“Where my Ho’s at?” I call out as I usher Stella into the house.

My ma comes from the family room, a smile brighter than her Christmas tree lighting up her face. “There you two are. I was worried you wouldn’t make it.” She takes the bags from us so I can help Stella off with my jacket. “Oh my word, how cute are you in those jammies?” Ma says laughing. “May I?” She asks Stella, hand stretched toward her belly.

“Oh yes! Thank you for asking though. People are crazy.” Stella shakes her head in disgust. “Perfect strangers will walk up to me and rub my belly. It’s especially bad at the restaurant I work at. I think maybe because they’re eye level with it when I’m standing next to the table.”

“People are nuts. When I was pregnant with one of the girls, Jonathan had a shirt made for me that said ‘You touch my belly I’ll touch yours.’ It slowed some folks down.”

The whole time my ma is talking my eyes are glued to Stella’s ass and the flap on her pajama’s that I was wondering about earlier. That flap shouldn’t be sexy. Shouldn’t have me thinking all the filthy ways I can get at her by just unfastening those two little buttons. Damn it, this is going to be the longest night of my life. Okay, maybe not my life, but it’s gonna be fucking long.

“Everyone here?” I ask, planting a kiss on my mother’s head although she’s preoccupied with Stella’s baby bump.

“Yes, they’re all here.” Her head shoots up, “Oh! I felt a kick.”

“All day he’s been extra feisty.” Stella laughs. Not wanting to miss this, I place a hand on the other side of her belly from my ma and wait but get nothing.

“What is everyone doing in here?” Demands my oldest sister.

“Hey, there big sis.” I greet, scooping her up in a bear hug.

“Put me down you goon.” Johnanne demands, laughing. Placing her on her feet, I’m just about to introduce her to Stella when she blurts. “Oh my god, nobody told me she was a minor! A little heads up would have been nice.”

She turns to me. “You do have a lawyer right?”

And this is what I was afraid of. There was no way in hell Johnanne was gonna let this be easy. She’s an attorney, this whole thing screams red flag to her.

“Johnanne.” My ma says in a warning tone.

“What ma? He’s not just anybody. He has got to protect himself. Jason doesn’t have the luxury to just go with the flow. He’s worth a lot of money and a perfect target. No offense, I’m sure you’re a nice girl.” My sister says to Stella, flippantly.

Thirty seconds and I’ve had enough. “That’s enough Johnanne.” I bite out before she says another word. Next to me Stella has tensed, my mother’s hands falling from her stomach.

“Jaso— “

“No.” I interrupt, my tone leaving no room for argument. “I—

“Jase.” Stella says, a hand on my arm. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, Stella.” My frustration is rising. I knew Johnanne was going to have something to say but I expected her to wait to speak to me in private.

“It is. Your sister’s concerned and she should be.” Stella turns to my sister. “I’m glad that you have some sense because he doesn’t.”

She smiles over at me and winks. “Just so you know, I’m not a minor, I’m twenty, so no lawsuit for Jason there. And I don’t want your brother’s money. In fact, before I take a dime from him for anything I will be insisting on a paternity test. Not for me, because I know the truth, but for his protection. There are too many crazies out there who would jump at the opportunity to pin a baby on a pro athlete.”

“But not you?” Johnanne asks curiously.

“I’m not trying to pin anything on anyone. As of a couple days ago, I was content to raise this baby on my own even if I had to work four jobs to do it. Hell, I’m still prepared to do just that. After meeting your parents and sister, I would love for them to be a part of this little one’s life even if your brother isn’t. I don’t have much family left, only my brother actually, who is deployed more often than not, and family is as important to me as it is to all of you.” Stella’s voice waivers with emotion.

Stepping behind her I pull her into my chest to assure her that I’m here for, I’m in her corner. She has nothing to prove. No one to convince. Mine is the only opinion that matters and right here, right now, I think Stella is a motherfucking queen. At twenty, she’s more poised and confident than any woman I’ve ever dated put together.

I can feel her inhale deeply before going on. “So again. I don’t want money from you brother, I just want a family for my baby.”

“It’s true, she doesn’t. The dumb ass tried to be all cool guy and pay her to take off from work the other day and she about beat his ass.” Joey says from the doorway, drawing our attention. “She’s savage.”

We all break out into laughter, the heaviness in the room dissolving. Leave it to Joey. I need to buy her better Christmas present for her coming to the rescue.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way, come in and meet the rest of the family, Stella. I promise none of them will give you the third degree, they probably all voted for Johnanne to be the bad guy and are just waiting for her stamp of approval.” My mom says, her smile back in place.

She’s probably right too.

* * *

As promised the rest of the family was on their best behavior. Stella even managed to win over Johnanne, who was sitting next to her on the couch laughing at something Stella is saying, gesturing wildly. In her cute jammies, her face animated and my sisters around her, hanging on her every word you would never know that she hasn’t always been a part of our family.

All night I’ve watched her. Put my hands on her, innocent touches, inhaled her scent, smiled when she laughed, laughed when she snorted at something my brother-in-law said, and the whole time I was dreaming about all the ways I was going to make her mine tonight. The places I would strip her bare and make her shake from pleasure. Scream my name until her voice went hoarse.

Over pecan pie and coffee when everyone was talking about my sister’s new boyfriend, I was envisioning bending Stella over my ottoman and fucking her while she wore her Christmas pajama’s, her hair a wicked tangle of curls for me to hold onto. I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell for having such impure thoughts while sitting at my mother’s dinner table. At least I’ll have fun getting there.And Stella is partly to blame. Constantly looking at me with those fuck me eyes of hers. Just begging me with heated looks over the rim of her glass, as she liked whipped cream from her spoon. All night. Torturing me without a care.

I pluck Stella from her new fans, laughing when they complain about me taking her away.

“I love you guys too.” I tease.

Making the rounds and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, we make it out the door as fast as I can without being rude.

“You in a hurry?” Stella asks.

“I’m in a hurry to get you naked.” I admit. When she doesn’t shoot me down I pick up the pace.

We make it back to my place in record time. Stella goes and turns on the Christmas tree lights and puts the presents under there from my parent’s place as I start the fire and put on some Christmas music.

“I love Christmas music.” She says, humming along with Nat King Cole.

“I love Christmas onesies with back flaps that drive me wild all night.” I flash a wolfish grin, the kind that leaves no doubt what I’m thinking.

“There is nothing sexy about Christmas onesies. Especially when you’re pregnant.” Stella laughs as she continues situating stuff under the tree.

“Oh, I beg to differ. I think they’re all kinds of sexy…on you. Especially when you’re pregnant.”

Straightening she turns to face me, the light from the fire dancing over her skin, casting her in flickering shadows.

“Get over here, Stella.” I order, my voice gritty with lust for her.

She comes to stand in front of me, red flames from the fire reflecting in the inky wells of her eyes. Gently taking her shoulders in my hand, I turn her to face the tree, dropping to my knees behind her. My gaze settles on the flap that has been drawing my attention all night. I make work of first on button and then the next, letting the material fall open to reveal my own personal gift.

Two perfectly rounded ass cheeks with the thinnest bit of candy cane striped cotton nestled in between them. When I place a kiss to one then the other cheek before landing an open handed slap on them. Stella’s hands fist at her sides as a moan slips from her lips.

Reaching behind me, I drag the ottoman over and place it in front of her. “On your hands and knees, Stell.”

She looks at me over her shoulder before doing what I asked.

“Good girl,” I praise as I hook a finger into the top of her panties and drag it over the globes, pink with my hand print, just far enough that I can get at her. I take hold of her ass and spread her open, the pink of her pussy glistening with her need.

“So fucking pretty.” I murmur before putting my mouth on her, making her rock forward. My tongue working through her slit, hands tugging on her hips to bring her closer, I suck and nip and kiss her better. I pull away from her just long enough to tug my sweater over my head before burying my face back in her pussy from behind, kneading her ass and loving the weight of it in my hands. When her legs start to tremble and she pushes back against my face, I nuzzle my nose through her wetness to clamp down on her clit making her scream my name over the crooning sounds of Christmas music.

With my mouth I pull every last bit of the orgasm from her, waiting until she stops her rocking and only the soft mewls of contentment fill the room around us.

“You okay, baby?” I ask, as I yank at the button on my jeans, getting them off and kicking them to the side.

“Mmmm, better than okay. You’re a freak.” Stella says with a soft laugh, resting her head on her folded arms.

“You like it.”

“I really do.” I can hear the smile in her voice.

With her ass in the air, just poking through the open flap of her pajama’s the happy penguins dancing around it, I place a knee on the ottoman beside her, reaching into the opening, and my hand through the slick arousal. She moans in pleasure, a sound that mingles with my own as I slick her wetness over the head of my cock and down my shaft, coating myself with her before I bury myself so far into her pussy she’ll feel me there every time she moves tomorrow.

“You ready, Stella?”

I wait, watching my cock at her opening as I slide it back and forth through her lips, up in between her cheeks and back again. When she hisses out a yes, I rock my hips into her, the warmth of her pussy swallowing me, making me groan.

“You’re so fucking tight.” I praise, pumping in and out, her rounded hips filling my hands. With every thrust her breath comes in a whoosh, my name following the breathy escape.

“Jason. God, Jason. I needed this. I needed you to fuck me. Didn’t want anyone to touch me but you.”

I hear her murmur and something snaps inside me. Something virile, and savage. With a barely tamed control, I tangle my hand in her hair pulling her head back until I can see into her eyes. Using my hold on her as leverage, I growl in her ear as I pound into her.

“Mine. You’re mine, Stella. This pussy is fucking mine. Nobody else’s, Mine.” M

y orgasm hits me hard and we ride the wave together as she spasms around my cock. I feather kisses down the side of her neck, licking at the corner of her mouth. When she turns her head to meet my kisses I tell her again so that she can hear me, feel me.

“Mine.”