Love Under the Mistletoe Read online

  ‘That’s so stupid.’ Holly said it with a sneer, but inside her heart was leaping wildly.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Why would he do that for you?’

  ‘Well, he’s a decent guy and it helps me out – you know what Mum’s like with her lectures and questions – but mainly he did it for himself, I reckon. He’s interested in what makes people tick.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘But I’m still curious about what you think of him.’

  ‘Like I said, he’s OK. I haven’t given it much thought.’ She daren’t look up. She wanted to run off somewhere and squeal and scream with sheer delight. ‘But Mum put you in the same room. Aren’t you sleeping together here?’

  ‘No. We go into my room if anyone’s looking, but then he scarpers down the corridor. I made up the top room for him. No one goes up there. They won’t have a clue he’s staying up there. I’ll change the sheets myself before we leave.’

  ‘Right.’ Holly stared into space, her mind a whirl of liberation and intent.

  ‘You all right?’

  ‘Yeah, sorry, tired that’s all. Never sleep well here.’ She turned and gave her sister, for once, a genuine smile.

  It took her all of two minutes to decide what she was going to do next. She didn’t speak to Daniel at dinner but passed him in the corridor later.

  ‘Rosa told me you’re no longer together,’ she said before walking on past him without looking back.

  She waited until after midnight. She didn’t want to be caught by anyone, let alone her mother or Rosa. She crept as silently through the halls as Daniel had sneaked up on her behind the curtain. The room he was in was one of the old servants’ rooms at the end of a corridor on the top floor, isolated and hidden. She tiptoed up the stairs, every creak seeming to proclaim her guilt. But determination gave her strength and courage. At last, after her feet ached through being on her toes for so long, she reached his door.

  She knocked, timorously at first, but then with growing bravado.

  There was no answer. She waited. Perhaps Rosa was fibbing, perhaps they’d reconciled and were shagging madly downstairs in her room. The thought turned her stomach. But then, after what seemed like minutes, the door opened. There he stood, staring down at her. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a toned chest beneath. She didn’t know where to look. As soon as he saw her, he smiled.

  ‘I …’ she began but then ran out of words.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I want to come in.’

  He smiled in wry amusement but gave no indication he would let her in. Daniel leaned along the door frame and crossed his arms, appraising her. Her heart was thudding so hard she thought everyone in the house would hear it. Oh God, why didn’t he say anything?

  After interminable seconds, he spoke at last, his voice mellow and even. ‘Once you’re in, you’re mine. You know that, don’t you?’

  She nodded.

  ‘And I can do what I think is right with you.’

  His words sent a terrifying thrill writhing inside her. She nodded again, fast.

  His smile deepened. ‘Come in then.’

  When inside she turned to him, her face serious. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t still with Rosa?

  He cocked an eyebrow at her disclosure but answered immediately. ‘Because it was more fun that way.’

  ‘And cruel. There I was thinking I’d helped you cheat on her.’

  ‘And didn’t you enjoy it?’ he purred.

  She frowned. It hurt that the answer was not the one it should have been. She didn’t say it out loud.

  ‘I wanted to see if you’d do something wicked,’ he continued, enjoying launching the word ‘wicked’ between them.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because if you do one wicked thing you’ll go on and do many more.’

  Her heart was pattering away. It was like there was a weight pressing on her chest. ‘Wicked things?’

  ‘Hmm …’ He stepped closer to her, his eyes running up and down the length of her body. ‘Naughty, wicked, dirty, filthy things.’

  ‘I’m not like that.’

  He smirked. ‘Carry on lying. More wickedness. It’s all good. But I don’t think you’re here to tell me off about your sister, Holly Merchant.’ He came and stood directly in front of her but made no move to touch her. She thought she’d faint if he didn’t. He said nothing, just looked at her. She could feel time grinding to a halt.

  ‘I’m on the pill. My doctor tells me I should for my periods,’ she suddenly blurted out. They had to think about that sort of thing, didn’t they? It couldn’t just happen.

  He chuckled.

  ‘What?’ she said, frowning at his reaction.

  ‘Well … that’s worth knowing, but it’s not how I usually discuss contraception. Never mind. That’s good. I have some condoms but I’d rather not use them. Wait a moment.’ He crossed to a suitcase and bent to retrieve some papers from it which he then came to hand to her.

  ‘What’s this?’ She scanned the documents. They were on the headed paper of ‘Belmont Place Surgery.’

  ‘Medical. Month ago. Had to have it before I went out for a job in Mexico. And I can assure you I was too busy for any extra activities, so nothing’s changed since then. Read it. I want you to trust me.’

  She scanned it. All tests and checks had been done, including sexual health. Each possible disease had a ‘negative’ next to it. Daniel was in peak condition.

  ‘Right, well, that’s … fine then.’ She pushed it back at him, feeling awkward about the whole thing. Maybe a condom would have been simpler. She knew she was blushing.

  He laughed again, softly.

  ‘Stop laughing at me.’ Her frown deepened.

  ‘I’m not laughing at you, I’m just entranced.’

  Now she blushed deeper still. Holly stood there, her upper teeth digging a little into her bottom lip, unsure what to do next. She had her answer when Daniel spoke.

  ‘I want you to take off your clothes.’

  His words shocked her, not because of what he was asking – that was what she wanted, after all – but because it had come from nowhere. She hesitated. Her right arm instinctively folded itself across her body and she held onto the left. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, was it? Wasn’t he supposed to whisper sweet nothings and lavish compliments on her?

  ‘Well?’ he asked, standing with his arms folded before him, his feet slightly apart. Forget the sweet nothings. Desire reared up in her so forcefully she felt dizzy. ‘Slowly, mind. Very, very slowly.’

  Holly reached for her shirt and started on the buttons. Daniel stood, that slight, almost mocking, smile on his face, but his eyes did not shift away from hers. She was never going to develop the full breasts of her sister – another reason why she’d been written off, apparently – and suddenly became aware of her meagre chest. She dropped her head but carried on releasing each button. Her breath was dragging now; it was becoming harder to take in enough air, the tension in the room was so consuming.

  ‘Good girl,’ he said. ‘You’re doing very well.’

  A compliment. And it thrilled her. A ripple of delight washed through her, causing the goosebumps on her skin to dance.

  She had undone all the buttons. She’d have to take off the shirt now and reveal the plain white cotton of her bra. She’d only let a few men – boys, really – see or touch her before, and those encounters were drawn to a hasty end when she decided she couldn’t be doing with them after all. Daniel was not one of those boys. With a breath to steady herself, she pushed the shirt off her shoulders and it fell to the floor.

  Holly stood awkwardly, biting her lip, her usual bravado evaporating.

  ‘Carry on,’ he said.

  She fumbled for her jeans zip and undid it, then pushed the denim down off her legs. Her legs weren’t as elegant as her sister’s and her hips a little too flared compared to the elfin girls she knew at school. She suddenly recalled all the insults and put-downs over the yea
rs. What if he felt the same?

  Her hands reached around to unclasp her bra but she held onto the ends, still hesitating. At last, she shrugged forward and the bra came away. She let it drop as if it would poison her if she held onto it too long. He was watching her intently, almost solemnly, not that she could bring herself to meet his eyes.

  Finally, her fingers moved to the band of her knickers, white cotton again. She pushed down and stepped out of them, acutely aware of her complete nakedness. Holly couldn’t raise her head.

  For a time, nothing happened. She stood with her arms folded across her belly while the man watched her.

  Then he stepped forward and placed a single finger under her chin, pushing up and raising her head to look at him. His expression was remarkably tender, so surprisingly that she gasped softly.

  ‘You are quite remarkable,’ he said.

  ‘What do I do now?’ She was taken aback at how nervous she sounded. She hardly recognised it as her, and yet it was rather intriguing to experience this new personality.

  ‘You don’t do anything. I do it all. And first, I want to look.’

  He began to walk around her, slowly. At first he didn’t touch, but then he allowed his fingertips to graze her belly. As he walked they traced a path over her skin, leaving a little fiery trail in their wake. He moved all the way around her until he returned to the front. His fingers had risen up as they’d gone, and now they were close to her breasts. He stopped in front of her and brought both hands up, one in front of each breast. She was pink with embarrassment. Her nipples had hardened to little points of tightness. She wasn’t sure why; the air was not cold.

  His fingers moved up until his thumbs hovered right over them. Then he touched. He grazed the pads of his thumb over the hard nubs of flesh and she sucked in sharply as the sweetest sensation dashed through her. As he did so he leaned in and kissed her, the softest, sweetest kiss, but searching too. His tongue slipped inside as if to open her little by little.

  Holly had touched herself frequently, stroking, rubbing, and exploring all parts of her body. But this was all new. To have someone else’s hands, someone else’s lips drawing these exquisite feelings from her was so revelatory and extraordinary that she released a sigh of bliss against his lips that she didn’t even hear herself.

  Daniel drew back and stared at her again, as if imprinting the sight of her virgin body on him. ‘So soft and new, but ready … aren’t you?’

  She nodded. ‘I don’t want to wait anymore.’

  ‘Well … some things are worth waiting for.’

  ‘I’ve waited long enough.’

  With the slightest smile, he took hold of her hand and led her to the bed.

  ‘Lie down.’ She would have done anyway, but his voice left her in no mood to hesitate. It only added to the anticipation assailing her.

  She climbed onto the bed, any shame or even awareness at her nakedness gone.

  Holly thought he’d take her immediately; she was ready to let him, but he didn’t. Daniel started a slow progress over her skin, starting from her collarbones and working his way with kisses and licks and nuzzles over the length and breadth of her flesh. When he came to the V at the top of her legs, he avoided it, causing her to whine and buck towards him. But at those moments he would fall back completely and give her a reprimanding look which made her settle and wait.

  At last he leant over her and his fingers began to walk up her legs, pushing them apart as they went. Her breath was held, although she didn’t know it. So close. Nearly there. And then there it was. The perfect touch. He slid up through those soft wet lips that only she had touched before, and grazed that fat little bundle of flesh she’d craved him discovering.

  ‘Oh yes, you’re ready.’

  And suddenly he drew back from her again. Quickly, he began removing his own clothes. Holly had been so absorbed in her own feelings, she’d almost forgotten what exactly had to be done and with what. His shirt was off and soon she could see his firm torso. It was slender but defined with the organic shape of muscles and sinews, honed from a life lived hard rather than a strict regime. He had the merest dusting of dark hairs in the middle of his breast bone and a faint line of them trailing down towards … Her eyes followed it just as he pushed down his trousers and underwear.

  Holly was struck dumb for a moment. At last. God, she had waited for this and now it was here she wondered why she’d taken so long. Never had anything seemed more right.

  Daniel barely seemed to notice her preoccupation. A new urgency had taken hold of him and his breath was coming fast as he leant back over her. He had taken hold of his erect shaft in one hand and was bracing himself over her with the other.

  ‘It may hurt. If it does, use it. You can do that, can’t you?’ She found herself nodding. Yes, she would use it. She wanted it.

  ‘Come into me,’ she said, as if inviting in her hundredth lover, not her first. Daniel’s eyes darkened and he placed the head of his cock at her opening.

  He pushed, not slowly. There was no doubting his intent to break through her. She wanted it and he would not hesitate to deliver.

  His eyes fluttered shut when he was in only the slightest amount and his Adam’s apple lurched. ‘Christ,’ he hissed under his breath.

  There was resistance. Holly’s body was taken by surprise. But before she could get it to comply, before she had readied herself, Daniel surged forward and pushed into her. She cried out as a shot of pain dashed through her but more than that, beyond that, she was full. Oh God, he was inside her all the way, all the way, right up, pushing apart that which had not been touched before, reaching up into the deepest heart of her. And she loved it. She groaned out, a low, sonorous grunt of intense satisfaction. He withdrew and the pain returned, causing her to grimace, but she remembered his words: use it. Use it. She focused on the fullness. As he pushed back through again, she thought only of his cock embedded deep inside her, and the pain shifted to reflect that completion.

  She looked up into Daniel’s face. It was as handsome as ever, but now had a detached determination that made him more attractive than she could have imagined before. She reached up to hold onto his shoulders and moved with him as he stroked back and forth inside her. He himself was moaning and the sound was so earthy and sexual that it felt as good as his rock-hard cock.

  As the initial pain started to fade and she was able to focus on being filled by him, he did something else. He touched her there; that place that she wanted. Could it be more spectacular? Having a man inside you and having him rub and stroke that wonderful thing? Oh, it was almost too much. Her skin prickled and her belly turned inside out.

  As he pushed into her again, it broke inside and she was flying. Her body was melting, wave upon wave of melting flesh washing through them both. And as she let it out, she heard him groan. A groan of complete loss, it sounded to her, of pain perhaps. And his face reflected that; it twisted and grimaced as he released into her.

  At last it was clear: she’d chosen well and she wouldn’t look back.

  He stilled and collapsed, hot and heavy on top of her. ‘Jesus, Holly, Jesus, that was superb.’

  She wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Yes, it was superb. Beyond superb. ‘Thank you,’ she said. That was all.

  He pushed himself up and looked down at her before leaning in for a soft kiss. ‘It hurt.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And …?’

  He didn’t seem to worry about her pain, simply wanted to know how she’d dealt with it. ‘I liked it. It made me feel alive. It made me know what I was doing, what I was supposed to be.’

  He leant on one elbow and let his other hand stroke over her slender belly. ‘Do you know, Holly Merchant, you may just be the best Christmas present I’ve had in a long time.’

  ‘Well, I hope you play with me for a long time.’

  ‘Play with you? Sounds intriguing.’

  ‘But you still have to keep up the pretence with Rosa.’

  He shrugged.
‘It suits us both.’

  Holly turned away. ‘What about me?’

  ‘You don’t want your family finding out about you and me when they think I’m with your sister, do you?’

  ‘It’s going to be difficult. Having you here and seeing you with her and not being able to touch you.’

  ‘Oh, but it’s also a lot of fun.’

  ‘Fun?’

  ‘Hmm … it’s very wicked.’

  ‘You like wicked, don’t you?’ she said with a grin.

  ‘I do … and so do you. I wouldn’t be naked in bed with you if I didn’t think that.’

  ‘You weren’t very gentle with me.’ She gave him a teasing pout.

  ‘Did you mind?’

  ‘No. I liked it.’ She had. And it made her curious.

  ‘But you thought I should be?’

  ‘I don’t know what to think. It was different to what I expected, that’s all. But that’s good. I like the unexpected.’

  ‘Good, because I’m skilled at delivering the unexpected. Now, come here. You need to sleep before I get even more wicked.’

  Chapter Four

  In the early hours of the morning, Holly woke up. Her body already felt different, and although she was tender, the pain had dulled. She reached between her legs and touched her clitoris. It jerked at her touch, ready for more – demanding it in fact.

  She turned over. The bed beside her was empty. She sat up in surprise, her heart dropping from her to find Daniel gone. Had he abandoned her already?

  ‘Hello.’

  She darted around to the voice. He was sitting in a chair, in the gloom of early dusk.

  ‘You made me jump,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘I was watching you sleep. You are more beautiful than your sister, I hope you know that.’

  She dropped her head. ‘Don’t say that.’

  ‘I will. It’s my truth. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Good. I’m not sore anymore.’

  ‘Really?’ He cocked an eyebrow. ‘In that case … I think you’re ready. Come here.’

  Again, she obeyed.

  He patted his lap. He’d put his trousers back on but not his shirt. Tentatively, not quite understanding, she sat on his lap. He grasped her hips and lifted her back up. ‘No, not like that. Lie across my legs, face down.’