Chapter One
Wrapped in her mate’s embrace, Sarina Kategan allowed her eyes to drift shut as her
climax peaked. Vane was with her every step of the way, as always. With a
gentle growl, he kissed her. She could taste herself from earlier—a heady
mix so early in the morning. Not that she would have Christmas morning any
other way.
Red, green, and gold
lights twinkled from the miniature evergreen in the corner of their bedroom.
The joyous lights created the perfect ambience for the holiday season.
Sarina had been with her
mate Vane for long enough to know he was nearing the finish line. In fact, her
breath caught as his hips jerked and his shaft swelled inside her—the
telltale signs of his impending climax. Smiling, Sarina held tight to her mate.
Fewer things in life could make her feel more warm or safe than being chest to
chest in her husband’s arms.
But apparently Vane had a
surprise for her this Christmas morning. At the last moment, instead of shoving
deep and grunting his release into her, he pulled out . Hastily reaching between them, Vane grasped his cock, pumping
it the last few strokes. Warm, wet jets shot onto her stomach reaching as far
as her neck as he came.
The sight of her sexually
satisfied mate in the aftermath of passion did not please Sarina as it usually
did. In fact, she felt positively foul.
“Again?” she questioned darkly.
Vane arched a thick eyebrow
and his teasing smile clearly demonstrated that he didn’t take her attitude
very seriously. Rolling away, he grabbed a wet cloth to wipe up the heated mess
on her chest. “Consider it my Christmas present from you?” he suggested,
flashing her a smile.
Normally that devilish
smile could do wonders to make her laugh. But not this
morning.
“I considered last night’s
pull-out a Christmas present. But, again?”
Vane didn’t speak as he
cleaned her up. Then he kissed her in a tender notion that melted her heart.
She actually sighed when he pulled away. “I love you, lumara ,” he said in that deep voice which never failed to make her
sigh.
Compulsively, she
responded softly. “And I love you, luma .”
He took the washcloth back
to the sink, then began dressing. For Christmas he
dressed in a pair of baggy jeans that had enough wear and tear to look
delectably sexy across his muscular butt. He paired the ensemble with a red
Christmas sweater that had a family of snowmen sitting inside a snow-globe as
snowflakes drifted around them. His sister Vera had bought the gaudy piece for
him last Christmas, and Vane swore up and down that while it was the ugliest
sweater ever saw, it was also the softest. Sarina had had quite the giggle at
her mate’s enthusiasm to wear the sweater this year. Not that he’d ever admit
to such a sin.
A knock sounded at the
front door and Vane hollered down the stairs, “Come in!”
Guests arriving meant it
was time to get up and moving. Honestly, that was the last thing she wanted to
do. Today was Christmas Day and that meant she had a lot of work ahead of her.
There was cooking, last minute cleaning, and some remaining decorations that
needed to be hung before the family gathered to celebrate. She both loved and
hated the holiday, especially since things were especially uncomfortable between
her and Vane.
He’d pulled out last night
and again tonight. In fact, he’d been doing it more and more as of late. She
could count five times over the last three weeks. Why would he do that unless he didn’t want another baby?
Sarina gazed listlessly at
the miniature evergreen in the corner, not really seeing the twinkling lights
as her thoughts turned depressed.
She wanted another baby
with Vane.
She wanted a whole litter
of his babies. But every time she tried to broach the subject, he’d find a way
to dance around it. And that hurt. It really did. Why couldn’t they have a big
family? What was wrong with another precious baby in their lives? He was such a
great father to baby Vince.
Downstairs,
C. J. Cherryh
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