Christmas ought to be about giving—not taking.
For days now, I have been taking. Taking my fill of the woman I love. Taking her body, taking her pleasure, taking all of her sweetness for myself. Now it is time for giving. Sure, I’ve given her orgasms, I’ve given her freedom as my little girl that neither of us knew we were missing.
Tonight is about giving her something else. Something tangible. Not just a ring on her finger or my name on a vow of marriage. We’re at Mack and Mollie’s place, where half of the mountain has gathered to celebrate Christmas. I gave her half a dozen presents this morning, her big, beautiful eyes light up with each little wrapped gift I surprised her with.
Jewelry I’d gone to Lilli’s to purchase one night after I fucked my girl to sleep. A mantel piece Landon did for us, with her name woven with mine, both tied to my last name. An oak Christmas tree I promised we could keep up all year, where we can hang memories as we make them.
“Be good, chief,” she reminds me again as we head inside behind the flow of the others. Holding my hand, she stares at me for a moment. Reaching out, she pushes some hair from my eye, combs her fingers over my beard—which she spent twenty minutes brushing earlier—and smiles.
“Anything you ask, sweetheart,” I parrot what I have said to her since the night she came home to me.
Anything she could ask of me, I will do. Wash up, trim my beard, pull out good boots and nice flannels. Take her to Lilli’s so she could choose a dress—which meant two hours apart. Watch my temper, smile instead of shooting glares at any man whodares to glance at her.
I will chase her down in the middle of a snowstorm, fuck her like a savage, like the beast she has made of me. Spill my seed in her womb with hopes it takes. Call her my slut but love her like my angel. As long as she never asks me to go without her again, I will do anything she asks.
“You look so beautiful, sweetheart. Love your hair this way,” I breathe, reaching out to push one of the thick waves from her face. It’s silky and bouncing in curves that shine in the low light of the cabin.
“You look beautiful too,” she murmurs back, spinning close to beam up at me. “Never knew a grumpy lumberjack could clean up so nice.”
“Neither did I, sweetheart. Not before you. These jagoffs cleaned up nice too, I suppose. Guess we all needed the one thing we were missing.”
Our gaze circles the room filled with our friends. Most of us were miserable once. Alone up on a mountain, hiding away from the world. From our past or our pain. Hiding in the dense forests, beneath the thick cloud covering, under the guise of being aloof, being detached.
How could we know that one woman would change it all? One good woman who would accept us for just what we were. Twisted, tortured, tangled men who have scars, who scared the outside world off. Men who make mistakes, who have obsessive tendencies, who crave submission..
Who could know we might find the other side of ourselves in these sweet, loving women? That we might stop searching for acceptance, for love with anyone at all just before we find them. Or before they walk up and knock on their door, demanding that we let them in, even if we didn’t know we could. None of us would have been brave enough to wish for it.
Here we are, seeing those unspoken wishes come true.
“Now, I know you’re the singular reason this big jagoff is here,” Landon laughs as he winks at Serena while he passes me a beer.
“She is. This one will be the reason I do just about anything,” I admit, tipping the bottle against his with a smirk.
“That’s how it goes, brother. We become men we never knew we could be. Sometimes men we had no idea we wanted to be.”
Nodding at his sage words, I agree. I had no idea I wanted to come home to a woman waiting there for me. Never considered having little ones filling my cabin. I damn sure never thought I would have a Christmas tree in every room in my otherwise empty cabin. But alas, here we ar.
I teased Serena that I would allow us one hour here, two tops. I am not at all surprised when several hours pass without us even realizing. We laugh, we eat, we drink, hell these women even get a bunch of mountain men to play stupid party games. It is the best time we’ve ever had together.
Sitting by the huge fireplace with Serena in my lap, I watch her face beam with joy as she and the other ladies play a gift exchange. Saucy Secret Santa, they call it, each girl setting a wrapped gift in a basket, before they roll special dice that forces them to answer a sexy question, the room laughing and teasing them playfully. Once they come clean with a good enough secret, they choose a gift from the basket. The men just watch this with proud grins and boastful laughter.
The group has thinned down to just the lumberjacks from the felling crew and a few close friends. We’re gathered by the big fireplace that Landon keeps going. Mack keeps the drinks flowing, as Watt and Lock dish out cookies and sweets to keep the ladies happy while they play their game. We’re all having a good time, and it may be playful and light, but it is also meaningful and a night of memories I know none of us willforget.
Serena laughs with her girlfriends, sipping wine and rubbing my back as she cradles me close. I never want to be anywhere else but here, with her in her joy. Whether it is another holiday party or just a night spent with these people, these friends of ours, I know it will bring her such happiness. My girl loves to give to people, to see them joyful, to cater to their needs whatever they may be.
Now it will be my place, my sole goal in life to see to her every need.
“Serena,” I brush a whisper against her ear. “I love you, sweetheart. I love watching you be happy, watching you give joy to others. I truly, madly, obsessively, forever love you,” I husk reverently.
Serena turns, looping her arms over my shoulders as her head lowers, her nose brushing mine. “I accept that. I love you too, Slater. I do. I had no idea why I was coming back to your cabin. Not at first, at least. Now I think we both knew the minute you opened the door.”
“Yeah, I think you might be right. I should have let you sing your heart out that first night. But uh…sweetheart, I love you something awful, but how about youdon’tsing alto next time, yeah?”
Letting out the softest, sweetest little laugh, she nods. “I accept that too. I got nervous. There was this big, hot, heavenly lumberjack eying me like a tree he wanted to climb,” she teases with another little chuckle.
“Oh, he did. He does. Never doubt that sweetheart,” I tease, kissing her jaw as I nuzzle close to her soft warmth.
We sigh together as we listen to the others laugh and tease each other. We’re long past the hour or two I said I was willing to share her. How could I take her from this when she is so happy, when she is beaming so brightly and so beautifully? I cannot,that is the truth. I can have a few drinks, chat with my logging crew, and have as good a time with our friends together.
