All I Want for Christmas...is you (6 page)

Her mind was dizzy, her body starting to
catch fire, and when he moved his head, slanted it, she took the
invitation to taste him, again moaning at the heat and softness,
the intimate sensuality of it. She followed and then tested,
trembling because he curled his tongue over hers, seeming to reward
her every time she delved into his mouth or laved under his tongue
and around to stroke and pleasure.

Their breathing was intense and sizzling.
There were sounds, a sexy little noise that followed when he pulled
back and kissed her delicately, closed mouth, then rubbed their
lips again and followed that by gently nibbling her lower lip.

She could not help the short pants that
resulted from the excitement and hunger rushing through her. There
was sheer pleasure, a deliciously sensual feel to his skillful
kissing.

Rena made a brief sound of satisfaction when
he opened and went inside again. This time the kiss was deeper but
silky and slow, heavy with hunger, and yet meant to please as much
as to taste.

That sound came again, a wet and intimate
one, as he slowly lifted his head and they were looking at each
other. White mists came from the heat of their breathing, and she
knew that her eyes must hold the same glitter as his.

His voice was deep, very husky as he
murmured, “It’s very hard to stop doing something so incredibly
pleasurable. Your taste, the feel of your mouth, and your tongue in
my own, I do not want to stop. And yet, I dare not indulge more,
since we are at a ball.” His hand moved to cup her face, his thumb
near her mouth as he asked, “Did I go too far, too fast?”

“No.” Rena wet her lips and swallowed. “I
don’t want to stop either.”

He slid his hand to the back of her head and
pulled her against him a moment, his strong arms completely around
her and his lips near her ear then laughed somewhere between
careful and resigned. “I do not know how much you know… of
intimacies, Rena. I am not a man who’s… damn.”

He sighed and waited a beat. Then, “I am
incredibly aroused and I realize we have scarcely met. I am
somewhat at a loss at the moment…”

She breathed in his warm scent, eyes closed
and said a bit muffled against his chest, feeling his heard beating
heart, as well as the heated length of his sex from their tightly
plastered bodies, “I know enough.” Her voice sounded too much like
a moan since she could have stayed the way they were, and since the
thought that she aroused him that much inflamed her own body. “I’m
not exactly calm myself, Lucas. It has nothing to do with how long
we have known each other. I don’t think one can control these
things.”

His mouth brushed her ear, his hand on her
back, sliding in a soothing caress. “I must let you go.”

“You must.” She heard the regret in his
voice.

They parted as if by mutual understanding,
and the cold air helped only slightly to clear her head as she
refused the offer of his coat. “I’ll go in first.” She turned and
did so, before she was tempted to linger.

Rena was beside her aunt when she saw him
enter some half hour later. He looked tense and on edge and she
felt much the same as she wished them both anywhere but there,
anywhere together.

His gaze met hers briefly, before he went
into the card room. She did not see him again for the rest of the
evening, and by the time she got home, her body ached from holding
herself so contained and standing until her aunt was ready to
leave.

Lying in the dark and under the warm covers
many hours later, she cried only a little bit that Lucas Bennington
wanted her, that he had kissed her and that she had not imagined it
all these years. He was a man of sensual passion; an incredible
male who made her long for sexual intimacies that she’d dared not
dwell on before.

Oh God… Rena buried her face in the pillow
and breathed in deep, then let it out slowly. She had wanted him
before, felt attracted and drawn to him, been stirred by looking at
him. It was nothing compared to this.

This was an ache, a hunger, and a complete
awakening of her body that she could not have imagined until she
had tasted him, and he her.

Chapter Four

The week was a blur of noise and music,
cheerful scents and sounds. Rena saw him only twice before
Christmas. Once as he passed by their coach in his own as they were
going in opposite directions, and another time, as she was leaving
her neighbors having had tea, and he was entering his coach.

That time he had seen her as well, and had
stepped back and stood on the street looking at her. She had
scandalously raised her hand to him. He’d smiled and, she thought,
shamelessly winked at her before getting in his coach.

At Bram’s townhouse, decorated in bright red
and green, she had endured some teasing from her brother over
Moncrief, and then finally confided the whole in him.

They had been putting the final changes on
the tree in the informal sitting room at the back of his house.
He’d taken her hands, hugged her and then leaned back and lowered
his brows saying in a faux stern voice, “Must I give the brotherly
lecture on propriety, or demand Lucas tell me his intentions
or—”

She had cut him off, “You must love me enough
to wish me well and happy. You must be the brother and friend you
always have been, and the man you really are. For you know that I
thought my future had been written out for me. While I may well
enjoy life and have made it alone, I would rather under any
conditions, experience these feelings with a man I have longed for,
for many years.”

Bram shook his head and gathered her close,
saying on a sigh, “I share that wish with you. I have oft said that
men are fools and do not recognize what a special woman you are. I
believe that Lucas does. In fact I know—never mind.”

He had released her and after discussing what
they would fix on Christmas, and getting some simple recipes from
cook, who would leave ham and bread, plenty of cakes and pastries,
they decided they would do the usual informal spread in the dining
room and leave it at that.

Rena did ask a favor of Bram, she had gotten
him before to get a pair of gloves and a scarf for Jerome, but she
wanted something special to give Lucas Bennington, and she needed
her brother’s help getting it. She was curious as to a certain
smile Bram wore whenever he looked at her, but her thoughts were
consumed by the man of her dreams.

So until that Christmas when she’d see him
once more, Rena clung to the memories of their dance and kiss, and
she kept her composure through the social dos all the while her
mind was on nothing but seeing him again.

Finally, it was Christmas morning. After she
bathed Rena hummed and peeked out the window watching the carolers
coming and going, seeing the pristine white snow in drifts around
lampposts and aside doorways. She sighed and hurried to change into
her white blouse and green skirt, leaving her hair down but tied at
the nape in a simple ribbon.

The house was so quiet as she descended the
stairs, her plain slippers almost soundless on the treads. However,
it was warm and before leaving for church the cook had made coffee
and buns, left plenty on the table and in warmers so that she was
eating when Bram came down relaxed in his ruffled white shirt,
collarless and snug black trousers and boots.

Bells were ringing and happy noise filtered
through the frosty windows.

“What time do you expect Jerome?”

“Sometime afternoon.” He snorted on a laugh.
“I doubt he has gotten up before then in ages.”

As he was drinking his coffee there was the
clank of the ornate doorknocker. She hurried up to answer it,
pulling open the heavy door and smelling the scent of snow and
hearing laughter from distant children playing.

Lucas stood there, his arms holding two gifts
but behind him a rather dignified looking butler grinned at her
under bushy brows, his head wrapped in a red scarf.

“My lord. Come in.” She stepped back smiling
then watched the butler step in and place a gold stand with a hook
at the end of the foyer. He hung a covered cage on the hook, and
then as she closed the door he whipped off the fringed cover to
reveal two exotic birds perched on swings.

“Oh, Lucas.” She hurried to the cage admiring
the beautiful birds and then looking at him. “They are mine?”

“Yes.” He smiled, and then spoke to his
butler, thanking him and wishing him a Merry Christmas.

“I thank you too,” She called out. “And Merry
Christmas, sir.”

The elder man looked from her to his master
and grinned. “The same, Miss.”

“Here, let me take those.” She got the
presents from Lucas. “Just hang your coat there, and the hat. Bram
is just there, in the small dining room. I’ll put these under the
tree.”

While she hurried off he removed his coat and
hat, and she made another trip, managing to get her lovely birds
into the back of the sitting room where they would be warm, but
could see the out of doors through the window. She wanted to linger
and admire the gilt cage and elaborate perches, but she wanted to
see Lucas more.

When she entered the dining room again,
Verena stopped dead as he stood by the window laughing and talking
with Bram. He had a coffee in his hand and they were apparently
watching something amusing at the neighbors or on the street.

Placing a hand to her tense stomach, she eyed
from the top his raven hair, left down and silky. The shirt he wore
stretched across his broad shoulders and molded his frame in a
blackish purple color, and was tucked into snug black trousers.

His boots were knee high with a band of light
leather at the top. But oh, his height and build, even beside
someone as handsome as Bram, sent butterflies dancing through her
stomach.

She cut into their laughing conversation
saying cheerfully, “If you two are through spying on the neighbors,
why don’t we adjourn to the sitting room, where it is warmer.”

Bram turned and headed that way. His lordship
came around the table slower, looking her over, lingering on her
hair before meeting her gaze and then offering her his arm.

As they entered the room with the tree and a
brightly lit fireplace he murmured, “You look very beautiful, very
fresh and lovely this Christmas morning.”

She thanked him. “I return the compliment.
I’ve nothing against formal clothing, but you look quite handsome
this morning too.”

He released her arm as they entered and
looked from the birds, around the room, which was furnished in warm
greens and wine hues, a few splashes of gold, but comfortable with
the overstuffed chaises and chairs made for a man’s frame. The tree
was in the corner by the fireplace, candles lined the mantle amid
ribbon and holly, and there were two loveseats angled toward the
fire.

Bram had taken his seat at the left, on a
bench where he played notes on a harpsichord. He grimaced and
looked at them, “I’m a bit rusty.”

“Nonsense,” Rena encouraged, and went over to
shuffle through the music. “Here, start here. You always play this
every Christmas.”

He played, looking from the sheet to his
hands, and Rena turned to find Lucas standing by the fire relaxed
and watching them with a smile. She grinned and turned back to
Bram, kissing him on the temple before joining his lordship.

“He plays well and enjoys it. ’Tis simply
that here in town, what with being busy raking and all.”

Lucas laughed and took a sip of coffee before
saying, “Yes. Jerome has talents too. He pretends to be feckless
and lazy.” His gaze moved over her. “We missed each other for a few
days.”

“Yes. I saw you but seemed to be going in the
opposite direction.”

His violet eyes held her gaze for several
moments while Bram’s beautiful music drifted through the room.

Verena returned that look and then held it
for a string of heartbeats, feeling the attraction and knowing he
was thinking of their last encounter.

“What made you think of pet for me?” She
asked finally.

“I don’t know actually,” he said abashed. “I
had seen those birds weeks ago, they seemed vibrant, and cheerful…I
don’t know.”

“They’re perfect.”

He glanced over at the cage. “There is
another gift in there.”

“What? Where?” She started toward the
stand.

“I’ll show you later.” He grasped her
hand.

For a moment she looked down at their clasped
hands and then back up at him. “Very well, but you have my
curiosity piqued.”

This time she did not mistake the wink as he
released her hand then waved her to a seat, setting down beside
her, close enough until their shoulders touched while they enjoyed
Bram’s music.

The rather loud door banging sometime later
announced Jerome’s arrival. They all laughed as he came in on a
gust of snow, having his arms full of gifts, hatless, so that his
sable hair was wet—and once he shed his coat, revealed himself
informally dressed in a pair of black snug trousers and fisherman’s
sweater.

He deposited the gifts by the tree and found
the brandy, poured himself a glass, saying after he’d shook hands
and kissed Rena’s cheek, “Merry Christmas all. You can thank Lucas
here for your gifts, since he lost enough to me earlier in the week
to provide nice ones.” Amid their laughter, he said to the earl.
“All save your own, which I promise you, I paid for out of my own
pocket.”

Lucas returned, “Jerome, I’m touched.”

After bowing, the lanky rake went to join
Bram at the harpsichord and set to singing rather joyfully, and
quite beautifully.

Shaking her head Rena murmured to Lucas. “He
is a mess, but quite an amusing one.”

“Yes.”

After two hours of that, they played cards,
Rena partnering her brother and observing Lucas’s impressive skill.
There was more teasing and laughter from the men, because she had
to concentrate to play her hand, considering she was distracted by
Lucas sitting across from her.