When a Gargoyle Pretends to be Santa Claus (Gargoyles Book 4) Read online

  “Thank you,” she trilled, feeling a fluttering in her stomach. “Do you have another Christmas tradition for us to enjoy?” Hopefully not one that involved Die Hard.

  Watching him cut down a tree had been thoroughly enjoyable – seeing him being all manly with an ax was something she would gladly watch again. Trimming the tree was fun too. Not to mention baking Christmas cookies, decorating the rest of the house with lights and kissing under the mistletoe.

  Chris winced slightly. “There’s not much more we can do. My family used to go caroling, door to door…”

  “But I cannot be seen,” she added softly. It was a reality they had to live with - no use getting upset over it.

  “But hey, we could watch Die Hard again.”

  Annis’ face fell before she could stop it and Chris boomed with laughter. “Okay, so no Die Hard. Not your type of thing, right?”

  “You could tell?” she asked, deflating.

  “I think it was the parts where you closed your eyes and cringed that tipped me off. Surprised you made it to the end.”

  “I really tried, Chris. I just… it is not for me. Are you disappointed?”

  “Aww, honey, of course not.” He took her hand and pressed the palm to his lips. “It’s just a movie.”

  “That you love,” she insisted.

  “I like the movie, but I love you. Besides, there are hundreds of other Christmas movies, and I think perhaps I might have a better one for you.”

  He slipped away from her and fiddled with the DVD player before settling on the couch and pulling her down on his lap.

  “What is this movie called?”

  “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

  Annis snuggled into her mate. Well, that was a sentiment she could get on board with.

  *

  Joely wasn’t even surprised when Brom dropped into her garden the next night. Nor was she surprised that he presented her with a huge loaf of crusty bread and some thick cold beef, or that he then proceeded to walk around her house, searching every inch of it. It took him all of thirty seconds.

  “He’s not here,” she said innocently.

  Brom grunted and after a few seconds, raised his eyebrows theatrically and asked, “Who?”

  “Chuck. That is who you were looking for, right?”

  Brom was about to deny it when he was hit by hurricane Daphne. That soon distracted him, and Joely set about making some beef sandwiches. She had a few potatoes left, so she decided to make some thick-cut fries to go with them.

  If she didn’t know any better, she would say the huge gargoyle was jealous of Chuck. Joely smiled as she cut the potatoes, not at all unhappy about that.

  *

  Brom returned the next night, the next night and the night after that, always bringing something to eat, a huge appetite and lots of energy to play with Daphne. If Joely didn’t know any better, she would say she was dating the gargoyle. This was pretty much how it had gone with Chuck, too. Except, with Brom, she didn’t have to try so hard. With Chuck, she was always making an effort to dress up, look and act perfect, and she was always worried about how Daphne was getting along with him. But with Brom, everything just felt right. Everything felt perfect and normal to boot. She never forgot what he was, but it just never seemed to matter during their evenings together.

  The next night, Joely finished late at the diner. She’d covered an extra shift to allow another waitress to spend time with her family. Joely only had Daphne, and she was grateful for the extra money. It did mean Daphne was bone tired when it was time to go home. Joely had to drag her through the streets – and she was no longer a tiny, lightweight baby. She was a heavy, growing girl.

  When Joely managed to get through her front door, Daphne was lifted from her by Brom. She was too tired to ask how he managed to get into their house; she was just grateful for his help.

  Brom easily carried her upstairs, and he watched as Joely brushed Daphne’s teeth and pulled her into some pajamas. Joely kissed her forehead and Brom also said good night to Daphne, placing his hand over her heart and giving her a blessing. Daphne was out like a light.

  As they made their way downstairs, Brom shifted on his big feet awkwardly.

  “I came by after sundown. I brought you a leg of lamb.”

  “Sorry, I took another shift at the diner. We ate at work. The lamb sounds a lot better than what I had.”

  “Perhaps we may eat it tomorrow night.”

  “Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve. Won’t you be spending it with your… what did you call them?”

  “My clan. No. To us, it is merely another night.”

  “I’ll be working the late shift again. The diner’s open late tomorrow and shut on Christmas.” Joely took a deep, steadying breath. “You know, if you can get down here without being seen, there’s no reason we can’t spend the day together. I’m sure Daffy would like to show you the correct way to build a snowman. She’s very bossy.”

  Brom looked at her sadly. “We cannot.”

  “You don’t want to,” she murmured in disappointment.

  “That is not it,” he said roughly. “I want… I wish that I could. My kind, we sleep during the day. We have no choice in the matter. I cannot wake until sundown.”

  “Wait, are you saying you turn into statues during the day?” Why didn’t she see this earlier? She should have, but it still hit her like a shovel to the stomach.

  He nodded and Joely looked down at her hands, concentrating on her peeling purple nail varnish.

  “You’re weird and strange and you drive me nuts, but I like you, Brom – romantic styles, I’m sure you can see that.”

  He moved a step closer to her and placed a huge hand on her waist. “You are stubborn and frustrating, but I like you, Joely. Romantic styles, as you say.”

  “I reeled you in with my bountiful rear,” she teased sadly.

  “Your words are positive, but you sound sad.”

  Joely looked up at his stern, confused face and tried to stem the tears that wanted to shed. She placed her hands on his chest; his skin was warm and soft, his muscles quivering.

  “I just don’t see how we can work. I need a guy who can help look after Daphne – who can take her to School and pick her up. A guy who can bring home a paycheck. I let myself get carried away, spending time with you, but the truth is I just don’t see that we can be together.”

  “You do not wish to be my mate,” he said flatly.

  “I told you I like you, but long term I need someone practical, and us – we’re not practical. I guess it never really hit me until now.”

  Brom gave her a hard, unhappy look. “You wish for me to go?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “You wish for me to stay?”

  “No… Yes.”

  “But you do not wish…”

  “Just stop talking.”

  Joely clasped his head and pulled him down for a kiss. He looked briefly shocked as she covered his mouth with hers. For a moment he was still, hard as a statue against her, but as she caressed his lips and explored his mouth, he relaxed, slipping his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body.

  As his kiss became bolder, his growing erection pressed insistently against her stomach. Maybe this wasn’t smart; maybe she should just send him on his way. But if they weren’t right for each other, couldn’t they just enjoy a moment of happiness first before parting?

  The overwhelming need for him extinguished any doubts. She pushed against his chest, and when he reluctantly let her go, she pulled him onto the sofa and began stripping. Brom watched her with avid, hungry eyes as she was very slowly revealed herself to him. It was cold out; she dressed in layers.

  When she finally made it down to her underwear, Brom let out a lusty groan.

  She stood between his legs and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Okay?”

  “You are very beautiful,” he rumbled as his eyes wandered all over her body.

  “Thank you,” she said, pink coloring
her cheeks. Not the first time she’d been told that. She was pretty and she knew she had a sexy body, but she didn’t take the compliment for granted coming from him.

  He clasped her hips, his fingers rubbing the material of her panties. “The green suits you. I think I like it even more than the white.”

  “The white?”

  “Nothing,” he said quickly.

  She was going to probe him further, but her attention was diverted as he removed his garment. Snowballs! No wonder it was so big.

  Joely dropped to the ground and clasped his length with both hands, her fingers unable to meet around his swollen girth. He was hard as steel and smooth as silk. She was no stranger to giving oral sex, and enjoyed the act of giving pleasure, but she wanted to take him more than she had any other male.

  “You are beautiful too,” she insisted.

  He was, as well. His appearance had scared her at first, but now she could not look at him with anything but affection. Not to mention lust. She doubted she’d ever wanted a male half as much as she wanted him at that moment.

  Brom gazed at her questioningly. “What are you… Joely!”

  Her name came out on a gasp as her lips wrapped around the head of his member. He was so big that she could take little more than the head in her mouth, but she licked and suckled at him as her hands stroked him. She quickly fell into a fast and, given the noises he was making, satisfying rhythm.

  Considering his surprise, she would guess this was a first for him, and she wanted him to remember it her. Wanted to make sure he remembered her, too. She didn’t know what would happen after tonight, didn’t know where he would go, but she wanted him always to remember this night with her because she knew she would never forget it. This crazy, wonderful male had swooped into her life, and she wanted to be as unforgettable to him as he was to her.

  She moved with more vigor, pressing her thumbs to the underside of his shaft and allowing her teeth to scrape over his flesh. He groaned her name again, and she chuckled around him.

  Brom growled and gripped her arms, pulling her up against his body. She mewled at the loss of him, but as his claws ripped through her underwear and the blunt tip of his manhood pushed against her sex, she soon quieted.

  “You are sure you want this?” he growled.

  “Hell, yes,” she sighed.

  Joely straddled his body; her eyes caught in his mercilessly beautiful gaze as her fingers fiercely gripped his shoulders and she slowly impaled herself on him. His hot, hard length inexorably pressed inside her.

  He was huge, largest male she had ever been with, and trying to take him danced on the edge of painful, but she was determined. She wanted this, wanted him. Needed to be joined with him more than anything else. Her flesh parted for him; he touched places inside her no male had ever been. His wings were spread behind him while his tail thumped against the sofa. She almost laughed out loud at how bizarre it should have been that she was making love with a creature that had both wings and a tail, but she didn’t. While it should have been bizarre, it wasn’t. It felt right.

  The lust in his eyes grew and grew, and his hands impatiently gripped her waist, his fingers clenching and unclenching. Undoubtedly he wanted to pull her down him, force her to take him all at once, but she was grateful that he held back. Perhaps he could if she were not human. Momentarily, she wondered how different it would be if Brom were with a female gargoyle, but she dismissed that thought – all that mattered was the here and now, the two of them together.

  Joely panted as finally, she had taken every perfect inch of him. He throbbed inside her, hot and hard, scorching her inner flesh.

  Brom took her face in his hands. “Okay?” he breathed. The effort of remaining still strained his face.

  She nodded. “You’re just a tad… large,” she murmured, trying to relax her inner muscles.

  He smiled, far too self-satisfied and she kissed him – anything not to have to look at that. He was hesitant at first but soon grew bolder. She imagined he had not kissed before either. She liked the thought that she was his first kiss; that no other female had been special enough to kiss before now. He was uncertain of himself, but she could tell how he enjoyed it. Brom’s hands moved down to her breasts, and she enjoyed that. Always a tender area for her, she moaned lustily into his mouth as his talons scraped over her nipples.

  Joely dragged her mouth away from him and arched her back, pushing her breasts at him, demanding more. Chuckling in delight, he soon got the message and wrapped his warm mouth around one of her orbs. She bucked against him as his fangs tickled her skin, and as she did, his glorious length pressed against a spot inside her she never knew existed.

  “Brom!” she exclaimed in the quietest whisper she could manage. Daphne was upstairs after all.

  He did it again, and she jerked her hips, the most divine sensations rippling through her body. A trembling moan escaped her. Brom released her breast, and quickly inhaled its twin, lavishing it with the same attentions.

  Joely didn’t wait for him; she started rolling her hips against him, determined to take her pleasure. She’d had sex before – great sex even – but her previous pleasure had never felt so toe-curlingly marvelous.

  Her fingers traced his beautiful muscles. Maybe other humans wouldn’t see it, but she thought he was gorgeous and sexy, and human males did not own muscles like these. Brom looked like he’d been carved by gods.

  Brom moved his hands down to her buttocks, his large digits massaging her ample cheeks while lifting her against him, aiding her rocking movements, pulling her further up his length and dragging her back down.

  A cry of excitement escaped her, and she brutally bit her own lip. She wanted nothing more than to scream her enjoyment, but she would not have Daphne see them this way. Part of her still saw Brom as Santa – never mind seeing mommy kissing Santa Claus, seeing mommy doing this might scar her for life.

  Joely’s teeth dug into her lip as Brom’s hips started bucking to meet her downward movements. His claws pressed into her buttocks, and his thrusts started quickening. His impossibly huge shaft seemed to get even bigger as he pushed inside her over and over again, burning her insides with delicious ecstasy.

  It was becoming too much for her. Every inch of her body tingled and tightened as her release gained momentum. She couldn’t last much longer; she flung herself against him as she raced to completion. Her body tightened more and more, coiling ready to explode.

  Despite her best efforts, audible lusty moans already escaped her. She feared what would happen when she finally tipped over the edge.

  “Brom,” she breathed. Whether it was a plea for mercy or a demand for more she didn’t know. She wanted to reach the end, but she wasn’t sure she could take much more.

  He answered her with a growl around her flesh and his tail snaked around her leg, anchoring her in place. As if she was going anywhere. She really was at his mercy. She couldn’t imagine ever wanting to be away from him. The idea of never seeing him again almost brought tears to her eyes. She needed this male with a ferocity that almost scared her.

  Brom rumbled and violently pulled her down his length. He let out a roar, muted around her breast as he poured his release inside her. The hot, searing pulses pushed her over the edge into incredible bliss. Before she could cry out, she bit his shoulder. She feared he would be angry, but he only freed her breast and groaned, pulling her body against his, wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck and stroked her back as she slowly drifted into sleep.

  *

  Joely wiped clean the table once again. The diner was due to shut in thirty minutes. There were zero customers and for that she was thankful. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

  Hank was in the kitchen. He had ventured out and tried to engage her in conversation a couple of times, but after being grumpily rebuffed he gave up.

  Daphne was with a babysitter. For some reason, Kylie had offered to babysit for free. They weren’t really friends, but she was
grateful. She was a little too distracted at that moment to both work and take care of Daphne. Nope, all of her energy was taken up with obsessing over Brom. Screw work.

  She woke alone a couple of hours before dawn. He had left her carefully covered on the sofa. Now she was filled with regret about the way they left things.

  No, she was doing the right thing. She had already come to care about him, but she just didn’t see how they could make it as a couple. It was unromantic and boring, but she needed a father for Daphne who could provide for them, who didn’t turn to stone during the day. What would happen if there was an emergency during the day? She’d dated numerous men; she’d got over all of them, surely she’d get over him, too.

  She thought of the way Brom’s body felt against hers. Thought of his mouth around her breast, his manhood pulsing inside her. Being with him was incredible, more explosive and satisfying than she ever thought possible.

  Yes, the sex was great, but that wasn’t the only wonderful thing about him. She loved talking to him, loved teasing him, loved seeing him play with Daphne, loved seeing her little girl’s face light up whenever she saw him…

  She told him she didn’t want him. Maybe she would never see him again. The thought wrapped around her heart like barbed wire.

  The day had been interminable. It was dark now; Brom would be awake. Part of her was desperate to get home, to see if he would show up. Though, she doubted he would. She still needed to shop for a gift for Daphne. She had some decent tips – it was Christmas after all – so she was going to find something in town after the diner closed. It wouldn’t be great, but it would be better than absolutely nothing.

  Hard to see how her day could get much worse… yet it was about to.

  Chuck walked through the door and gave her a pleading look. Ugh.

  “We’re closing soon, what do you want?” she snapped.

  “Joely, cupcake, can we talk?”

  She gave him a narrowed look. “No.”

  “But…”

  “Order or get out.” She really was in no mood for his crap.

  “Coffee,” muttered Chuck.

  She banged a cup in front of him and sloshed some muddy colored coffee into it.