Wild Holiday Nights

He could feel her shaking as she took his hand, her voice desperate. Afraid. Gideon shook his head, knowing better than to rub his eyes, though he wanted to do so desperately.

“Where is he?”

“He ran off. I sprayed him at the same time you pulled him away from me. I didn’t know you were right there, and I got you, too. I’ll call a cab to get to the ER.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I need some water, please.”

He could see, more or less, out of one eye; the other was worse. She led him up three flights of stairs, repeating that she was so, so sorry as they went. Once inside her small apartment, she led him to the kitchen.

“Do you have any grease-fighting detergent?” he asked.

“Yes, my dish soap.”

“Could you put some in a large bowl, very diluted?”

He watched her bustle around the kitchen with his one good eye, the burning in the other almost unbearable. When she put the bowl in front of him, he closed his eyes and pushed his face into the soapy water for as long as he could, then came out, rinsed under a clean spray in the sink, and repeated the process.

“A towel?”

She pushed one into his hand and he dried off, starting to breathe more easily as the pain subsided.

“Damn it, that stuff hurts,” he said, leaning back against the wall, opening his eyes slowly. “Can you replace that soapy water with some new so I can do it again?”

“Sure. Is it helping?”

“Yes, very much. It’s the only thing that can dissolve the oils in the pepper spray from your skin—you just have to be careful to keep them from running back into your eyes when you rinse.”

“I see. Well, if it helps at all, I think the guy who grabbed me got the most of it.”

“Good.”

Gideon rinsed his face and eyes again, and after a half hour of doing so, felt considerably better. Thank goodness civilian-issue pepper spray was a lot weaker than the type they used on the force, which could burn your skin and even irritate your lungs. This was bad enough.

He looked at Calla, who hadn’t taken her coat off yet. She was pale, with deep shadows under her eyes. Her obvious concern only accentuated them. As his vision cleared, he also noticed a scrape on her hand as she lifted it to remove the bowl from the counter, and there was a light bruise forming on her cheek.

His fury at the idea of someone hurting her far outweighed the lingering sting of the pepper spray.

“Was it the same guy? Did you see him?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He stayed behind me, though his voice sounded the same, but I was so frightened and it all happened so fast.”

“Let me see,” he said, stepping forward and taking her hand in his, looking at the scrape and then putting his hand under her jaw. He touched the bruise gently and was relieved to find it rubbed away, only a smudge of grime.

It didn’t make him any less angry.

He started to pull his hand away, but hers rose to cover it. “Thank you for being there. I’m so sorry I got you with the spray.”

Her voice shook, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Gideon groaned, pulling her in close and holding her until she stopped shaking.

“He’s probably regretting grabbing you tenfold right now. Good for you for thinking fast and being able to use the spray. I only wish I’d seen him sooner.” He lowered his lips to kiss her soft dark hair. “Do you want me to look at that scrape?”

She shook her head. “It’s no big deal. I need to clean up, though. I’ll be fine.”

Tough, smart, strong. Calla could take care of herself, but it didn’t stop Gideon from wanting to help.

“It was possibly your attacker from the store—unlike a lot of criminals, this one has a history of coming back for more. The NYPD should have told you that. We have to report this.”

“I will, in the morning. He’s probably long gone now, and it might not even have been him. I can’t be sure. I’m so tired. I really need to clean up and sleep.”

Gideon believed it. She looked ready to fall asleep on her feet.

“Okay. You do that. Lock the doors. I’ll be outside if you need me. Hand me your cell phone so I can give you my number.” Gideon planned on talking to Howser as soon as he left. If the attacker was suffering from being sprayed, he’d be slowed down and blinded, perhaps seeking help—the perfect time to catch him.

She blinked up at him, frowning. “Outside? Why would you be outside?”

“I know you don’t want me around, but I’m not leaving, or letting you out of my sight, until we know this guy is caught.”

Realization dawned in her expression. “You were watching me.”

“I talked to the detective on your case, and he filled me in on some disturbing details about this guy. I couldn’t leave without knowing you were okay. It’s no big deal. It’s my job.”

She looked up at him, a little less blurry. “It’s a big deal to me. Thank you.”

Gideon didn’t expect that—he expected her to be ticked off—so he was surprised at her thanks.

“Um, sure. Listen, why don’t you take that shower, and I’m going to call this in.”

There was a breath of silence between them, and she looked up at him. “Why don’t you call it in and then join me in the shower?”

Gideon’s heart tripped over itself, his body hardening almost instantaneously. Before he could object, she cut in again.

“I seem to be making a habit of throwing myself at you,” she said with a slight smile. “But I really don’t want to be alone right now, Gideon. Please don’t leave again.”

Damn it. Of all the appeals she might have made, that one socked him in the gut.

“Please,” she whispered, lifting up and pressing a kiss to his mouth.

She continued kissing him until he gave in, unable to resist a deeper taste. Gideon knew he wouldn’t be walking away from Calla again that night.

* * *

CALLA’S FEARS WERE forgotten as soon as she felt Gideon relent, his body relaxing as he pulled her in closer, his mouth finding hers again. They took their time now, getting to know each other, understanding that there was no need to rush.

“I guess I could use a shower, too,” he said against her mouth, making her smile. “After I make this call.”

“Okay. Don’t be long.”

She waited for him to report the attack, watching the way his expression changed, and his voice, as he talked to the other detective. It made him look dangerous. And even sexier. Calla waited until he was done—she didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind.

When he hung up, she took him by the hand, leading him back to her bedroom. She stopped by the bed, removed her coat, and started taking everything else off, as well. He watched with rapt attention.

Guilt assailed her as she took in the puffy redness still apparent around his eyes and on his cheeks. Down to her bra and panties, she stepped forward, framing his face with her hands.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Are you kidding? My eyes are the happiest they’ve ever been right now,” he said with a lopsided smile that warmed her heart.

His fingers slid around to the back of her bra, unclasping it and letting it fall loose. Calla shrugged it to the floor, inviting his gaze. She wasn’t self-conscious about her body, and she could tell from the heat in his eyes that he liked what he saw.

“You’re way overdressed for the shower,” she said, reaching to push his sweater up over his head, and then the T-shirt under it.

She wasn’t disappointed, but she’d known she wouldn’t be. Leaning in, she darted her tongue out to follow along the smooth edge of one sculptured muscle and smiled when he groaned.

“Calla...”

The way he said her name was a caution and a promise.

She reached for his belt buckle, but he backed away, quickly shucking his pants himself.

Calla caught her breath as she took him in. No, she wasn’t disappointed in any way whatsoever.

“You keep looking at me like that and we’re never making it into the shower.”

“That would be a shame. I can think of all kinds of fun we’ll have in there.”

Sliding her panties to the floor, she walked ahead and let him watch her, putting a little extra swing in her step as she went into the en suite and turned on the light. Her heart was racing as she stepped in under the steamy spray and waited for him to join her.

Was this finally really happening? Did she actually have Gideon Stone naked in a shower with her? He tugged her under the water with him, his mouth landing on hers in a hard, hot kiss.

Definitely real.

Calla closed her fingers over his erection jutting against her hip and stroked. He broke the kiss on a heavy groan, burying his face in her neck. She enjoyed how he pushed into her hand in a needy rhythm.

Then his hands were on her, too, dipping in between her thighs as he moved his lips down her shoulder to her breast, sucking a nipple into his mouth as his fingers did devilish things between her legs.

“Oh, Gideon,” She sighed, wanting more than his fingers.

Luckily, he wanted the same thing, and hiked her leg up by his hip, backing her against the tile wall under the spray.

“Protection?” he managed as he nibbled at her lips. His hips pressed seductively against hers, making her moan as he teased her clit with the broad head of his shaft.

“Oh, right,” she gasped, thankful he remembered. “Lemme...”

She disengaged herself from this delightful position and reached out to the vanity, where she opened a drawer and reached in to get a small foil packet.

Good to go.

Ripping it open, she sank to her knees in the shower and before she applied it, let herself enjoy one more luxury as she closed her lips over him instead. Her body went into overdrive at the sensation of his wet, velvety skin against her tongue, pressing into the back of her throat.

“Stop,” he commanded brusquely. She knew why and let him pull her up again as her hands deftly covered him.

This time he positioned her face-first against the tile, her hands braced as he widened her stance from behind.

“Okay?” he asked softly, against her ear.

“More than,” she managed, levering her hips back slightly in invitation.

He took that invitation as he nudged against her, experimenting, and then entering her body deeply until they were both gasping with the intensity of it. Calla had never felt so turned on—at the same time, she felt so safe and supported as his arms came around her.

His hands covered her breasts as he started to move, gently strumming his fingers over her tender skin. He whispered hot endearments in her ear in between kisses along the back of her neck.

Calla couldn’t form words, only sounds, as he picked up the pace, thrusting faster while covering her hands with his against the wall, their fingers entwining. Her body welcomed him, clutching and wanting more. She rolled her hips in rhythm with his thrusts until they were both crying out, their bodies pulsing together in a long, hard climax.

Calla lost track of time, of how long they stood there, joined, wringing every last second of pleasure from each other. All she knew, as he turned her to him and slid his hands into her wet hair as he kissed her, was that she wanted more.

4

GIDEON HAD TRAVELED a bit, usually in connection with his job, but he’d never fallen for a city like he did for New York. Or maybe it was the woman who lived here, but suddenly the bleakness of the past few months faded, making everything magical again.

He sat in the corner of the bakery studio reading as Calla worked on building and decorating the bell cake for the gathering of people outside. She’d built a clever trellis to arrange the bells on, her ingenuity captivating him. She was clever in and out of bed, he thought with a smile.

And just as thorough.

Everyone knew that the decorated windows were a huge draw in the city this time of year, but he found it hard to believe that anything could match watching Calla work.

Well, except for watching Calla stretch sensuously beneath him, her hair scattered over a pillow as he planted himself deep inside her body, but that wasn’t for public consumption.

Looking past her, he realized that nothing here was decorated. Nothing in her apartment had been, either. Not even a wreath on the door or lights in the window.

Calla was having a difficult time drawing attention to her business. The shop was surviving, but barely, she’d confided. She was even considering moving out of her apartment to save money for the bakery, living here in her office until things picked up.

Gideon admired her determination, but he hoped things wouldn’t go to that extreme. Her shop space was nice, but not livable. He thought of all the nights he’d stayed overnight at the station, sleeping on the couch in his small office or even at his desk, but that was different. Some cases took a long time to settle. Calla was thinking about giving up her living space just to save her business. There had to be another way.

He walked back into Calla’s office to make a phone call to his sister. After explaining the situation, he hoped he could get some ideas of how to help Calla, and he did. Now the trick would be to convince her to go along with it.

Calla had gone outside, handing out samples, and he was glad to see her chatting a bit with the group. And giving them her business cards. She’d listened to him about connecting with her audience.

But what made them come back every day? What made them want more?

Gideon had an idea, but he wasn’t sure Calla would like it. She was so hardworking, but that dedication to her work, along with the worry about her business, created so much stress that she was missing out on the fun. People saw her work hard, but that’s all they saw. Maybe he could help show them something more—what he saw in her.

When she came back in, her cheeks rosy from the cold, he took a dollop of icing on his finger and dabbed it to her nose before she could sit back down.

“Gideon! What—”

He grabbed a towel from the counter as he pulled her toward him with the other hand. But instead of wiping the frosting from her nose, he caught it with his tongue and then pressed his mouth to hers in a gentle, sweet kiss—literally sweet as they shared the frosting.

For a moment, heat leaped between them as Calla melted against him before remembering where they were. She pulled away, looking scandalized.

“Gideon!”

She had no need to worry. The crowd, as they often said, went wild. Applause and cheers met them from the half dozen or so people who had witnessed the kiss.

“The wedding cake lady has a boyfriend!” someone said.

“And he’s hot!” another voice chimed in.

Gideon grinned and Calla looked struck dumb.

The look she gave him wasn’t a friendly one.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed under her breath.

“Just go with it,” he said in her ear.

Calla slid Gideon a look as she promptly closed the shades.

“Gideon—”

“Calla,” he said at the same time, and they both stopped.

He smiled; she sighed.

Gideon crossed over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Hear me out. When you were working, I had an idea. I called my sister to ask her about how you could do some marketing, and I told her how you work in the window.”

“Yeah?”

Gideon nodded, encouraged at the flicker of interest in her expression. And the satisfied flush in her cheeks from his kiss.

“Yes. She said the performance baking is good, but people can’t necessarily connect with it.”

“I don’t understand—who can’t connect with cake? And weddings?”

“That’s true, but what you do is really about romance. Happily ever afters, right? And yet your storefront isn’t making that connection. Giving them something to relate to, and something to root for.”

“Or looking like someone who seems completely unprofessional.”

“I doubt that, not when they see how hard you work. Diedre said that you need to do something that could really draw attention. You have to admit, that kiss drew some attention.”

“I still don’t get it, and I can’t see how this will make people buy more cakes.”

“Because it will get them talking—to others at work, or at home—and it will bring them back. My mother was telling me about coffee commercials they ran back in the eighties, I think, where each commercial was like a story over coffee. People wanted to watch the commercials to see what happened—and then they bought the coffee because they liked the story. If people watch you and make the connection between what you do and romance, that’s stronger than just seeing how hard you work.”

Gideon could feel her tension, and turned her around and massaged her tight shoulders as he leaned in closer and kissed her neck.

“Gideon,” she moaned in half pleasure, half protest, but she didn’t move away. “I have to finish the cake.”

“You need to learn to relax a little, Calla.”

“There’s no time. And we relaxed a lot, all last night.”

He laughed against the back of her neck.

“Listen, why don’t you leave this to me? Let me try a few things, and let’s see what works?”

“Oh, I don’t know...”

Gideon nibbled on her ear, loving her taste. Sweet like the sugar she used on the cakes.

“Trust me, Calla. What can it hurt?”

She groaned as he sucked the tender skin under her ear, and Gideon was starting to lose focus, as well.

“I have to get to work,” she protested lamely, but didn’t pull away.

“In a minute.”

Gideon had a taste of her and he wanted more before he had to let her go back into her world. He left her only to lock the door before returning, wrapping his arms around her from behind, undoing the buttons of her chef’s coat, sliding his hands underneath.

Good thing she’d pulled the shades.

She arched back against him, catching her breath as his hands closed over her breasts, teasing.

“Sex produces endorphins, you know...it will help with your energy levels,” he whispered in her ear before biting the lobe lightly.

“I can’t have sex in here. It’s against health codes.”

“Right, we’ll be careful about that,” he said gruffly as he worked his hands up under her blouse, loving the warm silk of her skin.

She chuckled softly against his mouth as he kissed her again. Gideon walked her back to the small office. Inside, he eyed the desk.

“No health-code violations in here, right?”

“That’s true,” she admitted, letting him draw her inside.

Gideon couldn’t wait another second to kiss her—to really kiss her—and he loved how she deftly undid his belt, running her fingers over his stomach.

When her hands slipped inside his jeans to touch him, he caught his breath, his head falling forward to her shoulder. He was hard as a rock already, and she murmured her approval in his ear as she nipped his earlobe and stroked him gently.

Gideon was sure he’d never felt so much with anyone before in his life. Calla’s touch turned him inside out.

He darted his tongue out to taste the smooth skin of her shoulder and raised a hand to cover her breast, stroking her there in the same rhythm she did for him. She trembled as her nipple hardened under his fingers, and she sought a kiss that he was more than willing to give.

Gideon thought about taking her on the desk, which was still a possibility, but he didn’t want to break the intimacy of the kiss or the touches they were sharing, even though he was increasingly close to embarrassing himself.

Calla seemed to know, backing away from the kiss, breathless, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright.

“Touch me, too,” she said, before fusing her mouth to his again.

Her wish was his command. Bringing her a little closer, he slid his hand up the firm muscle of her thigh under her skirt. She’d worn tights in the winter cold, but he got them out of the way and eased his fingers inside the scrap of lace she wore under them.

“Oh, yes.” She sighed as his fingers stroked her sex, her slick skin telling him how ready she was.

It had been a lot of years since he’d done anything like this, kissing and getting off with a woman just by touching. It was wildly hot.

“You’re so soft,” he murmured against her cheek as he felt his body tighten, close to release. He wanted to last, but she was a devil with those hands, not letting him escape the rising tide.

He captured the hard tip of her breast with his lips through her blouse as he moved one finger inside her, then two, thrusting into her heat and drawing a long moan from her.

“Oh, Gideon, yes...”

The way she said his name and surged against him was all he could take. Pleasure rushed from him, the orgasm stealing his breath as his body moved against her of its own volition. He gladly let it steal his sanity for the next few moments.

She cried out, too, seconds later, her head dropping back, her face a study in sheer pleasure as she rode out her release. Gideon kissed her throat, tried to catch his breath as he brought her closer, holding her against him for several long minutes.

Calla snuggled into him, warm and relaxed as she sighed in contentment against his shoulder. Gideon was a bit shaken, for reasons he couldn’t understand. He’d intended on having some fun, doing something spontaneous. What had just passed between them was, instead, unbearably intimate—more so than he would have expected for a quick office interlude.

Maybe it was the residual afterglow, but he felt closer to Calla than he had to anyone he could remember in recent memory. The fact was that he was feeling things he’d never expected to feel—or maybe he’d known all along. Maybe he’d known when he first kissed her back at the barn, and that was why he’d walked away.

Because Calla could never be casual. She was so much more than that.

He wasn’t so sure that she felt the same way about him.

“I—I should wash up and get back to work,” she said, almost apologetically, straightening her clothing.

“You do that. I’m going to go do a few things. It won’t take long. Call me if you need me,” he said, leaning in for a long, soft kiss.

“As if there’s any question.”

Surprise flickered in his brain at her response, and he wasn’t sure what to say, so he didn’t say anything. With a smile, he left the office, checking to make sure everything was secure before he left.

Now he had to set a plan in motion, to romance Calla in her bakery window and hope that it not only saved her shop, but convinced her that maybe they were more than a holiday fling, as well.

* * *

IT STARTED WITH the Christmas lights.

Gideon had returned to the shop with his arms chock-full of Christmas lights. He’d insisted that she needed to decorate her shop and her window and door.

Calla found it impossible to work with him crawling all over the place hanging lights and decorations, so she’d done the inevitable—she’d given in and helped.

Surprisingly, many of the people walking home from work or out strolling with their dogs had stopped to watch, applauding with oohs and ahhs when Gideon turned the lights on.

Then he pulled a piece of mistletoe out of his pocket and held it over her head for a kiss.

This one she granted him happily. The shop did look more in the holiday spirit, and it made Calla feel so, as well.

“Thank you, Gideon. This is lovely. I didn’t have time to decorate, but so many people are stopping to look at the lights.”

He nodded, clearly excited. He was so sweet, she thought, her heart warm.

“And did you notice what I put over in this window? They’re noticing that right along with it.”

She’d been working on the other side of the shop, and hadn’t seen what he’d been up to. Letting him lead her outside, eyes closed, she opened them when he said and was struck by what she found.

Twelve color pictures from her website of some of the most elaborate cakes she’d made that year hung in the window, all framed with lights.