One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

VAUGHNSTEPPEDOFFthe elevator and headed toward his office. This coming weekend he would be hosting a tree-decorating fun day for Teryn and her entire first-grade class.

He sat at his desk thinking about Sierra and their Friday night, especially when they’d made love after he returned her home after dinner. Just thinking about it filled him with an inner peace. He’d felt a love so strong for her, more than once he’d almost blurted it out during one of the most explosive orgasms that he’d ever shared with her.

He was deep in his musings about the time he’d made love to Sierra on her desk and imagining making love to her on his when the buzzer on his desk sounded. Slightly irritated at the intrusion, he pressed the button. “Yes, Kate?”

“There’s a young lady here to see you.”

“Who is it?” he asked.

“Sierra Crane.”

His body jerked in his seat. Sierra was here? She’d never paid a visit to his office before. “Please send her in.”

He was already out of his chair and heading for the door when it opened. The moment it did, his smile vanished abruptly. What the hell? She wasn’t crying but he could tell from her expression that she was barely holding back her fury. He reached behind her and quickly closed the door then pulled her into his arms.

“What is it, Sierra?” he asked, holding her tight. He felt her body tremble in his arms. “Cherie, what’s wrong?”

She drew back and looked up at him. The anger in her features was even more intense. “Nathan came to see me.”

He frowned. “Nathan? Your ex-husband?”

“Yes.”

Vaughn’s body hardened with the rage he saw in her eyes. “What the hell did he want?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Sierra released a deep breath and said, “He wants us to remarry in order to get a promotion at work.”

“What?” He tightened his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I think you need to start from the beginning.” He led her over to the love seat.

It took Sierra nearly twenty minutes to tell him everything from start to finish. Vaughn figured it might have taken her less time if he hadn’t asked so many damn questions, but that couldn’t be helped. He figured Nathan Flowers had to be out of his damn mind. When she’d finished, he said calmly, “Don’t worry about anything, Sierra.”

She pulled out of his arms and stared at him. “What do you mean?”

He wrapped his arms around her again. “I don’t want you to worry because I got this. I’ll handle Flowers.”

Sierra pulled away from him with an angry glare. “No, you will not. I’ve already contacted my attorney, and he says old laws like that are getting eradicated off the books. He will file a motion to—”

“File a motion, my ass. All that takes time. According to Flowers, the two of you are scheduled to meet with a judge before Christmas.”

“My attorney will ask for a postponement, Vaughn.”

“And what if he doesn’t get it?”

She released a frustrated breath. “Why are you being so pessimistic?”

“Sierra, I’m just being realistic here. You need to let me handle this. I know someone who—”

“I said no, Vaughn. I didn’t come here for you to run roughshod over this. I don’t need you to act like a knight in shining armor. I am not a woman who needs saving. I can handle my own business.”

She exhaled. Then in a soft voice, she said, “The reason I came here was because I was so upset about it, and I needed you to hold me. I don’t need you to solve my problems. Besides, you don’t know Nathan like I do. He has a mean streak and if pushed, he will go for blood.”

“I don’t mind him going for blood. In fact, I would love to give him a taste of his own,” Vaughn spat out, standing.

Sierra also stood. “You will do no such thing, Vaughn Miller.” Her chin was tilted up a little and she was glaring at him fiercely. It was clear she was ready to go toe-to-toe with him if she had to.

“And you expect me to do nothing?” he snapped.

She put her hands on her hips. “What I expect you to do is to let me handle my business. Like I told you, I’ve contacted my attorney.”

She turned to head for the door, but he reached out and pulled her into his arms again. She resisted at first and then her head fell against his chest. “I will handle this, Vaughn. Teryn is my goddaughter. I promised Rhonda I would take care of her and I mean to do that. I don’t want her around Nathan. He’ll use her to spite me.”

Vaughn tightened his arms and simply held her, saying nothing. Moments later she lifted her head. “Tell me that you will let me handle my business.”

He stared at her for a long while and then said, “I will let you handle your business.”


VAUGHNSAWTHErelieved look that appeared in Sierra’s eyes. Nathan Flowers would pay dearly for upsetting her this way. The man was a lunatic. Custody rights, his ass. The man could take those rights and shove them. There was no way Vaughn would ever let the man near Teryn.

“I feel better now,” she said, trying to smile. “I knew all I needed from you was a hug.”

A hug might be all she thought she needed from him, but he was about to give her a lot more. Leaning down he captured her mouth with his, and knew her concentration had shifted when she began purring. Or had it been when she began feasting on his tongue as greedily as he was feasting on hers. It didn’t matter, he knew they both felt all that sexual energy rocking their bones.

Suddenly, he pulled back and released his hold on her. He went to the door and locked it. It made a loud clicking sound in the quiet room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, watching him.

Vaughn smiled. “What does it look like I’m doing?” He removed his tie, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

Her eyes flew wide. “We can’t do anything in here. This is your office.”

He gave a smooth chuckle. “And? I recall us making out in your office plenty of times.”

“You can’t make love to me here, Vaughn,” she said, backing away and looking around the room, as if searching for a place to run or hide.

“You want to bet, cherie? In fact, when Kate announced you, I’d been imagining you naked and spread out on my desk.”

Her eyes widened even more. “You weren’t.”

“Trust me, I was,” he said, sliding his slacks and briefs down his legs. “Lose the skirt, Sierra,” he said, enjoying watching her watch him.

She’d seen him undress for her many times, but it was certainly a boost to his ego to see just how attentive she was as he stripped now. He wasn’t just aroused, he was mega-aroused, and she was watching things develop right before her eyes.

“Your skirt, Sierra,” he repeated when she just stood there staring at him below the waist and licking her lips.

Vaughn watched her slip her skirt down a pair of gorgeous legs and then remove her sweater. “Nice undies, yet again,” he said, and felt himself get even more aroused, if such a thing was possible. Today her lace bra and panty set was red and sexy as hell.

When she was about to step out of her shoes, which weren’t stilettos but a pair of ankle boots, he said, “Leave them on.”

Her brows lifted. “What’s with you and my shoes?”

He smiled. “The same thing with me and your panties and bras. They are a total turn-on. Right now, the panties and bra have to go, but not the shoes.”

Vaughn walked toward her and she backed away, stopping when her legs hit his desk. He made short work of removing her bra. It took him a minute with the panties since he had to work them over her ankle boots. When they were both naked, he lifted her and placed her on his desk. Moving between her spread legs, he coaxed her to wrap them, shoes and all, around his waist.

He reached for her breasts and cupped them in his hands, loving the way his fingertips were making her nipples hard. “Maybe I should warn you that Kate has good ears so you might want to keep your voice low. In other words, Sierra. You can’t scream.”

“I don’t scream.”

He chuckled. “Yes, you do. I usually capture it with my mouth so you don’t wake Teryn. I can’t help you here.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

Vaughn smiled. “Because I need to keep myself from hollering. Like I told you, making love with you on this desk has been a fantasy of mine for a while. So indulge me.” He’d been teasing about Kate hearing them. It was after five and she’d left for the day, and so had anyone else with offices on this floor.

“Shouldn’t we talk about this?” she asked, as he sheathed himself in a condom.

“What? My fantasy, your screaming or Kate hearing us?”

“All three.”

“I’m letting this speak for me,” he said, slowly easing his engorged penis inside of her. He pulled out, then quickly thrust back in, setting a slow rhythm. “Do you hear what it’s saying?”

She didn’t say anything, but the way she was looking at him—and her body was responding—said it all. “You’re wet, cherie. So freaking wet,” he said.

He felt her inner muscles tighten around him. When he couldn’t take any more of her muscles clenching him, he began moving fast, then faster. Then he nearly went crazy and all but got on top of her on the desk.

Her moans were getting louder and when he leaned in and captured a nipple in his mouth and began sucking hard, he knew she was about to scream. He quickly left her breasts to cover her mouth. He wasn’t ready for her to come yet.

After a frenzy of several hard thrusts, he threw his head back and let out a deep, possessive growl. Like the Energizer Bunny he kept going and going, thrusting harder, practically nonstop. Suddenly, simultaneously, they came. She screamed and he hollered as their bodies exploded in a powerful climax.

He leaned forward to take her mouth with a gentle kiss. This woman had become everything to him. Bottom line, he was madly in love.

A couple hours later, after making love a second time on his love seat, they dressed. He walked her to the elevator and out of the building so she wouldn’t have any problems with evening security.

Back in his office he stood at the window, watching her drive away. Then he retrieved the cell phone from his desk drawer and punched in three numbers, 767, speed dial for SOS. The phone was answered on the first ring.

“What’s the emergency, Vaughn?”

Vaughn exhaled. “I need to give you an assignment and, unfortunately, you won’t have a lot of time. I need it taken care of before Christmas.”

“What is it?” Deke asked.

After Vaughn told him, Deke said, “Consider it done.”