Xmas Affair Read online

  "I left him, for your information. Maybe that makes me the jerk. Hmm?" Or maybe Jab was a jerk. He'd left her. She'd certainly thought that, and worse, about him enough times. She didn't voice any of her thoughts aloud though.

  She hadn't been able to stay with Ray. It wasn't right or fair for either of them to stay together. She'd kept comparing him to Jab, and he'd kept coming up short. Besides, the guy had a temper that she'd found hard to deal with. He was all bark and no bite, but she still hadn't liked the constant arguments and confrontations. Jab was more level-headed. Sure, he got mad, but never over little stuff, and he solved problems with an ease that she'd always respected.

  Laughter bubbled up inside her at the irony of their situation. She was mad at Jab for walking out on her, when she'd walked out on someone herself. At the same time, she was still counting Jab's virtues in her mind. What a convoluted situation she'd gotten herself into! The sudden intense look in his eyes silenced her laughter. She recognized that intensity.

  "I've always loved the sound of your laugh." He leaned close and nuzzled her neck. "I've missed you, Julie."

  Old feelings rushed through her like a tidal wave. After a moment of weakness, of wanting to hold him in her arms, she got the strength to respond. "After all this time, do you really think you can just waltz back into my life for a quick tumble."

  He let her go and stepped back. She could see him fighting emotions of frustration and confusion, and probably anger too.

  Jab lifted a candy cane from the tree and passed it repeatedly between his fingers, as if needing something to do with his hands. He glanced over toward the side table, and his eyes widened when he saw Evil Flasher Santa. He didn't say anything, but a smile tugged at his lips. When he looked back at her, she tried very hard not to blush from embarrassment.

  He simply stared at her for what seemed an eternity. "So where do we go from here?" he finally asked, hanging the candy cane back on the tree.

  "I don't know. Maybe if you'd done things differently." She shrugged.

  A light shone in his eyes. "So you do still care about me. You're just upset that I didn't--"

  "Upset's not a strong enough word, Jab, believe me," she interrupted and turned away from him, not able to look into his gorgeous eyes any longer.

  "How about we start over with this party?" he asked in a light voice.

  She couldn't allow his super soft tone to get to her and undermine her better judgment. "I just don't think it would work." The truth was her heart couldn't stand the pain if he walked away again.

  He slipped his arms around her waist from behind. "We were always so good together," he whispered in her ear. "Do you remember?"

  Oh, yes, she remembered. Too well. Long nights of loving each other in every erotic way possible, followed by delightful days of laughter and compassion. And just like now, he'd always reached out to hold her or even simply to touch her. She'd loved that about him. How could he have just walked away?

  She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She had to know. "You didn't even call. You just left me. Why did you do that, Jab?" she asked in a barely audible voice. Her heart pounded frantically, afraid of his answer.

  Confusion filled Jab. He turned her around in his arms and looked into her eyes. "What are you talking about?" He hadn't left her. She'd dumped him. Hard.

  "After that night when we declared our love, you just disappeared. Then I heard you went to Aruba--"

  "Wait, wait." He rubbed his forehead and shook his head. That made no sense. "I called you the next day, and you said you didn't want to see me again -- I didn't have any money and you weren't ready for anything serious. You ripped out my heart." He'd never felt so much pain in his life.

  He'd had to get away to rebuild his life. But he'd been unable to get her out of his mind. And his heart. After he returned, he'd thrown himself into his work. Then the inheritance had come, and his life got crazy.

  When he'd seen her at the fundraising event, albeit from afar, he'd set up the meeting with Carmen and later had pumped her for information. She was the one who ultimately suggested the date. He'd jumped at the chance, hoping that maybe Julie had put her up to it. Carmen had said they were close, so he'd assumed they had no secrets.

  Julie was the one shaking her head now. "I never spoke to you after that night."

  "I'm not lying." What was she trying to do? Shift the blame? If so, she wasn't the woman he remembered. And loved.

  Jab looked so sincere that Julie found it hard to doubt his words. Then she remembered that her mother had been visiting her when he said he'd called. She remembered that day because it had been her mother's birthday. Her mother hadn't liked Jab because he was struggling, with no prospects, at the time.

  A sick feeling churned her stomach. "You talked to my mother," she replied in despair, realizing the truth.

  "What? No. I talked to you."

  "Jab, she sounds just like me on the phone. She was at my apartment that day. You know she never thought you were good enough for me back then." Julie slapped his chest. "Why did you just accept that phone call? Why didn't you come over and demand an explanation in person?"

  "After what you, she, said to me?" He raked his fingers through his hair. "I thought, well, I thought -- damn! Why didn't you call me?"

  "I did! But--"

  "I wouldn't pick up. I remember." He hung his head. "I was mad and hurt." He looked back up and regret filled his eyes.

  A sob caught in her throat. She should have tried harder to get in contact with him, but she'd been mad and hurt too, thinking he'd gotten scared of their love. Then when he'd left the country, she'd figured that was that. Now what were they supposed to do?

  Chapter 3

  They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Jab didn't know who moved first, but suddenly Julie was in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest. He moved his hands possessively over her body, never wanting to let her go. He felt as if everything was right in the world again, and the heaviness that had pressed upon his heart for months no longer plagued him.

  With tears trickling down her face, she looked up and into his eyes. "I never stopped loving you, Jab."

  At her softly-spoken words, the air left him in a whoosh. He hadn't even realized that he'd been holding his breath, waiting for her to speak. Cupping her face in his hands, he lowered his head and kissed her gently, barely brushing his lips across hers. "I love you too." So much so that the words seemed inadequate. His fingers trailed down her neck and over her breasts. His heart thumped wildly. He needed her naked, with his cock inside her. He needed to make her his, now and forever.

  Julie's soft moan at his words filled him with more tender emotions than he thought possible. She glanced up past his head and suddenly giggled. Confusion washed over him. Giggling? Now? He was ready to ravage her and she was laughing. He followed her gaze and couldn't help but smile along with her. "Mistletoe." They stood right under a sprig hanging from the ceiling.

  "Maybe there is something to fate after all," she said to him. "And to holiday wishes coming true."

  Holiday wishes. Yes. Jab felt that he'd definitely been given a very special, holiday blessing. His lips skimmed the side of her neck, sending a shiver of delight throughout his body. And hers, if her reaction was any indication.

  He needed to touch her more intimately, to feel her bare skin beneath his fingers. Just the scent of her brought back a flood of memories and emotions.

  She must have felt the same, for with an urgency he'd never seen from her, she pushed her hands beneath his sweater, groping for his flesh. A groan of disappointment escaped her lips when she made contact with his T-shirt.

  He pulled out of her arms and stepped back to rip off his coat. He tossed it across a nearby chair. "If you don't take off those clothes, I'm going to tear every one of them from your body." And he meant those words. His need was that great. He toed off his shoes, then pulled the sweater and T-shirt over his head.

  As he tos
sed them aside, he saw Julie's hands shaking while she attempted to unbutton her jeans. He sank to his knees in front of her and brushed her hands aside. With nimble movements, he had her pants open in record time and pushed them down her legs. He smiled at her red panties with white snowflakes.

  He helped her step out of the pants and threw them to the side. When she tried to move aside too, he grabbed her butt. "Not so fast." He pushed up her sweater. "Take this off." While she lifted it over her head, he leaned forward and kissed her stomach, letting his lips linger. His tongue circled her belly-button and dipped inside.

  She moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair. "I need your cock inside me, Jab."

  "Oh, yeah." He smiled against her skin. "Soon. But first my tongue." Slowly he tugged down her underwear, until the flimsy garment pooled at her feet. He allowed his fingers to caress her butt cheeks as he admired the dark curls between her legs. When he placed a wet kiss right above those curls, her knees buckled slightly, but he helped her stay on her feet.

  "Jab. Please. You're torturing me." She pushed the underwear aside with her foot.

  "I know." He pulled her down to him until she was straddling his lap, then he latched onto one plump nipple with his mouth. Her skin tasted like vanilla and peppermint. His favorite holiday flavors. As he sucked the fleshy nub, he lowered her to the carpet.

  "Take your pants off!" she begged. "I'm about ready to explode."

  Good. He released her nipple and massaged her breasts. He'd always thought they were the perfect size. A good handful and incredibly soft. He much preferred that on a woman to overly large breasts that were so full they felt as hard as melons.

  Slowly, he slid down her body and spread her legs. He kissed the inside of one thigh, then the other. "Reach down and spread yourself open for me," he told her. His voice sounded tight and low, even to his own ears.

  She hesitated a moment before responding. "Me?"

  "Yes. I want you to offer yourself to me, Julie."

  With trembling hands, she reached between her legs and spread her plump lips wide. Her hands always shook when she felt needy or on a sexual high. He actually enjoyed that show of emotion, for it made it easier for him to judge her level of desire and pleasure.

  Such a sexy sight. Jab lowered his head and, with just the tip of his tongue, he barely licked the end of her clitoris. She gasped at the contact, and a small sob escaped her.

  He swirled his tongue around the fleshy bud, then sucked it into his mouth. What he'd intended as a soft and slow seduction quickly escalated into a desire that he could barely control. He sucked her clit like a man possessed.

  "Ah! Oh, Jab!" She undulated beneath him and reached for his head.

  He grabbed her ass and held her to him, sucking and nibbling, as she thrashed and moaned. He needed her to come. He needed to taste her essence.

  When her body arched and tightened, he knew she was close. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and suddenly she groaned loudly and climaxed. He stayed with her, sucking and licking until she collapsed beneath him.

  "Oh, wow, Jab." Her words and breathing sounded labored. "I haven't come like that since, well, since we were together last."

  He raised his head and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then softly kissed her stomach. "Good," he whispered against her skin. He wanted to be the only man who could truly satisfy her. While she struggled to ease her breathing, he pushed himself to his feet and stood between her legs. He stared down at her naked body. Beautiful.

  With deliberate movements, he took off his belt and dropped it beside her. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. After ridding himself of the clothing, he stood over her completely naked. He wrapped his fingers around his hard cock and stroked himself from base to tip. "Where do you want this? Between your legs or in your mouth?" When Julie wet her lips with her tongue, he almost lost it.

  "Where do you want to put it?" She practically purred the inviting words.

  "You know how I love to come in your mouth." He kneeled between her legs. "But for this first time in so long, I want to be inside you. I want to come with you. Together."

  Julie nodded. That's what she wanted to. She watched as he reached for his pants and withdrew a condom from his wallet. He casually tore open the packet and rolled the condom over his cock way too slowly. Just to torture her some more, she was certain.

  She moaned when she finally felt the tip of his cock pressing intimately against her. She reached out, and he moved forward at the same time. His long, thick cock slid inside her, filling her completely. Ah, yes.

  He braced himself on his elbows on either side of her. Their gazes locked, and he moved his hips in an easy rhythm. "Damn, you feel good," he said in a gravelly voice.

  She raked her fingernails along his sides until he groaned loudly and thrust into her harder. "Yes! Oh. Don't stop!" She pushed her hips up against him, wanting his cock even deeper, though she didn't think that was physically possible.

  He thrust into her faster. Harder.

  Small jolts of pleasure shot through every nerve in her body as a ball of ecstasy swirled at her core. "Ah-oh!" She gripped his forearms, and a moment later, everything she'd been feeling intensified, and she climaxed in an explosion of raw emotion and intense physical satisfaction.

  At the same time, Jab came. He growled and pressed himself as deeply as he could inside her. "Yeah!"

  Julie arched her back as an unexpected second climax rushed through her right after the first one. "Ah, yes. I'm coming again!" She couldn't stop the high-pitched cry that escaped her throat. When she finally collapsed beneath him, small tendrils of pleasure still coursed through her body, and she couldn't find her voice.

  Jab seemed equally speechless. He pulled out of her and disposed of the condom, then turned over on his back. He pulled her against his side. They stayed like that for a long while, not talking but simply holding each other.

  "I feel so stupid," she finally admitted to him, needing him to know her feelings. She shivered as the cool air began to chill her.

  "Why's that?" He sounded surprised by her confession. He sat up and grabbed his long coat from the chair next to them.

  "All of this time wasted over a misunderstanding."

  "Ah." He dragged the coat over them, then pulled her back into his arms. "Well, I wouldn't call it a misunderstanding. That's too much of an oversimplification. It was more like sabotage."

  "I suppose." She cuddled close. "My mother's going to hear an earful from me about it. I promise you that."

  "Don't be too hard on her. I'm sure she thought she was doing what was best for her daughter."

  Julie cocked her head and looked into his eyes. Truth shone back at her, clearly visible in his gaze. "You're being quite understanding, considering how she screwed up our lives."

  "Yeah, well, I'm feeling generous. At the moment. I can't promise it will last. But I really don't want to come between you two. Family is important."

  She rested her head on his chest. "Loving you was my decision to make. Not hers. And you won't come between us. She's just going to have to learn to let me make my own choices. She's actually due over here later."

  "Really?" Jab chuckled. "I can hardly wait to see the look on her face when she sees me."

  "You're staying?" His words made her feel like he really was committed to her for the long haul this time, no matter the problems or complications that might come along.

  "You bet. It's time your mother and I came to an understanding. We both love you, Julie. It'll be all right."

  She pulled lightly at his chest hair, enjoying the silky feel between her fingers. "I hope you're right."

  He covered her hand with his. "Whatever happens, I'm not letting you get away from me. Never again." He kissed her softly on the top of the head.

  She hugged Jab tightly, feeling all of the tension and sadness from the past melt away. She had a feeling that this was going to be the best Christmas ever.

  Other short stories by Ruth D.
Kerce

  available at Smashwords

  Into the Storm

  G-String Gentleman

  The Corset & The Cowboy