The Knight Before Chris Read online

  "So you agree to my demands?"

  Winter's body cooled. Suddenly, she was very afraid of what Chris might be talking about. In the past, sex had always been the basic act. Foreplay had been about the man getting off on touching, rubbing and generally drooling over her. “I don't know if this is a good idea,” Winter said as she began to rise from the couch.

  When Chris pushed her back down, she glared up at him. “I know you want me as much as I want you,” he said. “All I need to know is if you're willing to let me show you just how sweet it can be."

  "What do you want from me?"

  "Take your jeans off and spread your legs. Let me taste your pussy."

  "Oh ... God, Chris..."

  When Chris hooked his fingers into his jeans and pulled them off, her eyes focused on the massive bulge in his briefs. He smiled. “Your turn."

  Winter squeezed her eyes closed and undid her jeans. She pushed them over her hips and let them fall on the floor. She slowly opened her eyes to find Chris’ eyes focused on the thin layer of fabric covering her core. He took a deep breath, pushed his briefs over his hips and stepped out of them. His cock fell forward, massive, hard and throbbing with lust. There was no need for more words. Her clit swelled with the desire for his touch, her core heavy with moisture. She ached for him. She quickly slid her panties off her hips and tossed them aside.

  "I know you want me to fuck you,” Chris said as he sank to his knees beside the couch. “But I need to taste you first."

  Winter watched as Chris pulled one leg over the side of the couch and lifted the other over its back, exposing her to his gaze. He smiled as he cupped her mound. She winced when his fingers gently pulled strands of the hair surrounding her core. “I can't believe it,” he said. “Even your pubic hair is strawberry blond."

  He didn't wait for Winter to reply before he leaned down and touched her with his lips. She gasped when his mouth closed over her and again when his tongue pressed through the lips of her vagina and lapped against her tight opening. “Mmmm,” he murmured as his hands slid up her inner thighs. “You taste even better than I imagined. Like sweet wine."

  Winter cried out when his fingers joined his mouth in the assault. As his tongue whipped against her clit, his fingers slid over her slit and tested her with slow, small strokes inside. His breathing became heavier, fanning against her lower abdomen as his fingers dipped deeper. Winter gasped and raised her hips in an attempt to pull his fingers deeper into her core.

  Her legs left their designated places and wrapped around his waist as his tongue and fingers continued to pulse against her. With each stroke, Winter felt closer to orgasmic oblivion, the likes of which she'd never experienced before and one she had no idea she needed until this very moment.

  Chris’ mouth left her clit and touched down against her abdomen, slowly sliding his way up her torso as his fingers continued to plunge into her. He slid through the valley of her breasts before his lips closed over her mouth. Her lips opened for him, welcomed his tongue into her mouth as she continued to buck against his hand.

  Chris ripped his mouth away from hers long enough to say, “Do you want my cock, Winter? Do you want to feel it inside you?"

  She nodded, unable to find the words. His mouth closed over hers again as he pressed his legs between her thighs. His fingers dug into her flesh as he pushed her legs over his back.

  And then she felt his cock push into her. At first, it felt as though her body were being split in two as a ramrod sword sliced into her. Her inner core stretched to receive him, only because she'd been given no choice.

  She swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight against the pain.

  "Ah, babe,” he said softly. “You're so tight. I'm sorry it hurts."

  "I'm okay,” Winter said. After all, she'd been dealing with shitty sex all of her adult life. So what if she'd found a man with a penis too big for her to take? “Just go ahead."

  "We'll just wait for the pain to subside,” he said. “In the meantime, I'll feast on your breasts again."

  He held his cock still inside her as his lips closed over her nipple. The moment she felt his teeth graze it, the need she felt for him began to rise again. He sucked and lapped, lapped and sucked, popping one nipple out of his mouth and moving to the other.

  Winter's hands framed his face and pulled him away from her breasts. He looked down at her in question.

  "Kiss me like you mean it,” she said.

  Chris smiled. “What was it about my previous kisses that made you think I didn't mean it?"

  Winter shook her head. “I don't know,” she said. “I just need to know you aren't just fucking me. Kiss me like you mean it."

  She wasn't sure. Did she see something, perhaps hesitation, flit across his handsome face? His lips covered hers before she had a chance to analyze the moment further. Her hips moved forward, accepting him, needing him.

  "Sweet, sweet Winter,” he said when his mouth tore away from hers. He buried his cock inside her as far as it would go. She squeezed the muscles surrounding him as he slowly pulled out. He moaned in sheer pleasure before he drove into her again.

  Her legs tightened around him as he dug his fingers into her hips with each pounding stroke. “That's it, babe,” he said. “Give me all you've got."

  And Winter did, she pushed upward with every stroke, each one taking her closer to the edge every time. “Oh,” she cried, her voice vibrating from her chest as he continued to slam into her.

  "Don't hold back, babe,” he said.

  Her body contracted around him, her head swam and whirled as she gave him all she had. Suddenly, she felt her body give into a million bursts of orgasmic release. The shock vibrated through her and focused on their union, contracting hard over his swollen member.

  "Jesus!” Chris howled as his cock gave way and quickly emptied inside her, filling her with his white-hot passion.

  Chapter 4

  Chris woke up on the couch. He looked around until his tired gaze located Winter near the cabin door. What the fuck was she doing?

  "Hey,” he said sleepily.

  Winter didn't look back as she pushed her feet into her boots and shoved her arms into her coat. “Hey,” she answered bleakly.

  Oh fuck! She was mad at him. He rolled his eyes and sat up. “Okay, what's wrong?"

  "Nothing,” she said stiffly.

  He was willing to bet her next words would be ‘if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you.’ He rose from the couch. “I don't play that game.” Linda had discovered that soon after they married. “Either you tell me what the fuck is up your ass, or we don't talk about it at all."

  She kept her back to him as she buttoned her coat. “You fell asleep seconds after,” she said.

  Oh shit! Okay, seems he did. “Babe, I'm sorry."

  Winter whirled around and pegged him with an angry blue glare. “First off, I despise being called ‘Babe', so you can drop that right now!” she said sourly. “And secondly, I tried to wake you but you were dead to the world. I had to drag myself out from under you and sleep in your bed. I don't know what you weigh, but it was like pulling out from under an elephant."

  "Assuming you have any idea how heavy an elephant is,” Chris replied sardonically.

  "Fuck right off!” Winter wailed at him. “You made me feel like a piece of meat last night. You got what you wanted and didn't consider my feelings."

  "Give me a break!” Chris countered. “Don't try to tell me there was nothing in it for you. Just because I didn't cuddle and tell you how wonderful you were after we had sex doesn't mean shit. You liked it as much as I did."

  Winter gasped and turned to the door. “Go to hell, Donnelly."

  "I will just as soon as you tell me where you're going."

  Winter turned to look at him. “It's the day before Christmas,” she said. She peered at him as though he should suddenly understand. When he returned her gaze with a blank stare, she rolled her eyes. “I'm going to find a tree."

  Chris l
aughed. “You figure you can cut down a Christmas tree?"

  Winter's blue eyes hardened. “Are you suggesting I can't?"

  Chris bit back another laugh. “No, of course not. There's an ax near the woodpile. Go to it."

  He had mixed feelings when Winter slammed the door behind her. A chivalrous man would insist on going with her. And the skies he glimpsed out the window weren't looking kind. More snow was on the way and soon.

  But he'd also learned from past experience that Winter Knight didn't like to be told what to do. True, she'd been a giving, if not willing, lover the night before. But who knew how long she'd gone without having sex? She might have acted out of sheer desperation, just the primal need to be screwed. He imagined someone like Winter didn't have the opportunity pop up on a regular basis, no matter how incredibly sexy she was. The moment she opened her mouth, a man's cock would wilt to the point of disappearing.

  Chris looked out the window and saw Winter trudge through the deep snow, an ax in one hand, the other splayed out for balance.

  To hell with the bitch. He hoped she froze her sweet ass off trying to find a Christmas tree.

  He grabbed the book he'd been trying to read for the past several days and settled in the easy chair.

  Fuck! He hadn't meant to fall into such a deep sleep after making love last night. Fact was the past two weeks had been hell on wheels. He'd had little sleep as he attempted to salvage what little was left of his architecture company, as well as pay the final amounts to his ex-wife.

  Sure, he'd used Winter. He unloaded and then felt depleted.

  Shit! Why not? As Linda's lawyer, she'd been hounding his ass for almost two years. There was certain poetic justice in fucking the living hell out of her.

  Chris opened his book and tried to focus on the words. Winter couldn't have expected anything more from him. After all, she banked a hefty amount of money after the divorce was finally settled. As far as he could tell, she still saw him as the shitty husband Linda claimed he was. So why should he feel guilty? And why should it bother him that she went out to find a Christmas tree when severe weather loomed?

  Chris tossed the book aside and went to the kitchenette. He dumped a large teaspoon of instant coffee into a mug and padded to the kettle over the fire in the hearth. He filled the mug with steaming water and slowly walked to the window. The clouds on the horizon looked greyer and angrier than the last time he'd looked.

  Shit! He'd have to go after the witch. If for no other reason than the fact he was her brother's best friend. Jimmy would never forgive him if harm came to his precious kid sister.

  Chris set his mug aside and reached for his boots and coat. Yeah, he liked that reasoning best of all. It was much easier than admitting he had feelings for her, that Winter Knight meant more to him than the sexual satisfaction he'd found with her the night before.

  * * * *

  Winter's teeth chattered as she pulled her coat tighter against her chest. The stupid designer buttons fell off her stupid designer coat the first time she found herself snagged in brush as she walked through the snow-laden forest. And never mind her stupid designer boots! Her feet were frozen solid soon after she'd left the cabin. The only reason she'd been able to continue walking was because her feet were numb.

  Instinct told her to go back to the cabin the moment she yanked her coat off the thorny branches and saw the black buttons spray across the white ground. But determination told her otherwise. She expected Chris would call her bullheaded. She didn't care what he thought. It was the day before Christmas and while she may not have reason to celebrate, she still wanted a Christmas tree. And damn it, she'd find one!

  Besides, after what happened between them the night before, Winter needed to get away from him. She needed time to gather her thoughts, decide which way to go. Chris had been an amazing lover, better than she'd ever known in her life. But the fact remained that he was Linda's ex-husband and she had helped the woman fleece him for millions of dollars.

  She should have felt her client had been vindicated; she should have enjoyed her good fortune when she banked the hefty fee she'd earned when the divorce was finalized. She would have, too, if only she hadn't walked into the women's restroom at the courthouse when she had.

  Winter saw a small, snow-covered fir tree and approached it. She wiped snow off a few branches and stood back. It looked like the perfect tree, one that would stand tall and regal in the cabin and bring a small amount of joy to an otherwise bleak Christmas.

  She walked toward the tree and reached between the branches. She winced and hunched her shoulders as she shook it. She shuddered as the snow billowed around her. When it finally settled, she took another step back and looked at the tree again. Its branches bowed down slightly, the tips brown and stale. Gaping holes, ones that no amount of decorating could cover, appeared. What looked like the perfect Christmas tree under the guise of snow, turned ugly when she inspected it further.

  Winter sighed. If only she'd used the same logic when she accepted Linda as a client. She imagined Linda as a tree covered in pristine white snow. She'd come to Winter begging for help, desperate to take from the marriage what she'd put into it. Winter felt she was entitled to much more and talked her into going for it.

  Poor Linda, she was reluctant at first, claimed she didn't want to hurt her husband. God, if only Winter knew she'd played right into the witch's hands!

  Well, Winter was a bit wiser now. Perhaps it was only a Christmas tree she was seeing with new eyes, but she'd consider her next client in the same light. Snow over the branches was deceiving ... there was an untold story hidden beneath.

  The perfect Christmas tree was out there somewhere and Winter was determined to find it. She grabbed the ax and continued through the woods, each step taking her further from the cabin.

  The wind picked up, slashing against her cheeks as she bowed her head and trudged on. She finally found herself in a small clearing. The brush surrounding the area kept the cold wind at bay. And there, in the middle of the clearing, she saw the tree.

  Laden with snow, there was no way to tell if it was suitable without shaking the snow off the limbs. Her heart sang, knowing she had found the tree she wanted as she loped through the snow toward it. She brushed snow off the limbs and stood back to examine it with a critical eye. The branches were full, perfectly shaped.

  There were no gapes between branches, no stories left untold. The needles were bright green and healthy. She pried a needle from a branch and raised it to her nose. It smelled fresh, clean, untouched. If only she'd been able to use the same tactics when she met Linda Donnelly.

  This was it. This was what she'd set out to find. She raised the ax over her shoulder and swung it toward the base of the tree.

  "Nice tree.” The familiar voice came from behind and startled her. The ax faltered in her hands as she swung and it thudded into the snow a few inches from the base of the tree.

  Winter released the ax handle, letting it fall to her side as she turned to face Chris. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked.

  Even in his thick fleece coat and a wool hat pulled tight over his head, the man looked sexy as ever. “Figured I needed some fresh air,” he said. “I wasn't following you."

  "Sure,” Winter said sarcastically. The jerk probably thought she couldn't cut a tree down on her own. “I think I can manage,” she said as she turned back to the tree.

  "Fine,” Chris replied. “So you won't mind if I keep walking."

  "Not at all.” Shit, she wished he'd walk off the face of the earth!

  She waited for him to disappear before she took another swing at the tree. This time the ax hit the base of the tree and quickly bounced off. The force vibrated from her hands to her arms and then throughout her entire body. She yelped as she fell backwards, the ax falling at her side as snow plumed around her.

  "Are you sure you don't want some help?” She heard the humor in his voice.

  Winter grappled in the snow before she finally de
cided the best way to get up was to roll onto all fours. She rose slowly and pierced him with a cold glare. “I thought you were getting some exercise,” she grumbled as she got up.

  "I was,” he said. “I came back when I heard you scream."

  "I didn't scream,” she said indignantly. “And I don't need your help."

  She was surprised when Chris planted his feet in place and folded his arms. “Okay,” he said. “Far be it for me to argue with you. Think I'll just stand here and wait for you to cut the tree so we can go back to the cabin."

  Winter bit her lower lip as she gazed up at him. He was acting far too smug for her taste.

  His face broke out in a smile. Her eyes narrowed. “What's so amusing?"

  "You're chewing your bottom lip,” he said. “I've learned in the past two years that means you aren't certain about what you're doing."

  Winter quickly released her lip and pierced him with cold eyes. Damn him anyway! “I'm sure you think you know my every move,” she said as she reached for the ax and turned back to the tree. She sure as hell wouldn't let him believe she wasn't capable of cutting down a Christmas tree! She bent slightly and raised the ax over her shoulder, preparing to land a crushing blow.

  "Well, I wouldn't say I know your every move,” Chris replied. “But after fighting you in court, I learned a lot."

  "You don't know squat,” Winter growled as she tightened her grip on the ax.

  "Until yesterday, I'd have agreed with you. And then I learned you like the way I suck your clit."

  Chris stumbled and the ax fell at her feet. She twisted and looked at him sourly. “I'd rather not talk about last night."

  "I suppose you wouldn't,” he said. “After all, you have a reputation to protect. God forbid anyone should know you liked it when I sucked your nipples or how you screamed when I pushed my thumb inside you."

  Winter struggled to force his sweet touch from her mind. His hands on her naked flesh, his hot mouth kissing and trailing over her entire body ... and his massive cock sinking deep inside her ... “I'd love to feed your fantasies,” she said, “but I want to cut this tree and get back to the cabin."