Page 10 of Ringing His Bells: A Filthy Dirty Christmas

He kisses me hard, suddenly, our lips fusing together in a burning moment of powerful lust and want. It cloaks us as our bodies melt into each other, and I grab onto his stone hard shoulders, feeling my nails bend under their strength.

Then he breaks it off, letting out a growling gasp.

“Let me take you somewhere, my sexy little elf. Somewhere nobody will see us. Somewhere nobody will catch us. You deserve so much more than a dingy storage closet.”

My stomach tightens at his words, my womb throbbing and singing, all the potential pleasure of the moment whispering through me like a light winter breeze, disturbing snowflakes of desire and want.

But then a cloud falls over the moment, as I think about all the women Nick must’ve had, all so much more experienced than me.

I let my gaze drop. “I don’t think I’m ready, at least not tonight.”

“It’s okay, my little elf.” His fingers make patterns on the back of my neck, tempting tingles dancing over my skin. “I understand you need time. But, goddamn, don’t keep me waiting too long. It’s like there’s a beast inside of me, howling, roaring at me to claim you. Does that sound insane?”

“It should.” I giggle, forcing myself to look up at him, to face those glinting winter blues. “But no, it doesn’t. Because I feel exactly the same. It’s like there’s a force inside of me. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like my body is demanding me to…”

“To get pregnant with my children.” He nods knowingly. “I feel exactly the same.”

“Which is crazy.” I claw onto his chest, digging my fingernails in. “How can that be freaking possible? We hardly know anything about each other.”

“I don’t know. But it’s happening. And I’m not going to waste time doubting it.”

He pauses, a strange look shifting his features, his eyes narrowing.

“What is it?” I murmur.

“I have to ask, Natalie.”

“Ask what?”

“About your brother and the Bloody Sons MC. The biker gang who hang out in the food court. I saw Kenny and their leader, Terrence, talking and laughing today. It looked like they were getting real close. Do you have any idea how they know each other? Because Terrence is a bad, bad man. And now that you belong to me, I feel like it’s my duty to help keep your family safe.”

I bite my lip as the truth tries to burst free, as memories writhe and twist through me like taunting winter sprites.

“Can we maybe go for a walk?” I say, my voice twisted with anxiety and past hurt. “Please?”

He squeezes me tight, nodding. “Of course. But don’t think that means I’m dropping this.”

“No, no, I’ll tell you. I just need to get away from everyone.”

He glances over at the ice rink, at the families skating here and there, and his eyes glimmer. I know without asking he’s imagining our future family – our impossible wonderful magic family – skating across the ice in just the same way.

Chapter Nine

Nick

The mall’s parking lot is bordered on all sides by grassy slopes which lead up to the road and a small copse of trees. We walk along the slopes together, at the top, so that the heavily decorated mall sparkles like a Christmas beacon. The snow falls in hazy sheets now, settling in layers that sparkle in the moon and starlight.

I take off my Santa jacket and drape it over my woman’s shoulders, struggling to withdraw my hands instead of sliding them down and then over her breasts. She looks up at me with a tight smile, as though she’s struggling to build up to something.

“Aren’t you cold?”

She nods to my arms, bare in a T-shirt.

“No, I’m fine,” I tell her.

It’s the only answer a man should give if his woman asks if he’s cold, especially after he’s just given her his jacket. Or she might start to worry and give me the jacket back, and her warmth is far more important than mine.

She nods and continues walking, kicking up clumps of snow.

“I guess I should tell you why I’m here,” she murmurs.

“Here, outside, with me?”

“No, at the mall. Why I’m staying at the mall.”

“Okay…”

She pauses at the very top of the steepest slope, looking down at the ice rink. The barriers are wrapped in sparkling silver fairy lights, glistening as though all the Christmas cheer in the city has been transferred here.

“It was a winter’s night,” she says quietly. Then she laughs with the most adorable trembling of her shoulders. “I know that’s a cliché, people starting stories like that. But it was a cold winter’s night. I was eight and Kenny was seven, and we were reading each other scary stories, really getting into it.”

She pauses as an invisible cord of tension tugs at her. I reach forward and place my hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly, letting her know I’m here and I’ll always be here, letting her know she never has to suffer through any of this alone.

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