One Christmas Song Read online

  But Rick was kissing her now. Only seconds after he’d asked if he could and Cordy had immediately nodded her head in agreement, his arms had slipped around her waist and he’d pulled her close to him. They’d been close before while working at the cleaners or mostly when he’d been helping her work out in the basement, but he’d never put his mouth on hers.

  They were in the basement again. That’s where she’d asked him to meet her so she could tell him her good news. And that’s where she’d felt the first stirrings of sexual desire. Sure, she’d thought about sex. She’d watched movies where people had sex and she’d read dozens of books about couples having sex. But Cordy had never done it and she’d never really thought about the moment that she would do it. Until that moment was upon her.

  “Cordy,” Rick whispered her name as he pulled his mouth slowly away from hers.

  She’d wanted him to come back. She’d wanted to feel his tongue moving alongside hers again and those stirrings in the pit of her stomach that were moving steadily south. She’d wanted it all and so much more.

  “Yes?” she managed when she realized he was waiting for her to respond.

  “I want you, but we can stop. We can definitely stop. All you have to do is tell me and it’s done.”

  His words came fast and jumbled and all Cordy could think of was when he would shut up and kiss her again. “No,” she told him. “Don’t stop.”

  And he hadn’t, not until they were done and everything that Cordy had ever read, seen or thought she knew about sex had vanished from her mind. From the moment Rick had taken off her shirt, to the second he’d slipped inside of her and she’d cried out in both pain and a bit of pleasure, nothing in any book or movie could ever compare to the real thing.

  Nothing and no one. That thought had her waking with a start. Now, she lay on her side with her eyes still closed and an ache that had turned into a full-blown throbbing in her center. Realizing that she’d been dreaming, Cordy moaned and turned over on the bed. She reached behind her head, grabbed a pillow and stuffed it between her legs. Squeezing down on the pillow and keeping her eyes closed did nothing to squelch the desire building inside. She opened her eyes and stared into the dark room.

  Why had she come here of all places? She should have known better. She should have known that Rick would be here and that she would feel the exact same way she’d felt that morning when her mother had driven her out of Temptation to the airport. She still wanted him. The same way he’d admitted to still wanting her. It was ridiculous after all this time, but it was the truth. The problem was Cordy had no idea what she was going to do about it.

  That was wrong, she knew exactly what she was going to do—nothing. Rick’s life was here in Temptation. Hers was wherever she needed to be for a show, a video shoot, or a recording and hopefully in the new year, a movie. She did not have a home, nor did she want one. She had a vibrant and successful life and that was all that mattered. That was all that she’d ever cared about.

  Right now, Cordy cared about getting something cool to drink to hopefully cool down the heat that had been soaring through her body. She sat up, yanking the pillow from between her legs and tossing it across the room. Climbing out of the bed she found her slippers and her robe and headed for the door. It was a little after two in the morning so she wasn’t surprised at the silence of the house when she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

  Her steps were silent along the rug covered floors and she was pleasantly surprised when she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw that the white twinkle lights that were twined into the garland and stretched all throughout the house were still lit. It created a cozy feel as she walked through the foyer and past the front desk. She’d only been here a day but Cordy remembered the floorplan of this house as if she’d lived here the past few years. Probably because she’d walked through the downstairs area a lot during the afternoon video shoot. They’d taped parts in the formal living room, but then she’d mentioned how much she loved the view from the front window as well, so they’d come back into the sitting room where she’d been standing when she first saw Rick again.

  The lights were on in the kitchen and on a groan Cordy walked inside wondering exactly what type of drink it was going to take to get that man out of her head.

  “If you’re looking for more hot chocolate, Jasper left a carafe full next to the stove.”

  Cordy almost jumped out of her skin. Yes, for the first time in her life she knew what that fantastical saying meant as she literally jumped so that her feet left the floor. Both hands flew to her chest where she could feel the quick thudding of her heart and her eyes were now open so wide she felt they might actually be straining her eye sockets.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” she demanded in a hushed but definitely irritated tone as she looked across the room to see Rick sitting at the kitchen table.

  In this room, the contemporary and modern touches of décor had not taken away from the old Victorian charm. The walls were painted a churned butter yellow color while glistening mahogany wood cabinets stretched almost to the ceiling. The wood continued to the hutch with its glass front doors and the large country-style table and eight chairs where Rick was currently sitting.

  “Apparently insomnia is the theme of the evening,” he continued with only an arch of his brows.

  He wore gray sweatpants, black t-shirt and gray socks on his feet. In front of him on the table was a mug similar to the one she’d had earlier.

  Dropping her hands from her chest Cordy rolled her eyes and moved toward the stove where a few inches away sitting on a gleaming black countertop, was the shining silver carafe he’d referred to.

  “Mugs are in the cupboard over there, on the second shelf.”

  Cordy paused for a moment at his words. She’d expected to open the cabinets on the wall above the counter. It had been so long since she’d heard anyone refer to a cupboard it took her a second of looking around the pristinely restored kitchen to find what piece of furniture he was referring to. When she did, she opened it with an inner smile as she glimpsed the heavy stoneware dishes that had been stored inside. The sight reminded her of her mother and how she’d taught Cordy to handle their dishes with care after she’d washed them because they’d belonged to Mari’s great-grandmother.

  “Need help?”

  Cordy startled again, but this time because she’d been leaning over staring into the cupboard she’d had something to hold onto.

  She looked up to see that Rick had left his spot at the table and now stood towering over her, with an amused look on his face.

  “No,” she snapped.

  Taking a cup off the shelf, Cordy held it in one hand, closed the cupboard door and stood. She took a step toward the counter but Rick was in her way.

  “You look stressed. Maybe you should try a little pick-me-up with your chocolate.”

  Cordy narrowed her eyes at her. “As far as lines used to get a woman into your bed go, that was horrible.”

  She stepped around him and headed to the counter. Her hand was already on the carafe when he spoke again.

  “Didn’t know I was trying to get you into my bed. But if I were, what would you suggest I say to make that happen?”

  She poured the steaming liquid into her cup, surprised at how hot the carafe appeared to have kept it.

  “Never mind,” she answered him with a shake of her head. “Forget I said that. I’ll just take this up to my room.”

  But when she lifted the mug into her hand and turned to leave, Rick was right there again.

  “What are you doing? Trying to make me fall on my face in the middle of your kitchen?”

  “Not at all. I just like being near you.”

  “You haven’t been near me in years and yet you seemed to have done just fine all this time.” Her words sounded bitter and she wasn’t quite sure why. It was no secret between them that it was her decision to leave and to never come back. Even when Rick had asked.

  “Appearances are everything. My dad always told me that.”

  Cordy sighed. Papa Pryor was always a bundle of wisdom. There wasn’t an afternoon that Cordy had walked into the cleaners after school that he didn’t have some story or anecdote to match whatever situation she’d found herself in at school. She’d never longed for a father until she’d started working for Papa Pryor.

  “I know a lot about appearances,” Cordy admitted. The last fourteen years of her life had been focused on keeping up the appearance that she was a successful superstar living her very best life. When in reality, most times she felt as if she were living someone else’s life.

  “Is part of your appearance to always be so skittish?”

  His question came with another step that immediately closed the small distance between them. She’d been holding the mug in front of her and she quickly set it on the counter. This lovely kitchen had suddenly become too small.

  “The Cordy I knew was never nervous. She knew what she wanted and she always aimed to get it. Nobody could stop her, not even me.”

  “I’m not that girl anymore,” Cordy told him. She had to force herself to remain still because she really wanted to forget the hot chocolate and run upstairs to her room.

  She was safe in her bedroom. When thoughts of wanting to feel Rick’s hands on her again surfaced, she could easily remind herself that she was here for another purpose and that there was nothing between her and Rick. Wait, that wasn’t true. Hadn’t she just run from her room because thoughts of Rick had seeped into her dreams?

  “I can see that,” Rick responded to her. He lifted a hand to touch her hair. She’d smoothed it back into a ponytail before getting into bed, but he pulled at the band holding it together and ran his fingers through the now loose tresses. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”

  “That’s how growing up works,” she quipped. But her mood wasn’t nearly as light as she pretended. In fact, that incessant throbbing that had awakened her from the steamy dream had now resurfaced with a vengeance and she wished she had her pillow down here for assistance.

  “A beautiful and desirable woman that I’ve been dying to kiss since I saw you standing in my sitting room.”

  No!

  Her mind screamed the answer.

  At the same time her body felt as if it might spontaneously combust at any moment.

  “You’re not the same boy I knew before.”

  Her words were an understatement. While Rick’s body had been muscled when he was seventeen, at thirty-one he’d bulked up more, so that his arms were like cannons and his chest like a steel wall. He towered over her five foot five stature and slimmer frame. His eyes seemed darker as they filled with passion, his mouth was full and alluring surrounded by his very low cut beard and mustache.

  “No. I’m not,” he told her and let the hand that had been in her hair slide down to cup her cheek. “Would you like a taste of the man, Cordy?”

  Yes!

  Her mind screamed this answer, for once in tune with her body as her head nodded her response. A wave of déjà vu swept over her the second Rick’s lips brushed over hers, and in minutes her mind was right back in the basement of the cleaners being kissed for real, for the first time. Rick’s lips were fuller now, his tongue much more masterful as it moved over hers. While his one hand continued to cup her face, tilting her head so that he could take the kiss deeper, his other hand had slipped around her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

  While that motion could have been construed as forceful, Cordy moaned because it made her feel desired and safe. This was Rick, the person she’d known all her life, the one that knew things about her no other person on this earth knew. He’d been her closest friend and biggest confidant. And one night, a long time ago, he’d become her first lover. Tonight, despite her resolve where he was concerned these last fourteen years, Cordy was going to give herself to him again.

  It was that simple, and probably that complicated.

  But she wasn’t going to think of that right now. All she wanted to think about now, was getting her hands on him. In a rush she lifted her arms so that her hands now rested on Rick’s shoulders. His hard, muscled shoulders. She squeezed her fingers and tilted her head, opening her mouth wider to his assault. This kiss that had begun as soft and orchestrated was now full on hunger as Rick’s hand was once again in her hair. His blunt-tipped fingers scraped over her scalp while the other hand slid down to cup her bottom. Cordy ran her hands over his back and then up to slide along the smooth back of his head. He wore his hair close-cut, thick waves along the top and she loved the feel of it beneath her palms.

  When he suddenly pulled back, he was out of breath, his forehead resting against hers.

  “I know we should wait. We should do this right and proper. This is my place of business.”

  He was talking. Cordy couldn’t see him because her eyes were still closed from the kiss, but she could hear his words. She just wasn’t certain she was deciphering them clearly because as he talked, Rick was also pulling her robe open.

  “Dammit!”

  Her eyes popped open at the one word she’d heard loud and clear.

  “Why are you wearing this sexy little nightie? Why couldn’t you have on puke-colored long johns that covered every part of your body?”

  She almost laughed at that visual, but Rick was clasping his hands at her waist and lifting her off the floor, to sit on the counter.

  He pushed the robe off her shoulders and stared down at her body. Cordy followed his gaze along the purple nightie that brushed over the top of her thighs when she was standing, but was now resting just at her waist. The color of the nightie was a dark and vibrant contrast to her light complexion, the black silk of her panties peeking from between her legs.

  “You’ve got about two seconds to stop me if this isn’t what you want. After that…” Rick’s words trailed off and Cordy could have sworn she heard him asking the same question he’d asked all those years ago and earlier tonight, “Tell me what you want me to do, Cordy.”

  “Don’t stop,” she told him and felt the same nervous excitement she had that night in the basement. “Please don’t stop.”

  And he didn’t. In fact, he moved faster, because before Cordy could think of anything else to say, Rick had her panties off and that nightie laying on the floor beside them. Now she was naked, sitting with her robe beneath her on top of Rick’s kitchen counter. Not wanting to feel alone, she reached for his shirt, pulling it—with his help—up and over his head. He pushed his pants down to his ankles and then his boxers followed.

  He cupped her breasts and Cordy arched into his touch. He leaned in to touch his tongue to each nipple and Cordy arched her back to give him greater access. She reached between them until she found his length jutting forward and wrapped her fingers around him. He groaned and sucked her breasts deeper into his mouth, while one hand moved down her torso. He pushed her thighs further apart. The second his fingers touched her warm and tender flesh Cordy sucked in a breath. She wiggled her toes and tightened her fingers around his length as he pressed a finger deep inside her. She couldn’t believe she was doing this and at the same time she couldn’t wait for this to turn into more.

  “Wait!” A thought had occurred to her and she was going to scream if it meant this wasn’t going to happen. But she could not go any further without saying something.

  Rick pulled back and looked up at her.

  “Condom.” She spoke the one word quietly.

  He nodded. “Right.”

  Then he was bending down stuffing a hand into the front pocket of his sweat pants. He stood up again holding the black packet between his fingers triumphantly.

  “Condom!”

  Cordy resisted the urge to scream “yes!” She did however, frown as he was opening the packet.

  “Who carries a condom around the house with them in the middle of the night?”

  Rick pulled the latex from the packet and set the paper on the counter. “The guy who was actually contemplating coming to your room in the middle of the night.”

  He gave her a sexy half smile and began smoothing the latex over his length. Cordy didn’t smile in return. She couldn’t. She was so busy watching his hands, the latex, his length and feeling as if she was going to explode if he didn’t hurry up and get inside her.

  Her wish came true in seconds as Rick must have been just as eager as she was. He pulled her to the edge of the counter and slipped inside her in one quick motion. In an instant she was full and stretched and all but bouncing with anticipation. Rick kissed her again, this time their tongues dueling as if they’d practiced this dance many times before. He began to move some time during the kiss and then Cordy wasn’t able to remember a blow by blow anymore. All she knew was it felt amazing. Every part of him that was touching every part of her was the absolute best. Her arms wrapped around his neck, his mouth kissed and nipped along the line of her neck and he moved in and out of her until she was biting her lip to keep from screaming with her release. Seconds later, Rick was moaning and burying his face in her neck as his body tensed with his climax.

  And fifteen minutes after that they’d gathered all their clothes and both their cups of hot chocolate and made their way to Rick’s room where Cordy lay in his big comfortable bed without a care as to how she was going to handle this new development in the morning.

  Chapter 6

  Rick’s phone buzzed again. It was the second time his alarm went off and the second time that he’d pressed the snooze button. After the first time he’d taken the phone off its charger and had pushed it beneath his pillow. Now, it was tucked away again and he lay back against the pillow, still smiling.

  It wasn’t smug accolades that made Rick smile, but more like contentment. This was what he’d dreamed of for longer than he could remember. Cordy was in his arms. As he lay on his back she was draped over him, her leg tucked between his, her cheek laying on his bare chest. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her snuggly in place. When he turned his head and inhaled he could smell the sweet scent of the shampoo in her hair. She snuggled closer, the warmth of her naked body rubbing against his, bringing his new erection into existence.