A Devilish Christmas (The Marchesi Family)

“Are they still selling hot chocolate? I think the girl at the table needs some.”

I smiled. This was another reason why I loved my husband so damn much. He was always generous and caring. He dedicated time every week to A Way Forward, the charity I supported that helped children who’d lost a parent. “If the booth isn’t open, I’ll just bribe them for some.”

Luckily, there was a new group of riders getting loaded into sleighs, so the refreshment booth was still going. I purchased a hot chocolate and a warm cinnamon bun before we approached the wreath booth.

“We thought you would enjoy this.” I set the snack and beverage in front of the girl.

Her eyes widened. “I… These are for me?”

“They are. We thought you might be cold,” Joe said.

The girl wrapped her hands around the cup and breathed in the steam. “Thank you. I… I really appreciate it.”

She had a beautiful smile, and I was thrilled to have made her happy even just for a moment, but I still wanted to know her circumstances. Why was she there alone?

Joe and I spent a few moments perusing the wreaths. They were all similar, but each had something unique about it, whether it was the addition of dried orange slices or moss or holly.

“They’re all handmade,” the girl said.

Joe smiled at her. “I thought they must be. Did you make them?”

She gave a shy nod. “I did.”

“You do impressive work,” I assured her.

Joe pointed to one with lots of small pine cones and bits of moss. “How about this one?”

“Perfect. How much is it?” I asked.

“They’re all fifty dollars.”

I handed her a hundred. She reached into her money box for change, but I shook my head. “Keep the extra for yourself.”

Her eyes went wide. “Sir, I can’t. That’s too much.”

“I have plenty. Enjoy it.” Before she could protest further, I took Joe’s arm, and we started toward the street.

“Have a good day,” he called to her, then whispered, “Thank you for helping her. I wish there was more we could do.”

I squeezed his arm. “You’re such a softy.”

“As if you aren’t.” I glanced back and considered asking her if she needed more help. She was talking to another customer, a woman with three young children. “Even if we tried, do you think she would tell us anything?”

Joe sighed. “Probably not, and for all we know, she just doesn’t have a good coat, and everything else is perfectly fine.

“Is that what you think?”

Joe shook his head.

When we reached my SUV, I placed our wreath carefully in the back and used some blankets to brace it so it wouldn’t slide around too much as we took the curvy roads back to the cabin. “We can check and see if she’s still there tomorrow.”

Joe nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Once we were out of town, I reached over and began to stroke my fingers up and down Joe’s inner thigh. “Remember all the things I told you in the sleigh?”

“Devil,” Joe groaned.

“I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten. Good thing the sleigh ride was nice and relaxing. You’re going to need all your stamina.”

As I turned into the cabin’s long driveway, I shifted my attention to the hard ridge of Joe’s cock, stroking him as he arched his hips into my touch.

“Are you sure we’re going to make it into the cabin?” he asked.

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Joe froze suddenly, and I pulled my hand back as he said, “I saw someone in the woods.”

“Fuck. It’s Donaldson, isn’t it?”

“Maybe.”

“Yes or no? You have damn good instincts.”

Joe snarled. “I’m not a fucking psychic.” He was angry with himself for not finding Donaldson before now. I knew that, but—

He laid a hand on my thigh. “I’m sorry. I just hate thinking he’s here and watching you too. I can’t let him hurt you. He’s already hurt so many people I couldn’t save.”

“He’s evil. You were never going to change that. You did everything you could to bring him down within the confines of the law, and you’re not the fucking idiot who let him escape.”

“But I’m the one who didn’t warn you, and now—”

“He won’t hurt me. We’re going to put him in the ground so he never hurts anyone again. Once I’m parked, I want you to hang the wreath, and I’ll watch your back.

“Devil.”

“Since when do we let motherfuckers like him scare us? We laugh in the face of danger.”

Joe rolled his eyes. “If he’s—”

“Neither of us are going to die today because I haven’t given you your wedding present yet.”

“Yes, you have.”

“A ridged butt plug is not a real wedding present, but if you like, I can call this a Christmas present.”

“Devil, what are you planning?”

I never got to answer because as the house came into view, we both saw a man sitting on the porch, and we reached for our guns.