Hope and Eamonn stayed on The Wreath for a few more days before heading to her town. They talked about their future and Hope figured that it was time for her to get a change of scenery.

Hope transferred to a university near Eamonn’s team’s city. Her ex-boyfriend Jerry never bothered her again and seemed happy with Melissa. Melissa moved to Jerry’s town and after a quickie wedding, was pregnant with twins Jerry and Melissa were an odd pairing, but apparently, Fate had smiled kindly upon those visiting The Wreath that Christmas.

Hope’s new position was as the head of the English department at the city’s major university. She taught fewer classes, with more administrative responsibilities. She not only got a pay boost but, had fewer papers to grade, so she could spend more time with Eamonn. Hope got to know the other wives, husbands, girlfriends, and boyfriends of the members of Eamonn’s team, as well as the other players. She was in the front row for all his games, flapping a sign in the wind with his name on it, with colorful makeup on her face that matched the team’s colors.

Of course, there were other people Hope had to meet — like Eamonn’s Clan. Hope and Eamonn had busy schedules and hadn’t made time to go down to Nuthusk, but, when the Clan Elder, Jasper Jackson, called Eamonn and told him that he expected the pro baller to teach some of the cubs how to throw a perfect spiral, Eamonn and Hope saw the message for what it really was — a summons.

“You know…if we don’t go, he might just get Krampus and Avery to drag both our asses back down to The Wreath,” said Eamonn, clicking off the phone.

“I think I’d be down with that. A Montana vacation sounds nice right about now,” said Hope.

“I know, babe, but we gotta wait until the off-season,” said Eamonn. “Plus, I think that if you just randomly left the college, a wild pack of deans would hunt you down and drag you back to campus.”

“Is ‘pack’ the collective noun for academic deans?” sassed Hope. “You know…I could just go on sabbatical.”

“Yeah, well, there’s no sabbatical in football,” said Eamonn. “The closest I’m getting is a few days off for Thanksgiving.”

“You already get the time off?” asked Hope, raising a brow.

“We work hard so we can play hard,” said Eamonn.

“No frikkin’ fair!” said Hope.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that ‘there is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort?’” asked Eamonn. “I’d think you, of all people, would believe that, my Sleeping Beauty. Although…please don’t fall asleep like that ever again, babe.”

“Did you just quote Jane frikkin’ Austen at me?” asked Hope.

“Yeah, and it’s taken me forever to read Emma,” said Eamonn.

“When have you found the time? That thing’s a phonebook — well, it would be, if there were phones in the Regency period,” joked Hope.

“Phones would’ve made Emma’s matchmaking much easier — and made for a much more boring book,” said Eamonn. “I, uh…keep a paperback in the bathroom, under the sink. For when I take a while.”

“What?” asked Hope with a laugh. “You know…whatever works for you. I might just have to suggest that method to some of my students.”

“Just don’t use my name — say you had a friend named ‘Frank’ who did it,” said Eamonn. “Get it? Frank? Like the character?”

“I got it,” said Hope, getting on her tippy-toes to give Eamonn a kiss right on the nose.

“Well…even though we can’t skip Thanksgiving, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some ‘real comfort’ in our own home,” said Eamonn, grabbing Hope’s ass.

“Ooh!” squealed Hope. “Alright — meet you in the bedroom. I’m on top this time so you might need a helmet. Trust me – there’ll be no Sleeping Beauty bullshit tonight. This princess doesn’t need a little peck on the lips to get horny.”

“Ha-ha,” said Eamonn sarcastically. Hope scurried away into their bedroom, grabbed a duffel bag, and went to one of the bathrooms. Eamonn raised an eyebrow and chuckled to himself. He had no idea what Hope was up to, and that made his cock twitch.

Eamonn disrobed and lay back in the bed, thinking about how lucky he was when he heard a familiar rustling sound.

Eamonn sat up and looked at the entrance of the bedroom. Hope was there, holding two pom-poms, one in each hand, and she had on a tight top with a short skirt, knee-high socks, and a pair of sneakers. Her hair was up in a pair of pigtails.

“Rah-rah!” said Hope. “Eamonn, Eamonn, he’s my man…if he can’t fuck me, no-one can!”

“Well, fuck me with a candy cane,” said Eamonn, before he let out a wolf whistle. “I never had a thing for cheerleaders…but you make that outfit look good.”

“Now, what did I say about wearing a helmet?” asked Hope, putting a hand to her hip and pouting at Eamonn. The way the uniform hugged her ample curves made Eamonn’s cock harden.

“You know…I don’t quite recall,” lied Eamonn.

Hope reached down to the ground and picked up one of Eamonn’s old helmets, one that was old and scuffed and no longer much protection at all.

Hope carried the helmet over to Eamonn and held it out.

“I told you,” said Hope. “I’m riding on top…and I don’t want my man ending up with a head injury just because he was too stubborn to wear the proper safety gear.”

Eamonn put the old helmet on and pulled Hope close to his body. Hope straddled Eamonn’s waist. His cock slid right up into her body.

“Fuck,” moaned Eamonn. “No panties?”

“I’m a cheerleader, aren’t I?” asked Hope, running her hand down Eamonn’s chest as she moved up and down on his cock. “I’m supposed to bring you cheer, aren’t I?”

“Well, you’re awful good at that,” said Eamonn, groping at Hope’s chest. “I hate this helmet. I want to rip that uniform off with my teeth, but, well…” Eamonn tapped the helmet’s grill.

“Safety first,” said Hope, tipping Eamonn backward. Eamonn’s head bounced on the hard wooden headboard of the bed, but the helmet absorbed most of the shock.

“Okay, you have a point,” admitted Eamonn, moving lower on the bed, with Hope still balanced on his cock.

Hope pressed her hands on Eamonn’s chest and rocked her body back and forth over his lap. At first, the motions were slow and jerky, as Hope gained her balance on Eamonn’s body, her canal expanding to take his full length, from base to tip. As she became more comfortable, wetter, Eamonn’s cock slid back and forth inside her body more easily…and their juices spilled down between Hope’s legs, lubricating her thighs.

Hope slid back and forth over Eamonn’s body, his body rocking alongside hers, and before long, Hope had driven herself to the brink. She’d hoped she’d be able to last longer. When she’d set out on her quest to ride Eamonn’s cock, her biggest worry was that her legs would get tired before she reached her happily-ever-after…but now, she realized that she’d overestimated the length of this particular erotic short story, featuring the professor-cum-cheerleader and the football-player-cum-football-player and the cum.

Rubbing back and forth on Eamonn’s cock, Hope’s clit had rubbed against Eamonn’s base and the space between his base and his abs. The mere brushing of his hot skin against her clit had driven her crazier than any rapid rubbing, as it denied her a release, rather than rushing her towards the end zone.

Hope came around Eamonn’s cock. Her legs turned to jelly, but, she felt something firm around her thighs. It was one of Eamonn’s hands.

“What are you —” started Hope. Eamonn moved his hands up to his head and took off his helmet. Hope expected Eamonn to toss the helmet aside, but instead, he put it on Hope’s head!

Eamonn took Hope’s waist in his hands and bounced her up and down on his cock, as if she were as light as a stuffed animal, pushing her orgasm past its natural limit. As Hope throbbed around his cock, Eamonn turned her, so that she was the one with their back against the sheets.

Hope lay back and gripped the sheets. She arched her back as Eamonn ran his lips over her curves. She could feel his heat through the fabric.

“Now…I can finally do what I wanted to do,” growled Eamonn. He took his teeth and put them at the top of Hope’s uniform. He tore the fabric with his incisor and then, used his hands to rip the dress open.

Hope’s bra matched her panties, in that she wasn’t wearing one.

Hope felt a shiver run down her spine and explode into a second orgasm. This time, her pussy had company, as Eamonn’s cock let loose in her canal, the pair of lovers coming at the same time.

“Well…that was unexpected,” said Eamonn, letting out a deep breath, before laying down on the bed. “I never thought I’d see you in that outfit. I was expecting some kind of cowgirl geddup or something.”

“So…what was it like, fucking a cheerleader?” asked Hope, removing the helmet and tossing it to the floor.

“Nothing new,” sassed Eamonn.

Hope pouted.

“Because…you’ve always been my biggest cheerleader, and you don’t need a costume to prove it,” said Eamonn, pulling Hope close. “Just promise me one thing.”

“Anything,” said Hope, snuggling up against Eamonn.

Eamonn pulled the SUV into the parking lot of Clan Marron’s lodge.

“Hey, can we sit for a second?” asked Hope.

“Of course,” said Eamonn. “You feelin’ car sick?”

“A different kinda sick,” said Hope. “I’m feeling nervous.”

“About what?” asked Eamonn. “Everyone’s gonna love you.”

“You sure about that?” asked Hope.

“Look. You’re the reason I put my wild side to rest,” said Eamonn. “They have to love you for that alone. You can do no wrong in their eyes. Trust me. Take a deep breath. You ready?”

“I’m ready,” said Hope after she took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

Eamonn and Hope went to the back of the SUV and pulled out two trays of marionberry cobbler.

“Need a hand with that?” asked a voice.

“Emily,” said Eamonn, putting his tray down to hug the woman who had approached them. “Emily, meet my fated mate, Hope. Hope, meet Emily.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Hope, putting her tray down to shake Emily’s hand.

“Honey, the pleasure is all mine,” said Emily. “I can’t believe Eamonn managed to woo a mate as pretty as you! Believe it or not, he used to be pretty…Hope-less.”

“Ha-ha, I haven’t heard that one a thousand times,” said Eamonn, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, you two,” said Emily. “I’ll show you to the dessert table.”

Emily led Eamonn and Hope to the dessert table in the lodge’s main hall.

“Do you need me to go with you, for the next one?” asked Eamonn.

“The next one?” asked Hope.

“Why don’t we all go somewhere more private to talk?” asked Emily. “Come on. Let’s grab some coffee and some snacks.”

The trio poured themselves paper cups of hot coffee from the giant vat of coffee. They grabbed plates of pastries, and the couple followed Emily down the lodge’s hallway.

“Here,” said Emily. “We should have privacy here.”

Emily opened the doors to the council chambers and walked up to the large empty leather chairs behind the U-shaped council table.

“Come on, take a seat,” said Emily, taking Jasper Jackson’s usual chair, sitting, and spinning.

Hope and Eamonn sat on either side of Emily.

“What were you saying, about ‘the next one’?” Hope asked Eamonn.

“I was wondering who would be sent to The Wreath this year,” explained Eamonn. “Every year, a bad boy from Clan Marron is taken by Krampus to Camp Kringle. Emily wrangles them, while whoever found their mate over the last Christmas season has to help her handle the bad boy. So, Emily — who won the bad boy lottery this year?”

“Nobody,” said Emily, sipping at her coffee.

“Nobody?” asked Eamonn. “There has to be someone.”

“Not this year,” said Emily. “Who knows? Maybe in the future, Clan Marron will have more bad boys in need of a good ol’ fashioned Christmas ass-kicking by Krampus, but, this year, they’ve got nobody.”

“Eight bad boys have been reformed,” said Eamonn. “But, I think there’s one more bad boy shifter that needs to find his mate.”

“One more?” asked Emily.

“Krampus,” said Eamonn, sipping his coffee. “That horny ol’ goat needs to find himself a mate. If mate madness can affect us shifters, it can definitely affect demons.”

“No way,” said Hope. “They probably operate differently than shifters. Besides, what makes you so sure that it’ll be a bad boy finding his mate this season…and not a good girl?”

“Who do you have in mind?” asked Emily.

“Avery,” said Hope.

“Who?” asked Emily.

“Avery, the woman who runs the bakery at The Wreath,” said Hope. “She’s great. Magical, in a different way than Krampus. She’s a good manager, even better friend. She’s helped countless gals like me find true love. I think she’ll find a nice guy this season…that is if she doesn’t have to deal with some fixing up whatever bird with a busted wing crawls into her cafe this holiday season.”

“Huh,” said Emily. “Y’know, I’ve never met Avery, but she sounds like a perfect match for Krampus.”

Hope and Eamonn exchanged looks and burst out laughing.

“Avery?” asked Eamonn.

“And Krampus?” asked Hope. “No frikkin’ way. Those two can’t stand to be in the same room as each other. There’s no way they’re fated mates.”

Someone came into the chambers.

“You kids better clean up the mess when you’re done,” said a booming voice. “We’re going to watch the big game in here later.”

“Got it, Jasper,” said Emily.

“Jasper, this is my fated mate, Hope,” said Eamonn.

“Don’t just shout at me, boy, bring her down to meet me!” ordered Jasper.

Eamonn led Hope down to the entrance of the council chambers and introduced her to Jasper. All three shifters and one curvy human made their way to the main hall, where finally, they’d get to enjoy their Thanksgiving feast, surrounded by friends, family, and the promise of a very special Christmas season.