“I want you to feel me come inside you.” He managed to force the syllables out of his mouth between breaths.

“Yes . . . Don’t stop . . . I’m so—”

Fast as a lighting strike, an orgasm seized her body. The vise grip she had all around him was too much, and the release that had been brewing deep within him shot down his spine. He came hard, his body snapped tight, his hips locking against her sex, while the lingering pulses of her orgasm just about shorted out his brain.

Collapsing on top of her, he turned his face into her neck and tried to catch his breath.

“Merry Christmas,” she murmured as her fingers stroked languidly down his back.

And it had been. All thanks to her. Despite everything, Allie had gone to great lengths to make their first Christmas together special, not only for the two of them, but for Nick as well. The realization not only hit him hard, it made him fall in love with her all over again.

Chapter Twenty-two

Hudson opened one eye. The first thing he saw was the woven pile of feathers, twigs, and string that now dangled over his bed. He’d half expected a family of birds to set up shop in the thing, but if it actually managed to keep his nightmares at bay, so be it. The second was Allie, standing beside the bed wearing a pair of his pajama pants and one of his long-sleeve T-shirts.

“What happened to the woman I took to bed last night?” He rolled over on his side, the sheet shifting down on his hips.

Allie gave a small laugh. “You didn’t expect me to cook breakfast wearing that, did you?”

“No, I expected you to ride my cock wearing nothing.”

She gasped as he gave her hand a sharp tug and yanked her back into bed with him. “Hudson, Nick and Harper are here.”

“I wasn’t planning on inviting them to join us.” Harper struck him as the type of woman who valued sleep, and there was little doubt that Nick was still clocking in the Z’s. When he was using he’d be up for days, but now he had likely slept soundly for nine out of the ten that had passed. “And if memory serves, their presence didn’t stop you from enjoying yourself last night.”

He started to push her shirt up but she batted his hands away. “I mean they’re probably hungry.”

“I’m hungry.” He went to work on the string of her—make that his—pants.”Besides, I thought you were supposed to open your presents on Christmas morning?”

“I believe you opened your present last night.”Allie smiled as she squirmed out of his grasp. “More than once.”

Hudson groaned and ran a hand through his dark waves. He knew he had the look of being freshly fucked, although without the benefits it appeared. “Remind me again why we hosted a godforsaken slumber party.”

“Because,” Allie said as she retied the string on her borrowed pajamas and rolled the waist, “Lake Shore Drive was a parking lot, that’s why.”

“Well, if it’s not clear this morning I’ll shovel the damn thing myself.”

“Pants.” She reached for his hand and tugged him out of bed.

“This is not at all how I pictured the morning playing out,” he grumbled as he shuffled to the closet.

“And how did your version go?”

Hudson emerged from the walk-in tying his drawstring pants. Allie took one look at the expression on his face and began backing toward the double doors of the master suite. He caught up with her in three strides and planted his palms against the rich wood on either side of her head. “I envisioned,” he purred, his mouth hovering over hers, “diving under the sheets and fucking you with my tongue.”

The noise she made was practically a whimper. “Breakfast,” she breathed, “then you can have me all day.”

That promise clogged his mind as he reluctantly opened the door. He followed her down the hall, his arms wrapped around her waist and his lips pressed to her neck as he murmured all the ways he planned to have her naked. To punctuate the way he wanted to take her from behind, he swatted her ass. She yelped and covered herself, then came to an abrupt halt.

Hudson crashed into her.

“What the . . .” His voice intruded upon the scene in front of him: Harper and Nick looking warm and cozy in front of a fire crackling with its last breath of life. Jesus-H-Christ, they’d turned his living room into their own private campground. Thank fuck they were still wearing their clothes from the night before.

Allie composed herself quickly, a hell of a lot faster than he had, and greeted their guests with a wide smile. “Good morning, you two.”

“Hey, morning.” Nick quickly pushed to his feet. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas. How did . . .” Allie stumbled in the most marvelous way. He knew without a doubt that she was about to ask how they’d slept, but judging from their attire they hadn’t gotten one wink of shut-eye. “Ready for some bacon and eggs?” she recovered.

“The Alessandra Sinclair breakfast special?” Harper stood and ran a hand through her disheveled red curls.

“Hey, my breakfast-cooking skills have had rave reviews.” Allie glanced over her shoulder at Hudson, nearly knocking him flat on the ass with her knowing smile.

He was so shoveling that road.

She started toward the kitchen but stopped short at the sight of one last present he’d managed to sneak under the tree while she slept. Stealthy SOB that he was.

“What’s that?”

“If I tell you it defeats the purpose of wrapping.” An almost childlike grin curved his lips. “Open it and find out.”

Allie retrieved the box from under the tree and read the tag. Her eyes met his. “But you already gave me my gift last night.” She pulled one leg of the pajama bottoms up to reveal the diamond anklet he’d fastened to her at some point during their lovemaking. His cock nearly swore out loud thinking about it.

“Open it.”

Allie tugged at the black-and-silver ribbon, then lifted the glossy white lid revealing two tickets to . . . “The Orient Express?”

Hudson nodded. “We leave for Venice on Sunday and the train will have us in London by New Year’s Eve.”

“Are you serious?”

“You, me, and the mysteries of the Orient Express.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips, completely unconcerned by their audience.

And Hudson was so on board with it.

He slipped his arms around her and his shoulders rolled as he bent down to kiss the ever-loving hell out of her.

“Wait.” She pulled back and her face fell. “Will the airports be back to normal by then?”

His smile widened. “Private plane, baby.” He placed his lips softly over hers, kissing her once, twice . . .

“Don’t you two ever quit?” Nick’s voice sucked the mood right out of the room.

Hudson groaned. At the moment he wasn’t feeling very down with the host-with-the-most gig, and hoped like hell that when breakfast was over the roads would be clear.

Chapter Twenty-three

Allie had flown on private planes countless times. Ingram Media had had a corporate jet for as long as she could remember. And although it was mainly used for business, over the years her mother had no problem commandeering it for vacations or last-minute shopping excursions to New York. But she’d never taken a private flight with the man she loved, and certainly not as part of a ridiculously romantic trip through Europe.