It was official: the man knew his way around pussy.
“As much as I would love to hear all about your cats, Santa,” Nora interrupted. “I’ve got one disgruntled wiener dog here, and I would really love to get her home before her dad gets home from work since these photos are supposed to be a surprise.”
“Of course,” he said, snapping into action. He bent down on one knee and held his palm up to Banger for inspection. “And who’s this?”
“This is Banger, but just so you know, she’s a little skittish around strangers. Especially men.Especiallymen with facial hair, so—”
Banger was licking his hand before Nora finished.Me too, girl.Great, I was jealous of a dog. Within seconds, she had all but clawed her way up Austin’s red suit, nestling her head into the crook of his neck.
“I’ll take it from here, ladies.”
The three of us watched in awe as Sloane snapped photo after photo of Austin and Banger, including at least a dozen with Banger’s nose peeking out from beneath Austin’s fluffy white beard.
Austin was a walking wet dream. He wasmywet dream, at least—the proof was on my flannel sheets.
I nearly melted into the floor when his eyes shifted away from the camera and found mine. My thighs clenched whenhis tongue darted out to moisten his lips. They rubbed together when he narrowed his brows, almost as if he knew what he was doing to me, the power that he held over me and my body. I had never been one to relinquish control easily, but in the bedroom . . . that was a different story.
Overthinking had always been my biggest foe, one that usually got the better of me—and my orgasms—during sex, which was why I needed a partner to direct me, to move me how he liked. To orchestrate my body like his most treasured instrument.
With those sturdy arms and massive tree trunk thighs, I had no doubt that Austin could move me, throw me, and spank me however he liked, and yeah . . . that was a massive turn-on.
“Is this younotthinking about the hot Santa that ran you over?”
I looked over at Leighton. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She pointed toward the corner of her lips. “You’ve got a little drool right there.” You would have thought that after twentysomething years of her teasing, I should know better. Nonetheless, I frantically wiped my mouth.
“Did you want to get in the photo, too?” Sloane asked.
I waved her off. “No, I don’t think—”
“Sure!” Nora answered for all three of us. She took up the spot on Austin’s left, closest to Banger. At the same time, Leighton practically shoved me into his right side before leaning in beside me.
I tried to smile. Really, I did. I tried not to notice the warmth emanating from his body or his spicy musk that reminded me of apples soaked in cinnamon whiskey. I tried to ignore the way my body responded to him, pretending that it was just a fluke and that he wasn’t the only person who had made me want like this in over a year.
“What do you want for Christmas, Janelle?”
I tilted my face down toward his. “First of all, it’s Nellie. Second, are we really doing this?”
“Why not?”
“You’re not expecting me to sit on your lap, right?”
“Only if you want to.”If you only knew, Santa.“You’ve sat on Santa’s lap before, haven’t you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe once when I was a kid. At a mall.”
A pang of nostalgia hit me square in the solar plexus. It had been years since I’d stepped foot in a mall—even longer since I’d visited a food court—and yet, the smell of warm pretzels and cinnamon rolls was permanently etched in my brain.
“Oh my god!” Leighton shouted, alarming all of us but especially Banger. She barked wildly in Nora’s arms. “Nell, that’s it.”
“What?”
“We should recreate old photos of the two of us for Mom and Dad’s Christmas gift.”
“But—”
“Starting now with Santa.”
