Darker: The Holidays: A Christmas Novella Read online

This would be the first time either of us had been back to Savannah since Dara’s sentencing, and we both hoped that people would’ve had enough time to get her face out of their minds so that Nyx didn’t have people freaking out when they saw her. When I’d first seen Dara, there had only been a few small physical differences – a scar on Nyx’s scalp from where her mom or sister had hit her years ago, and Dara having her ears pierced – but those weren’t the sorts of things the average person would notice.

  Hell, I hadn’t noticed them the first time, and it’d gotten Nyx arrested and almost killed.

  The last time I’d seen a picture of Dara, however, there were new differences. For one, she’d cut her own dark red waves almost buzz-cut short, and Nyx’s hair was still past her shoulders. Dara had also gotten a prison tattoo on her neck that said, ‘Daddy’s girl.’

  Nyx had almost thrown up when she’d seen it.

  We didn’t plan on going out in public much, anyway. We wanted to spend time with the Huxleys and my family, and with each other. If we made it through the airport without someone noticing us, I’d be happy.

  The Huxleys had insisted on picking us up, so it was no surprise to see Isaac waiting for us. What had been a surprise was that he hadn’t gone back to New Orleans, where he’d lived for several years. He was a jazz musician, and the Big Easy was the heart and soul of that style. He’d had some bad luck in Louisiana, though, and had arrived back in Savannah just in time to get caught up in all the craziness that’d happened around Nyx.

  He’d also been an almost-rival for Nyx’s affections. I said ‘almost’ because they’d never really been attracted to each other. Shadae had been trying to play matchmaker, and Nyx had been trying to pretend that she didn’t want me. I wasn’t being arrogant by saying that. She’d fought for a long time against the two of us being anything more than fuck buddies. Then I’d been an asshat and almost lost her because of it.

  If I was being completely honest, Isaac had actually been pretty instrumental to Nyx and me finally getting past our personal issues and working things out. Part of it had been his ability to look at our situation without any of the emotional baggage, but another part had been the nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me that if I didn’t get my act together, Nyx could very easily fall in love with Isaac and it’d be all over with me. I’d never asked either of them if that actually could have been a reality, but it didn’t matter anymore. Isaac was our friend, and Nyx was marrying me on Christmas Eve.

  “You look great,” Isaac said as he hugged Nyx. When he turned to me, he grinned. “You look like shit.”

  I laughed and hugged him back. “Anyone looks like shit next to her.”

  He laughed and agreed as we loaded our luggage into the trunk of his car. As we made our way to the outskirts of the city and a bit beyond, he filled us in on what had been going on in his and his parents’ lives since we’d seen them last. All the stuff that we hadn’t had the time to discuss in calls and emails and texts.

  Like the time Isaac had brought his eleventh-grade music students to the ranch on a field trip, and one particularly obnoxious girl had insisted that she could ride one of the newer horses. He’d told her that if she could saddle and mount it without any help, she could ride it. She’d ended up face-down in the dust when the horse moved forward, just as she’d tried to put the saddle on its back.

  Shadae and Brew’s troubled youth program had grown to the point where they’d had to hire another counselor and another trainer. They still offered classes that people could pay for, but they were now able to be selective about who they admitted. All the money from those students was put back into the ranch and the program. After the first of the year, they were adding a second stable and three more horses.

  “The place looks amazing,” I said as Isaac followed the driveway past the main house to the cabin where Nyx and I would be staying.

  My cabin.

  I’d lived here on my own before meeting Nyx, and while I knew the Huxleys now rented it out with the other cabins, a part of me would always think of it as mine.

  “Want me to help and drive you back to the house, or do you want to get settled and then walk up?” Isaac grinned, white teeth flashing bright against his dark skin. “Or I can leave you the car. Won’t hurt me to get some exercise.”

  Nyx rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because you’re so out of shape.”

  He patted his trim stomach. “The best thing about coming home was Mom’s cooking. The worst thing about coming home was how much weight I’ve put on eating it.”

  I got out of the car and walked around to the back. Nyx joined me a minute later, and the two of us carried our things into the cabin.

  “Do you want to unpack or ride back to the house with Isaac?” I asked.

  “I need to make a call.” Nyx set her suitcase at the foot of the bed and batted her eyelashes at me. “Would you mind unpacking?”

  “Not a work call, is it?” I teased.

  “Of course not.” She took her phone out of her purse. “We promised that while we were gone, the only time we’d talk about work would be when people asked about it.”

  Something about her tone sounded strange, which made me think she wasn’t being entirely honest about who she was calling. I wasn’t going to call her on it, though. She’d worked her ass off to make Phoenix Investigations a success, and this was the first time she was leaving it for more than a day or two at a time. And not just closing it while we were gone. She was leaving it in Dru Merlin’s hands. Granted, Dru was a PI herself now and had been Nyx’s number two for almost a year, but trust had never come easy to Nyx, especially when it came to important things.

  “Go make your call,” I said. “It won’t take me long to get stuff put away.”

  It was strange how memory worked. Without even thinking about it, I put my clothes and toiletries back in the exact same places they’d been when I lived here before. Since I didn’t have as many with me as I’d had then, I used the extra space for Nyx’s things, though I did have to guess at a couple since she had a few bags that were marked ‘surprises for Bradyn.’ Since I knew for a fact she’d shipped her wedding dress down separately, I was really hoping those bags had lingerie…and maybe some toys.

  I was grinning as I walked outside, my mind full of ideas about whatever those bags held. I planned on trying to get answers on our walk to the main house, but I didn’t see Nyx anywhere. I went a few steps off my porch and toward the house, wondering if she’d already started up there without me. Then I heard her voice coming from the other side of the next cabin and moved closer to be able to hear when she was done talking to Dru.

  “…I told you to stay away.”

  I frowned. That didn’t sound like a conversation that had to do with work. Unless there was something going on with one of the people at work, and Nyx wasn’t as much worried about her business as she was about a human being.

  “I understand, but it’ll just make things harder for you.”

  This didn’t sound like a conversation I should be overhearing.

  I took a few steps back and put my hands in my pockets in an attempt to look casual, but I wasn’t sure it would actually work. I could’ve just looked like an idiot. But I hoped however I looked, it didn’t show that I’d overheard something I shouldn’t.

  When Nyx walked around the cabin and saw me waiting, a shadow passed across her eyes, going by too fast for me to catch exactly what it was, but then she smiled. “Ready to eat? I’m sure Shadae has some massive lunch set up for us.”

  I walked toward her and held out my hand. She took it and laced her fingers between mine. “I could eat.” As we started to walk toward the house, I asked, “How’s everything at work?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The grin on her face should’ve convinced me that nothing was up, but my gut still said something was off.

  No matter. We’d eat with our friends, catch up, and then go back to the cabin and make love. Whatever else was going
on, I refused to let it ruin our time together. If Nyx wanted me to know, she’d tell me.

  Three

  Nyx

  When I’d first come to the ranch, Bradyn had taken me out on a ride, the first time I’d ever been on a horse. I hadn’t really had the opportunity to be on one much since then, but Ralphie was as gentle as ever. Bradyn was on one of the new ones whose name I didn’t know. It was beautiful, though. Roan, I thought the color was called.

  Like before, Bradyn had brought picnic basket, and I had a feeling we were even going to the same place. It was strange, having such good and bad memories tangled up together in Savannah. I’d associated this city with my stepfather for so long since this was where he’d grown up. Then, it’d become the place where I’d been accused of murder and nearly killed. The place I’d seen the absolute hatred my sister still carried for me.

  It’d also been difficult for me to see Savannah as the place where I’d met people who’d become like extended family to me, as well as the people who would actually become extended family at the end of this week. Because I’d also found love here. I’d never been in love before, and I’d never thought it would happen to me. Not after what I’d been through.

  Now, as we reached the same beautiful clearing as before, I thought only good thoughts about being here. The memory of that day came back and sent a wave of heat through me. It’d been the first time I’d ever had sex in ‘the missionary position.’

  Because of the abuse I’d suffered as a kid, I’d never even had sex – rape didn’t count – until I’d found the BDSM world at Club Privé a few years before I met Bradyn, but there were still things I hadn’t done until I’d met him. That first had been here in this secluded spot.

  As Bradyn helped me down from the horse, the look on his face told me he was thinking the same thing. The beautiful trees and creek made it the type of place people would normally flock to, eager to take pictures of and take in the view. Lucky for us, this wasn’t a commonly visited location. Still private. Just for us.

  In the low sixties, it was a perfect day. Bright sun, blue sky, and only a few wisps of clouds. The kind of day that made me want to forget about anything and everything that wasn’t right here, right now. And because this was a vacation, we could do just that.

  The two of us didn’t talk much as we laid out the blanket and everything Shadae had packed. The buzz of insects, birds in the trees, and the splashing from a creek created background music that surrounded us, so we weren’t in silence, but the noises were so different from what we had at home that it just added to the isolated, almost surreal feeling this afternoon.

  Both of us were hard working and focused, the type of people who did well in the fast-paced world of the Big Apple. We were always moving, always working. We’d been on our own so long, and our relationship had started under such insane circumstances that it’d taken nearly half a year before we realized that we needed to make changes. Once we figured it out, we’d made a vow to establish a balance before our wedding, and even though we’d had to work our asses off the last few months to get ready for this trip, we still intended for this to be the beginning.

  Our first step had been to take a vacation before the wedding. Most things moved slower in the South, and adapting to the laid-back pace was the start of us finding that happy medium where our work and our family could thrive. We’d get married on Christmas Eve, spend Christmas Day here too, and then leave the next day for Daytona Beach, where we’d stay through New Year’s Day before heading back home, hopefully refreshed and ready to begin our life as husband and wife.

  But right now, food…and probably sex.

  One look at the heat in Bradyn’s eyes made me change my mind.

  Definitely sex. There was no maybe about the way he was looking at me.

  “Work up an appetite first?” he asked with a smug smile that said he was certain of my answer.

  Every so often, when he had that expression, I had the urge to disagree, just for the fun of it.

  Today wasn’t one of those days.

  I answered him by pulling my shirt over my head. By the time I’d shimmied out of my jeans, he was naked and didn’t seem bothered by the slight chill in the air. Even as goosebumps broke out over my skin, I didn’t mind. I’d be more than warm enough soon.

  “I want you on top.” He stretched out on the blanket, propping himself up on his elbows so he could watch me walk toward him.

  “Translation: you want me to do all the work,” I teased as I closed the short distance between us.

  “Just want to admire the view.”

  “Mine’s pretty good from up here,” I said as I ran my gaze down his body and back up again.

  Damn. The man was a work of art, even without the ink, though I was partial to it. The scales of justice on the outside of his upper left arm had been joined by a new design he’d had done after he proposed. The phoenix matched the one on my back, curling around his left side and up to his chest where the wings came together as if they held his heart.

  When he’d told me what he’d wanted to do, he’d been worried that I’d be upset, but it’d brought me to tears in the completely opposite way. I’d been stunned into silence, totally overwhelmed that he’d wanted something that tied us together so visually. He’d gently reminded me that we were getting married, and for him, those vows tied us together every bit as permanently as the tattoos did.

  “Nyx?”

  I blinked and realized that I’d been staring at him without saying a word for nearly a full minute.

  “Just admiring Kaimi and Sitara’s work on a very nice canvas.” I moved to straddle his waist. If it’d been a little warmer, I probably would’ve turned around and had both of us enjoy each other’s mouths first, but while it wasn’t too cold for sex, it wasn’t exactly ‘let’s take our time’ weather either.

  I sunk down onto my knees and took his half-hard cock in one hand and my breast in the other. I rolled and pinched my nipple while giving him firm, rough strokes. A flush spread up his stomach to his chest, and despite his claim that he wanted to watch me, his eyes closed.

  His face screwed up in an almost pained expression, his breathing coming in short, harsh pants. To an outside observer, it might’ve looked like I was hurting him, but I knew his body as well as I did my own, and I knew just how far I could take him. Plus, we still had safe words, just in case.

  When he was thick and hard under all that silky soft skin, I moved up over him, eager to ease the throbbing ache between my legs. Playing with him and my nipple had made me wet, but not quite enough for him to simply slide right inside me, which was exactly what I craved.

  His eyes flew open the moment the tip of him touched my entrance, and he grabbed for my hips. His gaze sought mine, and I read the question there. I nodded, and his grip on my hips tightened. Perfectly in sync, he pulled me down and drove his hips up, filling me completely in one pulse-pounding, toe-curling thrust. My mouth opened to scream, but I couldn’t find the air. My hands fell to his stomach as he pounded into me, each stroke as hard as the last, hitting that spot inside me that sent sparks of pain shooting through me to stoke the fire building, spreading up and out from the place where the two of us were joined.

  “Touch yourself.” He practically barked the order.

  My fingers found my clit easily enough, and I rubbed it with the same roughness I’d used on Bradyn’s dick. The friction sent a shiver through me, pushing me higher and closer to where I wanted to be. I was so close but couldn’t quite get there.

  I made a sound of frustration, and then Bradyn was sitting up, changing the angle, and his teeth were on me, biting down on my neglected nipple, worrying at it until the pain was just right. I exploded with a scream that seemed to echo all around us.

  I couldn’t be embarrassed, though. Not when he followed me, growling out a declaration of love as he pressed his face between my breasts. I didn’t care if anyone heard us. The only people whose opinion I cared about wouldn’t judge us.
They’d simply tell me that however Bradyn and I expressed our love was good and beautiful.

  I agreed.

  Four

  Bradyn

  When I first moved onto the ranch, it’d been hard for me to fall asleep because things were too quiet. Then I’d moved to New York City, and it’d been another adjustment. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the same problem when we came back, but I’d slept well.

  Maybe it was knowing that we didn’t have anything we had to do or that we’d just worn ourselves out, but no matter the reason, I slept right through from the moment I’d closed my eyes until the mattress shifted as Nyx climbed out of bed.

  I didn’t say anything as she walked into the bathroom, but I didn’t go back to sleep either. I figured when she came back to bed, we’d make love and then fall asleep again. We could even sleep in and then have a nice brunch.

  Except when she came back out of the bathroom, she didn’t come back to the bed. She went to the dresser and pulled on her clothes. Something about the way she moved made me stay quiet, waiting to see what she’d do next. She looked like she was trying to keep from waking me.

  Maybe I was reading too much into things, and she was just trying to be nice and let me sleep while she went up to the main house to have breakfast with Shadae and Brew.

  Except I couldn’t quite get that phone call out of my head. The one she’d made when we’d first gotten to the ranch. I didn’t think she’d made any other calls since, and we’d been together most of the time, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

  I hated being suspicious of her, but I couldn’t stop thinking that she’d lied to me about the call, and I didn’t mean that she’d simply been pretending that she hadn’t checked up on work. Something told me she hadn’t been talking to any of her employees.

  Before I could talk myself out of it, I got out of bed and grabbed the shirt and pants I’d left by the bed last night. I had to see if my gut instinct was right or if I was seeing things that weren’t there. If it was all in my head, I’d feel like an idiot and probably owe Nyx an apology, but if something was really going on, I needed to know what it was. How else could I help her?