Her Perfect Gift: A Christmas Romance Read online

  Neither Natalie nor I had a family of our own, so we either spent the holidays with each other or I went to work and left her to her own devices. This year, with my pending travels approaching I decided not to work on Christmas Eve. I tried not to be the scrooge, so I gave my employees off on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Usually, I ended up spending that time alone in the office, eating Chinese food and watching A Christmas Story while going over financial reports. Everything was settled this year since I was going to be leaving soon and so there I sat, reminiscing and staring out at the city. It was cold outside, colder than any Christmas I remembered and even inside the penthouse, I kept my sweater on to fight the chill. I could hear Natalie down the hall, getting ready for something, though I thought she would be spending the evening here in the penthouse.

  I pulled up the number to the local Chinese delivery place and figured I’d order us some food for the night. I didn’t know what Natalie liked to eat anymore, so I sat waiting for her to come out of her room. The fact that she could always keep a cheery attitude during the holidays comforted me. I looked up as she walked quickly down the hall and pulled her coat from the closet. She put on the wool pea coat and turned back, surprised to see me still sitting in the living room.

  “Oh,” she said, slightly startled. “Dex, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be working like you do every year.”

  “Since I’m leaving in a couple of days, I figured I’d break that habit and spend Christmas Eve here with you,” I replied, watching her face twitch nervously. “You look like you're going somewhere.”

  “Yeah. I, uh, I was going to go spend Christmas with a friend,” she said, walking over and sitting down on the arm of the chair. I could tell the quietness of the house was really starting to get to her and I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the idea of spending Christmas Eve alone. “I should have mentioned it. I’m just so used to you always being at work that I honestly didn’t even think to say anything.”

  I shook my head, trying not to make her feel guilty. After all, she was right, I didn’t even take weekends off anymore. The last time I had any time off was for her birthday and I didn’t really take off, I just left the office at five instead of midnight. Natalie had gotten used to living her own life, without any real family to spend time with. Part of me wanted to tell her not to worry about it but the other part of me wanted to ask her to stay and hang out.

  “Why don’t I do this,” she said. “I’ll call and make sure it’s okay and we can just go together.”

  I nodded and smiled, deciding that spending the holidays with people I didn’t know was better than being alone. I watched as she walked back in the hallway and called her friend. She talked for a few minutes and then hung up, bouncing cheerily out to the living room and waving me over. I grabbed the bottle of hazelnut liqueur I bought for tonight and we walked down to the garage where my car sat waiting.

  Since I gave all my employees the night off, I drove myself, slightly confused as I made my way out of Manhattan and through the boroughs. We ended up in Brooklyn, which was weird since I assumed Natalie meant she was going to see one of the rich kids she grew up with. However, as I pulled up in front of the five-story brick walk-up, I realized whoever we were visiting had much less than we did. I almost felt foolish having thrown on my seven hundred dollar Gucci sweater and ungodly expensive belt. I smiled at Natalie as we got out, stepping over the piles of snow that had been pushed off the streets by the plows. I was glad she didn’t see my confusion. I didn’t want it to look like I was being judgmental toward her friends. That was my sister though, if you didn’t know her as a child, she seemed like any other normal girl from a middle-class family. Her heart was always too big for her to ever come across as the snobby rich girl from the upper East side.

  As we climbed the stairs I could smell food cooking in the oven and I started to relax. The warmth of the glow coming from under the door already made me feel at home. Natalie knocked and we stood back as we heard footsteps from inside. The door flung open and a short round woman with curly red hair and rosy cheeks answered, smiling big and wrapping her arms around Natalie. She smiled warmly before turning to me and pulling me down for a hug. I laughed from surprise but welcomed the happy greeting.

  “Come in, come in. I’m Andrea,” she said, stepping to the side and waving us inside. “You can put your coats up there and then follow me back to the kitchen. That’s where all the magic is happening.”

  I set the bottle of liqueur on the floor next to my snow-covered shoes and hung up my jacket. Natalie smiled big and squeezed my arm as she walked forward. She took Andrea's hand as they walked toward the smell of food and the sound of Christmas Carols. Natalie looked really happy just being in this place. I instantly felt better about leaving her for my travels since she seemed to have made her own little family right here in Brooklyn. As I turned into the kitchen I looked around at the apple wall paper, farm themed wall hangings, and cook books propped on shelves all over the walls. It was like I had been transported from Brooklyn to a farm house in the country. There was a large turkey on the counter next to several bowls full of all the normal Christmas food.

  My eyes scanned the kitchen, landing on my sister as she hugged a curvy brown-haired girl. She was facing the stove while stirring something but the lights from the kitchen made the streaks of red in her hair stand out. I could tell Natalie was whispering something to her and as she turned around and caught my gaze, my knees went weak. Her green eyes cut through me like a knife and instantly I wanted to know more about her. She nodded once and looked down, her cheeks growing red. She was shy, which made her even more appealing to me.

  “Dex, this is my best friend Casey,” Natalie said with a knowing look. “Casey, meet my big brother Dex.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Casey whispered with even brighter cheeks.

  “Okay,” Andrea said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this food on the table!”

  I started grabbing dishes and helped bring all the food out to the large oak table sitting in the dining room. I looked up at the pictures hanging on the wall. There were several of a man that I assumed was Andrea’s husband posing in his officer’s uniform. His ribbons were encased and hung next to the pictures, making me think he was no longer with us. I didn’t want to bring it up, not knowing the details, so instead, I sat down and began passing the food around.

  “So, how did you two meet?” I looked at Natalie and then over to Casey.

  “Oh, we met in college,” Natalie said with excitement. “We ended up being on the same team for one of our Sophomore projects.”

  “That’s awesome,” I said. I turned to Casey and added, “Did you grow up in New York?”

  “She sure did,” Andrea answered. “In fact, her father and I, God rest his soul, grew up here in Brooklyn. I’m glad she decided to stick around.” Andrea looked at Casey and winked as we ate our food and continued the conversation. I wanted to know more about this girl. In all reality, I wanted to see more of this girl, and I didn’t mean on a date. She was gorgeous with unguarded eyes and thick curvy body. I could only imagine what it would feel like to run my hands over her smooth skin.

  I excused myself from the table and grabbed the cordial I bought, hoping they would enjoy it. It was extremely expensive but that wasn’t something I wanted to mention in present company. I showed Andrea who oohed at the bottle and pointed me to the cordial glasses in the china cabinet behind us. I brought out four glasses and poured a small amount into each, making sure Casey’s was a bit fuller than the rest. She smiled at me as she reached out to take the glass. As our fingers skimmed across each other’s, I could feel the electricity between us.

  We sat around the table listening to Andrea tell stories of Christmas’ when Casey was a little girl. The woman was so happy and so jolly that you couldn’t help but feel loved just by sitting around her table. I kept a close eye on Casey’s glass, making sure to refill it each time it got low. I wanted h
er to loosen up because the pull between us was thick and hungry. Each time she caught me staring she would look for a bit too long before blushing and turning back to her mother. Her innocent personality was sexy but I knew there was something raw and needy inside of her. I stretched my leg out under the table and grazed her foot with mine. She rubbed it back, staring forward and listening to her mother’s continued stories. Natalie seemed to be in her own little world, which left me and Casey trapped in this bubble, bursting at the seams to be let loose.

  Maybe it was the fact that I was leaving, maybe it was the hazelnut liquor or even the twinkling Christmas lights, but I wanted Casey and I wanted her bad.

  Casey

  When Natalie called and asked if her brother could join us for dinner, I had no idea I would end up standing in front of the hottest guy I had ever met. As soon as my eyes met his, I knew I was in trouble. He pierced me with a stunningly blue gaze and there was just something about the way his eyes glimmered as he flashed his wide smile with his wavy blonde hair curling around his face that left me breathless. I longed to put my hands in his curls and pull him close. The warmth in my chest was caused by a combination of his lustful stare and the hazelnut liqueur he refilled my glass with over and over again. There was a serious air of danger emanating from him, which usually made me run in the opposite direction from but for Dex, it only pulled me further in.

  As we talked about our childhoods, my mother stood and started clearing the dishes. As always, I took notice and stood as well, reaching for the empty bowls and plates. Natalie grabbed my hand and winked at me, glancing over at her brother who was still staring intently, waiting for me to finish my sentence. I handed her the bowl and stepped back from the table, grabbing my glass.

  “I’ll help clean up,” Natalie said brightly. “You did so much before we got here. Go relax and show my brother around the house.”

  I blushed at her words, knowing she noticed our heated glances and attentive behavior toward each other. I backed up as she moved around the table picking up plates, unsure of what to do. I looked down as I felt Dex’s hand grab my arm and pull me toward the living room. I smiled sweetly at Natalie and allowed Dex to pull me away, finding him too sexy to ignore. I could feel the alcohol surging through my veins and loosening my nerves. I strolled over to the couch and sat down, watching as he followed. He sat close and turned to face me.

  “What did you get your degree in?” He was very interested in my life and I was very interested in his luscious lips.

  “Um. Well, I started out studying medicine but after my father passed away, I changed my major to business, hoping it would open some doors for me,” I said. “My father’s pension pays for the house as such but I knew my mother would need more help than that. I wanted to go to Graduate School like Natalie but I decided to wait for a while.”

  “That’s really amazing of you, I know how it feels to lose a parent,” he said. I watched as he looked around at all the Christmas decorations mom and I had put up for the little party. It was nice having people here but even nicer having him sit so close to me. He turned toward me, his hand touching my knee and we stared into each other’s eyes for a moment.

  “Okay gang,” my mother said, startling us and making us jump apart. “I’m going to take these down to the mission and make sure they don’t need any help this evening. You three have fun, there’s pie and ice cream in the kitchen if anyone wants anything.”

  “Okay, mom. Be safe,” I said with flushed cheeks.

  “Thank you for having us, Andrea,” Dex said, standing and kissing my mom on the cheek. Talk about a swoon moment.

  We watched as my mom left the apartment, feeling the rush of cold air as she closed the door behind her. Natalie looked over at us and smiled, taking another drink of her liqueur and glancing at the twinkling lights. I shifted on the couch, trying to get this hot man off my mind. Every time our legs accidentally brushed each other I could feel the heat in my stomach grow hotter.

  “So, you guys want to play charades?” I didn’t know what else to offer.

  “Yes.” Natalie giggled. “Wait, there’s only three of us. I know! We’ll take turns. Me and Dex will act things out and you can be the guesser since I know you hate being the actor.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I laughed.

  We played a sloshy drunk game of charades for about an hour. I was laughing so hard from Dex’s impression of a duck that I almost spit my drink everywhere. Just as Natalie got up to take her turn, her phone rang and she walked into the kitchen to answer it. I laid on the couch with my legs propped up on Dex’s lap, trying to get ahold of the warm drunk feeling in my head. I hadn’t had this much fun in forever and the more we drank, the more touchy feely Dex and I became. When Natalie came back out, we looked up at her. She was wearing a thoughtful expression that made both Dex and me frown.

  “So that was Ben from school,” she said, looking down at her phone. “He said he can get me front row at the Rockette’s extravaganza but if I want to go, I have to go now.”

  “You should do it,” Dex said, glancing over at me. “That poor boy is pulling out all the stops, the least you could do is go enjoy yourself.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, sitting down in the chair. “I’m having so much fun here.”

  “Girl, we are always here. Go and have fun!” I said, hoping she would take my word for it.

  “Okay,” she said excitedly. “I’ll go. I love you guys. Merry Christmas. I’ll call you tomorrow Casey.”

  I leaned up and kissed Natalie on the cheek. I chuckled as she threw her jacket, gloves, and hat on and raced out the door. As soon as she shut the door I could feel just how alone Dex and I were and it was more than exciting. I could tell instantly that Dex was into me and I was sure as hell into him. I hadn’t ever been with a man before, not that I was saving myself for anyone. I was just really shy and the few guys I dated never made the attempt. I looked over at Dex who was staring awkwardly at his drink. He was so hot I could barely stand it. I pulled my legs from his lap and sat up next to him.

  I watched as a small smirk moved across his lips and he turned to me, grabbing my glass and setting it on the table. He reached both hands up and held my face in his hands, kissing my lips softly. The setting was so romantic, with the soft glow of the lights from the tree, the smell of cinnamon in the air, and the orchestra Christmas music in the background. I leaned into his kiss, feeling a desperate need deep in my stomach. The liqueur made me dizzy so we leaned back against the couch, our lips moving sensually together. Though I could feel the heat gathering in my panties, I was okay with making out for a while in the dim sparkling lights.

  Slowly, Dex pushed toward me, lying me down on the couch and running his hand up my side. I could feel his bulging erection against my leg and it sent chills down my spine. He was gentle but needy and I had no reason to tell him I was a virgin, not with his take charge attitude. I could feel his fingertips move down the sides of my dress and reach under, trailing up to my panties. He moved his body to the side as he plucked the edge of the lace and slid his fingers right, feeling my juices run. He bit his lip and ran his hand through my pussy lips, causing a low moan to escape my throat. The sound seemed to arouse him even more and he moved down, pulling my dress completely up and kissing my stomach. I laid my head down and closed my eyes as he pushed my legs apart and pulled my red lace panties to the side, replacing his fingers with his tongue.

  I groaned as he lapped at my wet mound, savoring every drop before going back for more. I reached up and unbuttoned the top of my dress. I pulled my bra cups to the side, massaging my big breasts and grinding my hips against his mouth. He felt so good down there and I could feel my temperature rising. He moved his hand from my thigh and slipped two fingers inside of me and groaned against my clit, feeling how tight and wet I was. After a few minutes, he pulled his fingers out and moved up my body. He pressed his mouth against mine and growled as I sucked hard on his tongue. I reached down and unbuckled h
is belt, knowing we wouldn’t have long until my mother came back.

  He sat up and pulled his pants and boxer briefs off, throwing them in a pile on the floor. He stood in front of me, stroking his rock-hard erection. He smiled excitedly as he dove back down, kissing my neck and chest while rubbing the head of his cock against my clit. I may have never been with a man but I definitely knew I wanted him inside of me. I reached down and grabbed his shaft, kissing him hard as I raised my hips and pulled him into me with need. He groaned loudly in my mouth as he entered me, sliding easily through my wetness.

  “You are so tight,” he whispered, nibbling at my ear. “You feel amazing.”

  As he leaned into me, he grabbed my hands and put them over my head. Holding them down with one arm, he lifted my leg around his waist. He began to push into me in a steady motion, his shaft moving through my tight wet pussy. He was so thick and so big I thought it would hurt but as I opened my hips to take him in further, all I felt was an unbelievable pleasure. He let go of my hands and grabbed my hips, thrusting forward harder and harder. I reached up and grabbed the arm of the couch, closing my eyes and listening to our skin slap together. He licked his lips and moaned as my juices covered his cock.

  As he picked up the pace, he rocked his hips forward as he pushed in, rubbing against my clit. I felt the orgasm building in my belly as it began to erupt. I screamed loudly, grabbing the couch and arching my back as I felt the waves of pleasure explode through me. As I shivered and shook beneath him, he could feel me contracting against his shaft which only made him needier. I opened my eyes and watched as he thrust hard once, twice, and then a third time, rolling his eyes back and pushing in as he released. He continued to thrust softly as the waves of ecstasy rolled over him, biting his lip and squeezing my thighs in his strong hands. As his muscles relaxed, he looked down at me and smiled, shaking his head and leaning into my neck.