A Kiss for Christmas Page 4

  “Sure,” I tell her. I know I’m tempting fate, but right now, I can’t find it in me to care about anything except the lights, sparkling devilishly in her blue eyes, and the gorgeous golden skin curving in the hollow of her neck. “Set ‘em up. I’m in.”

  The first shot is fine, at least, that’s what I tell myself. Two and three go down easy, but by the time we reach shot number four, I’m hanging on to my self-control by the thinest thread. The bar has cleared out now, we’re the last to leave, sitting up by the bar — close together, side by side.

  Too close.

  “Look at you. I never took you for a party boy,” Lacey teases. She licks salt off her hand and then gulps from the tiny glass.

  I catch my breath, still reeling from the glimpse of her pink, wet tongue. “Who are you calling a boy?” I retort, knocking back my own drink. I don’t bother with the salt or lime wedge, I just feel the burn as the alcohol snake down my throat, trying to remind myself of what she said before: I’m like a brother to her. She’s not interested.

  Lacey fixes me with an unreadable look. “You know, all the time we spent together with Juliet, I don’t think we ever hung out alone.”

  I pause. “You’re right.”

  “I guess we never had much in common,” she adds, and there’s something in her voice I can’t figure out.

  “You always thought I was a boring preppy nerd,” I tell her, emboldened by the booze.

  Lacey chokes on her water. “I did not!”

  “Sure you did,” I grin, “You went out of your way not to be around when I came by.” I never thought twice about it before, but now I’m surprised to find it burn at me.

  “That’s because I was giving you guys some privacy,” Lacey argues. “And what about you? You thought I was some slutty party girl.”

  “Hey,” I frown, “That’s not true.”

  She waves my objection away. “It’s OK, I was. I mean, not slutty, but I wanted to have a good time. College was always going to be about fun for me, my last chance to be crazy and irresponsible.” Lacey lets out a sigh.

  “What about now?” I ask, “Sounds like you’re having plenty of fun: living it up in LA, all your glamorous events.”

  Lacey snorts. “Glamorous. Sure.” She pauses, knocking back another shot. “The truth is, things aren’t working out so well.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  Lacey lets out a sigh. “LA isn’t what I thought it would be. I’m running around doing errands for my awful boss all day, working hosting jobs on the side.” Her eyes meet mine, and I see something worn out there, her spark dimmed. “You want to know what my last gig was? Dressing up like a Disney princess for some spoiled six year-old’s birthday party.”

  “That sounds fun,” I offer, trying to sound upbeat.

  “Sure, until she ate too much cake and vomited all over me.”

  “Ouch,” I try not to laugh.

  “They docked my pay to cover the dry-cleaning,” Lacey adds. “Real glamorous.”

  “You’re just starting out,” I try to encourage her. “Everyone starts at the bottom. That’s why I was out in LA doing those depositions when everyone else has already taken off for the holidays.”

  “I know,” Lacey manages a smile. “I guess I just miss having Juliet around. LA is so big, I just feel … adrift sometimes, out on my own.”

  “You can always try someplace else,” I suggest, “Maybe New York, or DC, closer to her.”

  And me.

  The thought stops me dead, but Lacey doesn’t notice the change. She shakes her head, as if shaking off the whole subject. “Enough about that. Want another round?”

  “No way,” I laugh. “I’m past my limit already.”

  “Aww, c’mon …” Lacey teases, tilting her head at me. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  Only me throwing her down on the bar and ravaging her until she’s screaming my name in ecstasy …

  I blink, lost for a moment in the fantasy of her lips, sweet under my mouth, and that soft flesh, yielding to my hands..

  No. Bad. Stop.

  “I think I’m going to call it a night.” I get up, ready to escape with my dignity still intact, but Lacey reaches across and stops me, her hand soft on my bare arm.

  “Stay,” she breathes, and her eyes glint, cornflower blue, mesmerizing me. “I have a game for us.”

  “A game?” My body has leapt to her touch, and I know, I’m heading right for the edge. Another drink, another hour, and who knows what I might do?

  Lacey smiles at me, dangerous and tempting. “Let’s play truth or dare.”

  Lacey

  He wants me.

  After everything that’s happened today, I pray it’s not just wishful thinking making me see things that aren’t there, but I don’t think so. Even if the weird way he chased off that guy from the plane was just him acting all big brother on me, the look on his face right now is unmistakable: the dark flash in his eyes, the way his gaze seems to trail over my body, making me shiver like I’m already naked, feeling his touch on my skin …

  My pulse kicks, and I feel a surge of power. He wants me, and tonight, I don’t even want to ask myself why — if this is the tequila talking, or loneliness, or just the mixture of an empty bar and this dress and momentary insanity. I don’t care about reasons or logic right now, not with the dim lights shining, dark gold threads in his hair, and every nerve in my body screaming out to touch him again.

  He wants me.

  Now I just need him to do something about it.

  I meet his gaze in a coy smile, even though my heart is racing like crazy with wild anticipation. “What do you say? Ready to get to know each other a little better?” I reach over and take a sip of his drink, slowly licking the moisture off my lips.

  Daniel blinks once, then lowers himself slowly back on the barstool beside me. “Why not?” he gives me a grin that turns my insides to molten honey. “This should be good.”

  I have to catch my breath. All night, I’ve been at war with myself: trying not to flirt with him or make a fool of myself. But now, I’m suddenly reckless. Unleashed. Now I’ve spied a crack in his cool, collected attitude, I’m not going to let this chance slide by, not without a fight.

  I just want him, more than I can stand.

  “You first,” I announce, slowly crossing my legs.

  Daniel looks down at the fabric riding up over my thighs, then back up at me. “That’s easy, truth.”

  Of course. A guy like him is an open book: nothing to hide. “Hmm,” I muse, wracking my brain. If I’m going to push him, it needs to be something good. “Where’s the craziest place you’ve ever had sex?”

  Daniel raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t flinch. “I don’t know …” he frowns, “Nowhere. I’ve always just done it the regular way, on a bed.”

  I stare in disbelief. “Seriously? Not even in the backseat of a car? The gym locker rooms? The rooftop of the student lounge?” I prompt.

  Daniel looks bashful. “I guess I’m just boring like that. Why, where’s yours?”

  I think for a moment. “Backstage at a rock show, up against the amps. He lasted like, two seconds flat and I nearly went deaf … and electrocuted,” I shake my head, giving a wry smile at the memory.

  “Sounds painful.” Daniel laughs, and I lose myself in his eyes. The tequila is warm in my bloodstream, mingling with desire and recklessness in one heady cocktail that’s impossible to ignore as I sit here, inches away from Daniel, his tanned forearm resting casually on the bar between us, close enough to touch …

  I snap back to reality. “What?”

  Daniel gives me a patient smile. “I said, why bother nearly killing yourself like that? It doesn’t sound like it was even worth your while.”

  I shrug. “It was an experience.”

  “Jumping off a cliff is an experience,” Daniel points out. “You going to try that too?”

  “No, it’s like …” I try to gather my thoughts, “This is it, m
y wild adventurous youth. One day, I’m going to be settled down with a kid and a mini-van, and, and, a Costco clubcard. I want to be able to look back and say, I lived. I had adventures. You know?”

  “Nope,” Daniel makes a face. “I’ve been on the same path since school, I never did anything crazy.”

  My heart catches. I force myself to meet his eyes. “It’s never too late to try.”

  Daniel looks at me, and the moment is electric, pulsing between us, vivid and full of meaning. Then he coughs, and glances away. “Your turn,” he says, and his voice is strangled. “Truth or dare.”

  “Dare.” I reply immediately, my heart still racing.

  “Big surprise,” Daniel grins.

  I shrug, teasing. “Bring it on.”

  He opens his mouth to say something, then stops. “No,” he says, almost to himself, and I would kill to know what he just stopped himself saying. “Umm, I dare you to tell the truth about something.”

  “That’s not fair!” I protest, but he just shakes his head, laughing.

  “I didn’t make the rules!”

  I sigh. “Fine, what do you want to know?”

  Daniel pauses. He swirls his whiskey around his glass, thoughtful. I’m expecting something personal, maybe even suggestive or flirty, but instead, when he speaks, his voice is quiet. “Do you believe in soul-mates? That there’s one person we’re destined to be with, or is it all just random bullshit, we can’t ever know for sure who’s right for us?”

  Juliet.

  My hopes come crashing down around me in a cold wave. He’s thinking about her, still hung up after all this time. Here I am, practically throwing myself in his lap, and all he wants to talk about is her.

  “Daniel,” I sigh, reluctant, but he won’t be put off.

  “I dared you, you have to answer.” He looks stubborn.

  “Soul-mates? Fine, no, I don’t believe in them.” I lie. Because what’s the use in believing when his heart still belongs to someone else? “Do you?”

  Daniel blinks. “I thought so,” he sighs, “I had it all planned out. But now … Now I wonder, what’s the use in planning?” he adds bitterly. “Maybe it’s better just to live in the moment. Do whatever I want, right now, to hell with the rules or the consequences.”

  His eyes meet mine, and the naked desire I see there steals the breath from my lungs. “What do you want?” I whisper, barely breathing.

  “To do something crazy.” Daniel’s eyes stare into mine intently. “Just, get out of my own head. Be someone else. Just for tonight.”

  Tonight …

  I waver. I know now this isn’t about me, but a treacherous part of me doesn’t even care. I’ve wanted him for so long, on any terms. At any cost.

  “Your turn.” I don’t look away. I should leave now, run far away, hell, I should go sleep in the airport overnight just to stay away from this bad, bad idea.

  But I’ve never been one to do the smart thing. Instead, I gather my courage, and ask the question I shouldn’t.

  “Truth or dare?”

  Daniel smiles, a dark, glittering smile that could knock me to the floor if I wasn’t clutching onto the bar for dear life.

  “Dare,” he replies.

  Abort, abort! My voice of reason screams, but I don’t back down.

  I match his smile, slow and teasing. “You ever been skinny dipping?

  Daniel

  This is a bad idea.

  The thought echoes in my mind as Lacey leads me through the deserted lobby back to the elevators, her hips swinging with every step. I can think of a hundred reasons why breaking into the hotel pool and getting naked is the last thing we should be doing.

  It’s a crime, for one thing, a voice scolds me. A misdemeanor maybe, but definitely not the kind of thing a partner-track lawyer should be doing.

  But then Lacey fixes me with that tantalizing smile, and suddenly I don’t give a damn. I’d go rob a bank with her if it meant just another minute of her company. “Top floor,” she announces, hitting the button. The doors close behind us, and she winks. “Ready to break some rules?”

  I don’t reply, my blood pounding. The only rule I want to break right now is the one that says gentlemen don’t shove girls up against the wall and go down on them in an elevator. “I thought the pool closed at seven,” I say, and then immediately feel like a fool.

  Way to be crazy, Dan. You’re a real rebel.

  Lacey smirks. “That’s what makes it fun.”

  The elevator arrives, and Lacey peeks her head out, looking around. “OK, all-clear!” she whispers, gesturing me to follow. We sneak down the hallway, keeping a careful look out for anyone around. By the time we reach the doors at the far end, my heart is pounding — although whether it’s from the risk, or the feel of her hand, clutching my arm, I don’t know.

  She reaches for the door.

  “It’ll be locked,” I warn her, but it swings open without a sound.

  Lacey grins. “Destiny,” she announces. “See? The universe wants us to do this.”

  “I think the universe has bigger things to worry about,” I reply, but her excitement is infectious. She takes my hand, yanking me inside.

  The door slams shut behind us. Inside, the pool area is dark and still. The water laps, deep blue against the pale tiles; the empty lifeguard’s station overlooking the long, rectangular pool. Security lights from outside cast strips of light across the room, and our footsteps echo in the hush of the room, totally alone.

  Lacey heads straight for the edge of the pool, kicking off her strappy sandals. I stroll closer, reaching down to test the water.

  “Cold,” I note.

  She smirks. “Less talk, more action, mister. A dare’s a dare.”

  I stand, not ten feet away from her, and slowly pull my T-shirt over my head and drop it to the floor.

  Lacey raises an eyebrow. She slides one strap over her shoulder, then another. The dress ripples to the ground.

  Fuck.

  Lust slams through me, so hard I almost drop to my knees. Lacey is standing there in front of me wearing nothing but a pair of black lacy underwear. My brain short-circuits, my body tightens with desire.

  She’s a goddess.

  The moonlight falls through a window, brushing her skin with silvery light. The curves, the soft glide of her skin … I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful. My blood surges as I greedily drink in every inch of her. Those breasts, high and full.. Her slim waist.. Her long legs, tapering up to that scrap of lace at the apex of her thighs, promising the world, just out of sight.

  Jesus Christ.

  “Your turn,” she smiles at me.

  I unlace my sweatpants and drop them to the floor. Her gaze slides lower, and I can tell from her smirk, the proof of my desire is showing, hard through my briefs.

  Fuck it. She can’t strip like this and expect me to stay unmoved.

  Lacey presses her tongue between her teeth, and hooks her thumbs under the lace of her panties. I stop breathing. The air between us blazes with electricity as she slowly, teasingly slides them over her legs to the floor.

  I let out a tortured groan. She’s bare between her thighs, smooth and so fucking sexy it’s enough to make me lose my goddamn mind. Suddenly, all the self-control in the world is no match for the fire in my blood, the desire screaming through my veins, blotting out the world until there’s nothing but Lacey and the look of wicked temptation in her eyes.

  “No more.” I growl, yanking my briefs down and reaching for her, crazy with lust. But Lacey slips back out of my grasp with a teasing smile. “A dare’s a dare,” she grins, and then she plants both hands on my chest and shoves.

  I fall backwards, hitting the pool with a splash. The freezing water closes over my head. I hear another splash, and see Lacey make an elegant dive into the pool. Her body slides past me, arched and effortless, twisting lazy circles as she reaches the bottom of the pool and smiles at me, inviting. I swim towards her underwater, grabbing her around her waist and pushing
up, breaking the surface with a gasp.

  “Naughty girl,” I tread water, holding her up in my arms.

  Lacey laughs, the sound echoing in the hush of the pool “What can I say? I couldn’t resist.”

  I pull her closer, sliding my hands down to grip her thighs. Lacey’s laughter fades. I can feel her, naked and wet, pressing against me, every inch, every curve, even the pulse of her heartbeat racing, thunder in her chest.

  “Are you going to punish me?” she whispers, still flirting. Her hands slide across my shoulders, and I shudder under the touch, her breasts pressed against my chest, the ripe curves soft between us.

  “No,” I lean in, trailing my lips over her cheekbone, wanting her so bad, but wanting to make it last even more. The world has disappeared, all my rational thoughts chased clear from my mind. Now, the only thing that matters is the wet slide of her body against mine and the hard ache of my cock, pressing against her silken thigh.

  I dip a gentle kiss into the hollow of her neck and feel her whole body shiver. “I’m not going to punish you,” I lick up the slim column of her throat, finding her ear to nip and tease, whispering low.

  “I’m going to make you come your brains out.”

  Lacey’s body shocks in my arms, and then I capture her mouth in a blazing kiss.

  God, she tastes so good, the sweetness of her scent and the burning traces of tequila, intoxicating. Dangerous. I groan, parting her lips and plunging my tongue deep into her mouth, devouring her. Lacey gasps against me, wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against my body, moulding to my form. I kiss her harder, gripping the soft flesh of her thighs to wrap her legs around my waist, feeling the ache of my cock screaming for release, pressed between her thighs.

  I could drown like this, the cold water lapping sensually at our bodies; the dim light and hush leaving nothing but our gasps, ravenous, hungry for more. Lacey bucks against me, and I can feel the tight buds of her nipples, hard against my chest. God, I want to feel every inch of her, taste those stiff, rosy nipples; make her scream and pant. I slide a hand up between us, grazing her breasts, then stroking, harder, palming the weight of them, so lush and fucking perfect. Lacey gasps against my mouth, and I close my thumb and forefinger around her nipple, squeezing, rolling the sensitive nub until she throws back her head and cries out with need.