She wasn't entirely happy with their purchases, and not because of the dust. "None of this matches," she complained as she walked with him to the truck.
"That will be the beauty of my tree. Its seeming lack of organization will make it look even more cheerful."
Those were hardly words to convince a woman like Sage. Still, she'd do her best to make it look as beautiful as possible. She was incapable of doing anything less.
"No, no, no!" Sage guarded the tree with her feet spaced apart and her hands on her hips. He was slaughtering this decorating party. She'd tried to be patient, tried to stand back and let him do what he wanted. It was his tree, after all. But she just couldn't take it anymore.
Was he doing it on purpose to get a reaction from her? If he was, he'd win hands down, because, after suffering so long in silence, she simply had to intervene.
"What? I think it looks great," he said, eyeing the mishmash of ornaments in many colors and shapes that were placed at random on the noble tree. Some were pushed deeper inside their branches, and some clung for dear life right on the edge. Some were jumbled up together and others were miles apart.
This was a disaster. Her side looked perfect-okay, as perfect as it could look with the ornaments she'd been given. But Spence's side looked terrible.
"You're kidding. You have to be kidding," she said, pushing him back when he tried to hang another ornament. She held out her hand and glared, daring him not to give it to her.
"Is this what you want?" he asked, dangling the bright red sphere on his finger.
"Yes, hand it over," she said, her foot beginning to tap.
"But I have the perfect place for it, Sage." He moved toward the tree.
She held out her hand. "No." This had to be the most stupid fight she'd ever had with another person, but she was putting her foot down. He'd asked for her help on the tree and he was doing a grave injustice to the lush foliage by making it look so all-fired ugly.
"Did you just tell me no?"
"Yes, I told you no. Now surrender the ornament and go . . . go make us hot chocolate or something." She ran one hand through her hair but left the other hand out and open as she waited for him to comply.
"Ah. I like an aggressive woman," he said, now taking a step in her direction. The ball was in serious danger of being dropped.
"Good. You've got one." She wasn't backing down. He was handing over that ornament-one way or another.
"Perfect," he said, and she was horrified when he tossed the ornament behind him, not caring whether it shattered somewhere in the distance. Before she could react, his arms snaked out around her waist and he pulled her tightly against him. "You realize I get all worked up when you're so cute and bossy, don't you?"
Spence didn't give her time to answer; instead, he leaned down and attacked her lips hungrily, taking over and showing her he was certainly in charge right now. She forgot all about the tree when his hands slid down and grasped her behind.
He stopped kissing her for only two seconds in order to growl, "You make me burn," and then he was plundering her mouth again.
When his lips moved down her throat, she desperately sucked in air, her chest heaving as he gripped the bottom of her shirt and tore it from her. He slid his hands back up and circled her breasts.
"Yes," she moaned, grinding against him as his fingers pinched her nipples through the lacy fabric of her bra.
He now licked the swells of her breasts, nipped her skin, then proceeded to unclasp the offending garment, leaving her naked from the waist up. He didn't slow his movements; his mouth rounded the curve of her breasts and his lips clamped down around her peaked nipple, making her cry out.
As he suckled her, he dealt with her slacks and panties, leaving her naked in his arms and feeling vulnerable but too turned on to care.
She reached for him, wanting his flesh bared to her, needing to touch him the way he was touching her. Finding the top button of his jeans, she tugged, freeing it, and then gave a hard yank so the rest of the buttons came lose. Her hands slipped inside the back of his waistband and pushed downward. Grabbing the solid flesh of his behind, she squeezed, and gloried in his hot skin, his flexing muscles.
"Yes, Sage, touch me," he ordered her as his mouth continued devouring her aching peaks.
"With pleasure," she sighed, grasping for the buttons of his shirt, pushing it from his shoulders.
Sage pulled back from him, then ran her tongue along the salty flesh of his neck while her hands roamed over his back. Moving to his muscled chest, she mimicked what he'd done just before, tasting him, devouring him, loving him.
Her teeth scraped over his nipples, sending a shiver through him, before she dropped to her knees and let her tongue swirl around the hard planes of his stomach.
"Sage," he groaned when she lifted a hand, grasped his manhood, and stroked the searing flesh.
She now ran her tongue over the tip of his erection, surprised by his taste, turned on by his growl. Sucking him into her mouth, she reacted to the cries he made, moving along his flesh now faster, then more slowly.
"Enough," he cried, pulling free from her, making her whimper at the loss before he dropped to his knees and grabbed her into his arms, quickly rolling her onto her back and pausing as he looked into her eyes.
"Spence?" she questioned when he was still for several excruciating moments.
"Shh. I'm mesmerized by you. I just want to look at you-always look at you," he whispered before bending and kissing her so tenderly she felt emotion clog her throat.
Their eyes connected and their mouths barely brushing, he slid his arousal inside her, slowly, inch by beautiful inch, until she was full-until she was quivering around him.
What had started as pure hunger was morphing into pure love. He never stopped looking into her eyes, never stopped gently nipping at her lips, his tongue soothing the tender flesh while his body slowly moved within her.
Minutes or hours could have passed-she didn't know, didn't care. Heat built, slow and steady, strong, so strong, until her eyes widened and she gasped, her body gripping him in a shattering moment of pleasure that he drew out with his smooth and stirring thrusts.
As she began floating back to earth, he cried out, his erection pumping against the swollen flesh of her core and releasing inside her. After he collapsed on top of her, she gazed up as he nuzzled her neck. When she looked now at their tree-their first tree together-she decided it was absolutely perfect.
"I'm getting it!" Excitement bounced off her in waves as Sage slowly made her way down the slope at the Red Lodge Mountain. They'd been at the large ski resort for the past six hours, and after a couple of hours of instruction, and much patience on Spence's side, she was finally coming down the mountain on her own.
"You're learning much faster than most," Spence said with a blinding smile.
"That's because I have an incredible teacher," she said with a wink.
When they came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, Spence slid his skis between her legs and pulled her to him, giving her a chaste kiss before leaning back.
The more she was with this man, the more she wanted to be with him. Work was all consuming, but every single minute of free time was now a new adventure with Spence, whether it was a romantic dinner at his place, a quick jet ride to somewhere she'd never been before, Christmas tree shopping, or just finding a dark corner where they could make out. It didn't matter. All that mattered was being with him.
"Are you ready for a break, Sage? Maybe a snack and a drink?"
"More than ready. Though it's cold outside, this thick coat is making me sweat, and my thighs have received more of a workout than they're used to."
"I thought I'd been giving you plenty of exercise," he said as he let her go and gave her a salacious smile.
"Mmm, your workouts are the best ones, Spence."
"Always nice to hear," he said.
After removing his skis, he helped her off with hers and stacked them in a holding area. They walked inside the large lodge, where a fire was burning bright and hot and small tables placed about allowed guests to relax for a while before getting back on the slopes.
Sitting there with Spence, Sage found herself looking at him and wondering whether she had the courage to tell him what was on her mind. She loved him. She wanted him to know that. But was it too soon? Would she frighten him away?