All I Want For Christmas

Excerpt

But like her, he would wait until she was ready to tell those secrets.

Plates heaped with ham, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and rolls, they headed back to the living room to sit in front of the roaring fire. Casey flicked on the TV in the corner, and in minutes, they were laughing at cartoons while they ate. The companionable feeling between them was something that Casey hadn’t realized he had missed until now. He pretended that the outside world did not matter, and in a few hours, she had shown him that he was a lonely man.

“Wanna play a video game?” Casey asked impulsively.

“Don’t we have to wait a half an hour before we do that?” Ileana teased.

“Honey, that’s swimming. Come on, let’s play a video game,” he coaxed.

“Okay, fine. Where’s your system? Do you have a Play Station Three or something?” she asked looking around.

Casey threw her a wicked grin. “Oh, I have something much better. Come on.”

He led the way downstairs slowly. The cold was seeping into his bones, and because of his accident, he moved with less mobility. Casey opened the door to his workroom and flipped the lights on. Her gasp of amazement as she looked around made him proud. She was one of the only people who ever saw his pride and joy, his virtual reality room where he created some of his best work.

“Oh my God, what is this place?’ Ileana asked in awe.

“This is my work place, aptly named ‘I-spy,’ ” Casey said with pride.

“What do you do for a living?” She walked around looking at everything intently. She reached out to touch a piece of equipment but pulled her hand back like one touch would break it. “Because this doesn’t seem like the simulations you were talking about.”

“I create video games for one of the top gamer companies.”

“Oh wow, how cool is that! Will you show me how these work? Wait, what kind of games? Can I be Mario?”

Casey chuckled. “Honey, this is not that kind of system. This is a virtual reality board that puts you right inside the game.”

Her mouth formed a cute little o as Casey proceeded to explain how they would play. He helped her get into her virtual equipment, and then he did the same before turning on the game projector. Around them, the room changed to a jungle setting. From there, they began fighting mutant prehistoric animals trying to escape a jungle and eat humanity. Every time something jumped out at her, Ileana screamed and began firing her virtual weapon. Behind his mask, Casey grinned, seeing how much fun she was having.

“Get it, Casey, get it, get it! It’s coming!” She squealed as a giant mutant bird flew overhead.

Casey fired his laser weapon. “Damn, I missed it! You get it, Ileana. Go, girl, go!”

Virtual Ileana chased the mutant bird, laser weapon sending red bullets through the jungle. She missed every time, but her laughter was contagious. The bird turned around and flew back at her.

“Uh-oh. Run, baby, run!” Casey yelled.

Virtual Ileana turned on her heels and ran, but when she looked behind her, the predator swooped and screamed at her as she fell.

Casey ripped his helmet off and stopped the game. He rushed to Ileana’s side and pulled the helmet from her head gently.

“Are you okay?” Concern laced his voice. “I’m sorry. We should have played something less hectic.”

When he got her helmet off, Ileana was flushed. Her eyes glittered like dark amber jewels, and the biggest grin he had ever seen was on her face.

“That was the coolest thing I have ever done!” She sat up and pushed strands of hair from her face. “Did you see that? I shot at big bird thingies and hit a few. Oh, that last one is mine when we play again.”

Casey listened to her stream of words with amused interest. He’d never met a woman like her. At home with being a cool sophisticate, with being nurturing and puttering around in his kitchen, and now with playing video games with the enjoyment of a teenager. She was so many things rolled into one beautiful package. Casey couldn’t help going on just instinct. He leaned forward and kissed her.

Ileana made a sound of surprise, and then her lips softened under his. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she returned his kiss eagerly. Heat infused his body, and her mouth opened under his, daring him to enter and to taste her. She tasted of the sweet wine she had after dinner. Her tongue darted out. Casey groaned in his throat as her tongue played in his mouth. She took over the kiss, nibbled gently at his lips before pulling him again and fusing their mouths together.

Casey sat and pulled her onto his lap, never letting his lips leave hers. His hands held on to her waist before traveling up to cup her breasts through the soft material of her sweatshirt. Ileana moaned and moved sensually in response in his lap. Casey’s cock hardened in aching response. This isn’t real, just a fantasy. That thought made him break off the kiss. They were breathing hard when the kiss ended, and when Ileana leaned in for another kiss, he gently pulled away.

“I’m sorry that this happened, Ileana.”

“I’m not,” she replied, looking directly at him.

“You don’t owe me anything,” he reminded her softly. “I invited you here for a nice Christmas weekend, and that was it.”

“I know I don’t owe you anything, Casey. I threw the money back at you, remember?” She got up, and Casey noticed how she automatically avoided pressing on his injured side. “But I have to tell you that was one amazing kiss, and there’s something there. I’m a woman who knows what she wants.”

She reached out her hand to help him up, and Casey grasped her firm grip. “What do you want, Ileana?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t, but God, you made me wet with one kiss. And I want to see where that goes.” Ileana rubbed her fingers across her lips, like she could still feel his mouth on hers. The move made Casey ache all over again. She spoke again, which took his attention from her lips. “I know you’ve been hurt, Casey, in more ways than one, so I’ll be gentle. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“Maybe a little pain is what I like,” Casey teased huskily.

Ileana patted his cheek gently. “Baby, don’t ask for it until you are ready for it.” She walked away. “I’m off to bed. Good night.”

“Good night,” he called out. He watched her ass while she sashayed away. “Oh, I am in so much trouble.”

Somehow, as he turned off the light to his simulation room with a grin on his face, Casey wasn’t too worried about the trouble called ‘Ileana’ that walked up the stairs.