An Old-Fashioned Christmas Read online

  “I did with Josh.”

  “Well, things are a bit different now.”

  “I just feel so fat and frumpy,” she complained. “Nothing fits except for my maternity clothes but they kind of hang off me.”

  But she didn’t want to buy new clothes. That seemed like admitting defeat. Like she couldn’t shift the weight.

  “Listen to me, Bryony,” Kent cupped her cheeks between his hands, looking down at her sternly. Both of her husbands were dominant. And she wouldn’t want them to be any other way. Despite the fact that it often meant a sore bottom for her when she didn’t follow the rules they set for her.

  “You are beautiful. Inside and out. I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror but I see the smokin’ hot woman I married. The beautiful, sensual, giving, sweet woman I love. No matter what size she is, that doesn’t change.”

  She sniffled. “I just don’t feel like myself.”

  “All right, tell you what.” Kent pushed some hair behind her ear. “We’ll support you eating healthy but not dieting, all right? You have to eat plenty of good food. After Christmas we’ll get rid of all the crap in the house. Wouldn’t do any of us any harm to do that, right Cam?”

  Cam pouted a little but nodded. “Yeah, although I’m not sure I can function without chips.”

  “I’m sure your arteries will thank you.”

  He sighed. “I hate those arteries. They’re such downers with all their don’t-eat-that-piece-of-pie-have-celery-instead rules.”

  She burst into laughter. Kent just shook his head. “Since when have you ever eaten a piece of celery?”

  “I tried a bit once, tasted like grass. Actually, I think grass tastes better.”

  “All right, honey?” Kent asked.

  She nodded with a smile. “Thanks. I wasn’t really dieting you know. Just trying to cut down a bit.”

  “Cutting down a bit when you barely eat enough as it is isn’t going to fly, understand? We’re going to support you being healthy, but if you’re not eating enough we will step in.” Kent patted the side of her hip, making his warning clear. Their stepping in would probably involve her getting her butt reddened.

  “I’m still going to get Tom to check you over before you go out tomorrow,” Cam said as they got ready for bed. He drew back the covers and she snuggled down between them. She yawned. Mac should sleep another few hours and she was beat.

  “When Mac wakes up, Cam or I will get him and bring him into you,” Kent dictated. “You can feed him in bed.”

  “Okay,” she said sleepily. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby,” Cam said.

  “Me too,” Kent added.

  She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  7

  Brax and Holly

  Holly smiled as she awoke. Two warm, big hands pressed her legs apart and a tongue was gently circling her clit.

  Now this was a way to wake up. She sighed happily.

  The blanket was suddenly pulled away and Brax looked up at her from where he lay between her legs. “Awake, darlin’?”

  “Oh yeah. This is the sort of alarm clock I like.”

  He grinned. “Well, don’t expect it every morning. Unless you want me to wake you an hour before I normally get up.”

  “An hour, huh? Doesn’t take me that long.”

  He snorted. Then he spread her lips apart and took a long lick of her folds. “It takes as long as I say it does, doesn’t it?”

  Her breath quickened at the dark note in his voice. She loved that voice. When he dominated her, it was as though every nerve in her body went on high alert. Those big hands moved up to her tummy, just resting there gently.

  After Wyatt’s birth, there had been times when she’d felt like she was living in a stranger’s body. It had taken a long time for her to feel like herself again. To get her sex drive back.

  “Yes, Sir,” she replied.

  “Because your pleasure is only allowed with my permission, isn’t it, my sweet little sub?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He licked around her clit, one hand stayed on her tummy while the other drifted lower once more. He pressed a finger deep inside her. Just one. And it stayed there. She whimpered. Wanting more. Needing him to move. But he kept that finger still. Damn him.

  “Lucky for you, I’m in a happy mood this morning. So you just lay back and let me have my morning treat.”

  He cupped her breast, playing with her nipple. Squeezing it lightly. Then tugging on it sharply. She gasped as a surge of pleasure raced through her. He slid another finger into her pussy and started pumping.

  “Oh God, Sir, please.” She was sitting right on the edge. So desperate to fall over. But she knew better than to do so without his permission. Her Dom had all sorts of ways of punishing her.

  He stilled for a moment and stared up at her. There was a look in those gray eyes she couldn’t quite decipher.

  She thought he was going to withhold his permission and she whimpered. He’d been known to keep her on the edge of pleasure for hours.

  But he just smiled. “Come whenever you like, baby.”

  Wow. He really was in a good mood this morning. Maybe because he was home for the holidays. All thoughts ran out of her head as he flicked at her clit, his movements growing faster and harder until she let out a cry and fell over the edge.

  The world spun and shook with the force of her orgasm. Brax pulled away, giving her mound a soft kiss. She struggled to find her breath. Damn, that was amazing.

  “Just give me a minute,” she whispered to him. She’d find some energy. Somehow.

  Brax kissed along her stomach. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She stiffened. Tell him? Tell him what? Did he know? But no, how could he have possibly figured her secret out.

  “You know?”

  “Yes, I know. Heath found it when he was taking out the trash.” He moved up the bed, lying on his side next to her with his hand resting on her tummy. “Why didn’t you tell me? I admit I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly, but we’ve talked about it. You had to know I would be happy.”

  Okay, she was starting to think that they were talking about two different things. So what was he talking about? Something Heath found he was happy over. And he was rubbing her tummy.

  We’ve talked about it.

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit. She hadn’t planned on telling him yet. Not that she had worked out the best time to tell him. But right now didn’t seem right.

  Although she was pretty certain there was never going to be a good time.

  She took a deep breath. “Brax, what are you talking about?”

  “Heath found your pregnancy test in the garbage when the bag split last night. I figured it was yours since we decided to try for another baby. Not sure why you didn’t tell me, though. You know better than to keep things from me.”

  Oh yeah, she did. Only thing was, that wasn’t the thing she was keeping from him.

  In fact, it was pretty much the opposite.

  “Brax, I’m not pregnant.”

  He stilled. Looked up at her. “You’re not?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, baby. Don’t be sorry.” He gathered her close. “If anyone should be sorry it’s me for jumping to conclusions and then telling you off for keeping it from me. I should have known you wouldn’t do that.”

  “Fuck,” she muttered.

  “Holly?”

  She scrambled until she was sitting up. Then she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. This wasn’t a conversation to have while naked. Brax slowly sat facing her, their thighs brushed.

  “What is it? You look so worried. It will happen. We’ve only been trying for a couple of months.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that. Oh God, you’re going to be so mad at me.”

  He frowned. “Mad at you about what?”

  “We’re not going to get pregnant soon.”

  “What do you mean? Holl
y?” he prompted in a deep voice when she didn’t answer.

  “I’m still on birth control,” she whispered, her gaze on her lap. She couldn’t meet his eyes, couldn’t see them fill with disappointment.

  He was quiet for a long time.

  Finally, she gathered up her courage, knowing she couldn’t hide forever.

  When she gazed up into his face, he looked calm. A little cool. Shit.

  “You want to explain why? I’m assuming you have a good explanation for lying to me.”

  She flinched. Sometimes she wished he was a yeller. It would be easier to take, rather than being spoken to in that cold, controlled voice.

  “I thought I was ready to get pregnant again. I really did. I had no intention of taking the pill again. And then before I knew it, I was swallowing a birth control pill. Then the next day I took another. I thought I wanted another baby, but then every time I tried to go off the birth control I panicked. Brax, I don’t think I’m ready to try again.”

  He nodded. “That’s clear.”

  She licked her lips. “Are you really mad at me?”

  “Over not wanting to have another baby yet?”

  She nodded.

  “Of course not. Holly, if you’re not ready then we can wait. There’s no pressure. You shouldn’t feel like you’re being coerced into having another baby and I’m truly sorry if I made you feel that way.”

  “What? No. No, you didn’t. I thought I wanted to. I did. I’m not getting any younger. I’ll soon be thirty-seven and we decided that we wanted our kids to be close in age. I really thought I was ready, but then I kept remembering those first few months after Wyatt’s birth. All the problems I had. And I would start to get all upset.”

  “Holly, look at me.” He held both of her hands in his larger ones. “I understand. You need more time.”

  “But you were so happy over the idea of trying again.”

  “Yes, but how can I be happy if it’s clearly making you so unhappy?”

  “What if I’m never ready?” she spoke aloud the worry that that kept her up at night. “Or what if we wait so long I can’t get pregnant?” She was a few years older than him.

  “Then I’ll be damn grateful for the beautiful wife and gorgeous son I already have. Holly, I don’t need another baby to be happy. I have everything I need right now. You and Wyatt are my world.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” He gave her a firm look.

  She sniffled. “I should have told you as soon as I started to have doubts.”

  “You should have. And I want to know why you didn’t.”

  Her gaze slid away and he captured her chin, turning her face back. “You will look at me.”

  Shit.

  “The thing is, I’m not sure why I couldn’t tell you. I just didn’t want to let you down. I didn’t want to hurt you. I love you so much, Brax, and the thought of disappointing you…” She let out a sob. He gathered her close, rocking her and rubbing her back.

  “Oh baby. I’m not disappointed in you.”

  She wiped the tears off her cheeks. “But I kept something big from you. I lied about going off the birth control.”

  “Yep. You did. And you feel terrible about that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she wailed.

  “Would you like it if I lied to you about something big like that?”

  She sobbed. “No.”

  “We need to always be honest with each other, even if you think it will hurt the other person.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry, Brax. Can you forgive me?”

  He sighed. “Of course I can.” He hugged her tight then drew back. “We’ll revisit the idea of another child later. And you will tell me the truth next time about how you are feeling.” He gave her a firm look.

  She nodded frantically.

  He climbed off the bed. “All right. I’m going to get dressed and check on Wyatt.”

  “Brax, wait.”

  “Yep?” He was pulling on his jeans.

  The guilt still bubbled inside her. Even though he seemed to have forgiven her, she didn’t feel any better and she thought she knew how to solve that. Although part of her couldn’t believe she was going to suggest this.

  “Aren’t you going to punish me?”

  He picked out a clean shirt from the wardrobe and drew it on, watching her. “Do you want to be punished?”

  “Want isn’t the word I would use…”

  He raised one eyebrow.

  “But I think I need it,” she added quietly. “I feel terrible. I’m an awful person. You’re the most wonderful husband ever and I lied to you.” That went against the heart of their relationship. He wasn’t just her husband but her Dom. Communication, honesty, trust. They were all big parts of their relationship and she’d broken all of them.

  “Why are you taking this so well?”

  He sighed. “I’m not. But I recognize I had a part to play in this. I’ve been busy with work and I failed to see that something was going on. I should have made it clear to you that I don’t need another child to feel fulfilled. That my life is perfect as it is. So this is my fault too.”

  She shook her head. That wasn’t fair. “No. This is all on me. I should never have kept all of this from you. Brax, I have to do something to make it right.”

  “You want to be punished.”

  “The guilt is killing me. It’s been eating me up, keeping me awake at night worrying.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “I didn’t know you’d been having trouble sleeping.”

  “I just lie in bed, thinking everything over, feeling like a terrible person.”

  “Holly, you are not a terrible person. You made a mistake. But you’re right, punishment is required.” He blew out a breath. “You broke the rules therefore you pay the consequences.”

  She nodded, a feeling of relief filling her. “Will you do it now?”

  “No.”

  Crap.

  “I don’t have enough time. And this isn’t really the time.”

  He was right. It wasn’t the time. Not when they were staying in a house filled with his relatives. But she didn’t know how long she could have this hanging over her. “I don’t know if I can wait until we get home.”

  “No, that doesn’t seem fair to make you wait that long. I’ll sort out something for tonight.” He walked over and brushed his lips over hers. “Lying to each other could ruin everything we have. And I won’t go easy on you. This won’t be fun. For either of us.”

  And now she had all day to look forward to it.

  Wonderful.

  8

  Frankie and Tom

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Frankie startled as Tom reached out and grabbed hold of her arm. She’d been trying to climb out of bed without waking him.

  “It’s nearly seven and I promised to help Anna get some food ready before we go. She seems to think you guys will starve unless we leave you something.”

  “Anna worries too much,” Tom said, sitting up.

  Frankie nodded in agreement as she moved into the attached bathroom. As she got into the shower, he came into the bathroom. “Frankie, you know how we talked about having other children?”

  “Yeah?” She washed herself.

  “You know that I’m open to the idea, right? I’d be happy if we had another baby.”

  Another baby? She wiped her hand over the misted shower door so she could see him more clearly. “Umm, I thought we agreed that we weren’t going to have any more.”

  He wanted more children? Why was he changing things up now? Don’t get her wrong, she loved children. She loved her children. But two was definitely enough. And she’d thought Tom was in agreement.

  “We did. I just wanted to tell you that it would be all right if we had more.”

  “Okay.” She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself up in a towel.

  He stood in front of the door, staring down at her. “Ah, can you let me past?”

&nbs
p; “Well?”

  “Well what?” Her temper was starting to stir. He was being weird and she was running late. She was worried if she didn’t help Anna out this morning that she’d use it as an excuse not to come and Frankie had been looking forward to this for weeks. A whole day with other adults, while getting her nails done and a massage. Bliss.

  And now Tom was acting weird and getting in her way.

  “Don’t you have something to say?” he asked her.

  “Yeah, please get out of my way. I want to get dressed.”

  He narrowed his gaze, looking irritated. What did he have to be grumpy about?

  “I’m giving you a chance to talk to me, Frankie. You might want to take it.”

  She threw her hands in the air and the towel dropped. “Damn it, Tom. Why don’t you just fucking tell me what you want me to say and I’ll say it?”

  Crap. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wished she could take them back. Her husband had several old-fashioned ideas. And one was that he didn’t like her swearing. She took a step back, preparing herself for the scolding and spanking to come. Drat, she really didn’t want to be sitting uncomfortably today.

  His face grew stern but he didn’t pounce. Didn’t order her to bend over the bed or the bathroom counter. He pointed at her and opened his mouth.

  “Mommy! Daddy!”

  She quickly grabbed the towel as she heard Charlotte call out. Saved by the children.

  “We’ll have the rest of this talk tonight,” he told her ominously.

  Yep, she was in trouble now.

  9

  Heath and Anna

  Oh, she was in so much trouble.

  Heath stepped quietly into the kitchen, where half of his family was gathered around the breakfast table. This was where they ate all of their breakfasts, rather than the more formal dining room.

  He took a quick head count. Brax and Holly were missing. As well as Cam and Bryony. His youngest son, Ethan sat in his high chair, his mouth covered in food. Ryder, who was dressed in his usual uniform of a Batman cape, t-shirt and mask, was dipping bits of bat toast into his egg, which was in a miniature Batman cup. Heath grinned and shook his head, walking past them. He didn’t want to warn his wife that he was inside.