Page 61 of Snowbound with the Santas

It wasn’t my intention at first, but the kiss is enough to spark a line of heat down my body. That mingles with the warmth of the hot spring, and I’m in heaven. When Nick pulls back, I chase him, and he chuckles once more.

“Let me take care of you,” he whispers against my lips, and who am I to argue with that?

Sweeping through the water, Nick moves on top of me and kisses me deeply. Just as his tongue slides against my own,he cheekily nips at my lower lip and then breaks the kiss. His lips continue kissing slowly down my jaw to my throat, then he follows the line of my neck all the way down to the hollow of my collarbone. His tongue glides over water droplets as he moves.

I slide both my hands into his hair, caressing as gently as I can through the damp strands until Nick looks up at me with a smirk. I tilt my head, trying to decipher the look, but before I can, he takes a deep breath and dips down under the water line.

His hands part my thighs and his mouth presses against my clothed pussy a moment later, sending a jolt of arousal straight through me. A whine crawls out of my throat, and I move my hands from his head to the rocks on either side of me. The last thing I want is to accidentally push down on him when he’s underwater.

The sensation of his tongue licking against my panties is surreal, and my eyes roll back in my head. I curl my toes and push my hips up, rocking into the pressure from his mouth. His hands stroke up my thighs to my panties and then he removes them in one swift move. Water sloshes up my chest as Nick resurfaces, and I open my eyes in time to see him toss my panties onto the piles of clothes. Then he kisses between my breasts and disappears back underneath the water.

It’s insanely erotic in a way I can’t even decipher. Knowing he’s choosing to kiss my pussy over taking a breath, that he’s so desperate to taste me over all else, sends my heart rate skyrocketing, and my core clenches repeatedly. His lips press against my pussy and his tongue laps repeatedly over me from clit to entrance and back. I try to track him in my mind’s eye as the flow of water adds an extra layer of pressure to the entire sensation.

Then his tongue dips inside me, sliding repeatedly in and out. When he breathes out, the rush of bubbles past my clit makes me squeal as pleasure pulses through me, and I rockupward, scrabbling at the rocks. Nick resurfaces again with a gasp, and he claims my mouth in a deep, wet kiss. Then he’s back under the water with his mouth against my pussy and his tongue dancing through my folds.

Each stroke, kiss, and suck floods my body with pleasure, and I struggle to remain still. Luckily, Nick’s hands around my thighs keep my hips in place and I’m free to writhe about above the water line as he pulls me closer and closer to orgasm.

“Fuck!” I cry out, and the word bounces back at me from the rocks surrounding me. Nick doesn’t resurface, not until he pulls my orgasm out of me, leaving me screaming and trembling. It’s the most intense sensation of my life, and my heart pounds wildly as every nerve in my body twitches and shakes. By the time Nick does come back up for air, I’m utterly spent and I sag willingly into his arms.

“If that’s how you show your appreciation,” I pant, cupping his face and stroking his cheek with my thumb, “I’m all for it.”

Nick laughs and kisses me slowly, taking his time to explore my mouth with his tongue. Then he pulls away and pecks my nose.

“Glad you enjoyed it.”

We stay like that until my heart rate is back to normal, and then he pulls a wicker basket from somewhere. It’s filled with sparkling cider and some fruit and cream. The first bite of a strawberry feels like the freshest berry I’ve ever tasted, but I hesitate at the cider.

“It’s non-alcoholic,” Nick reassures me. “I was an alcoholic, so there’s no alcohol in the cabin. Except the medical kind.”

“Of course.” I nod slowly, thinking back to our truth and dare game. “I understand more than you know.” My own battles with alcohol and addiction led to that one terrible night that chained my life, and it’s a pain I think Nick might be able to understand.

He offers me another strawberry. “You can’t even taste that they were frozen.”

“Not even a little,” I agree. We settle on the rocks with my legs in his lap, soaking up the warmth of the water, and candles and petals lazily drift around us. “So when we were decorating, I noticed in the cupboard that there were some really old presents with the nameFreidaon the tag.”

Nick nods slowly. “My daughter. When I first stopped drinking, my ex-wife, Amanda, promised that I could slowly get back into my daughter’s life. So each year, I bought presents and decorations and waited for when it would finally be my year to see her. To spend Christmas with her. But Amanda… she just never followed through.”

“Oh, Nick. I’m so sorry.” Taking his hand, I squeeze gently.

“I still buy her presents, but I haven’t asked Amanda to bring her in a few years because Freida got in touch herself. She’s a smart kid, that’s for sure, because I don’t know how she did it, but I’m so grateful she did.”

His voice thickens with emotion and he flashes me a tight smile.

“You’ve been getting to know her?”

He nods. “Slowly. She did a family tree project for school and found out my details from that. Somehow. And then she called me about eighteen months ago, and ever since, I’ve been doing everything I can to learn about her. I’ve been honest, though. I told her I was an alcoholic and she understood. Apparently, Amanda brings that up often.”

“I’m sorry. That’s a painful cross to bear.”

“My deepest regret,” he replies thickly. “I was an addict and I wasn’t in control. I’m still responsible for my actions and those I hurt, but… I love her. She’s my kid, and I will spend every day I have left on this earth making it up to her.”

“I understand,” I reply gently. “More than you know, actually. I was, uh… I was an alcoholic too. Or, I am. Recovering.”

Nick’s brow shoots up. “Oh, Rayne…”

“It was my way of coping with the pressure of my family, I think. And then my ex. But then… there’s always a moment, isn’t there? Of clarity, when things are so fucked that you realize you’re drowning.”

“That happened to you?”

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