Read A Christmas to Believe In Online
Authors: Claire Ashgrove
at stud?"
"No, and I don't know. Won't know until the leg heals. I'm
a disappointment all the way around, Jesse, and you don't
need to be mixed up in this. My father hated the horses. He
always wanted me in an office job, head of some company or
the other. My mother's never said anything, but she thinks
they're frivolous too. Hell, my barn manager thinks I ought to
get out, as does everyone in my county back home."
Leaning forward, she rose to her knees and caught his face
between her hands. "Don't. You're wrong. About your family,
at least. I've been here, Clint. I've heard all the things they've
said about you. Your father was proud of the fact you didn't
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give up. Proud you didn't take the easy way out when you
could have."
He tried to look away, but she held him fast, refused to let
him dip his chin. "Your mom adores you. Sure, we all know
Alex is her baby. But Clint, you're the one she knows she can
count on, even if you're miles away. She knows if she needs
anything, all she has to do is pick up the phone, and you'll be
here."
She moved closer, brushed her lips across his. "As for me,"
she murmured. "You're stronger than anyone I've ever know.
Unfalteringly loyal. Smart, dedicated, and determined. Exactly
the kind of man I hope Ethan becomes."
When doubt filtered across his eyes, she sucked in a deep
breath and took a leap of faith, hoping the only thing she had
left to offer wouldn't drive him away. "I love you, Clint. I'm
not ashamed to say it either."
Everything inside Clint ground to a halt at Jesse's
whispered words. His heart skipped a beat, lodged in his
throat. Deep inside, something began to tremble. He
swallowed with effort, held her unwavering gaze. He'd just
told her how pitiful he was, and what did she do? Give him a
speech on self-worth, then top it all with a confession of love.
He opened his mouth to speak, but words eluded him.
Before he could train his thoughts to another attempt, her
mouth settled over his. Slowly she urged. Gently she coaxed.
Asked him to believe, in himself, in her, in this crazy thing
they'd stumbled onto.
He couldn't fight her. Didn't want to. Wanted nothing more
than to bask in the warmth of her love and be the man she
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believed he was. With a contented sigh, he surrendered. He
caught her lower lip, nudged her mouth open, and slipped
inside to savor her sweet flavor. She claimed he was strong—
she couldn't possibly know she had the real strength. That
every mighty ounce of her made him believe in the
impossible. Nothing seemed insurmountable or futile when
she wrapped those slender arms around him. Nothing
appeared meaningless when she lifted those blue eyes and
looked at him as if he could move mountains.
To her, he could. For her, he'd believe.
He wound an arm around her waist and hauled her into his
lap. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, then
trailed his lips along the side of her jaw to the delicate skin of
her neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist, twined her
arms around his neck and hung on tight. Her fingers tickled
through his hair. Her pulse bounced beneath his mouth.
"Jesse," he breathed against her throat. "I want to give
you everything I can."
Eyes closed, she arched into his arms, inviting him to
sample the alluring hollow of her throat. "Just give me you,
Clint." Her hips pressed forward, grazing his straining
erection. "Just you," she murmured.
He splayed his hands across her back and laid her down on
his bed. Lifting to his elbows, he pushed the hem of her
sweatshirt up to expose her taut belly. He teased her navel
with the tip of his tongue, then gave her side a nip.
Squirming, she fisted her hands into his hair. "That
tickles."
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Clint looked up at her with a grin. For effect, he grazed his
teeth over her abdomen once more, chuckling when she
wriggled sideways. "That's for the hundred or more toes in
my side while arm wrestling."
Her light laugh erased the lingering tendrils of melancholy.
As Clint wended his way up her body, dragging her shirt along
with him, he wondered how he'd ever thought of walking
away from her. It seemed as if he'd waited an entire lifetime
to love her. And now, as she lay beneath him, her nails
scraping lightly over his shoulders, all the feeling he'd fought
last night swept through him like a tidal wave.
He eased her sweatshirt over her head and dropped it on
the floor. Dipping his head, he used the tip of his tongue to
tease the soft flesh of her breast. Her nipples tightened,
begging for equal attention. Obediently, he swept one into his
mouth and suckled.
Jesse's gasp cracked through the air. She lifted off the
bed, her fingers tangled in his hair. At her response, he
pinched the sensitive bud with his teeth. The low moan his
bite provoked sent liquid fire shooting through his body. It
surged down his spine to pool in his cock, and he sank his
hips into hers to temper the slow-burning ache.
Releasing her breast, he lapped his way to the opposite
twin and loved it just as thoroughly. The undulation of her
body flooded him with sensation. His skin felt hot, his chest
too tight for air. She came alive in his hands, and Clint
struggled to temper the rising call of wild need.
He worked his way back to her mouth and paused to etch
her soft features into his mind. Eyes closed, her head turned,
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she breathed in hard, short gasps. Neat white teeth clamped
into her lower lip. Color flushed her angelic features. So
damnably beautiful. She fulfilled every dream he'd ever had,
and some he hadn't recognized he wanted. All woman. All
heart. He couldn't help but smile.
Her lashes fluttered open, and his heart stuttered under
the intensity of her sky-blue gaze. She caught his face
between her palms, rubbed the stubble he'd neglected with
her thumbs. "Tell me this is what you want."
His smile vanished. He searched her gaze, willed her to
hear the truths in his heart. "Yes." Pressing his hips into hers,
he pushed her into the mattress and pinned her there with a
rough kiss. "I want you, Jesse. No games." Again, he sampled
her mouth, swirled his tongue with hers until breathless, he
pulled away to whisper, "I want to be inside you."
The shudder that rolled through her body vibrated into him
and stoked the rising fire in his blood. As his cock throbbed
with the sensation, he held his breath and told his body to
wait. He wanted to explore every inch of her. Taste the heady
flavor of her skin, the sweet musk of her arousal. Take his
time and commit every pleasured gasp, every tormented
mewl to memory.
But Jesse had other ideas in mind. She pushed at his
shoulders, urging him to give her room. When he lifted to his
arms, her hands slipped between their bodies. She dipped her
fingers beneath his sweats to take him into her palm. One
squeeze, and Clint ground his teeth together. He struggled for
air, tensed as she worked her fingers up and down the length
of him. Her touch burned. The firm pressure taunted. He
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surged into her palm, trapping her agonizing hand between
them.
One wayward finger, however, escaped his control. The
pad of her thumb swirled around the tip of his swollen length,
a lazy caress that turned his body into hewn stone. On a
moan, he gave up all pretenses of withholding and lifted his
hips, surrendering to the need to move against her firm yet
gentle strokes.
Sensation rose, became too much. As his balls pulled tight
and release threatened, he jerked away with a hiss. Grabbing
her hand, he tugged it free and pinned it on the pillow beside
her head. Then, he sank into her and let out a shaky exhale.
But his body wanted nothing to do with his attempt at control.
His heart raced, perspiration broke out over his skin. His cock
throbbed so painfully he let out an agonized groan.
Knowing only one way to remedy the delirious strain on his
system, he rocked back on his heels and unfastened her
jeans. She lifted her hips, giving him the freedom to pull
everything off at once. He dumped her clothes on the floor
then shucked his own. So much for the idea of taking his
time. Jesse had him so worked up he'd never survive the
attempt.
He looked at the woman in his bed. Long dark hair
splashed across his pillow. Smooth skin slid against his dark
green sheets. Legs bent, knees spread, a touch of moisture
glistened along the inside of one muscular thigh. It called to
him like candy. He caught her ankle in his hand, traced her
firm calf, the back of her knee. His fingers caressed the inside
of her leg, and Jesse shifted. Opened to him a little more.
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He bent into her and flicked his tongue against her
sensitive feminine nub. At her hip, her hand clawed into the
bedding.
Jesse's body tensed in anticipation. White-hot fire raced
across her skin as Clint's moist breath washed over her
quivering flesh. Time passed in agonized heartbeats as she
waited for him to do something, anything, other than hover
over her and tease. Yet, nothing prepared her for the shock of
sensation as he slipped his tongue between her swollen folds
and caressed her in one, long, never-ending stroke.
She dragged in a breath and held it. Beneath his mouth,
she writhed. A cry built, rose, and escaped. She clamped her
teeth into her lower lip, cutting it short, and clutched at the
bedding. Sweet torment. Damning bliss.
"Clint," she managed on a gasp.
His soft chuckle danced against her skin. "Does that
tickle?"
"No." Searching for the heavenly contact, she lifted her
hips closer to the flutter of his mouth. "God, no."
Stifling heat blanketed her as Clint swept through her once
more. His tongue teased, his lips soothed. Need raged inside
her. Wild wonton desire that left her pleading for him to stop,
and for more all at once. The sensations intensified, taking
her higher. So high she trembled. Another searing sweep, and
she did just that.
She searched for his shoulders, found his hair. Her nails
scraped against his scalp as she gave him an insistent tug. No
more. She'd crumble to pieces if Clint continued. And when
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she hit that all consuming plateau, she wanted him to
plummet down the treacherous height with her.
He allowed her to coax him back to her mouth. When their
lips touched, his body crashed into hers. She rose up to meet
his seeking hips, and in one hard surge, Clint embedded
himself inside her. Their voices mingled, hoarse with shared
ecstasy. She held on tight, riding the storm of emotion that
raged between them.
Each slide of his flesh against hers nudged her heart open.
Each deep thrust drove him in to touch her very soul. She
moved with him, chasing the rivulets of pleasure until
something inside her shattered. Climax tore through her.
Wave after wave of sensation crashed together, and Jesse
cried out with the force of her release. She clung to Clint,
hung suspended in his arms.
She felt him stiffen. His hips spasmed. On a roughened
groan, he buried his face in her neck and followed.
Spent and breathless, they lay entwined together unable
to move. His weight was comfortable. The feel of being one,
incredible. She bathed in the sensation, luxuriated in the heat
of his body, the rasp of his breath.
When at last she found the strength to move, Jesse traced
the hollow of his spine with her fingers. Smiling, she turned
her head to look at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. The
faint taste of her arousal lingered on his mouth, filling her
with a strange sense of pride. She belonged to him. For a few
terrifying moments, she'd thought she'd lose him this
afternoon. Instead, their bond deepened.
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He brushed his mouth against her cheek, then laid his
head back on her shoulder. "Don't go yet," he murmured.
"I can stay a bit. But I have to get home to make sure
Ethan's ready on time."
He tucked her beneath him tighter, snuggled close. "I'll
take what I can get."
A knock on the door shattered the tranquility.
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