Winter Miracle Read online

  I sit on the edge of the bed, Haley straddling me fresh and naked from the shower, the smell of her shampoo, her freshly soaped skin… All of it turning my cock to steel in my jeans.

  “I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she tells me, playing with the engagement ring on her finger. “Where did you even find a ring like this in Merit?”

  “I went to the one jewelry shop in town and asked for the most expensive ring they had, which happened to be vintage, and pretty, and absolutely perfect for you.” The sight of her is killing me here. “Given you’re the luckiest girl in the world, I guess I’m the world’s luckiest man.”

  “You’re not going to run off into the night, are you? Catch the last bus out of here,” she says.

  I bring a hand up, fill it with a breast. I let my thumb brush over the nipple, fascinated by the way it flushes and grows with need. “When I’ve got this? I’d have to be mad.”

  “I only want you to be happy, Dane. I want us to be happy.”

  “And we will be. I promise.”

  She places a finger on my lips, her eyes glassy with desire. “You promised me something else, remember?”

  I pick us up and let her fall back onto the bed, kneeling before her and spreading her legs. “That I did.”

  She’s wet and open before me, a tiny, glistening drop of desire marking her as mine.

  Luckiest guy in the world.

  I press my face into the soft flesh of her inner thigh, nuzzle my nose between her legs and breathe her scent in. She whimpers as I work, my tongue slowly sliding deeper and deeper into her heat. I draw it away to tease her clit until she bucks wildly, desperate for release.

  After a few minutes she’s panting in quick succession—one, two, three, repeat.

  I’m breathing pretty damn hard myself, because this is the woman I’ve chosen to spend my life with, and I couldn’t be happier.

  Her hips rise as she presses her crotch into my face, urging me to continue.

  She pushes my head away and sits up flushed.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  She draws me up until I’m standing, coming off the bed to kneel before me. “Thanking you properly, of course, fiancé.”

  I’m about to argue when she starts to undo my belt, dropping my pants in front of her and pulling my cock free. It sways before her, an iron bar, ready for action.

  She takes me into the velvety depths of her mouth, running her tongue along the underside of my shaft, sucking at the head of my cock until I’m as close as she was in moments.

  I hold her head with two hands, lightly rocking forward. “Yes, baby. That’s it.”

  She takes me in deep, her lips gliding over my manhood, the muscles in her throat working against me.

  I try to stifle the urge to come, just about to warn her off when she faces the bed again, her ass rounded out below me.

  I come forward, letting my member sit between the rounded globes, admiring her faultless behind.

  The way my cock is riding up between her ass cheeks is driving me wild.

  “Please,” she says, her tone pleading, “take me.”

  “Alright,” I relent, “but I want your face against the mattress, your ass high and open.”

  Without persuasion she does as I instructed, stepping up onto the bed and bending in half, her cheek pressed to the quilt and her ass two solid humps just begging to be pounded.

  “Spread yourself for me.”

  She complies, reaching behind herself and spreading her cheeks with both hands. I come behind her and slide my thumb into her mouth, get it nice and wet before placing the pad of it against her asshole.

  She gives a surprised start, a short gasp as I add more pressure, but I don’t want to take her backdoor yet.

  No, that’s for another time.

  Another finger sinks easily into her pussy. I work it around in her warmth, watch the way her pink folds grip and release it. It’s spellbinding, and to think I was going to give this up.

  I withdraw my hand and take hold of my member. “Are you ready for my cock again?” It jerks in my hand, desperate to find home. With my free hand, I play with her clit, bringing the tiny bud out from its hood. She moans with the effort to restrain herself. I place my cock against her opening and let it slide in just an inch or so until I no longer need hold it. All she has to do is push back and take it.

  I slide in a touch further, a third of my cock trapped in the wet heat of her body.

  I apply more pressure to her clit, my fingers slipping together, her pussy slick with arousal. She gives a jerk, her inner walls suddenly squeezing around my cock and almost forcing me to lose my load prematurely.

  Not yet.

  Her pussy contracts again and I hold her back. She’s breathing faster, starting to push back against me. I run my fingers in figure eights around her clit, tease her until she’s perilously close to climax. A stroke, maybe two, and she’ll come. I’m sure of it.

  I strum her clit faster, her moans and mews music to my ears as she presses back firmly and takes my cock all the way to the hilt. I sit back and watch it unfold between us, the way her lips are stretched around my shaft, the bright pink of her pussy, the way my cock disappears inside her… I want to come, bad, but I hold off.

  I keep up the pressure on her clit and I know that she’ll have no choice but to submit. She draws forward and pushes back again. I let her work, let her fuck me at her own pace until she’s clenching and releasing around my length in soft spasms, caught on the very brink of release.

  “Yes, baby,” I tell her, one arm behind my head now. “Take it. Take my cock.” A shimmer runs through her body at my words. More than anything I want to take hold of her ass and pummel it, prove my power, but I hold back, her lush cheeks driving back against me, my cock caught and released.

  All the while I keep up the pressure on her clit, her wetness everywhere.

  She opens her mouth, eyes closed.

  I reach forward and run my fingers through her hair, feel the way it falls away between the silken syrup.

  She drives back until her ass is compressed against me, my cock swallowed up completely.

  I bring a hand under her chest and play with her breasts, take hold of a nipple and pull lightly until she whimpers again, my cock still buried deep in her creamy center.

  My fingers work faster between her legs, her hips bucking and pressing against them, each shift causing her to convulse around me.

  I use long, slow thrusts to drive right to the end of her pussy. “I want you to come,” I tell her. “I want you to come all over my cock. Can you do that?”

  “Yes,” she whimpers, no longer new to the routine.

  I spank her ass lightly. “I can’t hear you.”

  “Yes,” she gasps in a shock of surprise, louder now.

  “Come,” I command. “Come for me.”

  She stiffens at my words, her pussy clenching my dick tight, the hungry orifice already starting to spasm in release. I let her go, let her pulse and milk me of everything I have.

  Her toes curl against my thighs, her fingers opening and closing on the quilt. She thrashes there—wild and free.

  When she’s finished, when she collapses onto the bed, I take her hand and squeeze. “Who said naughty boys don’t get anything for Christmas?

  “It’s not Christmas yet,” she says, her breathing heavy.

  “Could have fooled me.”

  We remain there slowly regulating our breathing, a light wind picking up outside but nothing like the storm that has passed, the storm that created this fateful turn of events in the first place. I’ll be forever grateful to the elements for bringing us together.

  Haley lies on my chest, a finger doing loops around my belly button. “What you did… with the house…”

  I place a finger on her lips. “I did it for you, and Andy, for us.”

  “I thought you couldn’t wait to get out of this town.”

  I smile, one arm behind my head. “And it’s go
ing to take a while for me to warm up to it, I’m sure, but the important thing is I have you. As they say, home is where the heart is—even a cold, icy heart like mine.”

  Haley bursts out in laughter. “You sound like a greeting card.”

  “Hey, this town is basically one big Hallmark episode.”

  Her fingers drift below the quilt, find me rising again to her touch. “Just without the extra-dirty sex.”

  I roll over on top of her. “Somebody has to bring a bit of spark to this town.”

  “Do I have to worry about competition?” she jokes.

  I smile down at her. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve got nothing, and I mean nothing, to worry about. Hell, half the women here don’t have a full set of teeth.”

  “Accounting for the fact there’s no dentist in town, most likely.”

  “So how did your pearly whites get so pretty?”

  She shrugs. “Good, old-fashioned brushing.”

  “And your catwalk looks?”

  She rolls us over until she’s on top, my erection caught in the hot crook between her legs. “Good genes.”

  Damn it. She’s stronger than she looks.

  “Tell me,” she says, suddenly serious. “Why did you come back, really?”

  I lift up onto my elbows, nodding. “I’ve been moving around for a long time, searching, I guess you could say. I had a chance to start a family once, but I blew it—big time. I’m not going to make that mistake again. I’m not going to let the best thing to happen to me breeze on by. I want us to be a family, Haley. I want to be a father to Andy and a husband to you. It’s really that simple.”

  “A devoted husband,” she corrects, grinding down on my cock with her heat. “Mr. Hallmark.”

  “You mean Mr. Horny.” I grab her around the hips. “Like I said, you’ve got nothing to worry about, except being sexed to death.”

  “Sounds like something a teenager does with a cell phone.”

  “We can be teenagers if you want.” I drop my hips back and drive deep into her wetness.

  She starts to move, lifting up and down. “Making out like rabbits twenty-four hours a day, you mean? I do have a child, remember.”

  “Who always seems to sleep at the most opportune times,” I muse, drawing back and running deep again.

  She gasps, eyes briefly closing, her hands splayed on my chest for support. “You haven’t seen him at his worst.”

  “I guess we’ll have to get used to quickies then.”

  “You don’t seem to know the meaning of ‘quick,’ mister.”

  “It’ll be hot. Stolen time in the shed, the garage, the laundry… Heck, I’ll do you right on the front lawn if I have to.”

  Haley laughs, hair hanging over her face. “Could you imagine the look on Mrs. Ainsworth’s face? She’d drop dead from sheer mortification.”

  I stop, reaching up to hold Haley’s face and pull her down to me. I kiss her on the lips, holding her gaze. “God, I love you, wife-to-be.”

  She kisses me back before pulling up and continuing to lift and lower her hips. “And I love you, husband-to-be, but how about you stop your jibber-jabbering and make me come again, huh?”

  I can’t help but smile at that, at the strong, independent woman that has blossomed before me.

  I take hold of her ass and squeeze. “Yes, ma’am.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  HALEY

  CHRISTMAS DAY

  There’s a moment of panic when I wake unable to find Dane. He’s gone, I think, up and left in the night.

  Until he emerges from the bathroom, freshly showered. He drops his towel and descends on me. “Morning, beautiful.”

  I kiss him back. “Merry Christmas, handsome.”

  “Oh, yes. Christmas.”

  I can hear Andy down the hall. He’s awake.

  “I’ll get him,” Dane smiles, starting to walk off.

  “Ah, you might want to put some underwear on lest you scar him for life with that Louisville Slugger of yours.”

  Dane winks and takes a fresh pair of underwear from his duffle bag. “Good thinking.”

  I watch him disappear down the hall, his tight ass shifting from side to side. And it’s all yours, forever.

  I pull the blankets around myself and smile. It’s bliss, pure, unadulterated bliss.

  “Let’s see what Santa brought you, hey,” says Dane down the hall, Andy babbling back in toddler-speak.

  There’s a tenderness between my legs as I make my way to the shower, but it’s more than welcome given what I experienced last night. If that’s one night, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like spending a lifetime with this man.

  Incredible. That’s what.

  I shower and dress in a sweater and slacks, surprised to find Dane has not only changed and dressed Andy, but found a pair of pants for himself, too.

  Dane holds Andy in one arm. “Look, Momma’s here. What do you say, Momma? Is it present time?”

  I breathe out. How am I going to put this? “I didn’t buy any p-r-e-s-e-n-t-s.” Food was more important at the time than a shiny new toy that will probably break within a week.

  “Ah,” Dane smiles, “but what did Santa bring?” he says, tickling Andy and eliciting the broken, childish laughter I love so much.

  “I don’t think Santa knows where Merit, USA is, Dada.”

  He shrugs. “Ye of little faith.” He takes my hand. “Come on. Let’s go have a look.”

  “Dane…” I protest, more concerned about Andy when this story plays out than myself.

  Imagine my surprise then when I find a collection of presents under the tree.

  Dane smiles, bouncing Andy up and down in his arms. “See? What did I tell you, little man?” He selects the largest of the presents and lets Andy down, handing it to him. “Looks like this one’s yours.”

  We sit down together and help Andy unwrap it. He can barely hold the box it’s so big. It’s a giant toy plane—not foam, but a flashy-looking jet complete with miniature pilot.

  Andy looks to Dane dumbfounded. He looks to me in turn, almost as if he’s waiting permission, for somebody to come and snatch it away.

  I wipe away tears, smiling at Dane. “It’s all yours, Andy.”

  Dane points to the box. “It says ages four and up, but I figure this guy’s one going on four, anyhow.”

  “’Thank you,” I mouth.

  Dane fishes under the tree for another present, handing it to me. “You didn’t think Santa would forget you now, did you?”

  I watch him sideways with suspicion as I open the present. Shirtless under the tree, that fine, fine body on show, I’ve got all the Christmas magic I need.

  I open the box. It’s a new pair of ice skates, blue and fancy and absolutely beautiful. “How much did these cost, Dane?”

  “A lot less than this house, that’s for sure,” he laughs, “but you’re worth it. You both are.”

  The gifts don’t stop there. It turns out Dane was quite busy during his sabbatical. From the looks of things, he visited every shop in town. By the time we’re done Andy is surrounded by new toys and the cutest little set of ice skates I’ve ever seen. I’ve got a tidy stack of my own, excluding the ring around my finger I can’t stop looking at, but there are no presents for Dane.

  “What about you?” I ask. “I didn’t—”

  He reaches under the tree for a present I didn’t notice. “Oh, yes, you did,” he smiles, showing me the tag. It reads: ‘From Santa, To Dane.’

  He takes hold of the box, getting Andy to help him tear and rip it open. He feigns mock surprise, looking down to Andy. “Well, will you look at that—a new pair of hockey skates from Santa. I guess we’ll be hitting the ice a lot more from now on, family outings and all that.”

  “But I,” I tell him, “I didn’t get you anything.”

  He leans over to whisper in my ear.

  Talk about an indecent proposal.

  I blush as he withdraws. “We’ll see, Santa.”

 
; *

  Andy forgoes his morning nap given the general air of excitement in the house. It’s been a long time since I felt anything but despair here, but with Dane everything has changed. There’s joy and hope, a naughty, spontaneous streak I didn’t even know I was missing. I know it’s the start of something special, for all of us, the start of a bright and happy future.

  Lunch time arrives as a light snow starts to fall outside, only the crackling fire in the living room to keep us company as Dane and I fix Christmas lunch.

  Most stores in town were closed, but we managed to procure a couple of rations, Mrs. Ainsworth next door supplying a spare ham after Dane offered to pay her handsomely for her inconvenience. “You can’t pay your way out of everything,” I told him, arm in arm as we walked back next door.

  He stopped and faced me. “No, but I can sure as hell try.”

  We set the table and help Andy into his seat, laying out probably the strangest Christmas lunch ever—Oreos instead of apples, TV dinners instead of a turkey, ketchup, but none of us care. We’re too busy having fun, the meal descending into a food fight when Andy decides he’s had enough of his drumstick.

  Dane and I clean up the kitchen once Andy is down, Dane pausing to dab away something on my nose. “I’m really hoping that’s gravy.”

  I look down at him, random bits of cookie and mashed potatoes stuck to his chest. “You’re looking a little dirty yourself there, Santa.”

  “Do you know why’s Santa’s sack is so big?” Dane queries.

  “No,” I reply, playing along.

  “Because he only comes once a year.”

  I shake my head. “If that’s the caliber of humor you’ll be swinging around here, I think we’re in trouble.”

  He laughs. “The real question is, Haley Carr, have you been naughty or nice this year?”

  “Until you arrived?”

  He reels back. “You’re saying I’ve corrupted you?”

  My hand magically finds its way down his pants. “Well, you did provide me with my first Ho Ho ‘O.’”

  Now it’s Dane’s turn to shake his head, as distracting as my fingers curling around his penis are. He cups his ear, leaning in. “What were you saying about humor now?”