Page 34 of A Holly Brown Christmas
Up in his old bedroom, he came to an abrupt stop, with Holly practically walking into him. He took in the mess and had some second thoughts. Not about making love with Holly, just about making love with her in this room specifically. The window was still wide open, there were knick-knacks all over the floor, the dresser was in the middle of the room…
“Change of plans,” he said, and with her hand in his, he led her to one of the guest rooms.
He swung the door open to reveal a serene, elegantly decorated room bathed in soft, natural light. It was spacious but not overwhelming—every detail carefully curated to feel indulgent yet welcoming.
His mother was a stickler about design and decor.
His eyes homed in on the king-size upholstered bed, layered with crisp Egyptian cotton sheets, a down duvet, and a cascade of plush accent pillows in textures of silk, linen, and faux fur. A cashmere throw is artfully draped at the foot. The room looked pristine—like it could have been on the pages of some luxury home design magazine. It was lifeless and void of any personalization.
For now.
He couldn’t wait to make a complete mess of it and quickly walked over and began tossing pillows to the floor. Holly surprised him by running to the opposite side and pulling back all the bedding. Then, as if of one mind, they both crawled onto the bed and met in the middle. The kiss was searing and needy and damn near carnal. Seducing her would have been preferable, but it didn’t seem necessary right now.
Next time.
Right now, he was more interested in the way her hands were touching him, how she was kissing him, and getting them both horizontal instead of kneeling.
Gently, he nudged her over and then followed her down. Holly shimmied a bit and then tugged on his sweater to pull him closer so he could settle between her legs.
Which was perfect because that was exactly where he wanted to be.
The kiss went deeper, got wetter and needier, before he flipped them over so she was on top. She let out a small laugh, surprised at the move, right before she leaned down and started kissing him again.
Again, it was fine with him because he seriously loved the way she kissed. It was like she poured everything she was feeling into it and it was just…more…more than anything he’d ever felt before.
Not that he was surprised. Holly put her heart into everything she did, so why wouldn’t she do that here?
And that just made him want to fast forward a bit so he could get her naked and enjoy experiencing making love with her.
“I’m taking this sweater off,” she panted against his lips before quickly sitting up and whipping it off and over her head. He barely had the opportunity to appreciate her simple white bra when she was once again kissing him while snaking her hands under his shirt to push it up and off.
Her passion was a little overwhelming for someone like him who’d been told all his life not to show his emotions. But this woman was unleashing something within him that both excited and terrified him. That’s the only reason he rolled them over again, so he could take his shirt off and send it flying across the room.
Now he looked his fill. He let his hand slowly caress her from her jaw, along her throat, her collarbone, between the valley of her breasts until her breath quickened. Her eyes were glazed with desire and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
“Lucas…” She arched her back, pressing intimately against him, and he was lost. They’d go slow later. Right now, they were both more than ready. She moaned his name again right before he claimed her—her lips, her body, and maybe even her heart.
“Whose room is this?”
The sun was going down and they were tangled up together under the blankets, breathless and satisfied.
“Just a guest room,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “I know we could have stayed in the other room, but with the open window and the mess…”
“We really need to close that,” she said, snuggling closer.
“I will when we’re ready to go downstairs and order dinner.” Then he remembered who else was going to need to eat. “We should probably do that sooner rather than later. I’m sure Shmoop is getting restless down there.”
She giggled. “I’m kind of surprised he didn’t come looking for us.”
“He was looking pretty cozy sleeping in front of the fire.”
“He did, but he’s usually like my shadow, no matter what. If we’re both in the house—any house—he tends to stay right by my side.”
“I can see that. And he certainly didn’t seem happy about us kissing last night in your kitchen.”
Another soft laugh. “I was mentally yelling at him to go away, but his telepathic skills are lacking.”
“He’s protective of you, and that’s kind of sweet.”
