughed while Ty prayed for death as he took a step to the side, hoping the island would cover his bulge. His dick was hard enough to split wood, but he should have known better. Out of the many gifts his wonderful daughter boasted, the ability to cock block was by far her most honed skill.

“
Eww, Mom, why are you sitting on the island?”

Ty was glad she asked Charlotte because he didn’t have a clue what to say.