Free Sleeping With Santa by Debra Druzy

times, on plenty of first-and-only dates in Star Harbor, but it never felt like this .
    “Are you warm enough?”
    “Too warm.” She slipped off her coat and shoved up her sleeves. She wore no rings. No bracelets. No chains around her neck. Not even earrings. Most girls wore some piece of jewelry, but Lily wore none, and it thrilled him, creating the illusion that she never belonged to anyone else.
    “Lily…” His attempt to break the awkward silence didn’t get very far, not with her glittery eyes staring at him. “I haven’t done anything like this in so long. I forgot what it’s supposed to be like.”
    “Me, too.”
    “Let me ask you something. What exactly are you looking for?”
    She broke her gaze with a few rapid blinks. “What do you mean?”
    “I’m wondering…about what you said before.” He shrugged, not even sure what he meant. “Outta life? In a relationship? From me ? In one breath, you let me know I’m un-dateable. And in the next, you tell me any girl would be lucky…I dunno what to think. I just wanna know what you really want.”
    “Hmm...I guess what any girl wants—I just…I want it all .”
    “Good to know.” Satisfied with her blanket-response, he stole a first kiss. Harder and deeper than he intended because he was working on limited self-control.
    Lily purred, bowing her pliant body against him.
    His arms wrapped around her, grabbing the hair at the nape of her neck to pull her against his mouth. Like yin and yang—a perfect fit, a perfect kiss. She tasted every bit as sweet as he imagined. Like a candy cane, only better. He slid the bench seat back and pulled her across his lap, cradling her head in the crook of his arm, to kiss her deeper, harder, longer.
    Ever-long.
    She squealed.
    He pulled away to survey her face for any hints of uncertainty, relieved he saw nothing but a molten stare that matched his own raging temperature. “Did I hurt you?”
    “No. Not at all.” Her face was red and raw from his five o’clock shadow working overtime.
    He stroked her hot cheeks with the side of his finger, holding her face like some fragile treasure. The moonbeam illuminated her profile, setting her delicate features aglow.
    “You’re okay with this?”
    “It’s fine. I’m fine. Really. Everything’s fine .” She nodded with eager eyes.
    “Then I’m gonna kiss you again, okay?”
    “I hope so.” She wet her lips, but he moved around them to nibble her neck, her jawline, her ear lobe, making the glorious moment last.
    “You are so delicious.” He murmured between kisses. “I can’t get enough of you.” The words slipped out as easy as the oversized sweatshirt slipped off her shoulder.
    He could have undressed her without even trying, but his plan wasn’t to seduce her in the truck, even if she wanted it. She deserved their first time to be somewhere better than his front seat. Besides, the glove compartment was empty; he’d tossed away the remaining condoms figuring they’d expired after being in there for so long.
    “I-I…” Lily gasped. “Nick, I can’t have sex with you. Not here…now. I’m not—it’s just—I can’t. I’m not ready to go that far.”
    “Shh…it’s okay. I wasn’t even thinking it.”
    She pulled back with skeptical lust-drunken eyes. “Yeah, right.”
    He brushed the hair off her feverish forehead, tempted to kiss those luscious lips again but needed to adjust his jeans before they cut off circulation to his crotch. “I can use some air. How about you?”
    “Sure, why not.”
    He opened the door and got a cold, damp blast in the face, then went around to help her out of the passenger’s side.
    “Better put your hat on.” He tugged it over her hair. She zipped her coat halfway, but he dragged the metal tab up to her chin. “Didn’t you have gloves?”
    “I don’t need them.” She jumped out and put her warm hand in his. “It’s f-f-freezing. Are you s-s-sure you wanna d-d-do this?”
    “It won’t be so bad once