Carnal Christmas-epub Read Online Free

struggles up a notch. His breaths huffed deeper and harder—as did hers—but he had no trouble keeping her under control. When they approached the hall to the bedrooms, she thought about bracing her feet on either side of the doorway but couldn’t bear to leave scuffmarks on the pristine paint.
    “You won’t get away with this,” she gasped.
    He chuckled. “Oh, I think we’ll get away with this and a lot more.”
    Ahead of them, Mandy opened doors to the coat closet and office just long enough to peek inside, and AJ abandoned the struggle in favor of watching her friend’s reactions. After all, she’d had most of the input into the interior and she wanted Mandy to like it.
    At the bathroom, Mandy oohed with appreciation. “So pretty! I need to spend an hour in that tub. After ,” she added under her breath, with a devilish look at AJ.
    It was AJ’s turn to mock Mandy with a crook of her brow. This tub might have whirlpool jets and be big enough for a beefy man to stretch out and get comfortable, but Mandy would forget all about it when she saw the one in the master bath. Bathrooms were one area where Joe and Brent had both refused to skimp, after sharing one in a cramped RV for years.
    When she opened the third door on the left, Mandy walked right in and looked around at the sparsely masculine decor with a puzzled frown.
    “Joe’s room. He’d rather sleep alone than go do one of those sleep studies for his snoring.”
    Mandy shook her head and sighed. “You and your imaginary lovers.”
    A snort of laughter escaped AJ. “Have it your way.”
    “Thanks, I will.” Finally Mandy walked through the open door at the end of the hall on the other side. “Now this is more like it.”
    Hake followed her in and set AJ down but didn’t release her from his hold as Mandy looked around the large master bedroom, which was done in shades of cream, red and gold. It was probably AJ’s favorite room in the whole house, and she hadn’t even put up the final touches yet—she’d managed to keep some of her mother’s quilts sealed up in storage and Joe was going to make her a couple of quilt racks to display them on. She would have put one on the bed but it was a king and the quilts were all twin or full-size, like the beds in her parents’ house had been.
    AJ held her breath, hoping Mandy would break character long enough to offer an honest reaction to the room. She’d put a lot of herself into it.
    “Ariel, this is absolutely lovely,” Mandy said softly. “Bright and warm and comfortable. It looks just like you.”
    Blushing in self-conscious pleasure, AJ smiled at her. “Thank you.”
    Mandy touched one of the frames on the lowboy dresser. “Your parents?”
    “Their wedding day.” It had been a simple ceremony in a little country church, her mother in a street-length dress of pale blue and her father in his Sunday suit, but they couldn’t have looked happier.
    “Is her bouquet goldenrod?”
    AJ nodded. “Dad picked it on their way to the church. They didn’t believe in wasting a lot of money on frills.” Like doctors. And lifesaving medications.
    “Are we done with the small talk yet?” Hake nuzzled the side of AJ’s neck, sending a shiver through her as his arms tightened around her waist once more. “I’m ready to get down to the raping and pillaging.”
    Mandy shared an amused look with AJ. “Someone’s got a one-track mind.” Still holding her coat, she sank into the overstuffed chair by the fireplace and propped her feet on the ottoman. “All right, I’m ready. You can rape and pillage at will—just don’t block my view.”
    AJ frowned. Why the heck was she sitting way over there?
    By the time she completed the thought, Hake had manhandled her to the bed, shoved her facedown over the side and planted his hand between her shoulder blades. Adrenaline blasted through her when he reached under her and tore the button fly of her jeans open, but she was helpless to do anything but kick at him