I'm plating up two reindeer styled pancake plates and singingMerry Christmas Darlinginto the whip cream can when a strong arm wraps around my waist and pulls me to him.
I startle but relax against him once his cologne hits my nose. I swallow as I blink up at him in surprise.
He takes the whip cream from me and sets it on the counter, keeping his intense gaze on me. His hands trail slowly from above my elbows, up to my wrist as he places my hands behind his head.
“Don't stop now, Darlin.” His voice comes out low and gravelly as his hands squeeze my soft waist gently through my sweater dress. “I was enjoying the show.”
I can't help the smile that escapes as we sway back and forth together.
Tate just sways at first but it's not long before he is twirling me under his arm and around his back.
My hair is flying around me as the song changes to something more upbeat.
I feel the damp sweat on my hairline as my breath comes in shallow pants. The biggest grin is glued on my face as Tate spins me out and twirls me back into him.
He candance.
"Do you always break into a woman's kitchen to show off?" I say to tease him. Our faces close, sharing breath.
“My dad taught me right. If a woman is singing in the kitchen, you spin her around like it’s a dance floor.” He smiles then adds, “And Iknocked. You just couldn’t hear me over the music.”
“Oh? Seems like a smart man.” I nod along as our bodies move together.
“Worked for him. He and my mother were happily married for twenty-two years.” He spins me away making the Christmas lights blur around me. He doesn’t stop dancing with me even as the song fades into the next.
I nearly squeal as he dips me low over his muscular thigh. One large, calloused hand rough over my shoulder blades in the cut out of the top of my dress, the other holding just above the outside of my bent knee.
I let my head tip back on a hearty laugh, feeling free.
His hand sliding up to the back of my neck has my breath hitching. My eyes widen and snap to his.
I watch his Adam's apple bob on a swallow. He looks between my lips and my eyes. My heart stops then tumbles over itself at the way his eyes darken with desire. My breath comes shallow now, the dancing forgotten.
“Tell me stop, Alli.” He whispers, those blue eyes flicking down to my lips again. He doesn't move closer and doesn't move away as he waits for my answer. I'm frozen for a moment as hisbreath tickles my lip. So close I can all but taste the mint of his toothpaste.
I should tell him no. This is so soon. Have some semblance of self-preservation. Self-respect even. I have an actual rule for myself for God’s sake.
And yet…
I give the slightest shake of my head as my voice comes out in a breathless whisper. “Don’t stop.”
Just like that, his hand slides up into my hair, and his lips meet mine in an all-consuming kiss. Something in my chest explodes and sends shrapnel of pleasure down my limbs. I run my hand up his solid chest, his neck and into his short, wavy hair. I don't pull, just grip it tightly, making him groan against my mouth.
His hand squeezes my thigh tighter just below the hem of my dress.
I suck his bottom lip into my mouth, letting my teeth scrape softly. Hoping he can feel what I’m asking for.More.
That seems to snap something in him because he whips me back up without letting go of my leg. Instead, he hooks it around his waist and presses me into the counter behind me with his hips.
He licks the seam of my lips asking for entry and I immediately open for him, wanting– no needing him closer.
All thoughts and responsibilities fly out the window on the first stroke of his tongue against mine. It sounds crazy considering I was married for nine years but I had never been kissed with tongue. I had no idea what I was missing out on.
I make the split-second decision when he intrudes my mouth again to experiment, and I give his tongue a gentle suck.
He actually growls– I thought that only happened in books and Ineverimagine it sounding that sexy– and rocks his hips into me. And holy mother of– I can feel just how much he's enjoying this.
My core throbs with need as he does it again, his cock pressing against the seam of his jeans creating the perfect friction against my center through the thin fabric. I'm so worked up when he does it a torturously slow third time, we are panting into each other's mouths. My lower belly coils tight and my pussy pulses around nothing.
