A Fate Filled Christmas Read online

  Rye thumbed through the pages. "Do I owe you any more?"

  "Nah. She stuck to her quote. We're good."

  Replacing the novels in the bag, Rye nodded at the foot officer. "Thanks, buddy. This is perfect."

  "Let me know how it goes."

  "Will do." Heading back to his desk, Rye smirked to himself. He thought of the idea a couple days ago as he watched Brie become engulfed in her latest romance book. Snatching the next one in line, he made a duplicate cover and had it placed over an existing one. "I can't wait to see her face." With a chuckle to himself, he returned to his desk, stuffed the bag in the bottom drawer, and worked toward wrapping everything up for the day.

  Chapter 3

  "How about this corner?"

  Brie tapped a finger against her lip. "Nah. Let's go back to the big front window."

  Rye rolled his eyes but dutifully picked up the pre-lighted Christmas tree and placed it directly in front of the window. "You know this popular location is a burglar magnet? They see the tree, even some presents, and decide to help themselves."

  "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." She pondered for another moment, then waved. "Scoot it over to the right. In the corner, there. That should keep it from garnering too much attention, yet still be pretty without cluttering." When he moved the tree to her specified spot, she smiled. "That's perfect."

  Bending over, he plugged in the light cord, giving her a great view of his well-sculpted rear. Sure, she'd seen his naked backside several times, including yesterday morning after their neighbors left. However, she never tired of the view.

  He stood back up and pivoted before arching an eyebrow and grinning knowingly. "Like what you see?"

  She blinked at him. "The tree? Yep. It's pretty there. And the colored lights add so much more than the plain clear ones."

  "If you were staring at the tree like you were staring at my ass, you'd be a beaver eagerly anticipating sinking your teeth into my wood."

  Now that idea has some potential. His woody staff. My tongue, teeth, and mouth. She licked her lips as her stomach performed a slow exquisite somersault.

  Rye walked over, a wicked smile on his face. Wrapping her in his arms, he leaned down to rub his nose against hers. "I think I've created a monster."

  "What kind of monster?" She returned the hug and relaxed into his tall, muscle-ripped physique.

  "Hmmmmm." His blue eyes twinkled.

  "If you call me the bride of Frankenstein, I'll stomp your toe." Her brow furrowed in warning.

  He chuckled. "Not quite Frankenstein."

  Impatiently, she waited, lifting one foot in preparation.

  "More along the lines of Nessie."

  "The Loch Ness Monster?" Her mouth fell open. "You…" She slammed her foot down only to find his toe had moved. Quick as ever.

  Laughing, he tsked at her. "Temper. Temper."

  "I'll show you…"

  Before she could finish her sentence, his lips sealed over hers, light and sensual, asking for entrance and a deeper tasting. She immediately granted his wish, the small chastisement completely forgotten under his skilled affections. "Wow." She blinked up at him when the lack of oxygen forced her to pull back.

  His lips hitched up. "I could say the same myself. Who taught you to kiss?"

  She smiled teasingly up at him. "You did or have you forgotten already?"

  "No way, honey. I forget nothing when it comes to you."

  Lowering her chin, she looked up at him through her lashes. "Not even that you love me?"

  "That's one thing I'll never ever forget. You can count on it." Cupping her cheek with his hand, he pulled her close and sealed his lips over hers once more.

  Lifting his head, he wrapped her smaller hand in his and tugged.

  She followed, flopping down beside him on the couch as they both stared at the tree in silence. Snuggling against his large, warm frame, Brie laid her head on his shoulder. "Very nice." With the house lights off except the kitchen, the blinking tree lights cast brightly-colored auras of illumination across the room. Kind of romantic, come to think of it. She nestled closer. "You know this is the first tree I've had since I moved out."

  A small grin tugged at his lips. "That explains why we had to purchase a tree rather than dig one out of the attic."

  She snorted. "Yes, O mighty detective."

  He patted her jean-clad thigh and nuzzled her temple. "I never bothered to get one either. There just didn't seem to be a point of dragging one out, decorating it, then putting it away a couple of days later. Besides, I wasn't home enough to truly enjoy it."

  "Me, too." She sighed happily. "Our first tree."

  "But not the last."

  She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You sure?"

  "Yeah." He slipped his hand under the hem of her shirt, exploring aimlessly until he cupped her breast.

  "Don't tell me you're horny again?" Rye rivaled the little pink bunny lately with his sexual appetite. Not that she complained. No way. Instead, she reveled in the intimacy and soaked up his loving attentions with just as much gusto if not more.

  A Cheshire grin flashed across his face. "Always, baby."

  "Uh huh."

  "Bet you've never made love in front of a Christmas tree before."

  She blinked at him before smiling ruefully. "Considering you're the only man I've even been with and this is our first tree, I have to say no."

  He matched her grin and stood her up. "Then strip."

  She didn't argue but cast multiple glances his direction, watching as he shucked clothes at a rapid pace. The dim light cast shadows across the valleys while an array of colors danced across the hills of his bulging muscles, not to mention his jutting erection. She licked her lips at the glorious sight.

  By the time she dropped her final garment, he settled back on the couch and reached for her. "Hop aboard."

  His hands grasped her hips as he helped her to straddle his lap. When she would have lowered her body, he held her still, sliding his fingers between the junction of her thighs, softly rubbing the tender nubbin, then sinking two digits inside. "Damn. I didn't know Christmas trees aroused you so much."

  "It's not the Christmas trees." She gasped as he shifted his fingers in her tight channel, her body dampening all the more as a wave of pleasure washed over her. Meeting his gaze, she grinned slyly. "It's your Christmas tree."

  A slow smile quickly spread on his face. "My cock gets you all hot and bothered?"

  Like he doesn't know the answer already. She bit back a moan when he caressed her clit once more. "Bam Bam." The name he picked for his manhood way back when.

  Rye found her earlobe with his teeth, nipping delicately then laving the area with his tongue. "So you like Bam Bam, huh?"

  "Mmmm. Him and his owner both. Big time." She ran the tip of her tongue up the column of his throat, pausing at his lips. "I love them both."

  He grunted and guided her over his waiting erection. Slowly and gently, she sank down, not stopping until she could go no farther, Rye's erection buried deep inside her inner core.

  "Love you more, baby." He sealed his lips over hers.

  All thoughts vanished as Rye directed her movements skillfully and seared her with kisses so full of passion her toes curled.

  Chapter 4

  He no sooner sat down at his desk the next morning than someone flopped down in the seat opposite.

  "Miss me?"

  Rye glanced up to find Jingle smiling happily, wearing the same outfit as before. He could only hope this happened to be a duplicate costume instead of the same one worn day after day with few washings in between. "Why would I miss you?"

  "Because I was right about the drugs?"

  Gotta give the little guy credit. "Yeah, you were. Though how you knew is still up in the air."

  "Told you. I'm an elf."

  "Yeah, we've been over this ground already. So what are you doing here today? Returned to help me get back on Santa's good list?" He grinned at his own joke.

  Jing
le tsked. "If you aren't nice to me, I'll make sure you're off that particular list and moved to the other one." With a long sigh, Jingle dug out a slip of paper from his belt and handed it over. "Check out this guy."

  Randy Gidley. "What for?"

  The elf stood and grinned. "I have a feeling he's up to something."

  "Jingle, I can't just investigate anyone because you have a 'feeling'."

  Throats cleared and chairs squeaked nearby as the room fell silent and all eyes landed on the two of them.

  Rye couldn't believe he was doing this but lowered his voice and asked all the same. "Can you give me a solid lead to follow?"

  The elf beamed and jiggled, sending his bell to ringing loudly. "You want the guy stealing children's toys from under their trees, right?"

  Startled, Rye stared at the green-clad man. "That case is confidential. How do you know about it?"

  Jingle rolled his eyes. "I told you I'm an elf."

  Not willing to argue over the state of the man's delusions when he might have a tip, Rye stared at the slip of paper. "You think this is the culprit?"

  "Maybe. Just check him out."

  "But…"

  When Rye glanced back up, the elf had disappeared from sight.

  Well, hell.

  He quickly typed the name into the computer and hit the search button. Within two minutes, he discovered an address, place of business, and a criminal history as long as his arm, mostly petty crimes, making this thief more of a thorn in the ass of every officer. No matter. He'd take the low-key bad guys any day. They normally didn't try to remove his head from his neck whenever he pulled out the handcuffs.

  Snatching up his coat from the back of his chair, Rye pulled his keys from his pocket and walked from the office directly to his car.

  Chapter 5

  Brie opened the door and stuck her head inside. "Rye? Are you home?" Glancing around, she found the kitchen and living room empty and void of footsteps or other sounds indicating her live-in boyfriend might be home, just unable to answer.

  "Great." Stepping inside, she lightly plopped a couple of shopping bags on the counter, then shut the door.

  For two weeks, she'd racked her brain trying to decide what to get Rye for Christmas, to no avail. After all, what did detectives want for the holiday? Sherlock Holmes books? A new gun? Super Bowl tickets? A year subscription to the Playboy Channel? She snorted. Well, Rye would probably go for the Playboy Channel, but he would monopolize her free time with nothing but naked women. As much as she loved Rye, she drew the line at spending every evening watching porn with him. There wasn't enough leftover money to pay for the needed therapy, not to mention she spent her working hours seeing all kinds of nude bodies. Enough was enough.

  Finally, after days of frantic searching, she'd stumbled across a local store ad with the perfect gift. A big screen TV. What man didn't want the extra-large item in their living room, allowing for up close and personal viewing? What he chose to watch on his present would be negotiable. It better be, or I'll bean him with a shoe. One humiliating experience watching an adult movie in hopes of seeing Rye's delectable rear in action from his short porn flick career was enough. She'd blushed for a week afterward. Still did any time he mentioned the movie's name.

  Opening one of the sacks, she pulled out a small plastic-wrapped item along with a three-pack of men's thong underwear. All pink with imprints of red lips in certain eyebrow-raising areas. As much as Rye had complained when she'd dyed his underclothes pink, he still wore them. She helped ensure he did, with generous praise, and a little physical reward now and again when he sported the traditionally feminine color proudly. While he might roll his eyes at her latest addition to his boxer drawer, she was willing to provide some sensual encouragement for his efforts. Besides, he needed a fun gift, full of teasing potential.

  She'd briefly considered picking up another pair of sexy sleepwear but quickly disregarded the idea. Rye didn't need any more stimulation or motivation in the bedroom. He knew his way around a woman's body, made her blush more times than she could count, and had an elephant sized ego to boot. In spite of all that, he amused her, loved her, and cared for her as if she were a treasured gift. She couldn't ask for a better guy.

  Her cell phone rang. Palming the small device, she checked caller ID, grinned, and answered. "Hello?"

  "Hey, you," Rye purred over the phone. "What are you doing?"

  "Not much." She glanced at the pink undies once more. "Just got home from a little bit of shopping."

  "Ohhh. Anything I need to know about?"

  She grinned wickedly. "Curiosity killed the cat."

  "Good thing I'm a cop, then."

  "Uh huh. So what are you up to? Slow day at work?" Walking over, she pulled out a kitchen chair and plopped down.

  "Not too bad. Caught a Christmas thief already this morning."

  "Wow. That's great."

  "Had an interesting phone call, too."

  Brie perked up. Considering their families and neighbors, interesting meant something quite out of the ordinary. "Such as?"

  "The Graysons that live just down the street."

  "What about them?"

  "They called in this morning to make a report."

  "Oh, no. They were burglarized? That's horrible."

  "No. Not that. They were gifted."

  "Huh?"

  He chuckled. "They woke up this morning to find a bunch of Christmas decorations all over their front yard. None of them belonged to them."

  Her mouth fell open as her hamster wheel of a brain stuck in mid-round. "They were what?"

  "Gifted. Decorations showed up in their yard. All assembled. They haven't a clue who put them there."

  "How odd." She shook her head. Talk about weird. "Are they the only ones?"

  "As far as we know, yes. But it's still four days until Christmas."

  "With a Christmas decorating maniac on the loose. What will we do?" She did her best Scarlett impersonation.

  "You're such a squirrel," Rye teased.

  "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

  "True." He paused for a second. "What are you going to be wearing when I get home?" His baritone voice turned sensual, caressing her desires in temptation.

  "Oh, I don't know." She tapped her chin. "Perhaps, if you're good, I can put on an old nightgown. Warm and comfortable."

  His voice lowered to a whisper. "Baby, I'll keep you plenty warm and comfortable. Needy and breathless. Wet and wicked."

  She licked her lips and squirmed in her seat. "Oh, my."

  "I'll be home at six. Wear something easily removed." He hung up.

  Instinctively, she checked her watch. Two hours to get dolled up for a night of debauchery.

  Grabbing the brightly-colored Christmas paper, she hurriedly wrapped Rye's fun gift in a box, then placed it under the small artificial Christmas tree sitting near the front window. Satisfied with its location, she headed toward the shower with a naughty plan in mind.

  Chapter 6

  Rye opened the kitchen door, stepped inside, automatically dropping his duffel bag at the door while toeing his shoes off.

  "Brie?" Glancing up, he found her standing a few feet away, wearing a pair of his boxers, one of the pink ones she'd dyed as a prank a few months back. At the time, he'd considered the act blatantly crossing the line. Now, he knew the image would burn in his mind for months to come, adding to his memory bank of wet dream material all including the woman before him.

  "Hmmm?" She shifted weight from one foot to the next, the baggy briefs dipping lower with the movement. Her eyes sparked as she batted her lashes at him, a come-hither expression written clearly on her face.

  "They look much better on you. Now take them off."

  "Make me."

  His manhood jumped at the blatant sexual challenge. A new game; he jumped in eagerly.

  Slowly, with finite precision, he made a show of removing his shoulder harness with the handgun safely holstered and gently placed it on the kitchen tabl
e. His shirt immediately followed, falling to the floor with a snap of his wrist.

  Her gaze caressed his body, flicking back and forth from his face to his chest, then lower.

  Her appreciative expression set his banked inner fire to blazing, his stone-hard erection throbbed, demanding attention. He couldn't take his eyes off the teasing vixen before him.

  Reaching down, he flicked the buttons of his slacks. One. Two. Three. Four. Each one provided a bit of relief as well as drew out the anticipation. Brie's gaze fell to his groin as he shoved the material over his hips, letting his pants fall into a puddle around his feet. His briefs followed, leaving him completely nude for her appraisal.

  Brie licked her lips, so sexy and tempting he couldn't wait a moment longer. Stepping out of his piled clothing, he methodically stalked her like a hungry wolf pursued a rabbit, grinning when she retreated, matching him step for step.

  "You threw out the challenge, Brie. I'm answering."

  Her eyes widened as she maneuvered backward down the hall, her attention locked firmly on his physical reaction to her state of dress and sensual play. Color blossomed across her cheeks. He caught the increased intake of air and grinned to himself. His little squirrel played coy, might have bit off more than she could chew, but she was turned on big time.

  With a tiny squeal, she spun and dashed into the bedroom.

  He bounded behind her, tackling her in a leap that landed them both solidly on the bed, he on the bottom, Brie stretched out across him. A sharp elbow landed in his gut.

  "Umph."

  Rye shackled her wrists, used his bigger and heavier body to flip them over, then pinned her beneath him.

  "Now, what did you tell me?"

  She blinked up at him, breathing heavily, her still-clothed chest rubbing against his bare skin with each breath. Her hazel eyes sparked.

  "Ummm. You're mean?"

  He grinned wickedly. "Nope." With finesse, he yanked the hem of her shirt up, flicked the front closure open on her bra, all while holding her smaller hands with one of his larger ones. Shoving the shirt up and over her head, he flipped open the unsnapped bra, leaving her beautiful breasts bare for his appraisal. Unable to resist, he wrapped his lips around one tip, laved the area with his tongue, then sucked gently. After a long moment, he switched sides, showering her other breast with the same attention.