Love Under the Mistletoe Read online

  But there was another layer of anticipation this year. Halfway through the sermon, her concentration wavered. She looked around. Daniel was no longer there. Her leg started to jig. She shuffled on the hard pew and her desire rose quickly to the fore.

  She gave a little cough as the cool air tickled her throat. She coughed again and again, feigning a fit. Excusing herself mutely while pointing to her throat, she hurried out as silently as she could.

  Holly hoped he hadn’t returned to the house. She looked as far down the lane as she could. There was no sign of him. Returning to the church, she started to walk around it. It was cold. The sky was cloudless and the stars provided a twinkling canopy. Despondency set in as she paced behind the church, still not seeing him. He must have gone back. Holly turned her head up to the night sky and watched as her breath clouded, a blue-grey mist against the inky black.

  Before she knew it, hands had taken hold of her arms and pinned her to the flint wall of the church so that her breasts pressed against the cold stone. ‘Oof!’ she exclaimed, the air forced from her.

  ‘Naughty girl, sneaking out of the service.’

  She tried to look around but he was holding her too tight. His words hushed into her ear. Her sex throbbed its need, making her squirm against him. ‘I could say the same for you. You barely even made it into the porch.’

  ‘I prefer it out here.’

  His hands were pulling up her skirt and were soon rubbing against her clit, but it was frustratingly hidden by her leggings and underwear. With a grunt he took hold of them and pulled them down. There was a convenient little ledge that ran around the bottom of the church’s outer wall. It placed Holly at the perfect height for what was about to happen. There was a desperation to Daniel that took her breath away. She tried to steady herself as she waited.

  ‘You know what I’m going to do now, don’t you?’ he murmured. She heard the clink of his belt being undone.

  ‘Yes,’ she replied.

  ‘I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to fuck you right here against the church. And you’re not going to look back. You’re just going to take it.’

  ‘Yes.’

  He pushed her legs apart, gave a little at the knees, then rose back up, thrusting his cock right up into her in the process. She gasped out at the sudden impalement. Like this, she could feel him larger and deeper than before.

  He stopped talking. One hand held her leg to the side while the other gripped her right shoulder on the join where it met her neck. He was hard up against her, his hot breath warming her skin cooled by the December frost.

  He pulled out, making her ache for his return, but then drove back into her to the hilt so that she was forced up against the wall, pinned there by his body and his cock. The small flints were smooth but their edges caught against her clothing. Her left cheek was pushed into the rigid coldness, which would leave marks as her body was rocked up and down by his pounding.

  From inside the church came the opening notes of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’. She could make out the voices, loud and resonant with Christmas vigour, ‘Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies.’

  Daniel grunted as he forced his cock deeper yet into her. Her nipples were being rubbed along the stone, sending shards of pained pleasure rocketing to her clit.

  ‘Late in time behold Him come …’

  She suspected Daniel’s coming would be a little sooner.

  Still he moved. His cock nudged her G-spot with each thrust. She moaned with near delirium as her orgasm approached. At that, his hand clamped hard over her mouth, silencing her. Daniel hissed into her ear and his solid body juddered against her as he released high inside her. It was then that she came. With her mind focused only on sensation – cold stone, hard body, full and complete – she let pleasure cascade through her, as if it was pouring down from heaven itself. She splayed her hands on the ancient wall and, as her orgasm rushed on, she heard the last climax of the carol – ‘Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king!’ The ethereally high notes of the descant rang out as bright as her rapture.

  Neither moved. She wasn’t entirely sure they could. She thought perhaps they’d become affixed to the stone wall, that their frantic coupling had fused them to the building that had supported and enabled it.

  ‘Are you alright?’ he said at length, still pushing her hard against the church.

  ‘Yes,’ she managed. Reality encroached at last. ‘I’m cold.’

  After planting a kiss along her neck, Daniel slowly pulled back. She did come away from the wall after all, and as his cock slipped from her, she pulled back and stood, tucking in her clothes and tidying herself. ‘Hope no one saw that.’

  ‘And if they did? Goodwill to all men – our little present to the curtain twitchers.’

  ‘I’d better go back in. I pretended I was having a coughing fit.’

  He smirked. ‘It’s nearly over. I’ll hang around and walk home with you.’

  ‘With Rosa, you mean.’

  Daniel looked at her, his eyes dulling.

  ‘My mother’s been asking why you two don’t seem very close,’ she added.

  ‘Perhaps I’m not a very tactile person.’

  ‘I beg to differ.’ She smirked as she walked back to the church and received a smack on the bum for her cheek.

  She returned for the last few moments of the service. Rosa leaned over. ‘Where the hell have you been?’

  ‘Coughing fit. Couldn’t stop. Bloody awful when that happens.’

  Her sister tutted and looked around. ‘Where’s Daniel?’

  Holy shrugged. ‘How am I supposed to know?’

  ‘He barely made it inside. Did you see him when you were out?’

  ‘No.’ That was true to a point. She’d kept her head firmly to the wall while he’d shafted her mercilessly.

  They left the church in an orderly British file, shaking the vicar’s hand in turn. ‘Ah, the Merchants! I always know Christmas is upon us when you’re here. Happy Christmas to you all.’

  Jane Merchant simpered. ‘Yes, Reverend, and in the next year or so we may at last have another member of the family to bring along. Rosa’s finally thinking about settling down.’

  ‘Mother, hardly,’ tutted Rosa.

  ‘Really? Who’s the lucky fellow?’

  ‘He’s called Daniel, a structural engineer. Very clever. He’s here … somewhere. Rosa? Where is he?’

  ‘Somewhere.’

  ‘Excuse me.’ Holly pushed past them, making the vicar himself tut at her abruptness.

  Eventually, they all congregated on the path outside. Daniel had appeared again, hands in his pockets, his expression and demeanour unchanged despite his earlier exertions. ‘Where’ve you been?’ said Rosa.

  ‘Went for a walk round the village.’

  ‘Mum’s been wondering.’

  Holly hung back while Miles tried to tell her tasteless jokes about transvestites. She ignored him.

  Jane approached Daniel in wobbling, clicking heels. ‘Daniel. We didn’t know where you were.’

  ‘Well, now you do.’

  Jane gave a strange high smile where her eyes creased more than her mouth. She couldn’t work him out and it frustrated her, but she was so thrilled by the prospect of grandmotherhood that she would tolerate anyone. ‘Come along then, everyone,’ she fussed. ‘Busy day tomorrow.’

  They started back. Rosa whispered something to Daniel and he began to keep pace with her. Holly remained at the back like she always did. As they walked, Rosa slid her arm through Daniel’s. It was only for show, Holly knew, but a sudden sickness took hold in her gut. She carried on walking but couldn’t take her eyes off the sight of her sister holding onto her lover. After a while, Jane came up next to Daniel and they shared a joke. It was too much for Holly, who suddenly marched on ahead of them, brushing forcefully past her sister in the process.

  ‘Holly!’ called Rosa. ‘Watch out.’

  ‘Oh, leave her,’ she heard her moth
er sigh. ‘I give up on that one, really I do.’

  She went straight up to bed when they returned, ignoring the Christmas kisses and affection bestowed by everyone else. She didn’t even look at him.

  The clock struck two, then half past. She was supposed to be going to sleep. But something was missing. And so on silent feet, she crept from her room, along the corridors and up the stairs.

  He opened the door to her with languid indolence, one hand up high on the doorframe, his hair deliciously feral.

  ‘Can I come in?’ she asked with a definite huff.

  ‘Only if you’re going to be nice,’ he added, opening the door wider. She paced past him, head down, and he shut the door behind her. ‘Why exactly are you being such a petulant little girl?’

  ‘Perhaps because I am one.’

  But one look at him and her lust crawled towards him. ‘Oh dear,’ he said, rich and smooth as caramel. ‘That won’t do.’

  ‘Won’t it? I thought you liked that.’

  ‘Petulance?’

  ‘Defiance.’

  ‘It depends who you’re defying.’ He paced towards her and placed his forefinger under her chin. He then ran it down over the peekaboo flesh at her collar bones, down where her gown barely concealed the nakedness underneath. ‘You wouldn’t want to defy me, after all.’

  Holly said no more. She merely turned and walked to the bed, which she climbed up onto then knelt down on, proffering her backside to him. He didn’t hesitate. He spanked her with remarkable verve the first time, causing a sharp intake of breath, then again.

  After three slaps on each cheek, he stood back to admire his handiwork. ‘That’s better. Now, let’s discuss this issue of petulance.’ With that, he pulled her hips back towards him and was inside her. She gasped with the suddenness of it but more with the glory of it. In all her imaginings, she’d never thought a man would actually feel so present inside her, so real. She had dreamt about it, over and over again, but the sensation of being filled had never been transmitted through her fantasies. Now, there was no doubting that it was what she’d always longed for, but she had waited, and Daniel had powered straight through to take hold of her resistance and tear it into little pieces.

  ‘That wasn’t exactly – aah! –’ He’d thrust in up to the hilt, stroking her G-spot with the rounded head of his cock. ‘– not exactly … yes, there … a discu –’ She reached back to encourage him while he drove his length in and out perfectly. ‘– a discussion, was it? Oh God, that’s good.’ Holly gave up protesting. Words were replaced by whimpers of pleasure.

  ‘Sometimes this says everything that’s needed.’

  ‘In that case, keep talking.’

  His grip on her tightened and he snapped his hips hard against the still warm flesh he’d set upon with his palm earlier. Holly gripped the sheet hard, staring ahead of her blankly, feeling only thick, hard cock embedded inside, imagining it encased inside her forever, completing and filling her.

  ‘Oh, God, Daniel, thank you, thank you.’ Tears were coming to her eyes. He groaned but was clearly too far gone to respond. It only added to her gratitude. If she could do that to a man, he was worth hanging onto.

  His momentum was a blur now. Holly reached under and found her clit as she heard his breath dragging through his nose. He was close.

  As she let her orgasm take over, cascading through her with a sudden rush, he came too, almost crying out in the ecstasy that assaulted him. He still moved, pumping deep inside her, so much that she imagined it to be uncontainable and unstoppable.

  With the air thick with latent sex and rapturous gasping, Daniel collapsed on top of her. His heaviness pressing her down, grounding her, was the most satisfying thing she could imagine.

  Holly was overcome by a deep exhaustion. She was aware of Daniel pulling out, lying beside her and drawing the covers over. She just about heard him murmur, ‘Happy Christmas,’ before she fell into the deepest sleep there was.

  Chapter Seven

  She was woken by a knocking on the door. She shook off her drowsiness and sat up, shaking Daniel awake beside her.

  Rosa was calling from outside. ‘Daniel? Daniel, can you wake up? Mum wants us downstairs. She came to my room earlier and wondered where you were. I had to concoct some story about you liking to go for early morning walks. It’s hard enough as it is, for God’s sake, don’t cock it up now.’

  He threw Holly an apologetic look and padded to the door, opening it a fraction and peering round at her sister. ‘Merry Christmas to you too.’

  Holly heard Rosa sigh. ‘I’m sorry. Holly’s gone walkabout. Typical. She’s probably doing it deliberately to screw things up for everyone.’

  ‘I doubt she’ll have gone far. She’s probably just popped out or something.’

  ‘Yeah, well, she’d better be back soon. It’s her job to do the sprouts.’

  With that, Rosa’s footsteps faded away down the corridor. Daniel closed the door and turned back to her with a smile. ‘You’re needed.’

  ‘It’s always my job to do the sprouts. I hate the fucking sprouts.’

  He climbed back to the bed and kissed her with a smile. ‘So do I. But I love fucking.’

  She smiled and curled her arms about him, staring up into his large brown eyes. ‘Was it obvious?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘When you met me, that I’d like … you know …’

  ‘A bit of hanky-panky?’

  She giggled at the term. He smiled. ‘You can never be sure, but I was getting some interesting vibes from you.’

  ‘Is that why it didn’t work with Rosa? Wasn’t she interested in that?’

  ‘I never tried it with her, never mentioned it. We just didn’t work together. It was obvious early on, but she was nice to me, and all my friends were encouraging us to give it a go. We lasted a few weeks, that was all.’

  ‘And me?’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘Why did you try it with me immediately?’

  ‘Because I knew I could. You …’ He looked away and let out a sniff of laughter.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You seemed to need it.’

  She pulled back a little in surprise. ‘Oh?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s difficult to understand how these things happen. It’s like gaydar, I guess. You can tell quite early on if it’ll be worth exploring with someone.’

  ‘Spankdar?’

  He laughed. ‘Something like that.’

  ‘What if I hadn’t been interested?’

  ‘You were.’

  ‘Would you have gone off me?’

  ‘Holly, it doesn’t work like that. I was interested in you because of you and all you can be, that’s it. This is just one part of it, of us, and, believe me, we’re only just beginning.’

  They kissed again before he pulled back. ‘Now go on. You have sprouts awaiting you.’ Holly dragged herself from his bed with a groan and received a resounding smack on the arse in return.

  The late morning of Christmas Day at Highmoor House was always full of smiles, laughter, and champagne. Presents were opened after breakfast and the bubbly started to flow as lunch was prepared. Many hands made light work. Holly managed the sprouts without too much stroppiness and Daniel even peeled some turnips.

  Holly’s father brought out a turkey the size of a small country and triumphantly placed it in the centre of the lavishly decorated table. ‘Almost needed to use the original fireplace in the kitchen for this beauty,’ he beamed.

  Holly was again sitting next to Daniel. Their legs nuzzled together under the table but this time neither of them risked any more.

  Before the pudding, her mother stood up. Holly’s heart sank. Christ, the speech. Nobody ever listened, nobody ever cared. This year was bound to be worse. Jane started with her usual tapping of her emptied glass.

  ‘Well, here we are again, another year older, another year closer to death.’ She let out a laugh which only Miles joined in with. ‘But what a year, and
, as ever, it’s so wonderful to get everyone together. And this year we’re joined by a new face, and one that I hope we’ll see for many happy years to come. Daniel –’ She turned to him and fixed him with an expression of such adoration you’d think he’d saved her from a burning building. ‘What a pleasure it is to welcome you to the family.’ Rosa tutted. ‘I know, I know, Rosa darling, it’s not official yet, but he’s here, which is more than I can say for any of the others!’ Miles guffawed again. Aunt Rachel threw her wine down her throat. ‘Daniel, you’re a man of few words, but it is clear what a rock you are to Rosa, and, who knows, next year or the year after, we may even have another chair at this table … a high chair, perhaps.’

  ‘Oh God,’ sighed Rosa. ‘Mum, please.’

  ‘Oh, darling, you must allow me. I’ve waited years, after all. Everyone, join me in raising a glass to … Rosa and Daniel.’ They raised their glasses, but before they could repeat the words, Daniel stood up.

  ‘Ah, one moment, Mrs Merchant – Jane … First of all, thank you so much for inviting me this Christmas. It has been quite fascinating and pleasurable for me to spend time with your extraordinary family.’ Jane beamed, the true meaning of his words lost on her. ‘But … I have something to confess. It’s only fair and right to you all.’

  Far from Holly’s heart starting its frantic tattooing, it seemed to have stopped altogether. She glanced at Rosa, who sat with a look of equal terror on her face. She was gripping her fork as if it were a weapon.

  ‘You see … Rosa and I are no longer together.’

  Silence. Jane’s mouth was still fixed in that grin of hers, but it now looked as if it was frozen with rigor mortis.

  ‘We went out for a few weeks but it just didn’t really work, did it, Rosa? She very kindly asked me here … well, for various reasons … I was at a loss as to what to do this Christmas and … here I am!’ He tried to chuckle but the sound died abruptly before it had left his mouth.