Chapter Nine

 

             

            His cock was killing him.

            It wasn’t bad enough that he’d spent all night tossing and turning in anticipation. But the anticipation that had kept him burning like a roaring furnace had nothing to do with what he planned on cooking, and everything to do with what he planned for Tamberly Blakeney.

            Coming up with a menu had been surprisingly easy. Same for shopping at the local supermarket. Because his forte was taking old-fashioned, home-tested comfort food and putting a spin on it, he didn’t need any fancy spices or supplies. Everything he would ever require could easily be found at any food store.

            No, the menu had been easy. It was “dessert” that had kept him from getting any decent rest.

            Tamberly upside-down cake. Tamberly a la nude.

            Jacking off hadn’t helped. Neither did a cold shower. He was finally forced to admit around two in the morning that he would have to suffer with this unrelenting wood until that evening. Twice now he had inadvertently jabbed it into the counter while he was cooking.

            Jonathan glanced over at the timer. The meat loaf had another twenty minutes to go. If Tamberly was on time, and he was certain she would be, dinner would be ready the moment she stepped into the trailer.

            “Hey, man, it smells like heaven in here,” Lyle complimented him. The man walked out of the bedroom area and reached for his jacket on the wall hook by the door. “I don’t suppose I could hope for leftovers?”

            Jonathan grinned. “I doubt Tam and I will be able to eat all of this by ourselves. Hey, Lyle.” He turned and faced his cousin, spoon still in his hand. “Thanks again for understanding.”

            Lyle waved off the thanks. “I would have asked you to do the same thing if the shoe had been on the other foot,” the man replied. Zipping up, he gave another wave. “Good luck tonight, Jon. Hope it works out for you.”

            Nodding, Jonathan watched the man leave the trailer. Moments later, he heard a vehicle pull up, a door slammed, and Lyle left the market area to go spend Christmas Eve with friends. At Jonathan’s request, his cousin wouldn’t return until tomorrow.

            Turning back to the stove, he ran a quick check over his mental To Do list. So far everything was percolating steadily. His only regret was that he had just the one small oven and four burners to work with, but he had managed in the past to construct more elaborate meals with less. Tamberly was going to get an ideal example of what kind of menu he wanted to serve at his restaurant when it opened. When it opened. Although the where aspect was still a bit fuzzy, the fact that he would have his own place one day was beyond questioning. He knew it was as definite as the fact that tonight he would seal his fate with Tamberly Blakeney.

            He paused, realizing his gaze was on the scene outside the small window over the sink. It had snowed last night, and more was predicted for late that evening, but at the moment the weather was holding. The sky was dark, but the market kept a security light on in the parking lot. As a result, the powder covering the area glistened like granulated sugar.

            A knock interrupted his thoughts. He glanced again at the clock. The meat loaf had another ten minutes. Tamberly was early.

            Snagging a paper towel to wipe his hands, he went to the door. Tamberly stood at the foot of the short flight of steps. She was dressed in a bright red coat with a fur-lined hood, and looked good enough to eat.

            Good enough to eat. The mental image of her lying on top of the table, legs spread, and him diving head-first between her thighs only increased his agony. Jonathan groaned as the burning in his balls became a hard, throbbing pain. It was a miracle her eyes didn’t drop to his crotch when he opened the door, considering it was nearly level with her face. He smiled and stepped aside.

            “Come in. Dinner’s about ready.”

            “Thanks. Mmm, it smells heavenly.”

            Her remark made him chuckle. “That’s exactly what Lyle said.”

            Tamberly stopped while he closed and locked the door, then took her coat to hang it on the empty hook on the wall. “Is he joining us?”

            “No. He got an invitation to spend Christmas Eve with some friends of his. He’s taking them up on their offer, but in exchange I’m supposed to save him some leftovers.”

            “If the meal tastes as great as it smells, he might have to learn to live with disappointment,” she joked, and they both laughed.

            This is why I’m falling for her. Jonathan watched as Tamberly carefully lifted the lids on the two pots to check their contents. I’ve never felt so comfortable around a woman. I’ve never shared an easy laugh like I do with her.

            And laughter only made her sexier. Not to mention the tight little red dress with the red hood that was also lined with a thin strip of white fur. He moved to one side and surreptitiously glanced over at her to see how far down the front of the dress dipped. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and his cock saluted a little bit higher at the discovery. Her breasts were beautiful. Full, and without a hint of a droop or sag. He hoped that was a cherry-red nipple peeking at him, and not a bit of fabric.

            “What’s for dessert?”

            “Hmm?” He blinked, still somewhat sidetracked by her lovely cleavage.

            Tamberly giggled and gave him a backhanded swat to the arm. “Dessert? Oh! Speaking of…” She went over to the sofa where she had tossed her handbag and pulled out the plastic container. “I brought this back.” Now her eyes focused on the tent in his pants, probably because he was standing in profile to her. Jonathan tried to redirect her attention.

            “Thanks. You can leave it on the counter. And to answer your question, we’re having Christmas tarts.”

            “Oh?” Her lips curled into an impish smile as she lowered the hood. Her russet hair glowed like burnished cherries. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. One of your own creations?”

            “Yep.”

            “I’m anxious to try it.”

            At the words “try it”, his eyes fell to the shadow between her breasts, eliciting another giggle. This time the sound of it was deeper, sexier, and his whole body started to sweat, as if he’d just been caught in a burst of heat. Jonathan wiped the beads from his upper lip, and turned back to the stove and the meal before it burned.

            “Mind if I look around? I’ve never been inside one of these things before,” Tamberly commented.

            “Sure. Take the self-guided tour.”

            While she entertained herself, he quickly finished the final preparations, setting the dishes on the small table. Personally, he was satisfied with the way the dinner turned out. It was exactly the type of food he wanted to serve at his own establishment—recognizable and filling, but with a twist. Jonathan smiled to himself and wondered if she would catch the subtle differences.

            He was setting out the last dish when Tamberly re-entered the kitchen area. “Wow, these things are like miniature houses on wheels! But I noticed it only has one bedroom. Where do you sleep?”

            Jonathan nodded toward the sofa bench behind the table. “It pulls out into a sleeper. Hope you’re hungry.” He started to say more when Tamberly gasped in surprise.

            “Oh, that has to be the most adorable little tree I’ve ever seen!”

            Tree?

            He glanced up to see where she was heading. Over in the far corner, behind the driver’s seat, was a tiny Douglas fir. Actually, it looked more like a branch that had been trimmed from a larger tree. A single strand of miniature lights illuminated it, and Lyle had placed a plastic angel on the top. The tree was devoid of ornaments excerpt for a dozen or so…

            “How unusual,” Tamberly continued, reaching out to it. “I’ve never seen a tree decorated with just candy canes.”

            “Lyle must have set it up. To be honest, I never noticed it there.”

            She brought one of the canes over to the table. It was then he realized that the treat wasn’t enclosed in cellophane. In fact… A quick glance verified it. None of the candy canes were wrapped.

            “Lyle must have gotten into your stash,” she quipped with a grin.

            “Huh? What? What stash?”

            “Your candy cane stash. This one’s exactly like the one you gave me yesterday when you brought over the piece of pie.”

            Jonathan stared in shock at the unusual filigree pattern swirling around the peppermint stick. He blinked, and the red stripes twirled.

            “Uhh…”

            His mind was playing tricks on him. That was the only explanation he could think of at the moment to explain the movement. His eyes were seeing things, or maybe these candy canes were some sort of optical illusion-type candies. He wouldn’t put it past some company coming up with such a gimmick.

            “Jonathan?”

            She had moved closer to him until barely a foot of distance separated them. His eyes jerked away from the candy she was holding up, and landed on the tantalizing cleavage behind it. More cold sweat broke out on his body, and Jonathan forced his eyes to drag up to her face.

            “Jonathan, you’re not seeing things.”

            “Huh?” God, I sound like an idiot!

            “The candy cane’s pattern is moving, and that’s our answer,” she murmured, moving a step closer until their bodies almost touched.

            “Our answer?” he barely managed to croak.

            “Yeah,” Tamberly whispered, and reached up to kiss him.