Free His Christmas Wish by Marquita Valentine

up his shirt, caressing his chest. He swallowed a moan. “Take things slow.”
    “Like this afternoon?” Her tongue touched the base of his neck and he struggled to keep his hands from going to the hem of her sweater.
    “About that,” he began.
    “I’m all about that, Joaquin.” She kissed her way up his neck, then bit down on his earlobe, nibbling and sucking. “Let go of my wrist.” Taking a deep breath, he did as she asked and placed his hands on each side of her waist. She dropped back a little, looking him in the eyes. “Did you ever come back here, after you left?”
    He nodded. “I drove up from Georgia the very minute I was able.” It had rained the duration of his ten hour trip. By the time he’d arrived at Sage’s house and she still hadn’t answered his calls or texts he had sent at every stop sign or light, he’d been pissed off and unreasonable. “Your mother wouldn’t let me in and she said you didn’t want to see me.” Hating the words that had damned her mother, he continued, “I sent you letters and called you every damn chance I got. Even after Virginia sent me away and I got stationed at Ft. Hood, I kept writing and calling, until, well, that day.” Hoping and praying that Sage would tell him to come get her. When he had finally gotten her new number from his cousin, Roberto, and had called, Joaquin had been a first-rate ass to her.
    “I didn’t get the letters or any of your calls while you were at boot camp and officer school.” She rubbed her temples. “I’ve told you this a million times. The first call I got from you was in November and we fought the entire time.”
    “I know. Being served annulment papers tends to bring out the beast in me.” He titled his neck to one side, then the other. “Doesn’t excuse my behavior. You didn’t deserve to be talked to that way. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
    “Thank you.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m pretty sure my mom kept me from getting your letters, and she’s the one that dropped my phone in a tub full of water.” She laughed bitterly. “And I thought she was being so nice for once, buying me a new phone and offering to pay for it, even though I had to get a new number.”
    “Then you got another new number.”
    “Who kept giving you my number?”
    “Your neighborhood hairdresser.”
    Sage made a face. “He would.”
    “Hey, Roberto can’t help but be a romantic. It’s the Latin in him.” Joaquin smiled sadly. “Your mom doesn’t want you to ever leave Holland Springs. She pitched a fit over you going to college an hour away from here.”
    “Still, if I was adult enough to decide to get married, I should’ve acted like a married woman.”
    “And I should have acted like a man, instead of a spoiled brat who didn’t get his way. It’s called communication and I’ve been studying up on it.”
    She sighed, her curious fingers roaming beneath his shirt and touching his stomach. “I hate that it took a war to bring us back together.”
    “I love being here with you.” He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. “I love you Sage.”
    This time when she kissed him, he didn’t stop her. He kissed her back, hungry and eager for the taste of her.
    Time seemed to slow as he undressed Sage. He lowered her to the floor, in front of the fireplace, where her capable hands had started a fire. Staring at the lovely vision as firelight played on her perfect skin, he debated where to start first. His memories of this afternoon not even doing justice to the body laying before him, all lush curves. Everything about her was sexy and feminine, from her tiny hoop earrings to her red and green toe nails.
    Now this was a homecoming every hot-blooded man should have with his wife.
    “You have on too many clothes,” she complained, her nipples tightening to hard peaks that begged for his mouth.
    Leaning over her, he licked one and blew on it. “Better this way. Gives me time to have some fun. Studying what you