FULL NOVELXO Whose Bed Have Your Claws Been Under: Chapter 17
Me and Darrow climbed into the last sleigh and settled on the cushioned seat. One of our two fake horses shook its head, rattling the reins, and the other released a snicker.
“Amazing,” I said, completely enchanted.
Darrow covered us with the toasty warm blankets, tucking them up around my neck, leaning forward to kiss me on my nose. “Warm enough?”
“Yup.” I’d been simmering since our teasing about chocolate. Would he act on it soon?
“Wine?” he asked, lifting the flask and mugs.
I nodded, and he poured each of us a cup. The heady scent of cinnamon and cloves drifted through the air, and when I took a sip, the flavors glided across my tongue.
The sleigh hitched forward, the fake horses’ legs shifting back and forth as if they pulled us across the front lawn.
I snuggled against Darrow, my heart racing as his warmth engulfed me.
The horses pulled us across the driveway and into the snow-covered woods, the crunch of the crisp white powder beneath the runners echoing in the silent night.
A thick blanket of snow covered everything around us, creating a magical winter wonderland. Icicles hung from each branch, glimmering in the light of the setting sun.
As the sun slipped away and the moon rose, the night darkened. Stars shone brightly, adding to the enchantment of the scene. We sat in silence, sipping our mulled wine, but it was a comfortable lull. I could feel our connection, the intensity of it growing with each passing moment.
The horses took us further into the woods. Monica started singing softly ahead of us, the sound of her voice carrying through the stillness of the night. Darrow and I joined in, me humming while his rich baritone echoed in the woods.
His arm slipped around my shoulders, and as his thick bands of hair stroked my nape, I leaned into him. There couldn’t be a more special moment. As we continued our journey, I knew that no matter what happened in our future, I would remember this night and the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms, surrounded by the beauty of nature.
The sleighs spaced out, putting us far enough apart that we couldn’t hear anyone else speaking. I assume they did this to add to the magical experience, giving us the feeling we were alone in the woods with no one else around.
I finished my wine, its warmth sinking through me, making my skin pulse and my bones go melty.
I leaned into Darrow’s embrace, snug and toasty with him beneath the blanket.
“Thirty minutes or so left,” he said. “How should we pass the time?’
He said it in a neutral tone, but my mind immediately took me in a sexier direction. Singing was fun, but I had a feeling we could enhance our sleigh ride experience.
“Want to make out?” I asked. “We did that when we rode the Ferris wheel long ago at the Breezewater Fair.” Back then, I was a teenage virgin, unaware of what the fluttering in my belly meant.
“I want to kiss you every second of the day.” He turned to face me, stroking my chilly cheeks. I leaned into his warm hand. “You were pretty back then, but you’re even prettier now.”
Anticipation hummed through my veins. I couldn’t stop thinking of being close to him.
“There isn’t anything I want to do more than strip everything off your body so I can touch and taste you,” he said in a husky voice. “But it’s awfully cold outside.”
“You’ll warm me up.” Until I exploded. “You do have a point, though. Neither of us wants to be the one with an ass hanging out in the wind.”
His low laugh rang out. “There are options. Let me see what I can do for you, sweet.” He tugged me onto his lap, my legs spread on either side of his thighs.
Snowflakes fell around us, coating my silver sort-of boyfriend with confectionary sugar. They dusted his shoulders and even landed on his nose.
The hoot of an owl rang out, echoing in the stillness that only came when snow fell, as if the flakes amplified all sounds. Leafless tree branches creaked and clacked as they shifted in the light wind.
We were alone in a winter wonderland and there was no one else I wanted to be with but Darrow.
He cupped my nape with a warm hand and tugged my mouth close to his. His lips captured mine, and memories of our first kiss and our last flashed through my mind. We thought we were so grown up back then, so able to handle whatever life threw our way.
I hated that we’d missed so much, but I was grateful we were old enough to savor what we were building once more.
While his tongue teased across mine, his warm hands slipped beneath my shirt.
The chill air gave way to a delicious warmth as his fingertips brushed against my belly. A shudder of pleasure ripped through me, and I leaned into his touch.
My breathing came faster as his fingers worked their way up and down my sides, tantalizing each sensitive spot. I wanted more, so much more, and he seemed to know it.
My skin was on fire from his touch, my body alive and pulsing. I craved this moment with a hunger I hadn’t felt since the last time we were together. Back then, our simple touch was innocent, though heated. We hadn’t realized what we had or what we needed. Would we have reached that point given time?
I liked to think so.
His fingers slid away, moving around to my back to undo my bra. He tugged up my sweater, and the icy breeze made my nipples harden. I should be shivering from the cold, but an inferno blazed inside me, coursing through my veins.
I wrenched off my coat and sweater, dropping them onto the seat beside him along with my hat, scarf, and mittens.
As he tugged the blanket up behind me, draping it over my shoulders, he trailed kisses down my neck, nuzzling my newly exposed skin. His hands gently caressed each breast while his mouth sucked hungrily at one nipple and then the other, sending currents of pleasure radiating throughout my body.
Desire flushed through me, overheating me as he licked and sucked. His fingers moved from my breasts, warming across my back before returning to the front. They slid along my belly before coming to rest on the button of my jeans. Releasing a low cry of need to the night, I pressed myself tightly against him, grinding my groin against the bulge in his pants.
I groped his chest, yanking up his shirt, needing the connection of my palms on his silver skin.
He pressed me against him, making sure I felt the hard bulge in his pants rubbing right where I wanted it most. With a gasp of pleasure, I rocked against him, reveling in the sensation of being so close to him after all the years apart.
His mouth moved to mine, kissing me deeply until I clung to his shoulders, trembling. He lightly traced kisses across my jawline before nuzzling his way over to one of my nipples, sucking hungrily. The exquisite sensation sent waves of excitement through me.
“Pants?” he whispered, his fingers on the top button.
At my nod, he undid the fastener and lowered the zipper. I wrenched to my feet and wrangled out of them, tossing them aside. I couldn’t believe how wanton I was behaving, how much I craved him.
With a growl, he tugged me back down on his lap, spreading me wide around him.
“You’re dressed,” I cried, clawing at his shirt and pants in frustration. “I need skin.”
“Soon, love. Now is all about your pleasure.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out something, but I couldn’t tell what it was in the dark.
As the horses plodded along, their fake hooves thumping on the snowy ground, carrying us along the woodland trail, Darrow stroked my thighs. The patterns he created grew tighter, slowly edging toward my core.
He sucked in one of my nipples just as his finger reached my clit. Something buzzed and vibrated at my core.
I jerked toward him, not caring what it was, riding it like I craved to impale myself on Darrow and ride him.
While his tongue stroked across my breast, his finger hummed. He glided his hand lower, teasing across my opening and dipping back out to rub my clit.
Completely undone, I bucked and rocked, trying to force his fingers inside me.
“Do you want this?” he asked, dipping his vibrating finger inside only long enough to make me crave more. “Or this?” Two fingers slipped all the way to my core before wrenching back out again. “Scream for me.”
“Jeez, the others will hear.” I could only come up with a rational thought for one second.
“I’m not distracting you enough, am I?”
His gaze locked on mine, and he pumped what felt like three fingers inside me, driving them in deep and pulling them back out to rub against my clit.
We settled into a rocking motion, me pushing forward as he impaled me and me twisting my hips backward as he pulled back out. Each time, he ran his vibrating finger over my clit.
I clung to his shoulders and pounded against him, taking everything he had to give while begging for more.
My body trembled. Damn, I was close. I could feel the tension building to a roaring blaze deep within my core. I slid close to the edge. An intense wave of ecstasy washed over me, and I gasped, pushing myself further. I kept rising toward the peak–begging for it–and it would recede before I could claim it.
“Scream,” Darrow whispered in my ear. “Come from my touch. I want to feel it. Hear it. Later, I’m going to taste your come on my tongue. And then I’m going to fuck you hard against the wall. After that, I’ll carry you to bed and do it all over again, pushing you to your limit and beyond until you can’t think of anything and anyone but me.”
I should be shoving away his possessive talk, but my heart and soul drank it in, craving it.
“Take your pleasure from my hand now, love,” he said, bending over to suck on my nipple. He released it with a wet smack and greedily went for the other. “Take it.”
He rolled my nipple with his teeth, though not hard enough to sting, and tingles shot to my core. I was driven to the crest once more, shaking and keening as I rode his fingers. I thrust my chest out to his mouth.
Like a dam hit with a spring surge after a heavy rain, I gave way, my body quivering and my breath jerking out. The rush of this moment coursed through me, claimed me. I was powerless in the face of such intensity. Powerless as Darrow played my body like a finely strung instrument. I shrieked when it hit me, consumed me, and the sensations kept coming. Wave after wave of pleasure blasted through me, leaving me euphoric and spent.
“Yes,” he hissed in my ear. “Like that.”
I collapsed against him, caught in his arms, and he enfolded me in the blanket and his touch. He murmured against my hair, but I was so lost in him, I could barely make out what he said.
Finally, after what felt like hours, my body relaxed as the orgasm faded away. His fingers slid out of me, and he held up his hand.
“I do believe I’m enjoying this prize.” His grin shone with complete satisfaction despite his engorged cock still pressing against the front of his pants. “Who would’ve thought a vibrating finger could be as much fun as chocolate?”