Page 33 of Confessions of a Christmasholic

Gus pulled her into his bedroom at the end of the hall and kicked the door closed with his foot. The door clicked shut, and a moment later his hands were on her thin jersey, pulling it up and over her head. He looked down at her red lingerie and sighed, resting his forehead against hers.

‘So damn beautiful, Sutt,’ he muttered, his voice deeper and raspier than she’d ever heard it.

‘I swear to God, Gus, if you don’t kiss me…’

She was beyond being coy, she wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anyone before. It was a need that welled up from deep in her soul, pulsed in her womb and heated the moisture between her legs. She’d experienced sexual attraction before but nothing like this.

‘Is this wrong, Sutton?’ he said, his big hands gripping her hips, his thumbs drawing patterns on the bare skin above them.

‘If it is, I don’t care,’ Sutton assured him. ‘I just want you to kiss me, preferably sometime within the next millisecond.’

‘I’d hate for you to have to wait that long.’ Gus lowered his head, and his mouth, his clever, sexy mouth, covered hers. Sutton felt her knees wobble just a little and was glad when his arm slid around her back, and he yanked her close and anchored her to him. Her almost bare chest pushed into his. She wanted to be skin-on-skin with him, but more than that, she wanted him to kiss her properly, with heat and intent and desperate want.

Sutton clasped the back of his head and opened her mouth, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips. He hesitated, as if knowing they wouldn’t be able to return if they went back there, and she had a moment’s doubt. What if he shut this down, what if he put some distance between... But then his mouth opened, his tongue found hers and he took control of their kiss, ratcheting up the heat. He manoeuvred her so her back rested against the bedroom door, and he pushed his thigh between her legs, high enough to create pressure on her mound. She moaned into his mouth. His hand stroked the sides of her chest and then covered her breast, his thumb skating across her already hard nipple. This man didn’t say much, wasn’t the world’s best communicator, but God, the way he touched her! That brief, thrilling swipe was Homer’sOdyssey,War and Peace,Romeo and Juliet, all the best words from the best authors.

Gus pulled his mouth off hers and ducked his head, taking her nipple into his mouth, fabric and all. His tongue lathed her, causing the lace to stick to her. The added friction sent waves of lust rolling through her. She’d never felt anything like this before, had never been lost to desire, caught up in the moment.

Sutton turned her head and caught her reflection in the free-standing mirror across the room. The woman she saw, sexy and half-dressed, didn’t look like her. Her face glowed with need, her hair hung wild on her shoulders and her eyes glittered in the muted light of the bedroom. She looked like a seductress, a temptress, nothing like the stressed, short-of-cash, half-broken woman she’d been these past few months.

‘Sutt, God, you are so fucking hot,’ Gus muttered, his lips burning a trail of fire up her chest. He grazed her collarbone with his teeth, and Sutton raked his jersey and shirt up his back, desperate to lay her hands on his hot male skin. It had been so long since she’d been with a guy, for ever since she’d experienced this heady rush of need and want and heat.

Gus kissed her again, his lips demanding more than before. She was happy to give him everything, maybe more. Maybe everything. The thought settled, burned and Sutton jerked away from him, shocked. What was she thinking? This was a kiss, a quick fumble, a biological need, there was no room for emotion here, for thoughts of…more.

Gus lifted his hand and cupped her face. ‘Everything okay?’ he asked, his thumb brushing her lower lip. He stared at her, his gaze focused and intense. ‘You know this has nothing to do with how you got here and you being my nanny, right?’

She never, not for a second, thought it did but she appreciated him saying so. ‘If I thought you were that kind of guy, I would be out of here so fast your head would spin.’

Gus curled his hand around the back of her neck and Sutton rested her forehead on his chest. She couldn’t look at him; she needed a moment to get her thoughts in order before she faced those sharp blue eyes again. He had a way of looking at her and her words floated to the surface.

She didn’t like feeling this much, and wasn’t used to such an intense connection. She understood the mechanics of sex, and thought it was a rather pleasant activity when done right, but she’d never found herself lost in a man’s touch, craving his mouth, the pleasure he could give her. Wanting the words, and the connection. It scared her, and knowing she could be scared, scared her more.

She needed to put this, them, into perspective, and to see this for what it was…a guy and girl who sparked off each other.

There was nothing here but animal attraction, a sexual current sweeping them out to sea. The emotions pushing their way to the surface – the feeling of her heart wanting to burst wide open, her soul skipping, her breath hitching, all as terrifying as they were sexy – had to be ignored. What was the point of letting emotion into the party? Those bastards always complicated a straightforward situation.

She couldn’t afford to feel anything for Gus. He was her temporary boss, the man who’d taken her in and given her a place to stay until she got her shit sorted…

She was independent, she reminded herself, Brave. Self-sufficient…well, currently that was in doubt, but normally. She was single and she had her freedom. No money, but it was coming.

She didn’t need hot kisses, strong arms to hold her, a quirky smile and sharp, dark blue eyes locked with hers.

Gus, reading her mind, lifted his hands off her and stepped back. ‘Too much, too soon?’ he quietly asked.

‘Too much everything,’ she admitted. ‘It’s been…intense.’

‘I get that.’

Sutton realised her bra strap was halfway down her arm. Before she could pull it up, Gus hooked his finger under the strap and pulled it back into place. He picked up her jersey and handed it to her, and she pulled it over her head and shoved her arms into the sleeves. Dressed, she felt calmer, a little more controlled.

Gus placed a hand on the wall behind her head and leaned in, his expression unreadable. Sutton put her hands behind her back, palms against the wall. She waited for him to speak, knowing she couldn’t rush him. Gus wasn’t a guy who could be pushed where he didn’t want to go.

‘I want you,’ he baldly stated. ‘I’ve wanted you since you stumbled onto my lawn, fists up and wanting to punch Santa.’

‘You beat me to it, Mr Christmas.’

He winced at his nickname before his expression turned serious again.

‘I haven’t been a monk since Katie died, there have been a few women, but – Jesus.’ He raked his hands through his hair. ‘This…you…’

---