The Gift Within

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within Alice Gaines All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2005 Alice Gaines

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For our fighting men and women, past, present, and future.

Chapter One Rick Harrison stared out his front window at the gathering storm. During the day, the sky had gone from blue to gray to black. Now the longest night of the year had fallen, accompanied by a frigid wind. The Weather Channel predicted two feet or more of snow, piling into drifts over five feet. A real Maine blizzard. Just the way he liked ’em. He took a swig of his coffee and winced. Battery acid, no better than the last three cups, but he had to drink something. Booze made him crazy. He’d poured out the last bottle over the summer. Hell, the snails had probably needed something to drink along with their meal of pitiful vegetables he’d tried to grow. The joys of country living -- what a crock. But at least, he’d never have to swelter through 120-degree heat again. For that, he’d put up with a lot. Oh, yeah, blizzards were just fine with him. Besides, when the storm passed, he’d have plenty of work plowing out driveways. If his disability check came this month without a huge battle, he could buy another cord of wood. The first flakes of snow started to fall. Big, fat things, too lazy to fall with any speed. The wind whirled them into little funnel clouds. Soon the leftover slush from the last storm had a fresh coating of pure white. It would pile up quickly, but his Tacoma with chains on the tires could handle it. Movement outside. He squinted to see through the gloom. Damn, it looked as if someone was out there. What the hell? What kind of moron would go out in a storm like this? He set his coffee on the windowsill and went for his jacket so he could check around. Outside, the porch light barely made a dent in the falling snow, which had

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picked up speed. The wind whipped flakes of it in his face, where it stung. He held up his hand to shield his eyes. “Anyone out here?” Only the whistling of the wind answered. “Hey! If you’re out there, you’d better get in here. Pronto.” Still nothing. He stared into the distance as far as he could. Hell, he’d probably imagined it. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen people who weren’t there. It’d be the first time his imaginary visitors came in a snowstorm, though. He could tell that to a shrink if he ever got to the top of the VA’s waiting list. Damn, he had to get the self-pity under control. He went back inside and closed the door behind him. When he hung the jacket on its hook, a few snowflakes fell to the floor and melted. There’d be a puddle there soon. He grabbed his mug and headed toward the kitchen for another cup of poison. Just as he got there, the lights went out. Shit. He’d have to use the camp stove until the power came back on. After fumbling on the counter for a while, he found the lantern and struck a match. Soon, the room filled with soft light. Just as he reached for the stillhot coffee in the pot, a sound came from the front of the house. It sounded like a knock on the door. He turned and stood in silence for a minute. There it was again. Holy shit, there was someone out there. After grabbing the lantern, he went back into the front room. The porch light showed someone right outside the door. The figure was hard to make out, but it looked like a woman. She had to be lost, out of her mind, or both. He opened the door and found a sight that qualified one of them for the loony bin. The woman was tall and willowy with green eyes and flowing red hair. Red hair flecked all over with snowflakes. She wore something that matched her eyes. No more substantial than a negligee, the dress didn’t cover her arms at all. Even more idiotic for this weather, her feet were bare. “What in hell?” “May I come in?”

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“Shit, yes. What am I thinking?” When he stepped aside, she glided into the room. Her feet moved in the regular way, but they hardly seemed to touch the floor, making her look as if she were floating. That had to be a trick of the lantern light, but even that seemed enhanced as if the room had its own glow. Did she do that somehow? She smiled at him. “You should probably close the door.”

He did. “What in hell were you doing out there?”

“Knocking on your door. Didn’t you hear me?”

“How else could I have known you were out there?”

“So, why did you ask what I was doing?”

“Don’t take everything I say literally.”

She shrugged. “How would you like me to take it?”

She could sure think up weird questions. Maybe he’d been away from women

too long. Maybe they all talked like this. “What were you doing?” Rephrase that. “Why were you out there in the snow dressed like that?” She looked down at herself. “You don’t like my clothes?” Lord knew he ought to like them well enough. The flimsy material gave him a good view of her considerable curves. Full breasts, rounded belly, ample hips. You wouldn’t find her on any runways, but few guys liked stick women. He could use her belly for a pillow and die a happy man. Whoa. He hadn’t had any fantasies like that for a while, and these days, he seldom got more than the automatic erections most men got in their sleep. He was getting a woody right now, though. It was a beaut. She stared at the front of his pants. “It looks as if you like my dress, but I can change into something else if you want.” “Not on my account. I just think you shouldn’t be outdoors in a storm like this in clothes like that.” “But I’m not outdoors, thanks to you.”

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Hoo boy. She had to have escaped from a loony bin nearby. Now, he’d end up trapped with her for at least tonight because no one was going anyplace any time soon. All alone with her, her body, and a hard-on that kept getting worse. Pretty soon, the only habitable part of the house would be right in front of the fireplace. They’d be stuck there in the lantern light for hours. “You’d better sit down in front of the fire and get warm.” He turned away from all those soft curves and got a hand-knitted throw from the couch. “What a lovely room. Very cozy.” “The place came furnished.” He’d kept it clean, with everything in its place. The idea of him, a well-trained killing machine, surrounded by comforters and samplers on the wall was pretty strange, but he liked it. Maybe some day he’d feel like he deserved a home. When he turned back, she was standing almost on top of him, her mouth only a few inches below his. She smiled up at him, her lips parting in invitation. If she wanted him to kiss her, she couldn’t make it any more obvious. He ought to, damn it, even if he didn’t know her name. Even if she was missing a few cards out of the sanity deck. It had been so fucking long since he’d had a woman. That hadn’t mattered until five minutes ago, but right now his cock was throbbing. He needed this, needed her. She tipped her head up and closed her eyes. “Do it, Rick. Kiss me.”

“How did you know my name?”

“Does it matter?”

“Hell, yes, it matters.”

She opened her eyes. “I saw it on your mailbox.”

“No, you didn’t. That only has my last name, Harrison.”

“Don’t you want to kiss me?”

“This isn’t about what I want.”

She reached up and spread her palm over the side of his face. “You’re wrong.

This is exactly about what you want, if only you’d let yourself want it.”

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“Lady, you’re nuts.” He pushed her hand aside and draped the throw around her. That would not only warm her up, but it would cover her. Without it, he could make out her nipples under the film of her dress. Staring at them wasn’t doing his cock any favors. Now that he’d safely hidden her from his view, he turned her and settled her on the couch. “Let me get a look at your feet.” “Whatever you say.” He’d had some training in medic stuff but no practical experience with frostbite. Gushing wounds and heat stroke, yes. Exposure to cold, no. Her feet looked perfectly normal, slender with long toes. The flesh was the right color and warm to the touch. In fact, nothing about her seemed to fit with someone standing half-naked in a blizzard. If he believed in such bullshit, he’d think she materialized outside his door the instant before she’d knocked. But he’d seen her moving around out there earlier. Why hadn’t she frozen her ass off? “That feels good,” she said. “You have a very gentle touch.” Hell, he’d been holding her foot and stroking the instep. Even her fucking feet were erotic. He rocked back on his heels. “Don’t stop,” she said. “Look, lady, I don’t know who you are or how you got here…” “Leeza,” she said. “My name is Leeza.” “Look, Leeza, we’ll get you back to the funny factory tomorrow, but you’re going to have to spend the night here.” “That’s why I came, to spend the night with you.” Oh, brother. “You have to stop saying things like that.” “Why?” “You might be crazy, but you have to know how guys are. You and I are cooped up here in front of a fire.” “Yes, we are.” “A man and a woman, all alone. I’m having, uh, a reaction to you. You hear what I’m saying?”

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“Oh. You mean your erection.” “Holy shit.” Her expression clouded, her brows arching together. “Did I say something wrong?” “For crying out loud…” “It’s a very fine erection. You have a beautiful cock. Very large. I’m looking forward to fucking it.” Good Lord! “Didn’t your mother teach you anything?” She looked at him as if he were a prize idiot. “Of course. She still teaches me things. Fucking’s one of them.” He could only stare at her as choking sounds came out of his throat. “She isn’t my biological mother, but the goddess mothers all of us.” “The goddess,” he repeated. “She asked all of us who wanted to save you. When I heard about your beautiful cock, I volunteered.” Oh, man. This had gone from weird to ridiculous. Granted, she might have gotten an idea of the size of his prick from the way it stretched against his jeans. But claiming that she’d volunteered to come here to get up close and personal with it? He sat here aching to let her work out whatever crazy fantasies she’d brought with her, but what kind of a man would that make him? No matter how much she wanted to get laid, no decent guy took advantage of a demented woman. Or, did he? She leaned forward, placing her hand on his face again. “I can see you don’t believe me.” “What do you expect me to think? You show up on my doorstep in the middle of a snowstorm, dressed for a summer evening.” “I wasn’t cold, was I?” She had him there. Somehow, she’d gotten all the way here from… somewhere… without any frostbite. Hell, she wasn’t even shivering. “You can see the glow around us, feel the heat,” she added.

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“The fire…” “Rick, you know better than that.” The room was pretty bright, more than the output of a fire and one lantern explained. The warmth in the room didn’t just come from the fire. He’d noticed a glow around her when she’d first come inside. Maybe his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him. “It’s getting stronger the more excited we get,” she said. “You’re excited? I haven’t even touched you.” Unless you counted her foot. She had erogenous zones in her feet? “I can show you more of what we can create together, if you’ll let me.” He studied her, but he honestly couldn’t see anything in her expression except openness and, maybe, concern. As if she honestly gave a shit what happened to him. “What do you want to do?” “I’d like to suck on your cock until you come.” “Jesus H. Christ!” “Why do you look as if I said I want to eat your liver for dinner? Most men like oral sex.” “I like it.” At least, he used to. He hadn’t had any loving from anything besides his hand for a long time. His cock would sure like fellatio now. The thing was ready to break out of his pants. No retreating now. One way or another, he had to come. Why not let her do her thing? “That’s my boy.” She patted the couch beside her. “Sit over here and let me work some magic.” Heaven help him, he did what she asked. He sat beside her and leaned back against the cushions. The dimensions of his cock showed clearly against the denim, stretching from his balls almost to the waistband of his jeans. She stared at him and let out a little gasp of surprise. “Oh, he’s beautiful.” “You have a funny way of putting things.” “But he is. I can’t wait to pet him.”

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“Most women want a cock somewhere else.”

“We’ll do that, too, but first things first.”

Unless she was totally insane, she had to know that after he’d come she wouldn’t

get any action. At least, for a while. But if her heart was set on giving him head, who was he to stop her? Before he had a chance to tell her that, she put her hand over his erection and pressed her palm against his shaft. Even through the denim, the contact jolted him. It really had been too long. A little more of that, and he’d come right in his pants. Then, the damnedest thing happened. The room got brighter, and heat crept over his skin. Not just where she touched him, but all over him. Just as she’d said it would. What the hell? He didn’t have a lot of time to contemplate that because she shrugged out of the blanket, unzipped his fly, and reached in to rub his cock. The touch had a pleasant zing to it, robbing him of breath and even strength. Nothing to do but sit there and let her have her way with him. After a moment, she freed his cock completely, stroking it from the base to the tip. The light had grown bright enough by now that he could make out the crimson of his flesh. Aching, burning, throbbing. Pretty soon he’d lose control completely. “Damn,” he gritted. “I thought you wanted to suck it.”

She leaned toward him and kissed his lips gently. “I do. I will.”

“Better do it pretty soon.”

“I can make this last for you.”

He had no answer for that. He didn’t have anything but the mother of all hard-

ons and a hair trigger. She seemed to sense his need because she gave him a sweet smile before bending toward his crotch. Seconds thundered by before she touched him. Even then, just her tongue slid over the head of his cock and tickled the sensitive spot just below. Holy shit, she knew what she was doing.

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She closed her mouth around the head and sucked until his whole body shook. He’d had blowjobs, but not like this. It took all his strength to keep his eyes half open, so he could watch her mouth sliding over his cock. When her hair fell forward, he lifted it up so he didn’t lose the view of her cheeks working. She stopped for a moment and smiled up at him, her pale fingers sliding along his shaft. “Good?” “Don’t,” he managed to gasp. “Don’t?” “Don’t… oh, God… don’t stop.” She chuckled and went back to work. After slipping her fingers inside his jeans to cradle his balls, she took him deep into her mouth again. Her other hand closed over the inches she couldn’t swallow, creating friction along every bit of him. Nothing, in his entire life, had ever felt so good. He hung, suspended in the increasing light and heat all around them. It was like watching an erotic movie. A woman devouring a huge cock, the cock in question growing deep red as it got ready for a massive orgasm. Control gone, he let her finish him. The tension built, starting in his balls. Hot. Tight. Coiling in on itself and building power. All hell would break loose in a minute. No power on Earth could stop it. Right now, he soared, poised at the brink. Someone moaned. He did. A man about to climax. His climax. The sound grew louder as the fire shot through his groin. A shout, then a roar as the violence took him. He trembled as his hips jerked upward. Now! He exploded, wave after wave of hot semen spurting out of him. She moved her mouth and milked him with her fist while the ecstasy went on. Still, he came. Until he had nothing more to give and his body went limp. He closed his eyes, let his head fall back, and drifted in peace while breath returned.

Chapter Two When he opened his eyes again, Leeza was standing by the window, looking out. Without the porch light, there wasn’t much to see besides swirling snowflakes. Here inside, the air was warm, and dim light filled the room even though the lantern had gone out. The glow had built along with his arousal. Impossible, but true. The fire sure as hell couldn’t explain the temperature, so maybe it couldn’t explain the light, either. But, if he believed that, he’d have to believe her story about the goddess, and that was too much. She turned as if she’d felt him staring at her. “How do you feel?” “Good.” He did, too. Really good. How long had it been since he’d felt so rested? Probably since before he started having the dreams. They’d started as soon as he got home from… oh, no, he wasn’t going there. “How long was I out?” he asked. “A few minutes.” Damn, he felt as if he’d slept through a whole night. Healthy sleep. “You sure blew the top of my head off.” She smiled. “You needed it.” “I guess.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “You going to tell me what’s going on here?” “You’ve been away too long, Rick.” “Away? I’ve been right here.” “Away from your fellow human beings.” Oh, yeah, them. They had about as much use for him as he did for them, which was to say not much. After the shit he’d seen and done, he didn’t belong with the rest of them, anyway, especially when the flashbacks happened.

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“Don’t do that, Rick,” she said.

“Do what?”

“You’re shutting me out just as you’ve shut the world out. It won’t work.”

“Says you.”

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “This isn’t funny.”

“Do you hear me laughing?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know why I thought one

good orgasm would get through to you.” That orgasm wasn’t just good, but she didn’t seem interested in talking about sex anymore. In fact, she was getting too damned personal. He’d agreed to put her up for the night. She’d offered the blowjob, and that made them even. He didn’t owe her any explanations about his personal life. She wasn’t getting any. “Terrible things have happened to you,” she said. “But, if you give up, you’re going to die inside.” “What in hell do you know about it?” “I know about life.” “You don’t know shit, lady.” He got up and walked to the fireplace. The poker made as good a weapon as anything. He jabbed the logs with it a couple of times and then tossed a few more on to burn. What the hell did she know about life? What did any of them know, with their pat phrases and self-help psycho-babble? Bullshit, all of it, and he’d be damned if he’d put up with any of it in his own home. He’d put up with enough crap. He wasn’t taking any more. Something touched his shoulder. He turned, the poker raised over his head. The woman didn’t even flinch, although he could have bashed her skull in. Instead, he dropped his weapon to the floor where it rattled against the bricks of the hearth. “Don’t do that!” he hollered.

“Do what?”

“Creep up on me.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me.”

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“Don’t count on it. I’ve killed people.”

“I know,” she answered. “That boy.”

Hell, what made her say that? A stupid guess? His head started to pound. Only a

few people knew about that kid. She wasn’t one of them. “It was war. I probably killed a lot of people.” “But that boy haunts you the most.” “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” The room started to swim, and the light got bright again. She wasn’t doing it this time, though. The light and heat came right out of his own brain. Blazing sun, so hot he could scarcely breathe. He was back on that street in hell, with the smell of burning flesh and the screams. “Rick?” Her voice sounded like it was at the far end of a tunnel.

He pressed his hands over his eyes. “Shut up. Just shut up.”

“You’re at home, Rick. You’re safe.”

Damn it. Damn it all to hell! The whole scene appeared on the backs of his

eyelids. The bloody body, not more than twenty feet away. The mother bent over her child, wailing. The other boy, crying and screaming all at once. “Work through it, Rick. Come back through the other side.” “Just shut the fuck up!” Arms went around him. A voice started singing something that sounded like a lullaby. Still, he stood on that street, staring at what he’d done while the sun blistered him right through his clothes. More singing, and now she was rocking him, too. Slowly, the sun dimmed, and the street retreated until all that was left was the younger boy’s face staring at him. Then, the image faded entirely, and he found himself back in his front room in Maine. He’d fallen to his knees, and Leeza held him, rocking back and forth. “Shhh,” she said. “It’s over now.” “How could you do that to me?” “I didn’t do it. You did it to yourself.” “Why did you make me face that again?”

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“Could you have avoided it? Can you ever avoid it?”

He took a deep, gasping breath. “No.”

“What happened?”

“I killed a kid. Probably sixteen, seventeen. A tank had just gone through and

kicked up a cloud of dust. I saw the boy moving in it. I thought he had a weapon.” “So, you shot to protect yourself and your friends.” “Don’t do that. Don’t excuse it.” Damn, now she had him crying. He hadn’t cried the whole fucking time, and now he couldn’t stop. “The goddess never excuses war, but we forget sometimes what it does to the warrior.” He sure didn’t feel like a warrior now. He felt like that kid, with his guts blown out of him. He sobbed so hard his shoulders shook and his throat closed. It wouldn’t stop. He’d cry a whole fucking ocean if it would make the images go away, but it never did. She still held him, rocking and stroking his back. As if he mattered. As if he were more than a human piece of shit. “None of that should have happened to you,” she said. “Not to him and not to you.” After about a bucket of tears, he got to where at least he could talk again. “The kid’s mother watched the whole fucking thing. His little brother peed his pants.” “You survived and came home.” “Don’t do that, either.” She studied him, tears in her green eyes. “Do what?” “Don’t tell me, ‘It wasn’t your fault. Anyone would have done the same thing’.” “You think that’s not true?” “It doesn’t help. I did those things, not somebody else.” “So you have to punish yourself for the rest of your life.” “Something like that.” “To use your term, ‘bullshit’.”

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He took a deep breath, one that didn’t hurt. It felt damned good, as a matter of fact. “Are you going to psychoanalyze me now?” She pushed some hair out of his eyes. “Nope. I’m going to bring you back to the living now. The Life Force misses you.” “Don’t get all New Age-y on me.” “You have a gift inside you.” She pressed her palm to his chest, over his heart. “Right here. Tonight, the night before the sun begins its return, you need to give yourself that gift.” “There’s nothing inside of me.” “You’re wrong. Everything you need is inside you.” He couldn’t listen to crap like this, could he? She was an escaped mental patient with a bunch of touchy-feely hoo-ha in her head. So why did it all feel possible now? Just because she’d given him a great blowjob and then let him cry his guts out? Her hand against his chest felt warm. Something beat inside him there. Did he dare have hope? Did he have any choice? “What are you going to do?” he asked. “I’m your conduit. I’m going to bring you back to the goddess, the Earth, your fellow human beings.” “Tall order.” “I’m going to connect with you in the most basic way. By joining our bodies.” And then, the room went black.

*** When Rick opened his eyes again, he found himself in someplace that wasn’t Maine. It looked like a jungle designed by a landscaper and a master gardener. Huge trees rose overhead, their leaves casting everything beneath them in an earthy green. Colorful birds flew overhead and landed in the branches to chatter among themselves. Across a perfectly trimmed lawn, a waterfall spilled over rocks into a pool of crystal clear water. On the other side of the pool stood a statue of a woman. This one made

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Leeza’s curves look puny by comparison. Lush, plush, and fully-padded, the woman was sexy as all hell. Leeza stood beside him, completely naked. He looked down at himself. He didn’t have a stitch on, either, but he did have another erection. “How do you do that?” “Make your cock hard? I don’t. You do.” “So, what is this place?” “Where I come to get in touch with the goddess.” He nodded toward the statue. “That her?” “She has a lot of names. Venus, Aphrodite, Erde. But she’s much older than that.” “What do we do now?” She didn’t answer but giggled, dashed to the pool, and dove in. She hardly made a splash as she submerged then surfaced and swam across the water, giving him a show of her glorious ass. He went in after her. The water was perfect, just cool enough to stimulate without shrinking his hard-on. As soon as he got near Leeza, the little vixen giggled and splashed a spray of water into his face. He answered with a spray of his own, and soon they had a real water fight going. This had to be about as close to heaven as you could get -- splashing in a pool of perfect water with a perfect nymph and a boner ready to make good use of said nymph. She’d volunteered for this mission because she loved his cock. Now she was going to join their bodies together. She obviously wanted some hot loving, but after all this splashing, he’d make her squirm. He caught her, finally, or maybe she caught him. She’d found a spot shallow enough that she could stand with the tips of her boobs sticking up out of the water. Despite the warmth of the water, her nipples had constricted to tight peaks of a pink as rosy as her lips. He swam to where he could stand and approached her, walking the rest of the way. “I think I like this game.”

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“This is serious.” The twinkle in her eye said the opposite. “I agree. Deadly serious.” She made a mock show of fear and stepped back a bit. “What are you going to do to me?” “I’m going to eat you up.” She squealed and splashed him again, but this time he lunged for her and caught her in his arms. She’d probably let him do it, but who cared? Now that he had her, he lowered his head and closed his mouth around one of her nipples. “Oh, that’s good,” she cried. “More, please.” He sucked for a while, ran his tongue around the stiff nub, and then sucked some more. While he did, she wrapped her legs around him. The water got warmer as her breathing grew shallow and rapid. Such response -- the sort of reaction that made a guy feel like the world’s greatest lover. He moved to the other breast and gave it similar attention. After a while, her breaths turned to soft gasps, and she wiggled her pelvis against him. Seeking stimulation for her clit, no doubt. He’d get to that. In good time. He put his face into the cleft between her breasts and used his hands to toy with her nipples. “Getting hot?” Her only answer was a groan of pleasure. “Me, too. Nothing’s more exciting than an aroused woman.” “I want you to fuck me.” “I will. No rush.” She whimpered in protest, so he reached around her and down over her ass to the juncture of her thighs. As high up as she was on him, he had no trouble finding the lips of her pussy and stroking them. “Goddess,” she gasped. He slid one finger inside her. “Here?” “Yes… oh, yes.”

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He slid a second finger into her and thrust both in and out. She was tight, squeezing around him, and hot. So hot. He could make her come this way, but drawing it out would make it more fun for both of them. He kept that up, pushing her closer, while his fingers grew slick with her heat. His cock would do the same thing inside her soon. He could happily lower her onto him right now and ease into her one slow inch at a time. Later. He removed his fingers, letting her float in his arms to calm down some before moving on to the next course. After a minute, she opened her eyes and gave him a hazy smile so full of hunger it went right to his cock. “You want to play that way?” she said.

He gave her his best innocent look. “What way?”

“Drive me wild and then deny me.”

“I’d never deny you.”

“Good. Because I have ways of getting revenge.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

She untwined her legs from around him and slid down his body until she

straddled his cock. “I think I see where you’re going with this.” “Do you?” She squeezed her thighs around his erection, thrusting forward and back with her pelvis, rubbing along the shaft. The friction felt almost as good as fucking, but then, she arched her back to reach behind her and grasped the head of his cock in her hand. Damn, he was going to lose it. In another minute, his control would snap, and he hadn’t half finished with her yet. He put his face beside hers. “You’d better stop.” “Not good?” “Too good.” She bit her lip and grinned at him. “What’ll you do if I stop?” “I think I promised to eat you.”

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“Mmmm.” She released the tip of his cock and straightened in his arms. “Where do you want me?” He grinned back at her. “I want you everywhere.” She swatted playfully at his chest. “You know what I mean.” He looked around and found a rock ledge bordering the pool. Wide enough for a couple of bodies and cushioned by a patch of moss, it’d make a great bed for later. “How about over there?” “Done.” She swam to the ledge and hoisted herself up on it. That silly grin still plastered on his face, he joined her. She’d sat right at the edge, so bending a bit brought his face right to her pussy. The divine heat still poured off her, making the water mist around them. A scent of green leaves and earth surrounded him. Maybe from the jungle and maybe from her. Who cared which? The perfume went right to a primitive part of his brain -- the place where hunger led to satisfaction. This was going to be just as delicious for him as it would be for her. When she spread her legs to open herself to him, he parted the lips of her sex and pressed his mouth over her cunt, teasing it with his tongue. With a sigh of pleasure, she lay back against the moss and spread her legs farther apart. That light she’d generated while she sucked on his cock returned. Brighter now, with her own arousal. It warmed him and dazzled the mist around them. He found her clit and sucked it into his mouth. The light flickered even brighter. Her hands grasped the sides of his head, her fingers digging into his hair. Her breath came in short gasps as she approached climax. Even if he wasn’t good for anything else, he could do this. He could give her pleasure to thank her for the blowjob, for listening to his worst memories, for bringing him here. Even if he spent the rest of his life in hell, he’d have this slice of heaven to remember and cling to when the dreams got too bad. He’d take her to the pinnacle and launch her over the edge into bliss. Then, he’d join them and do the whole thing again for both of them.

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 22 -

Mimicking what his cock would do in a minute, he slid two fingers inside her and fucked her that way. “Oh!” she cried. “Goddess, it’s so good.” She’d shatter in a minute, so he kept up the pressure on her clit and plunged his fingers into her heat. The closer to orgasm she got, the harder his cock throbbed. The light enveloped him, sending currents of energy that teased his balls and coursed along his rod to the head. He needed to hold off, to satisfy her, but somehow she shared her own arousal with him. Damn, but he needed to thrust into her and feel her muscles grip him. He needed to empty his lust into her, but he had to wait. Sucking and licking, he worked her clit for all he was worth, and finally, she answered with the building moan that told him she was coming. Her hips jerked upward, but he stayed with her until the spasms began. The tremors started deep inside her pussy as she erupted into a violent orgasm. She cried out and then sobbed as a brilliant flash of light blinded him. No woman had ever come like this for him, and he kept up the pressure to draw it out for as long as he could. Finally, the light faded, and she lowered her hips to the moss. Tiny aftershocks continued in her cunt for a moment. He held completely still while she recovered. “Thank you,” she whispered. He slid his fingers from her and straightened. “Happy to be of service.” “That was a lot more than service, Rick.” “You’re one hot babe.” She scooted onto her side, making room for him on the moss. “Join me now.” “I thought you’d never ask.” He scrambled out of the water and stretched out next to her. The heat of the jungle, along with Leeza’s heat, dried him in seconds. The moss felt springy and soft -the sort of bed where you’d drift off to sleep while the waterfall sang a lullaby of peace and soothing dreams. Leeza snuggled up next to him. “Make love to me, Rick.”

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 23 -

“Don’t you want to rest a bit first?” She reached down and took his cock in her hand. “You’ve made me wait long enough for this.” He couldn’t stifle a groan of pleasure. “Randy little thing, aren’t you?” She gave him a throaty laugh. “You make me that way.” “How could I do that?” She stroked his dick with a firm touch that made his balls ache. He needed to get inside her and fuck her until they both came. She seemed as eager as he was, so why not? With no further invitation, he rolled her onto her back and positioned himself between her thighs. One thrust guided his cock into her until she’d taken all of him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and raised herself up to urge him on. “Yes, Rick, join with me.” “Damn, Leeza.” He pulled almost out of her, then surged forward again and again and again. In a minute, he’d lost himself in the fucking. Some force drove him on. His own lust and hers, but something more. This place had gotten inside him somehow. It squeezed his heart and stole his breath. It would make him come, and then it would own him. “Too much,” he gritted. The coupling was, indeed, more than he’d imagined. More than he could endure. Her cunt gripped him, welcoming him and demanding complete surrender. He couldn’t surrender so completely -- didn’t dare -- and yet, he couldn’t help himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting and resisting. This was more than sex. It was life itself. Life would kill him. “Don’t stop,” she cried. “I need you.” “Too much.” He didn’t stop, though. Driven by the madness in his cock, he plunged into her over and over. “You’re not alone. I’m with you.” “You’ll… oh, damn… you’ll come with me?” “I need to. Please.”

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 24 -

The light flared again, tiny flames dancing all around them. Yellow, orange, licking at his flesh. They didn’t burn, but soothed. Fire that soothed. Impossible. Leeza’s pussy clenched around his cock. “Please hurry. I can’t wait.” “Can’t surrender.” Have to. Have to come. He couldn’t fight the orgasm. He thrust faster and deeper until he trembled, straining against her. “Yes!” she shouted, as her whole body shuddered under his. Her cunt clutched at him as her orgasm rocked her. Blinding light poured over them as he joined her. She held him as he released his soul inside her. He gave her every bit of him as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him. He couldn’t breathe or think. Finally, he sagged against her, spent, while peace settled over them both. After a moment, sensation returned. Fingers playing over his back. A satisfied sigh from the woman beneath him. “You came back.” “Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” He felt rather than heard her laughter. “Welcome to the living, Rick Harrison.” He pushed up on his elbows and opened his eyes. “You think so?” “Look around you.” The same jungle, waterfall, even the statue of the goddess, but now flowers had sprouted up everyplace. Dozens, hundreds of them of all colors and shapes. Some had pouches, while others featured long, twisted petals. “I did that?” “The sun returned. In the world, it’s midnight on the shortest day of the year.” “The solstice.” “We were joined when it happened. We made the flowers.” “You’re nuts.” He grinned when he said it, though. He grinned so hard it hurt his face. He hadn’t used his smiling muscles much lately. “It’s time for you to go home and rejoin humanity. You have a lot of work to do before you can. But now, you know the way back.” He looked around. “Will I ever see this place again?” “Not with your eyes, but it’ll stay inside you. When you need it, it’ll be there.”

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 25 -

He looked down at her -- at her luminous green eyes and soft lips. “Will I see you?” “I’ll be inside you, too.” He rested back against her chest as her arms closed around him.

Chapter Three A loud banging woke him up. He sat up in bed and shook the sleep out of his brain. The front door. Someone was pounding on it. “Hang on a minute.” He stood, stretched, and took a deep breath. That one felt so good, he took another. He must have gotten a hell of a lot of sleep to feel this rested. About damned time. He found his jeans on the floor, pulled them on over the boxers he’d slept in, and went into the front room. A figure stood outside on the porch. The sunshine revealed a woman bundled up in layers of warm clothes. “Hello,” she called. “I’m coming.” When he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with a stranger. Her scarf and hat hid most of her face, but he ought to recognize that red hair and green eyes if he’d seen them before. He hadn’t… had he? She looked at his bare chest with a combination of shyness and feminine interest. “May I come in?” “Uh, sure.” He pulled the door open for her and stepped back. “I’ll get a shirt.” “Not on my account. But I’d love a cup of coffee if you have one. You must be the first in town to get your power back.” “Huh?” The lights had gone out in the storm yesterday, and his hadn’t come back on. “I don’t have power.” “But, it’s so bright and warm in here.” “The fire…” He looked in that direction. The fire was out, had probably been out for hours. Still, nothing seemed in shadow, and the floor felt warm against his bare feet.

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 27 -

How had he managed that? “I have a camp stove. I’ll boil some water and make us instant.” “Great.” She walked into the room and got out of her winter wraps and jacket. “You should probably close the door.” He did, and a half-memory flashed into his brain. A woman had said that to him recently. She’d had red hair and green eyes and… damn… curves just like this woman’s. Without the jacket, her snug jeans showed off gorgeous hips and thighs, and what her sweater did for her breasts ought to be illegal. He walked past her toward the kitchen. “I’ll make the coffee.” “What a lovely room,” she said. “Very cozy.” “The place came furnished.” He stopped in his tracks. Major déjà vu. He’d had exactly this conversation with this woman, or some woman, and she’d taken him someplace warm. Not just warm, but erotic as all hell. His dreams. He’d dreamed it all last night, and now he was going to get a boner remembering. He sure needed coffee. He walked into the kitchen with her right behind him. After pumping the propane on the stove a couple of times, he struck a match and lit the burner. The kettle went onto that, and he reached to the cupboard for another mug. “I just moved in about a half-mile away.” The woman stuck out her hand. “Name’s Beth Wagner.” He took her hand and shook it. “Beth. That’s from Elizabeth, isn’t it?” “I didn’t much like Liz.” Liz didn’t fit her, for sure. She was too exotic for Liz. Although what was so exotic about a woman in jeans and a sweater didn’t come to him immediately. “I hear you plow driveways,” she said. “You heard right.” “I need mine plowed out fast. I have a plane to catch tomorrow, assuming the airport’s open.” “Should be. You going somewhere warm?”

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 28 -

“Not exactly.” She laughed. She had a great laugh, hearty and, well, real. “My family’s in upstate New York. This is my first Christmas away from home. I can’t miss my family over the holidays.” Christmas and holidays. He hadn’t thought much about those. Hadn’t wanted to, but something about the solstice stuck in his memory. “Do you have family… it’s Mr. Harrison, isn’t it?” “Rick. I have a sister. Haven’t seen her for a while.” Not that Suzy didn’t pester him to visit her all the time. Maybe he should. Maybe now he could bring himself to be around happy people. Wait a minute. Why now, as opposed to yesterday? Something about those dreams? “Family’s very important to me. My brother and his gang were supposed to fly in to spend a few days with me before the storm hit. Then we were all going to go to Rochester from here.” “Shame you missed that.”

Just as the water came to a boil, the lights flickered on.

She laughed in delight. “You’re a miracle-worker, Rick.”

“Nope. Just a driveway-plower.”

“That’s miracle enough for me.”

He made two cups of coffee and held one out to her. “Milk and sugar?”

She took the mug from him. “Black’s fine.”

He took a swig of his coffee. Still battery acid, but she seemed to enjoy it.

After a minute, she got that shy-and-yet-interested look on her face again. “Say,

I’m wondering…” “Shoot.” “I bought a bunch of food for a feast with my brother. I doubt any of it’s spoiled in this weather. Now that the power’s back up, would you… um… like to share my feast?” He ought to say no. He would have yesterday.

Alice Gaines

12 Nights of Christmas: The Gift From Within

- 29 -

“I don’t mean to be forward,” she said. “But I roast a mean chicken. Mashed potatoes with gravy. Green bean casserole. I can even make a mincemeat pie.” “I love mincemeat pie.” “Then you’ll join me?” Yesterday, he would have said no. Today? Today, he was hungry. Damned hungry. “Sure.” “While you’re plowing the driveway, I’ll cook you up a meal. Then you can call your sister from my place.” “Hey, wait. I only promised to plow the driveway and share the feast.” “Driveway, feast, and then we’ll see.” He chuckled. “Lady, you’re nuts.” She gave him a wicked grin. “You love it.” And, what do you know? He did.

The End

Alice Gaines Award winning author Alice Gaines has published several sensuous and erotic works. She prefers stories that stretch the imagination, highlighting the power of love and sex. Alice has a Ph.D. in psychology from U. C. Berkeley and lives in Oakland, California, with her collection of orchids and two pet corn snakes, Casper and Sheikh Yerbouti.