Christmas Down Under: Six Sexy New Zealand & Australian Christmas Romances Read online

  Skye clapped a hand to her mouth, but her eyes danced with amusement.

  Owen glared at the dog, got to his feet, and brushed down his jeans. “Seriously?”

  Mozart stared back and then sneezed. Owen had the distinct impression the Lab had done it on purpose. He put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows.

  The dog licked his snout, then sat and lifted a paw.

  “Yeah,” Owen said, “now you’re all sweetness and light.” Mozart shuffled forward and Owen gave in and offered him a hand to shake. “Dude, you gotta understand when it’s not appropriate to interrupt. What have I got to do, hang a sock on the door?”

  Skye was laughing openly now. “You two are such a double act. You should rent yourself out for parties.”

  “Don’t give him ideas. If he went to school, his report would say he was the class clown.”

  She took his hand and led him back up the hill. The frown between her eyes had disappeared, and her beautiful smile was brighter than the moon. “Come on. I want to get you into bed.”

  “I’m not sure I like how you find me falling on my ass so attractive.”

  “You want to go to bed with me or not?”

  “I do. Very much.”

  “Then stop grumbling.”

  He grinned, pleased her mood had lifted, and they made their way back to his house in double quick time.

  “I’m out of breath,” she said as he unlocked the door, letting Mozart run past them. “I’m so unfit.”

  “Time for some exercise, then.” As she slid by him, he caught her around the waist. Closing the door, he turned her and pressed her up against the wall.

  “We’re not even going to make it to the bed again, are we?” Her voice was breathless, her pupils dilated, and she moistened her lips in anticipation of his kiss.

  “Absolutely, we are. I told you, we’re going to have a drink first and make out on the couch. Then I’m going to take you to bed. This is just a starter.”

  “Fair enough.” She lifted her arms around his neck, and they exchanged a long, sweet kiss that, like the sky evening which had flooded with red earlier in the evening, promised warmth and beauty.

  Lifting his head, he blew out a breath and directed her toward the couch. “I’m going to pour us a drink.”

  “Okay.”

  He dropped a few ice cubes into two tumblers, ruffled Mozart’s ears as he came up for a goodnight kiss, and watched with a smile as the Lab settled himself in his bed with a heavy sigh.

  Owen poured a small amount of whisky over the ice, added a splash of water, then carried the drinks into the living room. “Here.” He gave one to Skye and sat beside her.

  She curled up, and they settled back against the cushions and watched the stars begin to pop out in the night sky as they sipped their whisky.

  “It’s funny, I never paid much attention to the stars when I lived here,” Skye said. “But I look at them a lot when I’m in Europe. It’s so funny not to be able to see the Pole Star.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s weird that the sky’s upside down here.”

  She pushed his arm. “Don’t tease me. Next, you’ll be saying we’re all standing on our heads.

  “I’m not teasing. The sky’s upside down compared to the northern hemisphere. Look at Orion—Betelgeuse, the red star, forms his right shoulder there, but here it marks his left foot.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “I swear, I’m not. Look at the moon. In the northern hemisphere they have the man in the moon, don’t they? We have a rabbit—you can see its ears.”

  “You’re seriously telling me the moon’s upside down.”

  “Yep.” He could see she didn’t believe him. “Why would I lie?”

  “To fool with me.”

  “I don’t need to lie to fool with you.” He nuzzled her ear and sucked her lobe.

  She giggled and turned her face so he could kiss her, and they exchanged a hot, heartfelt kiss that sent electricity from his spine to his toes.

  That was it—he’d done his best not to jump on her as soon as they got in the door, but he couldn’t wait any longer. “You said you had some more of those special condoms?”

  “Mmm, in my bag.”

  He leaned forward and picked it up off the coffee table where she’d left it, and took out the smaller bag he’d seen her delve into before. “I’m so glad you had some of these on you.” He rifled through the bag filled with girly junk—several lip balms, a pack of painkillers, some plasters, a couple of tampons, a tube of salve for insect bites, some of the special condoms, and…

  He raised his gaze slowly to meet hers.

  “What?” She blinked a couple of times, and then it obviously sunk in that he’d found something interesting in the bag. Her eyes widened as the penny dropped, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh jeez.”

  Owen cleared his throat, fighting to hide a smile, and failing. “I’m so sorry. It was rude of me to look through your bag without asking.”

  Her cheeks had flushed a beautiful fuchsia. “I totally forgot that was in there.”

  He glanced down. The vibrator was about six inches long, cream-colored, and slender. “I’m surprised you got it through customs. I would’ve loved to have seen the officer’s face if he’d pulled that out.”

  “Owen!”

  Laughing, he folded his arms around her. “Don’t be embarrassed. I love that you have one.” He tucked a finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his. “There’s something sexy about a woman who enjoys her sexuality.”

  “Really?” She nibbled her bottom lip.

  He bent his head and kissed it. “Really. In fact, I’d like it if you were to show me how you use it.”

  Her lips curved up a little. “You’d like that?”

  “I’m a dude. My head’s about to explode.”

  She laughed. Then she tilted her head, looking at him with something like wonder. “I’ve never been with anyone like you, Owen.”

  “Anyone so gorgeous, masculine, and outrageously sexy, you mean?”

  Her lips twitched. “No, I meant anyone so perverted.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Right. That’s it.”

  Abruptly enough to make her jump, he pushed himself to his feet, then turned and scooped her up off the settee. As if she were a pillow, he threw her over his shoulder, bent gingerly and picked up her bag, and carried her toward the bedroom.

  “Mozart!” she said with a squeal. “Help me!”

  The dog looked up, then put his nose back on his paws and sighed as if to say, “Don’t complain to me, I can’t control him.”

  “Some rescue dog you are,” she yelled as they disappeared into the bedroom. She smacked Owen’s backside. “Something tells me he’s used to you carrying off fair maidens.”

  He slowed to a halt. “Nah. Most of my women come voluntarily, so to speak.”

  “I’m glad to be the exception to the rule.” She smacked him again. “Put me down!”

  Laughing, he lowered her to the floor, then threw her bag on the bed. “Get your clothes off. I want you naked in that bed in ten seconds. Ten. Nine...”

  Grumbling, but smiling at the same time, she stripped quickly and clambered onto the mattress beneath the duvet.

  Owen did the same, yanking off his T-shirt, kicking off his jeans and boxers, then sliding under the covers beside her. He reached for the bag he’d thrown onto the bed and unzipped it, took out a condom, and then also extracted the vibrator. “Nice,” he said, admiring it.

  “Owen! Jeez.”

  Grinning, he pushed her onto her back and stretched out beside her. Propping his head on a hand, he shuffled a little closer, until they were touching. He was already hard, and her eyebrows rose when his hips gave an involuntary press against her thigh.

  She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Are you going to do anything with it?”

  “Later. First, I’m going to have a play with this.” He ran the vibrator up her bo
dy, between her breasts. “Then, I want you to show me how you make yourself come.”

  “Oh my.”

  “Then, and only then, I’ll make love to you, as slowly and sensually as I can manage it. Tonight, I want it to be all about you. You deserve to be shown how beautiful you are, to be worshipped, and to be loved.”

  Her hazel eyes were large and wide, startled and excited. More than anything, he wanted to pleasure her, to watch her come again and again.

  I’m falling for you, Skye. He didn’t say the words, but they were true. Maybe they’d been true the moment he first laid eyes on her.

  “Turn over,” he said.

  She shifted onto her front, tucking her arms beneath the pillow, and smiled at him before closing her eyes.

  Lifting up onto an elbow, he twisted the base of the vibrator, and the slender tube began to vibrate.

  He lifted it to the soft skin beneath her ear, and started there.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Skye let out a long, slow breath as Owen trailed the vibrator down her neck and over her shoulder.

  Part of her was still mortified he’d discovered the item in her bag. She’d totally forgotten it was there. It had been a while since she’d felt the need to use it. Coming back to New Zealand had been stressful, and she hadn’t really been in the mood.

  Not that he seemed bothered to have found it. Quite the opposite, in fact. His eyes had lit up, and the impressive erection currently pressed against her hip suggested he was the opposite of repulsed by the notion of her pleasuring herself.

  Relax… She concentrated on the word and the humming sound of the vibrator, trying to release the tension from her body. Seeing Kim at the restaurant had been a huge, unwelcome shock. She’d been having such a nice time with the gang, and seeing Owen had been a treat after nearly two weeks of driving herself mad thinking about him. For once, she’d been able to throw off the shackles of the past and live in the moment.

  Then Kim had walked in, and Skye’s heart had nearly stopped. Everything had come rushing back to her—the guilt, the shame, the burning anger that was never far away at the thought that this young woman had sent Harry to his grave.

  Rational Skye knew that was unfair. Harry had been a grown up, and he should have known better than to take to the road angry. But emotional Skye couldn’t help but continue to place the blame on the girlfriend who’d hurt him so badly. Because of this, mixed with all the guilt at the way she’d confronted Kim was a loathing for the young woman that refused to go away. Maybe that was the worst thing. Skye hated how Kim made her feel—she didn’t want to be the kind of person who suffered from hatred. Most of the time she could ignore it, but seeing Kim had brought it all back. And having Owen there to witness it only doubled her shame.

  “Let it go,” Owen said, continuing to brush the vibrator up and down her back.

  Surprised, Skye opened her eyes. The look in his blue ones was gentle and kind.

  He kissed her shoulder. Skye closed her eyes again, emotion tightening her throat. What did this man have that was so special? Yes, he was gorgeous, funny, sweet, and sexy, but that didn’t go halfway to explaining why she was so attracted to him, and why it felt as if they had some kind of connection, something binding them to one another that she couldn’t fight against, even if she wanted to.

  At last, though, the vibrations were starting to infiltrate her muscles, and warmth began to spread through her as her body relaxed. “Mmm,” she murmured, wanting to purr like a cat. “That’s lovely.”

  He kissed from her shoulder to the nape of her neck and nuzzled there, sending shivers down her spine. “Have you been making chocolates today?”

  “Yes. Maisey’s mint truffles.”

  “I can smell them. You’re making my mouth water.” He trailed his tongue up her neck to her ear.

  She giggled. “That tickles.”

  “Lie still. I’m sniffing.”

  “I can’t.” She squirmed as he nibbled her ear.

  He chuckled and ran the vibrator across the cheeks of her bottom. “Stop fidgeting. And open your legs.”

  She did so, keeping her eyes tightly shut. Seeing that intense look in his eyes would send color rising to her face.

  Sliding the vibrator down, he dipped it between her legs, not applying pressure, just letting the gentle ripples of the machine do their work. Stroking up the backs of her legs, then along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, he continued to kiss her shoulder and neck, the warmth of his body where it rested against hers both comforting and sexy.

  Her heart rate began to pick up and, as if he was aware of it, he murmured, “Turn over.”

  Skye did so, shifting onto her back. “It’s warm in here,” she whispered, conscious of her skin gleaming in the moonlight, damp from the humid air. “Do you want to put on the fan?” She gestured above their heads to the motionless blades.

  “Nope.” He brushed his tongue beneath her breasts. “I want you sticky and sweaty.”

  “Owen! Gross.”

  “It’s not gross. It’s sensual and hot. Put your arms above your head.”

  She did so, feeling vulnerable and yet also wickedly sexy stretching out naked beneath him. Her body was beginning to hum from the vibrations, her muscles loosening, and for the first time since Kim had walked into the restaurant, she began to relax.

  Owen moved the vibrator over her nipples, and she squirmed and murmured at the sensations it aroused in her. He covered one with his mouth and sucked it to a tight peak, then ran the vibrator over it again. This time, Skye gasped, the feelings intensifying and making her clench deep inside.

  “Nice?”

  She nodded, breathless, and he did the same to the other nipple, sucking it and ensuring it was wet before teasing it with the end of the vibrator. Closing her eyes, she squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease the pressure growing between them.

  He tutted and moved his hand down to stop her. “Trying to jump ahead, Miss Graham?”

  “You’re making me ache.”

  “Aw. Poor Skye.” Pushing her legs apart again, he trailed the toy up her thighs, lowering his lips to hers at the same time. He kissed across them, then touched his tongue to them, making her shiver. “Don’t you like being teased?”

  “No.” She sighed. “Yes.”

  He chuckled and plunged his tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeply, and at the same time drew the vibrator up between her legs to caress her folds. She groaned and tried to push against it, but he lifted it, waiting until she’d dropped her hips before stroking her with it again.

  “Owen…”

  “Mmm?”

  “Please.”

  He kissed her again. “Okay. Here, you do it. I want to watch.” He lifted the vibrator and offered it to her.

  By now, she was beyond embarrassment, yearning for fulfilment, so she took it and lowered it between her legs, slipping it through her folds and up to her clit. Her skin was slick and swollen, and as the buzzing shaft touched the tender button, she gave a long moan.

  Owen kissed her hungrily, moving his hand between her legs. As she teased her clit with the vibrator, he slid two fingers inside her.

  Pleasure grew quickly, and she opened her mouth, accepting his searching tongue, her knees falling open when tension built in her abdomen. Owen’s fingers were insistent, stroking firmly—she couldn’t quite tell what he was doing, but a strange sensation spread through her, a pressure, an odd, stretching feeling, acutely pleasurable. She panted, cried out, and came, tightening in a series of intense pulses that left her gasping and collapsing back onto the pillows.

  He took the vibrator from her and turned it off, then gathered her into his arms and kissed her. She accepted the kiss dreamily, feeling as if she were floating to the ceiling on soft, fluffy clouds.

  “That was nice,” she murmured when he finally lifted his head.

  “That was fucking fantastic.”

  She laughed. “Why so?”

  “I dunno. It’s hot, watc
hing you do that.”

  “What were you doing with your fingers, by the way?”

  His lips curved up. “Couldn’t you tell?”

  “Um, no. It felt good though.”

  “I guess it’s not a myth, then.”

  “What’s not a myth?”

  “The G-spot.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”

  He looked amused. “You really couldn’t tell?”

  “Well, I’ve heard about it, but no one’s ever…you know. I wasn’t sure it existed.”

  He licked his fingers and waggled his eyebrows. “It does.”

  “Owen! Good Lord.” She pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “I do my best.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid to her butt, and he held her against him and pushed his erection into her mound. “God, I want to be inside you.”

  “Trying to jump ahead, Mr. Hall?” She sat up, grinning, and collected the condom he’d left on the bed. “Aw, poor Owen.”

  His eyelids fell to half-mast. “Just for that, I’m going to make you come again.”

  “Ooh.” Her heart rate picking up again, she tore off the packet, revealed the tip of his erection, placed the condom on the end, and rolled it down. “Promises, promises.”

  “Come here.” Holding her tightly, he flipped her over, then moved back. Giving her a look that could have melted gold, he circled his finger in the air. “On your hands and knees, sweetheart.”

  She followed his instructions, turning onto her hands and knees, then caught her breath as she looked up and realized she could see their reflection in the mirror on his wardrobe. He positioned himself behind her and followed her gaze, smiling when he saw what she was looking at.

  “You like watching?” he asked.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Don’t be cheeky.” He smacked her backside.

  Skye jumped. “Ow.” Her butt stung, but she clenched inside in response. “Mmm.”