Chapter 9

Shelby couldn't believe she was lounging in an antique bathtub, sipping champagne and casually chatting with the man she'd just had sex with.

Noel sat in a wicker chair across from the tub, a glass of champagne in his hand and his predatory gaze fixed firmly on Shelby. It should have made her nervous, but it didn't. She'd never slept with someone she didn't really know before, but with Noel, she already felt comfortable. It was as if they'd known one another, on some level, forever.

Right now they were trying to solve the puzzle of how they'd gotten here and how they were supposed to get home, though between the sex, the champagne and the hot, scented bath, she was too relaxed at the moment to really care.

"So, you said your dad claims to genuinely believe in holiday magic," she said. "I'm surprised you haven't sent him in for psychotherapy."

Noel shrugged and Shelby couldn't help but admire the way it nudged the neckline of his robe open just a little farther. The man was built like a god, with a broad, muscular chest covered with just a thin dusting of black curly hair. She hadn't spent nearly enough time yet running her fingers through it.

"We all figured it was just him being goofy - playing on the Holiday name. Then when you figure each one of us was born on a holiday - it's hard to totally dismiss him. You know there are some times of the year celebrated by almost every culture? Maybe there is some kind of ancient Earth magic there - who knows? After today, I'm a lot more inclined to suspend my disbelief."

"So, you're saying the magic isn't necessarily related to Christmas per say, but the season as a whole?"

Again, he shrugged. "Maybe. Christmas, Yule, Chanukah, Saturnalia - haven't you ever noticed that almost every culture has some kind of celebration at this time of year? No matter what you call it, it's a time with a pretty deep resonance in the human psyche. In fact, today is the actual solstice, which is the even older holiday. Could be we got zapped here today because this is the most magical day of the year."

It made sense, in a weird kind of way - probably helped by the half glass of champagne. Anyway, there wasn't much they could do about it. "But why me? I mean, I get that it's your family magic and Christmas is your holiday, so to speak, but why me? Was it just because I was the one standing next to you when it happened?"

"Maybe," he said. Well, at least he was honest. His voice softened. "Or maybe it picked up on my subconscious wish to get to know you better. I was thinking that, you know. Out of everyone in that room, I'd have chosen you to spend a weekend alone with."

Emotion crowded her throat. "I - umm - may have been wishing for something like that too," she admitted.

"So that explains it." He nodded. "We were thinking the same thing - or something like it. We touched each other and we both touched the village and poof, here we are."

She searched his face for signs of being upset, but she didn't see any - just a trace of caution.

"Just so you know, I'm not looking for anything long-term, not right now, maybe not ever. I don't want to mislead you. I was thinking about you - but, Shelby..."

"Don't worry." Some budding hope inside her heart had just withered and died, but she managed a smile. "I'm not going to try to turn it into anything else. Still, since it looks like we were given a weekend outside of reality as a Christmas present, we'd be fools to waste it. I wanted you, Noel - well, still do, actually. You obviously want me too, which honestly shocks the living hell out of me. Shall we agree to just enjoy the interlude, with no strings attached?" Wow, she couldn't believe she'd managed that without a single whimper. She must have absorbed some of the Victorian stiff upper lip along with the clothes and surroundings.

His smile was easy and laden with sexual promise. "Perfect!"

How could she have ever thought she was really his type, anyway? Sure, she was fine for a weekend fling, but really, they had nothing in common. He was artistic, handsome and rich while she was just an ordinary bean counter. With a sigh, she finished her champagne and set down the glass. Since she couldn't think of anything else to say - at least not without sounding whiny, she laid her head back against the rolled-up towel she was using as a pillow and closed her eyes.

"Not falling asleep in there, are you? There's still chocolate cake in the bedroom."

His voice snapped her out of the semi-doze she'd dropped into. Jeez, the bathwater was getting cold. Maybe she had been asleep. How embarrassing.

"Out you go." Standing there with an oversized towel ready, Noel reached out a hand to help her from the tub. "Before you turn into a giant raisin."

"Or an ice cube," she added, taking his hand and letting him pull her out of the tub. It was silly to be shy around him now. She'd already decided that a weekend with him was the best Christmas present she was liable to get. There was no point in wasting any time wishing for more.

Noel wrapped her in the bath sheet and Shelby let herself relax and enjoy the pampering as he gently dried her off. Of course he took a little extra time on her breasts and butt, so by the time he hung up the towel and handed her the quilted velvet robe, she was already feeling more than a little warm.

Back in the bedroom, they didn't immediately return to bed. Instead, Noel held out a chair for her at the small table by the heavily curtained bay window where he'd laid the tray from the dining room. Once they were seated, he refilled their champagne glasses and raised his to her.

"To the prettiest Christmas gift ever."

Shelby felt herself blush all the way to her toes.

* * * * *

Noel wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed and jump Shelby's bones all over again as soon as they'd finished their cake, but he didn't want to come across as nothing but a horn dog either. He wanted Shelby - sure - to a degree he hadn't really expected. However, in the last few hours, he'd discovered that he also liked her a whole hell of a lot - maybe even enough to say to hell with his father's no-fraternization rule and continue seeing her after they got home. For man who'd prided himself on having his longest relationship last two months, that was saying quite a bit. So while he thought, he walked around the room, turning off gaslights.

"Looks like you built up the fire for the night," Shelby noted as she peeled off her robe and laid it on a chair beside the bed. She couldn't quite look at him as she slipped between the covers and pulled the blankets up over her breasts.

He smiled at her shyness - so at odds with the passion she'd displayed once they'd gotten going. The combination was as sexy as it was endearing. Then he thought about what she'd said. "I didn't touch the fire - apparently our invisible servants are at it again. Come to think of it, our clothes are missing too. Bet you a dollar they're all hung up nice and tidy in the closet."

"Well, at least it's warm enough in here to sleep - since they didn't leave us pajamas."

"I don't think keeping warm is going to be a problem."

Shelby laughed. "No, probably not. It's going to be like sleeping beside a blast furnace."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No." Her green eyes turned serious for just a heartbeat. "It's kind of nice. I'm just not used to sleeping with anyone. I hope I don't snore."

"I don't make a habit of it either," he admitted. "Snoring, on the other hand - my brothers swear I do. So if you hear a freight train in the night - "

"Probably not The Polar Express, huh?" she teased.

"Who knows, given the way this day has been going?"

They sat there for a moment, neither saying a word. It had been a long day, but Noel wasn't really sleepy yet.

Apparently, neither was Shelby.

"So," she asked brightly, "what's in your nightstand - besides condoms? You mentioned toys, but you weren't specific."

"You really want to know?" He had definite ideas on how to have fun with that big jade dildo.

"Umm-hmm." She leaned over and plucked her glasses off the nightstand, putting them on before rummaging in the drawer. Noel just watched. The position gave him an excellent view of her ass. There were three tiny freckles on her left cheek. He wondered if she knew that.

She set a small brown glass bottle and the red silk scarves on the table before turning back to him. "Okay, here's what I've got. Your turn." To his delight, she didn't pull the covers up, leaving him a lovely view of her bouncy breasts with their apricot nipples.

"Remember, you asked for it." Noel opened his own drawer and pulled out the jade phallus.

"Oh my!" She picked up the dildo and ran her hand across the smooth stone. "That's...a lot of jade."

When her tongue flicked out to wet her lips as she studied it, Noel groaned.

Shelby glanced up at him through her glasses. "What?"

"Lick it," he told her.

Her eyebrows crinkled. "Lick it?"

Hmm. She had a point. Who knew where it had been before? "Never mind. We can boil it tomorrow or something. Then, oh god, I want to see you lick it, suck it and bury it in that sweet little cunt."

"There was a note in the medicine cabinet where I found a toothbrush," she murmured breathily. "It said, 'Everything in the house is new and clean.' I'd just been wondering about that since my teeth felt really grungy. I think whatever magic sent us here was pretty thorough." Slowly she lifted the jade cock to her mouth and ran her tongue around the mushroom tip, her gaze never leaving his.

"Oh baby, that's what I'm talking about," he whispered. His own shaft throbbed with renewed need. "Now take it in your mouth, just like it was me."

Without breaking eye contact, she slurped the jade head between her lips and her cheeks hollowed as she sucked. Noel used one hand to pull the covers off her legs. He glanced downward to see her pussy, wet and glistening, as she sat cross-legged, facing the center of the bed.

Noel opened the bottle of oil and poured a few drops on his palm and rubbed his hands together to warm it. After he was sure it was up to body temp, he reached out and took one of her breasts in each hand, spreading the slippery warmth over her sleek white skin. He played with her nipples, but made sure the valley between was good and slick. As he pushed the two mounds together, he told her, "Now slide that between these."

Her eyes were glazed with arousal and she nodded. Taking the dildo out of her mouth, she licked the tip one last time before bringing her hand under her breasts and pushing the jade shaft up between them. When Noel could just see the tip poking out from between the white globes, she pulled it back then up again in a slow, sensual simulation of fucking.

His balls ached, but he wasn't ready to stop. "Now I want to see it in your pussy," he told her. "Can you fuck yourself for me, baby?"

"Yes, Noel," she murmured huskily.

He piled up a bunch of pillows and she leaned back against them, legs spread. Noel couldn't resist a quick suckle to one of her almond-flavored nipples as she arranged herself. He sat back on his haunches between her feet as she used her fingers to test her own wetness. Just so he didn't forget later, he also tied on one of the sheepskin condoms.

"You're drenched, sweetheart, but we can use more oil if you want."

"You do that to me," she admitted. "Even before, I'd be sitting at my desk and if you were in the room, my panties would be soaked." She lowered the dildo to her entrance, holding her pouty coral lips open with one hand while she slowly inserted the toy with the other.

"And there were plenty of times I'd think about you and get hard," he admitted. "Did you ever get yourself off and think about me?" His cock bobbed as the jade disappeared to the hilt in her hot slit. Without even thinking, he took one of his oiled-up hands and wrapped it around his shaft. The sheepskin added an interesting feel but didn't detract much from the sensation of his fist sliding up and down.

"Yes," she admitted. "Sometimes alone at night, I'd get out my vibrator and imagine you were with me. Your hands on my skin, your mouth on my nipples, your cock in my pussy." As she slowly fucked herself with the dildo, her other hand toyed with her erect little clit.

There had been a time or two he'd pretended his own hand was her, as well, but he was too caught up in watching her to speak. Her breath quickened and her spine bowed as her orgasm built. Suddenly, Noel didn't want it to be just the toy that made her come. He pushed her hands aside and replaced them with his own.

"Play with your nipples," he rasped. While he moved the dildo in and out of her clutching sheath, he leaned down and tongued her clit.

"Noel!" She shrieked his name as she exploded.

He took the dildo out and slid his throbbing cock inside in one swift thrust. He didn't move, just held himself deep as she convulsed around him, tight muscles rippling along his engorged length.

When she was done, he lifted her thighs up over his shoulders. The position allowed him to bury himself even deeper, and he did, taking her with long, slow thrusts while his hands came up to cover her breasts and knead gently at their pebbled tips.

"Harder," she moaned, her hips flexing to meet his strokes. "I'm not going to break, Noel. Fuck me like you mean it."

"Oh Shelby." His control broke and he pounded into her, hard and fast, hoping to god he didn't hurt her.

"Yes, yes, yes," she cried. Her fists were clenched around the spindles of the headboard, knuckles white.

Her cunt squeezed his cock tighter than his own fist as she crested again, screaming his name. His own climax started at the base of his spine as his balls let loose with a scalding flood that shot through him with the force of a cannon. He swore the top of his head damn near came off as every nerve in his body fired off. All he could do was hold himself in place as he emptied himself into her while she moaned and twitched around him. When they were both done, he had just enough strength left to collapse to the side instead of crushing her.

"Holy cow," she murmured a few moments later. "We're going to kill each other."

"Worth it," he managed to mumble. "Totally."

"Yeah," she said, inhaling a shuddering breath as he felt the aftershock quiver through her. When it was done, she reached down and dragged the sheet up over them both.

Not wanting to be outdone, Noel reached for the blanket before he remembered that he had to get rid of the condom. "Be right back." He barely remembered to grab the dildo and take it with him to rinse off as well. The oil, he tightly capped and left beside the bed.

"'Kay." She snuggled into her pillow and hadn't budged a minute or so later when Noel returned from the bathroom.

On still-shaky legs, he walked around and blew out the hurricane oil lamp on her side of the bed before gently easing her glasses off her face and setting them on the nightstand. Damn, she was cute as well as sexy.

After he took care of his own lamp, he climbed into bed beside her and drew the blankets up over them both. Without waking, Shelby snuggled up against him, her pert ass cradled tightly against his groin.

With the scent of Shelby and sex in his nostrils and his arm around her waist, he fell asleep with a contented grin.