Jingle Spells. Rhonda Nelson
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thumb over her cheek. “You know you want me to.”
“Okay.” She flopped back onto the quilt like a ragdoll. “You convinced me, Evergreen. Do me.”
“You bet.” And he proceeded to. Revisiting all his favorite Taryn places felt like coming home, and she rolled out the welcome mat for him. In seconds she’d abandoned herself to the process of being seduced.
By the time he put on a condom and slid into her, she was on the brink of climax. One firm stroke on his part, and she came. He muffled her cries with the flat of his hand and kept pumping into her.
“Again,” he murmured.
She pulled his hand away, gasping. “I can’t breathe.”
“Then, here.” Bracing himself on one arm, he cupped the back of her head and lifted her so she could press her mouth to his shoulder. When she came the second time, she bit him.
He didn’t care. In fact, it made him happy to know she’d marked him. Eventually the mark would fade, but until it did, he’d have a physical reminder of loving Taryn.
Slowly she relaxed in his arms and he eased her head back onto the pillow.
She looked up at him, firelight dancing in her eyes as she massaged his back. “Amazing. Stupendous.”
“Mmm.” His own climax hovered, but he’d managed to keep the urge from overwhelming him. Holding her gaze, he eased in and out. “We’ve still got it.”
She nodded.
“There’s no one like you, Taryn.”
“I’m a special snowflake,” she murmured.
“Uh-huh. Very special.”
“So are you, Cole.”
And there was that pain, burrowing into his heart. He might carry that ache forever, but that was okay, too. The pain would remind him that, for a little while, he’d had Taryn to love again.
She grasped his hips. “Your turn.”
“Not yet.” He hated for this moment to end.
“We can do this again tomorrow night.”
“I hope so.” But he had no guarantee of that. His intuition was excellent, and it told him he’d better treasure this moment and not count on any more.
Her grip tightened. “I think I can come again. Let’s do it together.”
“All right.” He’d mastered that little trick before. The secret was watching her eyes and timing his response to what he saw there.
He bore down and increased the pace. Yes, she was right with him. Her pupils widened. He slowly slipped the leash on his own response and his heart began to pound.
The glow in her eyes was impossible to misunderstand. She loved him. His eyes surely reflected the same emotion, because he loved her, too. And because he did, he had to let her go.
But in this moment, as they surged toward a shared climax, he was hers and she was his. He held nothing back as he drove in one more time. She arched against him and he pulsed within her, each of them silencing their cries and their words of love. Yet their eyes said all their voices could not. And the fire roared.
Cole left long before anyone in the inn was awake, and Taryn understood why he’d done that. Whatever mysterious element was keeping them in limbo would naturally figure into his reluctance to let anyone here know they were lovers. She wouldn’t give him away, either. She’d act strictly professional today at Evergreen Industries.
She hated that he couldn’t stay to share the breakfast tray that had arrived outside her door, though. Cole had a sweet tooth—he preferred cocoa to coffee. She’d bet Mrs. Gustafson would have made him cocoa to go with the apple strudel and fresh orange juice.
Placing the tray on a small desk by the side window, she drew back the lacy curtains and peeked outside for the first time. Cole hadn’t been kidding about the charm of Gingerbread. Judging from the slice of town she could see, it was a full-size version of the Christmas villages in Seattle shop windows this time of year. The architecture reminded her of Europe, with a fairy-tale element thrown in.
Old-fashioned lampposts each sported a wreath and a red bow. Every shop featured garlands in the window, and larger garlands hung at intervals across the snowy street. The late-model cars that drove by seemed out of place. Horse-drawn carriages would have fit in better. Then she saw one of those, with laughing people bundled up in blankets in the back, enjoying an open-air ride.
One lone high-rise building was visible above the peaked rooftops covered with snow. Evergreen Industries, no doubt. Beyond that, where the land sloped upward and the pine forest closed in, a snow-capped mountain pierced the blue sky. Although other mountains were visible in the distance, this one was quite distinctive. She decided it must be Mistletoe Mountain, which had been mentioned during her internet search.
Until now, she hadn’t thought about what would happen if and when her plan worked and she eliminated whatever problem was keeping her from a happily ever after with Cole. Her business didn’t require her to live in a certain place, which meant logically she’d be the one to move.
She let that idea percolate to see how she felt about it. Turned out she was perfectly okay with leaving Seattle if it meant being with Cole. The decision wouldn’t even be that difficult. As much as she traveled, she could see her friends and family when she was between jobs.
But her home would be here in Gingerbread with Cole, wherever he lived. Come to think of it, she had no idea what his place was like, which seemed odd to her, considering they’d been naked together so recently. She’d ask him about it when he came to pick her up later that morning.
Remembering that she had to be ready soon, she tucked into her protein-free but delicious breakfast, took a quick shower in the claw-foot tub with its old-fashioned circular shower rod, and dressed in a clean pair of jeans and one of her nicer sweaters. Until she understood the corporate culture at Evergreen, she’d go with something a bit less casual than her usual techie outfit of old jeans, a faded T-shirt and a hoodie.
She was in the lobby chatting with Mrs. Gustafson about things to do in town when Cole walked in. Taryn might have been prejudiced, but the guy knew how to make an entrance. He swept in wearing that long black coat, a green wool scarf, and no hat. His tousled dark hair gave him a rakish look she’d never been able to resist.
“Ah, Cole!” Mrs. Gustafson, plump and graying, clasped her hands together. “Your guest is a delight. She’s already in love with our little town. I hope you’re planning to give her a tour.”
Cole’s bemused smile indicated he hadn’t planned anything of the sort. “Uh, sure. Why not? But first we have some business to take care of at Evergreen.”
Mrs. Gustafson waved a hand at him. “Well, I know that. The guests you bring here always have business at Evergreen. But Taryn has taken a real interest in Gingerbread, haven’t you, dear?”
“I have.” Taryn had to work hard not to laugh at Cole’s uneasiness. “And I’d love a tour if we have the time.”
Cole’s green eyes flashed with amusement. “I’ll see to it. Shall we go?”
“I’m ready when you are.”
“Have fun, you two!” Mrs. Gustafson called after them as they left the cozy lobby.
“We will!” Taryn called back.
“Chatting up the landlady?” Cole said once they were on the front porch.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, I just...do you really want a tour of Gingerbread?”
“I