Free Christmas Showdown by MacKenzie McKade Page B

name.
    “Oh my God,” she groaned.
    Trey felt the tremor that snaked through
her.
    Sucking harder, he flicked his tongue over
the tip, his teeth adding more pressure.
    “Trey!” Shaking, she did push him away this
time. “Wait. Oh God. Wait.” Face flushed, she lolled her head back,
her eyes closing briefly as her mouth parted on a breath.
    He could see her internal struggle for
control. Something he wished she would simply let go of. But he
stopped, against his body’s better judgment to take her. Now.
    With all the strength he had left, he
released her. “Darlin’, what is it?”
    She inhaled on a shudder, taking choppy
breaths. “It’s been so long.”
    “Since?”
    “This. Sex.”
    Curiosity got the better of him. “How
long?”
    More color dotted her cheeks. “You were the
last time.”
    “Fuck, that’s hot.” So hot that blood slammed
into his groin, creating a sweet, sweet ache. He felt like throwing
back his head and roaring.
    Her brows dipped. “What?”
    “Knowing that another man hasn’t touched you.
Well—” How did he explain how much it thrilled him? How it
triggered his possessiveness for her? Made him want to beat his
chest like some damn Neanderthal.
    Mine , rolled through his head.
    She snorted, tugging her bra up and her shirt
down. “I’m glad my abstinence does it for you.”
    As she righted her clothing, he realized he’d
ruined the chance to have her in his arms tonight.
    “No. That’s not it at all.” Trey pulled her
back into his arms. “It’s just…” He swallowed the knot in his
throat before he continued. “Damn it, Kelly. It’s this thing
between us. In Denver. Now here.” He placed his forehead against
hers. He wasn’t good at sharing his feelings. Hell. He wasn’t even
sure what they really were. But there was one thing he did know.
“Darlin’, I want you.”
     
    The fluttery sensation in her stomach jumped.
Was it possible Trey felt the same connection she did? Kelly
wouldn’t even attempt to deny a large part of the attraction was
sexual, but there was something else, something that went deeper
than the union of their bodies. Something she felt in her heart and
soul that had kept Trey on her mind when time and miles had
separated them. Even when she had cursed him for the circumstances
she found herself in, she had ended up longing for what could have
been between them.
    Should she listen to her head or grab on with
both hands to what he offered? Not only a father for TJ, but maybe
the love she had dreamed of. Or was this just another dream—a
fantasy?
    “What if this thing between us doesn’t work
out? What about TJ?”
    “And what if it does, Kelly? Can you walk
away without giving us a chance? Not only for TJ, but for us?”
    Damn him for laying the monkey on her
back.
    Kelly pondered for only a moment, knowing her
answer was no. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity for TJ to have
a real family—both his mother and father. And she didn’t want to
let this man go.
    He stared into her eyes expectantly, waiting
for a response.
    “No,” she said softy. “I’ll try for TJ’s
sake.”
    Trey flinched as if she’d slapped him, his
arms falling from around her. “I won’t share my bed with a woman
out of obligation. We both deserve more than that.” Without another
word he walked away, taking his place on the floor and returning to
wrapping presents.
    “Trey?”
    His intense glare rose, his jaw seesawing.
“What?”
    “That’s not exactly what I meant. It’s just—”
Kelly pinched her lips together before starting over again. “You
have to understand—” She hesitated, once more searching for the
right words. “Every move, every decision I make affects TJ. Right
now you and I have an amiable relationship, but if we become
intimate and things don’t work out, what will it mean for our son?
It doesn’t matter what I want or desire.”
    Laying down his scissors, he bent a knee,
placing his arm across it. “What do you want, Kelly?