Lily Graison - Blame It On The Mistletoe

The room burst into roaring shouts and laughter. Sean stood, his gaze never leaving her own. When he kissed her softly on the lips, Macy knew the bittersweet taste of loss. For when Christmas came and went, her dream would be over. She'd once again be Macy Carter, secretary for a veterinarian clinic, not the fiance of Sean Mathis, a man who made her fall in love with him in an instant when he bent to one knee and made her believe for a brief moment that his words were heartfelt.

"Oh, Macy!"

Macy turned at the sound of her name, watching her mother cross the room with tears rolling down her face. Taking in the scene around the room, they'd been successful in their little ruse. No one was the wiser. They all seemed happy and even her grandmother was crying. Macy smiled when her mother released her and grabbed her hand, pulling her across the room to the women who had gathered to offer their congratulations. She glanced at Sean, watching the men gather around him, offering him the same treatment.

An impromptu party ensued then. Wine glasses were dusted off, and filled, and toasts rang out in rapid succession. Two hours and three bottles of wine later and the atmosphere in the room was one Macy had never seen. Her family was giddy. She'd never seen them so happy.

She glanced over at Sean. He was watching her while her brothers talked his ear off. The look on his face caused a shiver to race up her spine. His gaze roamed the length of her body and heated her skin from across the room. He took a drink of his wine, his eyes locking with hers over the rim of the glass. A tiny smile lifted of corner of his mouth when he lowered the goblet and if she didn't know any better she would swear he was thinking naughty things about her.

Macy took a gulp of her own wine, trying to get her overactive imagination to take a backseat. She'd wanted Sean for longer than she could remember and having him look at her like he wanted her in return was too much. It caused things low in her belly to clench. Her breasts tingled, aching for his touch, and heat ran laps over her limbs.

Her pulse was racing all of a sudden and she found it hard to breathe. She emptied her glass and turned, walking to the kitchen to refill it, emptying it at once before refilling it again. Her head was swimming by the time she made her way back to the living room. Her gaze immediately sought out Sean. He wasn't there.

A slight noise behind her caused her to turn her head. Sean was walking down the hall toward her. She saw him glance up above her head and she followed his line of sight. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the mistletoe directly overhead. Lowering her gaze, she watched him stalk the hall. By the time he reached her, her body was humming with anticipation.

He never said a word, just lowered his head and took her lips in a hard, demanding kiss. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she wasn't sure who moaned the loudest, her or him. Long minutes with the taste of him overpowering her senses and she knew the wine was a bad idea. She just wished she could care. At the moment the only thing that mattered was Sean and his urgent kisses. The way his fingers tangled in her hair and held her to him. The noise in the room vanished, the only sound she heard was her heart beating out a frantic tattoo against her ribs.

When Sean pulled away, his hot breath teasing her lips with the promise of more, she opened her eyes to look at him. “I've had too much to drink,” he said. His gaze skimmed her face, stopping once he reached her lips. “My thoughts keep running away with me."

"What are you thinking?” Macy held her breath and waited for his answer.

"I'm thinking I'm tired of pretending we're a happy couple.” Macy couldn't have been more hurt if he'd slapped her. She tensed, waiting for the next blow, and steeled her heart for the pain to follow. “I want you,” he said.

Macy blinked. He wanted her?

"I'm tired of pretending,” he said again. “They all think we've been living together for two years. That we've shared a bed for two years.” He nodded, staring at her lips. “I'm tired of pretending."

She opened her mouth to say something-what, she had no clue-but she couldn't utter a word. She stared at him, feeling the heat of his body pressed against her own and took a steadying breath and forced the words to come. “What are you trying to say, Sean?"

"I'm trying to say that I want you. Now.” His fingers skimmed her jaw, his lips sliding softly across her own. “Come to bed with me."

Macy had to force herself to breathe. The wine she'd consumed had already fogged her mind enough to make standing without teetering to one side harder than it should be. Sean's sensual kisses hadn't helped her feelings of vertigo and now, his little confession left her weak kneed and feeling flushed.

The rational side of her brain told her this was a bad idea, that they were drunk, but the other side, the side that had secretly wanted this man for longer than she cared to remember, was jumping with joy. He wanted her, just as she'd wanted him. But what happened in the morning? Next week when they were back at work and their little lie was no longer an issue? Would he regret it? Would she?

She would worry about that later. Blame it on the mistletoe, or maybe the wine, but whatever the reason, Sean wanted her. And she wanted him.

The what-ifs lasted as long as it took her to climb the stairs, Sean's hand firmly in hers. Once behind her closed bedroom door, nothing else seemed to matter. Their clothes were peeled away in haste, hands roaming flesh as they stumbled back onto the bed. Sean kissed a fiery trail over her collarbone and down to her breasts before sucking one peaked nipple into his mouth. His fingers skimmed her taunt stomach and tangled into the wiry hair covering her sex. One flick of his fingers between her folds and Macy gasped. He pulled away from her moments later and walked back across the room. Macy watched him, curiously. “What are you doing?"

He picked up his jeans and fished out his wallet. “Condom."

She blushed. How could she have forgotten something so important? When the little foil wrapper was in Sean's hand, he crawled back into the bed. They fumbled with a condom wrapper for nearly five minutes before getting it torn open. Macy was laughing as she looked up at him, her limbs trembling as their flesh touched from shoulders to feet.

"Are you sure about this, Macy?” he asked.

She nodded her head, not trusting her voice. He smiled and leaned down, his lips sliding across her own. His hands mapped out every inch of flesh he could touch and left goose bumps pimpling her skin. When he sank between her thighs and sheathed himself inside her body, Macy moaned at the feel of him. He stilled, looking down at her and she thought for a moment he'd sobered up as she had. The look on his face was one she'd never seen as he looked at her. It left her breathless and on the verge of tears. He looked at her as if… he loved her.

Macy blinked and looked away, wrapping her arms around him and urging him to move. She closed her eyes, feeling him fill her and the look on his face stayed burned into her mind's eye. His fingers were toying with her breast, his lips gliding across her shoulder to her neck, up the curve of her jaw to her waiting lips. His kiss wasn't hurried as it had been downstairs. It was a slow, lazy slide of lips and tongue. Languid kisses that made her feel boneless and spent. Tingles raced up her spine and the tell-tale clenching in her stomach signaled her release moments before her world shattered, her hold on him tightening as she begged him to move faster. He followed her a few minutes later.

They both lay there, breathing heavily as the noise from downstairs continued. Sean moved to her side, pulling her into his arms and wrapping her in a small cocoon of heat. She sighed contently, snuggling into his embrace. How could anything ever go wrong after a night with him? Her world was finally perfect.