Santa's Blind Date (A Santa's Coming Short Story) Read online

“You didn’t...you didn’t have to do that for me,” Celine says. From her flushed cheeks and bright eyes, I can tell the kiss didn’t only affect me. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “I did it for me too.” I rub the side of my face. “But you have to admit that the taste of revenge is incredibly sweet.” She has no idea that I’m referring to the taste of her lips.

  She gives me a shy smile, one that touches me so deeply that I’m almost unable to bear the tightness inside my pants.

  “Thank you,” she says. “It did feel kind of good.”

  “Good? That’s it?” I sigh with feigned disappointment. “If it wasn’t great, maybe we should get back in there so I can make love to you on the table. That would drive him nuts, don’t you think?” I’m only half joking.

  “Stop that.” She lowers her gaze, but the pink color in her cheeks gives her away. I have polluted her mind.

  I place a finger under her chin to make her look into my eyes. “I don’t want tonight to end here. I promised to feed you. I hope you’ll still let me. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  She giggles. “I guess I have no choice but to say yes. Where are you taking me?”

  “To the hotel I’m staying at. That’s if you don’t mind.”

  “I...I don’t mind, Blake.”

  CELINE

  I swallow down the last of my chocolate mousse. From the way it was presented and the smooth texture of the dessert, I’m sure it was delicious. But I wouldn’t know.

  The entire time after we arrived at the Connelly Hotel, I was unable to focus on anything but Blake. With his jet black, wavy hair—and matching dark eyes—and now a slightly crooked aquiline nose, he still resembles the boy I knew years ago.

  His luxurious black and white hotel suite, the chandeliers, and rich carpeting did not impress me as much as he did.

  What he did at the Rosewood restaurant touched me more than he will ever know. Since Brianna showed up on my doorstep, I had been unable to recover from the pain that Dennis caused me. With a few words, she had ripped open my unhealed wounds, and took me back to the past, to the very day Dennis walked out on me.

  But that was until Blake walked into my life out of nowhere.

  I clear my throat and put down my spoon. “I still can’t believe you did that.” I’m unable to hold back a smile as I remember the taste of his kiss.

  “You mean rubbing it in your ex-husband’s face?”

  I nod. “No one has ever done something like that for me.” Since Dennis, no man has made me feel the way I feel right now. But then again, I have not let any man into my life. It’s hard to believe that the man who rescued me tonight was the boy I had a huge crush on in high school, one that lasted all the way until he left town to pursue his career in boxing.

  “Well, I’m honored.” He pushes his plate aside. “Did you enjoy the food?”

  “I did. It was delicious,” I lie. I can’t even remember the taste of the food. “Enough about me. Tell me about yourself. How’s life in the limelight?”

  “I left the limelight three years ago. I’m still in the business of boxing, but my face is safe from any more punches.” He touches his crooked nose. It must have been an injury from one of his fights.

  “That’s brave. Not many people do that, just walk away at the height of their career.”

  When Blake was away, I read every paper that featured his face. I only stopped when I started dating Dennis. It wasn’t fair to be with one man and think of another. I made a conscious decision then that I would forget any feelings I ever had for Blake and move on with my life.

  “Being a boxer was demanding at times. It was hard to find the time to actually enjoy the money I earned.”

  “So you wanted to have a life.” I take a sip of wine to calm my nerves. “I hope you don’t have any regrets.”

  He stands up from his chair and comes to stand behind me. I hold my breath when he places his hands on my shoulders. “No regrets. It was the best decision I ever made.”

  “What are you doing?” I ask when I feel the warmth of his breath on the side of my neck, followed by a soft kiss, one that makes my stomach flip. Never in a million years did I think the year would end like this.

  When Blake asked me to his hotel suite, something inside me wanted to say no, but another part refused. He had made me feel so special at the Rosewood. I was curious to know how many more surprises the night held for me. Now here we are, and my body is reacting to his touch.

  “I think you know what I’m doing, Celine.” He glides his hands down my arms before pulling me out of my chair, spinning me around to face him. “I have a little secret. I think the time has come for me to tell you about it.”

  “What is it?” My throat tightens as I fear the worst.

  He smiles and the corners of his dark eyes crinkle. “I know this is coming many years too late, but I actually had the hots for you in school.”

  “No.” Warmth floods my cheeks. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I’m serious.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were my dream girl back then.”

  “I don’t believe you.” How could one of the most popular guys in school be interested in a shy and reserved girl like me? I didn’t even think I was pretty.

  Instead of responding in words, he tilts my head upward and lowers his lips to mine for the second time tonight. The kiss is gentle, his tongue teasing my lips in light strokes. The moment lasts only a few seconds, but I know the memory will stay with me for a lifetime.

  “Tell me,” he whispers, his intense gaze reaching into my soul. “Did that kiss taste fake?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” I purse my lips, still reeling from the touch of his tongue on my lips.

  “What I’m trying to say to you, Celine, is that I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”

  I swallow hard. “To kiss me?”

  “And much more…Much, much more.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything to me about how you felt?” It blows my mind that we both felt the same way about each other and neither of us was brave enough to speak up. Or maybe the time wasn’t right.

  “I didn’t want to hurt you. I had no idea how to treat girls at the time. I’m sure you know I broke enough hearts to last me a lifetime. I didn’t want one of those hearts to be yours.”

  “I would have taken the risk,” I say, ready to tell him my own secret. “You were also my secret crush.”

  “Woman, what are you doing to me?” The voice that comes through his throat is husky with emotion. “If only I had known.” He pulls me into his arms and holds me for long time.

  As I listen to the sound of his heart beating, tears burn the backs of my eyes. I wish he had come back sooner, before Dennis had a chance to walk on my heart. How different would my life have turned out? But does that matter now?

  “Maybe the time wasn’t right,” I whisper. “But now you know.” Finding courage I never knew I had, I press my lips to his. The moment our lips contact, a dizzying current of pleasure races through me. Things are different now, and we live in two different worlds, but we have tonight.

  My lips part and my tongue slides into his warm, welcoming mouth. As our tongues caress each other, the pit of my stomach churns with need. I had fantasized often about how it would feel to kiss Blake Lockhart. But my fantasies were never as good as this.

  The reality of what’s about to happen slams into me when his hand goes to my hair.

  Panting from the rush of emotion, I break the kiss and step back.

  “No.” He slides his bottom lip between his teeth. “There’s no getting out of this.” He moves closer and encircles my waist, pulls me back to his warm body.

  “I...I can’t, Blake. I’m sorry.” I lift my hand to my head.

  “Allow me.” My heart stutters when he pushes my hand away and his fingers tug at my wig.

  “Don’t.” I swallow the lump in my throat. But it’s too late. He already has the wig in his hands.
I feel so naked right now, exposed. “I had cancer.” I bite my trembling lip. “It’s gone but—”

  “The hair will grow back. You don’t need this.” He tosses the wig onto my chair. “It hides your true beauty.”

  I turn my back to him, my arms around my body. “I told you I’m a mess. Life broke me.”

  “You’re wrong.” He turns me around and cups my face with both hands. His kiss whispers on my lips again. “You’re only cracked, beautiful, not broken.” He deepens the kiss, then pauses. “Give me tonight and I’ll start mending your cracks.”

  When he sweeps me into his arms, still kissing me, I change my mind about asking him why he wasn’t surprised to hear about my cancer. Right now I’m too lost in him to care. I don’t stop him when he enters the suite bedroom and lowers me onto the bed with a wide grin on his face. My head is filled with Blake and nothing outside this room is real. Only we are real.

  “What are you planning on doing to me?” I ask, breathless.

  “How about I show you instead?” He opens his shirt to reveal a tight, firm, sculptured chest, slick with sweat.

  I swallow hard as my gaze move down his chest and settles on the bulge in his pants. He wasn’t lying. He really does want me. Saying I’m flattered is an understatement.

  “I hope you like what you see.” He lays a hand on himself, then reaches under the pillow for a condom. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  “Only if you help me unzip my dress.” The cheeky giggle coming from me sounds foreign to my ears.

  “Sure.” I gasp when he flips me onto my stomach. “I’d be more than happy to unwrap you, my Christmas present.”

  He does exactly what he said he would. He unwraps me, in more ways than one. The clothes fall, the hurts are forgotten, and then he covers my body with his.

  A wave of heat sweeps across my sweaty skin and a flush of sexual desire like nothing I have ever experienced before arrests me. I’m more than ready for what he has to offer.

  BLAKE

  It thrills me to be the one piecing Celine back together.

  I draw in a breath and rest my dick at her clit, moving my shaft up and down while I watch her pupils dilate. The woman wants me as badly as I want her.

  I never thought this day would come. Back in school, I’d dreamed of being inside her countless times, but I didn’t allow myself to spoil her. I was not the right guy for her at the time, someone who would love her the way she deserved, marry her, give her kids, and settle down. If I had given myself the permission to have her back then, I’m sure I’d have broken her heart.

  My dick hardens even more as I tap it several times against her entrance. She moans and sways her hips from side to side, her eyes closed now.

  “Are you sure about this?” My question surprises me. I’ve had many women, and I’ve never been this careful, or gentle.

  Her eyes drift open, but they look about to close again. “I want you. Now.”

  Something inside me shifts. Hearing those words coming from her lips gives me the permission I need to make love to her, something I have never done to any woman before. It had always been sex, pure and simple. For the first time ever, I will give myself to a woman completely.

  I start out slow, taking my time as I ease myself carefully into her. She has been hurt so much already.

  “Blake,” she breathes, her fingers digging into my thigh muscles. “Harder. You won’t break me.” She giggles. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

  “Your wish is my command.” I pierce into her halfway, pause to listen to her sounds of pleasure, then push in again until my balls come to rest on her ass. I’m huge, but I guess we’re a good fit.

  The air smells of her scent and my cologne coming together as one, just like our bodies.

  The way we find our rhythm so quickly, you’d think we’ve done this before. Her pussy clenches tight around my dick, which responds by growing even harder, pushing against her slick walls.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” I croak. How could I ever have thought I could live without her, without this?

  As I plunge deeper into her, her eyes fill with tears. I push my hands under her, press my body tight against hers, and kiss away the moisture. “No more tears, baby. I’m here now.”

  “Blake, I feel so alive…so happy.” She’s crying hard now, but she’s also smiling.

  “You deserve to be.” I rotate my hips against her so my dick hits every angle of her tunnel.

  “Why didn’t we do this before?” She wraps her legs around my middle, her inner thighs like silk against my skin.

  Still moving inside her, I remove my arms from around her body and pin her hands over her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” I push my ass into the air, withdrawing to just the tip of my dick, then I thrust deeper into her flesh. She’s warm, moist, and all mine.

  With each thrust, I claim what belongs to me. I don’t care that the rich, red hair I loved so much in school is gone, or that she’s bruised. To me she’s still perfect.

  “Oh, Blake.” She arches her back so our hips slam harder against each other. “I have never—”

  “You have never what, baby?” When my balls start to tighten to the point of discomfort, warning me that I’m on the verge of exploding, I withdraw and push two fingers inside her to replace my dick. I insert another, thrusting deep.

  “Oh. Oh. That’s so good.” She tilts her head upward to reveal her pale throat. I run my tongue from the hollow at the base of her neck to her chin.

  “But we’re just getting started.” I flip her onto her stomach and fuck her from the heart. We create something that’s painfully raw and beautiful at the same time. A few more thrusts and her body tenses up. She has reached the point of no return.

  When she comes, it’s my name that leaves her lips in a loud, victorious scream that echoes through the room. Now that I have pleasured her, there’s no longer a need to hold back. So I don’t. I give her everything, more than I have given any woman. Then I crash on top of her, holding her tight, my heart pounding, my dick pulsing.

  “I have another secret,” she whispers after we have caught our breaths.

  “Tell me.” I don’t lift my head from her back.

  “You’re the first man to make me come.”

  I withdraw and turn her to face me. “You’re joking.”

  “Nope.” She purses her lips, color flooding her cheeks. “I’ve come close, many times, but it never happened. Until you.”

  “Celine, oh, baby.” I kiss her face, erasing the tears, both proud at what I have accomplished and pissed off with myself for letting her go without an orgasm for so long.

  “Thank you,” she whispers.

  “Thank me later.” I brush the sweat from her face with the palm of my hand. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” I slip her nipple into my mouth. “Ready for another round?”

  CELINE

  The letter flutters from my trembling hands. When I picked it up, five minutes ago, it was light, but now it’s heavy with the weight of the words scrolled across it.

  I sink down into one of the dining chairs, on top of the red and white Santa costume. Then I drop my head into my hands. Laughter bubbles up inside me, but I swallow it down. It’s funny really. How could I have been so blind? I was a fool to believe that a man like Blake would fall for a damaged woman like me.

  “Celine, what’s taking you so long? Someone here is missing you.”

  Even though I want to go back to him in the bedroom, and I can still feel the sensation of being filled with him, I cannot erase from my mind what I have just discovered. I had come looking for a drink of water. Instead, I found something that will change everything. First I saw the Santa costume sticking out of a box in a corner of the dining room. The letter was right on top of it. I would have ignored it, but then I recognized my sister’s handwriting.

  When I don’t respond, he comes looking for me, standing in the doorway, all naked and devastatingly handsome.
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  “What’s wrong, baby?” He walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. I shake him off.

  “You tell me.” I pick up the letter from the table and hand it to him.

  “Shit,” he says, without taking the letter from me. “I was going to tell you. I really was, but everything happened so fast.”

  “I thought it was real, you know,” I scoff. “I actually thought what happened between us was real. Now I find out that the man I had the most amazing time with, slept with me out of pity.”

  My anger is not only meant for him. Olivia betrayed me as much as he did. Of course by writing the letter she was trying to find a way to cheer me up. But that’s not how I feel right now.

  “It’s not true. What we did in there was fucking real.” He points to the door leading into the bedroom. “You know it was.”

  I get up from the chair, feeling dizzy suddenly. “Thank you,” I say. “Thank you for doing something nice for a lonely woman on Christmas day. Now that your job is done, I should go.”

  On the way to the bedroom, I pick up my wig where he had thrown it a couple of hours ago.

  “Don’t do this,” he says, almost tripping as he tries to put on his pants. “Don’t leave, not like this.”

  I don’t say a word until I’m fully dressed, then I turn to him. “For all it’s worth, I think it’s great what you did for the kids, coming every year to play secret Santa. No one knew who you were.” I swallow the tears inside my throat. “Goodbye, Blake.”

  I walk out of the hotel room with warm tears sliding down my cheeks. It hurts to want to stay so badly. But I have to say goodbye before he does. No matter what he says, he asked me out tonight because of Olivia’s letter. He felt sorry for me. If she hadn’t written to him, what we did would probably never have happened.

  I jab the elevator button and glance back down the carpeted hallway. Before the elevator arrives, Blake charges out of the room, shirtless. I change my mind and take the stairs instead. But it’s too late. He has already seen me.