Christmas Nights(23)

His touch slowed to a pause before he dragged his fingers out. She glanced over her shoulder to see him tossing his wallet to the floor once he yanked it out of his pocket. She heard the tear of foil and then felt the head of his cock at her entrance. Still throbbing from her climax, all she wanted was to feel him inside of her. Shivers raced up her spine when he slid a palm up the center of her back. With one hand holding her hip firmly, his other brushed her hair off her neck, lacing his fingers into it. He nudged against her entrance, just enough to tease. Barely holding onto her sanity, she arched and pressed her hips into him. He nudged into her a little further.

She threw her head back and arched deeply. He finally surged inside, seating himself fully within her. Her head fell forward, her breath escaping with a low cry at the delicious stretch. They were still again, the air around them electric, before he started to rock into her. In a blur of sensation, they rocked together, her hips pressing back into his again and again and again. She lost herself in nothing but feverish pleasure. With his hand gripping her hair lightly, she rolled into his surges. Her core drew tight, pleasure twirling inside, until she was hurtling toward another release, the need so deep she could hardly bear it. His hand slipped free of her hip to drag his thumb over her clit. The brush of his touch set her loose again and she cried out, slamming her hips back into his. Her channel convulsed around him as she felt his body go taut with one last surge into her. His guttural cry joined hers.

She slowly came to awareness, slightly amazed to realize she hadn’t collapsed. Her hands were gripping the edge of the shelf tightly. The grip of his hand on her hip anchored her. She slowly straightened, and he drew back. In the quiet of the small supply closet, they tugged their clothes back into place. When she saw him glancing around for a trashcan, she snagged a box of tissue from the shelf and tidily wrapped the condom inside before tossing it in the wastebasket in the corner. She turned back to find his eyes on her. In the shadowed light, she felt suddenly vulnerable. This rush of need driving her to him was so unfamiliar she didn’t know what to do with it. He seemed to sense she didn’t want to talk when she stepped to his side and slipped her hand in his. Once again, she led him through the darkened hallway as they returned to the auditorium.



Travis steered his truck through the darkness, the falling snow sparkling like glitter in the beam of the headlights. Stella was chattering away beside him in the front seat. He couldn’t keep his eyes from occasionally looking at Janie in the rear view mirror. He was still half-dazed from their mind-blowing encounter in the office supply closet. If someone had told him he’d fall so hard and fast for a woman, he’d think nothing of screwing her in a closet, he’d have laughed so hard he’d probably have broken a rib. Yet, tonight he was so desperate to have her, it seemed the perfectly reasonable. In fact, if he could find another closet right about now, he’d drag her inside and do it all over again.

While Stella talked about a few of the pieces she was practicing and various social dramas, Janie’s soft voice sprinkled the conversation. His mind turned his thoughts over in circles. Janie was, well, she was like no other woman. He’d never been the kind of guy to purposefully avoid attachments, but he also hadn’t been a player either. He’d been somewhere in between, or so he supposed. He was now discovering the issue had been that he’d yet to meet a woman who called to him on every level. Janie was that woman, and he couldn’t quite believe she’d been right under his nose all this time.

He was slightly stunned at the depth of feelings she elicited. Between the slow build between them and Randy’s reappearance in Diamond Creek and how it affected Janie, it was beyond clear she meant a lot to him. His mind spun back to the look on her face when she realized the call he and Ben had responded to had involved Randy. Just thinking about it now sent a flash of cold anger through him. He’d be perfectly happy to march up to Randy’s hospital room and punch his lights out. The only thing holding him back was the knowledge Janie probably wouldn’t appreciate the wildfire of gossip that would create, not to mention he’d probably get himself arrested. Though he was friends with everyone on the police force, Darren ran an up and up force. He wouldn’t stand for Travis assaulting someone just because of old history.

“Travis?”

Stella’s voice snapped him back to where he was. He focused his eyes on the road through the blowing white snow. “Huh?” he asked, glancing sideways at her.

“Oh, I said thanks for the pizza, like three times,” she explained with a roll of her eyes. “The rest of the kids liked it too. I was telling Mom you should come to recital practice more often.”

He caught Janie’s eyes in the rear view mirror at the sound of her muffled laughter. “Anytime,” he replied, thinking perhaps they could make good use of the supply closet again.

Janie shook her head with another laugh. “She just wants you to bring more pizza.”

Stella laughed and shrugged. “Maybe so, but I like you too.” She paused and glanced at Janie before he felt her gaze on him again. He sensed she was considering something. “Okay, you’re a guy,” she began.

“Yup. I’m a guy,” he offered, trying to keep from smiling.

Stella swatted his shoulder. “I have a question. I know what Mom thinks, but I need a guy opinion.”

His heart squeezed, a funny warmth spreading through him. It was oddly satisfying to have Stella trust him enough to ask him anything.

“So, did you see the guy who plays the drums?”

At his nod, she continued. “He’s my friend, like one of my best friends. I mean, when I first moved here, life sucked. It totally sucked. I didn’t know anyone and I was just this loser foster kid from Kenai.”

“Stella, please don’t…” Janie began.

Stella glanced over her shoulder and threw a smile at Janie. “Mom. I know. You’re gonna tell me not to call myself a loser and say something about how words matter. I get it. Don’t worry. I don’t think I’m a loser now, at least not most of the time. But back then, I did. I’m just trying to explain.”

Travis kept driving, figuring it was better to let Stella get to her question at her own pace.

“Anyway, so life sucked. I got to know Parker in music class and he was like one of the only kids who was nice to me at first. Now I have lots more friends, but even though he’s a guy, he’s like one of my best friends. Okay?”

Travis nodded, thinking she meant for him to confirm he understood. “Got it. Parker’s a good guy and he’s one of your best friends.”

He felt Stella’s firm nod. “Right. So anyway, now he’s asked me to go to the Christmas Dance. I’m all nervous because I’ve never been and I’m worried it’s weird he asked me and I don’t know what it means.” Stella’s words tripped over each other, coming out in a rush.

His heart clenched again. He couldn’t say he knew what it was like to be Stella, but he knew what it was like to be in high school. He was going on twenty years past it, and he was still relieved it was over. He kept his eyes on the road when he sensed Stella felt uncomfortable and strove to keep his tone casual. “So what’s your question?”

“Okay, so Mom says it’s okay to go to a dance with a friend. But what if it’s something else? I don’t know why a guy would ask a girl to a dance if he didn’t like her as more than a friend. I’m afraid to ask Parker about that because I don’t know. So, see—this is why I need a guy opinion. What do you think? Is he just asking as a friend, or is it something more?”

Travis glanced in the rear view mirror. He wished Janie could somehow silently impart some advice here. Her eyes caught his, and one corner of her mouth curled up. She gave a tiny nod that he interpreted to mean it would be okay for him to answer. Although he’d be damned if he knew the right answer. He wished he knew if Stella liked Parker as more than a friend. He sensed she might, but he wasn’t sure. After a moment of deliberation, he elected to answer as best he could and pray he didn’t unintentionally say the wrong thing.

“Okay, guy answer. Your Mom’s right. It’s totally okay to go to a dance with a friend. Parker’s obviously your friend, so you’re cool there. As for whether or not a guy would ask a girl to a dance if he only liked her as a friend, well it depends. I don’t know Parker. All I know is he plays drums in music class and recitals with you. He sounds like a pretty nice guy since he was nice to you at a time when it was hard to be the new kid on the block. To make my answer more guy like…” He paused when Stella giggled. “…truth is, most guys ask girls to dances if they like them. So maybe Parker is asking only as a friend, or maybe he’s asking a friend who might be hoping there’s something more there. Don’t go crazy with that answer, but it’s my best honest guy guess.”

He glanced sideways to see Stella rapidly twirling a lock of hair around her finger. He looked back at the road, slowing to turn off the highway and onto the road that led to Janie’s house. Stella sighed. “Fine, so basically it’s a big fat maybe. Maybe he just wants to be my friend and maybe he wants something else.”