“No, I’m reading,” he replies.

I smile to myself and wink at Nancy, who catches my eye.

“I don’t see Santa yet.” I lean back to look up at the sky that has magically cleared, putting on a grand display of stars.

“I think he hits us up last, on his way back up to the North Pole,” Jeff replies with a smile.

“That makes sense.” I nod. “Seth, you still have to put the angel on the tree.”

“I won’t forget,” he answers absentmindedly.

“I think we’re going to head up to bed,” Ty announces and pulls Lo to her feet.

“Sorry guys,” she says with a yawn. “I’ve just been extra sleepy lately.”

“Working long hours?” I ask with a frown, worried about my friend.

“Yeah.” She smiles softly and glances up at Ty, and I have a feeling that work’s not the reason she’s tired at all.

“Us too,” Josh announces as he and Cara climb out of their chairs and gather their garbage to carry in with them.

“Come on, Seth, let’s go put that angel on the tree.” Nancy and Jeff stand and motion for a sleepy Seth and Thor to join them.

“But I’m not tired.”

“The sooner you sleep, the sooner Christmas morning will be here,” I remind him. “Good night.”

“See you in the morning.” Nancy leans down to kiss her son’s cheek, then, to my surprise, kisses mine as well then whispers in my ear, “So happy to have you as part of our family, Jilly.”

I blink back tears as she pats my cheek and follows her husband and Seth into the house.

On my phone, Kelly Clarkson is singing about having a merry little Christmas, and Zack and I are alone with the fire in the clear Christmas Eve night.

“Are you ready to go in?” I ask him quietly.

“I’m ready to do this,” he replies and stands before me. He offers me his hand and tugs me to my feet, and then to my utter shock, wraps one arm around the small of my back, kisses my cheek, and begins to sway with the music. His brown eyes look almost amber in the firelight. He has the beginnings of stubble on his chin. I desperately want to push my fingers through his hair, so I reach up with my free hand and tug his hat off his head, toss it on the chair, and finger-comb his hair gently.

“How are you feeling, Mr. King?”

“Like the luckiest man in the world.” He kisses my forehead and sighs contentedly.

“This is starting to be the best Christmas I can remember.” I smile and graze my knuckles down his cheek. “Seth is having a blast.”

“He’s excited,” he agrees. “Wanna help me bring his snowmobile out of the garage and set it up for him?”

“Where are you going to put it?”

He grins widely and suddenly looks like a young kid on Christmas morning himself. “You’ll see.”

CHAPTER Fourteen

ZACK

This is the best fucking dream I’ve ever had.

I’m lying on my back on the softest bed I’ve ever been in and I’m naked. Jill is with me, stroking my cock until it throbs and pulses with the beat of my heart. Her small hands roam up and down my body. I push her hair off her face and watch raptly as she gazes up at me with happy blue eyes and runs the tip of her tongue up the underside of my dick.

“Zack.”

I hear her sweet voice, but I don’t want to wake up. This is just too damn good. But as I surface, I realize, I’m not dreaming.

Jill’s hand is cupping my sac and she’s licking my cock like it’s an ice cream cone.

“Merry Christmas, babe.”

“Merry Christmas,” I mumble sleepily and tangle my fingers in her rich brown hair. She smiles widely up at me, then takes me into her mouth, sinking down on me until I can feel the back of her throat.

I about jackknife up off the bed. Fucking A, I’ve never felt anything better than Jilly’s amazing mouth wrapped around me.

Except when it’s her pussy.

Her hand glides up to circle my cock and she tightens around me, just the way she knows I love it, and begins to jerk me off into her mouth.

Dear sweet mother of God, I fucking love this woman.

She hums and it’s like lighting a fuse. My balls tighten and I harden even more.

“Baby, you know I fucking love this.” I try to keep my voice low so no one else in the house can hear me.

“Mm-hmm,” she agrees.

“But if you keep this up—ah, fuck, sugar—I’m going to come in your mouth.”

She pulls off me long enough to say, “Good,” licks the tip, and then sinks over me again and sucks hard.

Good God, she could suck the rust off a bumper.

And she’s all mine.

I thrust my hips up off the bed and begin to fuck her face in earnest and she growls deep in her throat.

Growls.

I groan as I surrender to my release, coming in her mouth, and damn if she doesn’t lap up every drop, then kisses up my body, my neck and cheek, and whispers in my ear, “Merry Christmas, Zack.”

“That might be the best damn Christmas present I’ve ever received.” I can’t catch my damn breath. I’m panting and sweating and the gorgeous woman draped over me has a very smug, catlike smile on her face. “Proud of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Very,” she agrees readily, making me chuckle. She rubs the dimple in my cheek with her fingertip. “That was fun.”

“You won’t get an argument out of me.” I kiss her forehead softly. “What time is it?”

“Six,” she replies. “I figure the rest of the house will start waking up anytime.”

“My parents are probably already down in the kitchen.” I thrum my fingers up and down her soft back. “They’re early risers.”

“You all are,” she replies.

“It’s habit. In fact . . .” I kiss her again and then slide out from under her. “I’m going to grab Josh and run out to the barn to feed the animals and get a few things done before we open presents.”

“I guess ranchers don’t get holidays, huh?” She’s pulled the sheet around her and is resting her head on her hand, watching me pull my jeans and shirt on.

“Nope.”

“While you do that, I’ll get breakfast started.”

“Do you honestly think Seth will let us all eat breakfast before diving into his presents?”

“He can open his stocking while we eat and then he can open the rest,” she decides. “And we’ll make it a quick breakfast. If I move fast enough, I can get most of it done before he wakes up.”