Chapter Thirteen

I vy

The crisp night air nips at my cheeks as Cole and I make our way back to his truck, the snow crunching underfoot. Christmas lights glow around us, casting a soft, warm light that only seems to intensify the hum of energy sparking between us. I glance over, catching the hint of a smile on his face—an expression I’m coming to crave more than anything else.

Once we’re back at his workshop, he opens the door, letting me step inside first. The familiar scent of wood and oil wraps around me, grounding and warm, but tonight it feels different. There’s a tension here, a pulsing undercurrent that’s been building between us, reaching a point where holding back feels impossible. I look up at him, and he’s watching me with an intensity that makes my pulse spike.

“So…” I manage, trying to keep my tone steady. “I see you’ve accepted being on the Naughty List this year.”

He chuckles, low and deep, the sound rolling through me like a challenge. “Pretty sure I earned my spot.”

“Oh, I know you did.” I step closer, feeling the air between us thicken. “All that resisting and Scrooge attitude?—”

“Which I don’t plan to do anymore,” he cuts in, his voice rough, eyes dark with intent. He reaches out, hooking a finger around my scarf and pulling me closer, his gaze flicking between my eyes and my mouth. “You look like a cute little holiday elf…I might need you to remind me what happens to people on the Naughty List.”

I bite my lip, feeling my heart thunder as I tilt my chin up to meet his stare. “You can call me Kandi Kane the Christmas elf,” I grin, thinking back to our candy cane shenanigans the first time I stayed the night with him. “And maybe boys on the naughty list get what they’ve been waiting for.”

The next second, his mouth is on mine, a hot, urgent kiss that leaves no room for doubt. His hands settle on my hips, pulling me flush against him, and I feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, echoing against my own. I sink into him, my fingers finding the edges of his jacket, tugging him closer as his mouth moves over mine with a hunger that has me breathless, lost in the heat of it.

His hands slide up my back, rough and possessive, and he breaks the kiss just enough to look down at me, his gaze intense. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this all day. How much I’ve wanted you.”

“Then show me,” I whisper, my voice thick with need. I slide my hands up his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscle beneath his plaid shirt, my fingers tracing the outline of him, savoring every inch.

He growls softly, pressing me back until I feel the cool surface of his workbench against my back. His hands trail down my arms, his fingers curling around my wrists as he pins me there, his mouth hovering just over mine, teasing. “You’re so beautiful…my festive little Kandi Kane.”

I giggle, meeting his gaze. That’s all he needs. He leans in, claiming my mouth again, his kiss turning deeper, rougher, as his hands explore, pulling me closer, like he’s trying to memorize every inch. His mouth trails down my neck, leaving a heated path of kisses that make me shiver, my skin lighting up under his touch.

He slips my coat off, his fingers deft and unhurried, and I feel a thrill as he slides his hands over my shoulders, down my arms, taking his time like he’s savoring every second. I arch against him, my hands tangling in his hair as he pulls me closer, pressing me against the bench that’s strewn with Christmas garland and shiny bulbs. I lose myself in the feel of him, in the taste of him.

“Cole,” I breathe, my voice shaky, caught between laughter and desire. “You know this isn’t very… professional in your place of business.”

He laughs against my neck, a warm, delicious sound that makes my skin prickle. “Good thing I’m off-duty,” he murmurs, his lips grazing my collarbone. “And tonight…you’re all mine.”

The words send a thrill through me, and I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, needing more, needing all of him. His hands slide under my sweater, the heat of his touch setting my skin alight, and I shiver as he traces slow, deliberate patterns up my spine, his fingers leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

“Cole…” My voice is barely a whisper, but he hears it, his head lifting to meet my gaze, his eyes dark and filled with something raw, something real. He steps back just enough to pull off his own jacket, his movements deliberate, and I watch, captivated, as he lets it fall to the floor, his gaze never leaving mine.

Then he reaches for me again, his hands firm as he lifts me onto the edge of the workbench, stepping between my legs and pulling me close, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that’s as fierce as it is tender. There’s no hesitation, no holding back, and I match him, kiss for kiss, my hands exploring the lines of his shoulders, the strength in his arms, the rough warmth of him.

I laugh softly against his mouth, the sound turning into a gasp as he slides his hands down my thighs, his grip possessive, like he’s staking a claim. “You’re a cute little Santa’s helper.” He adjusts the Santa hat that was sitting on his workbench on my head. “You should get on your knees and put Santa’s dick in your mouth.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” I murmur, my voice breathy.

“Oh, I’m not the only one,” he teases, his voice low, his mouth curving into a grin against my neck. I do as I’m told, slipping off the bench and dropping to the floor. He works the zipper of his pants down and before he can do anything else, I trail my tongue up his thick length, pausing to swirl at the tip. He groans, pushing his hands into my hair. The noises he makes when we’re together send me reeling, urging me to swallow him deeper, feel him in the back of my throat until I’m soaked and desperate to feel him deep inside of me.

He must want the same, because a minute later he’s pulling me back up from the floor and covering me in a heated kiss. He plants my ass on his workbench again, and I tug him closer, wrapping my legs around him, pulling him in until there’s no space left between us, until I can feel every inch of him, hard and unyielding against me. I lose myself in him, in the way he feels, the way he tastes, in the soft growl of his voice as he murmurs my name.

The world outside fades, leaving just the two of us in this dim, warm cocoon of his workshop, surrounded by the scent of wood and oil and something undeniably him. It’s everything I’ve wanted, everything I’ve been waiting for, and as we move together, as he kisses me deeper, I feel something shift, something settle. Like coming home.

"You're too good to me, Cole," I say, my voice trembling with my impending release as our eyes meet.

"That couldn't be further from the truth, baby.” He kisses me deeply, his tongue exploring every inch of my mouth as he expresses his love and desire for me.

"You deserve the world, Ivy, and I'm determined to give it to you," he declares.

“I think you mean Kandi Kane,” I quip.

He chuckles, then swats at my swollen pussy with his palm.

"I think Santa’s little helper needs my dick," he growls, his hand moving up to my neck as we lock eyes.

"Is that what you think I need?" I tease.

"I know exactly what you need. Your soaked and trembling for me, sweetheart," he rumbles against my neck before pulling my shirt over my head. His hands yank my jeans down my legs swiftly before he murmurs against my neck, "I can feel how wet you are right now."

He slides into me then, our bodies moving together in perfect harmony as our tongues dance and moans fill the workshop.

"The cold steel feels so good against my skin," I pant between kisses, feeling my nipples harden at the sensation. "But your touch makes me feel so hot everywhere else."

I start moving with my own rhythm now, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions—tenderness, desperation, lust, and pleasure. Cole is everything I never knew I needed and it's hard to believe I ever lived without him.

"Cole..." I moan, feeling the first waves of pleasure coursing through my body. "I thought about you every single day." My lips trail down his neck as our bodies move in perfect sync. "Some moments, I was so desperate and turned on I wasn't sure how I survived without you."

"You're the strongest woman I know.” His hot breath against my skin sends shivers down my spine as his mouth travels down my body, teasing and tasting until I'm writhing beneath him. "You don't have to be strong anymore, baby. Just let go," he whispers against my heated skin as his fingers trace a path down my hips, finally resting just above my soaked entrance. "Give me all of you."

His words and actions send me over the edge and I can no longer hold back as tiny tremors run through my body accompanied by soft pants.

“This pretty pussy responds to me without even being touched.” He growls possessively, and I can feel my arousal coating my thighs in a slick sheen. Just seeing him so hard for me makes me wet.

“Making you feel good is all I care about now. Taking care of your pleasure…” He drops ot his knees, his tongue swirling around my clit, causing me to arch off the counter and almost lose control. “Taking care of your delicious curvy body…” His hand presses into the soft skin of my stomach, his rough hands contrasting with my smooth flesh in a way that feels so right. “Taking care of your heart.”

I moan as he continues to work his fingers inside of me, pushing and prodding at my favorite spot until I explode in a wave of pleasure, covering his beard in my juices.

“I've spent too much time living without you.” He kisses his way up my body, leaving a trail of my arousal along the way. “I don't need any more time to tell me that we need to start our forever together as soon as possible. Hell, I’d take you to the courthouse right now and make them marry us if I could.”

He pushes inside of me again, fucking me hard and fast, holding onto me like he’ll never let go before his beautiful face contorts with pleasure and he sprays his hot cum deep inside of me with a deep growl. Then, he pulls me down onto the floor beside him, our clothes providing a barrier from the cool surface underneath us as I come down from yet another orgasm.

“Watching you cum is the sexiest thing I've ever seen… Kandi. ”

“Mmm...” My voice sounds sleepy as I snuggle into his side. “Glad to be of service.”

“Did I just give you an orgasm-induced nap?” He laughs, trailing his fingers along my naked skin. “I was thinking of getting some ice cream and eating it off you.”

My sleepy grin widens. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving for you, my love...” He pulls me closer. “Consider me a man starved.”

“You have a way of burrowing into my heart, Cole Mitchell, since the beginning.” I sigh, feeling content and safe in his arms. “You’re the grumpy mountain man I couldn’t help but fall head over heels for.”

“I guess that’s my talent: unlocking your heart.” He snuggles me even closer. I love him so much it scares me, but the thought of being without him scares me even more. We belong together, finally and completely.

I don’t want this night to end.

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead, his arms wrapping around me as we catch our breath, our heartbeats slowing but still in sync. I rest my head against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart, the warmth of him, and I smile, feeling a sense of peace settle over me.

“So,” he murmurs, his voice a soft rumble in the quiet. “I think we just started our own Christmas tradition.”

I laugh, tilting my head up to meet his gaze, my fingers tracing lazy circles on his chest. “Sex in Santa’s workshop, I think I’m okay with that.”

He grins, brushing a kiss over my forehead, his arms tightening around me. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me now, Ivy. Naughty List and all.”

I arch an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Are you saying I can expect more naughty behavior in the future?”

“Oh, you can count on it,” he says, his voice dark and playful, his fingers tracing a line down my spine, sending a delicious shiver through me. “And I plan on giving you plenty of reasons to put me on that list every year.”

I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him close for another kiss, savoring the warmth, the strength of him, the sense of belonging that fills me. This is where I want to be, with him, building something real, something solid, something that’s ours.

Outside, the snow continues to fall, blanketing Copper Mountain in silence, but inside, there’s only warmth, laughter, and the quiet certainty that we’ve found something worth keeping, worth fighting for. And as I look up at him, seeing the way he’s watching me, his gaze soft and unguarded, I know that this is only the beginning.

We stay like that for a while, wrapped up in each other, lost in the magic of the moment. And as we start talking, planning, dreaming, I feel a thrill of excitement, knowing that this Christmas is only the start of all the ones to come. Because with Cole by my side, I know I’ve finally found my home on Copper Mountain.