Christmas Eve Read Online Free

doors of an entertainment center along the wall.
    "I don't think so. Have any blues?"
    He tossed a glance over his shoulder, his arched brow reminding her of Matthew McConaughey.
    Her pulse became thready and she found it difficult to breath. Nick nodded, breaking the spell.
    Moments later, Sinatra was crooning "I've Got the Right to Sing the Blues" from speakers scattered around the room. Nick blew out the flame beneath his snifter and strode back to her side.
    "Feeling down?" he correctly surmised, and trailed his fingertips across the back of her hand.
    "Lonely, anyway. Christmas has a way of creeping up on me, blind siding me when I least expect it."
    "Like now?"
    "Yeah, now," she whispered, at a loss to understand her sudden change of mood.
    "I know the feeling. Makes me want to pull the covers over my head until mid-January, at least."
    Eve laughed without mirth. "You, too? I thought I was the only one on the Strip not in a Christmas mood."
    To her surprise, Nick set his glass on an end table and tugged her to her feet. Before she knew what was happening, she was in his arms, moving to Sinatra's beat.
    A smooth dancer, surprisingly light on his feet for such a big, tall man, he moved her about the room with slow steps that made her blood race.
    On their next turn around the room, he looked down at her with a knowing smile, then pulled her close. The room began to spin.
    Her chin didn't quite come up to his collarbone so she rested her cheek against the satiny fabric of his robe, not needing to see where they danced. She trusted Nick. Implicitly, she realized.
    Strange. Under normal circumstances, she would never have gone so easily into the arms of a man she'd only just met.
    Chalk it up to the storm. The wind howling outside blowing snow into deep banks. The cozy warmth of the fire. The even warmer look in Nick's shimmering blue eyes.
    She felt safe with him and let her eyes drift shut. Let the strains of Nick's soft music and his manly scent act as balm for her troubled thoughts.
    As the music washed over her, he hummed softly in her ear and Eve's feeling of loneliness dissipated. She melted into his arms, doubtful there was a woman anywhere who could continue feeling lonely wrapped in Nick's strong embrace.
    As the CD switched to a soulful Billie Holiday rendition of the lead song from "Porgy and Bess," Eve glanced up at Nick with a smile.
    "Better?" he asked as she once again pressed her head against his chest, reveling in the sensation of his lips brushing the top of her head in a gentle kiss.
    For a big man, he had all the moves down pat. A romantic, from the looks of this room, lit only by candlelight and the glowing embers of the fire.
    A romantic spending Christmas Eve alone?
    Why?
    She would have thought any woman in Las Vegas would have jumped at the chance to go out with Nick. Handsome Nick.
    Thoughtful Nick.
    Perhaps he's a loner .
    No, that didn't seem likely. Not with his smooth moves.
    Although it was obvious she'd interrupted a quiet evening at home, Eve couldn't find it in her to regret her current predicament. She could think of no place she'd rather be than right here, in Nick St. Clair's arms. Her very own Christmas St. Nick.
    * * * * *
    Eve grinned.
    Nick felt the tickle of her smile against his chest and picked up their pace. Dancing in double time to the slow, plaintive strains, he cupped Eve's ample bottom and pulled her closer still.
    Size fourteen, eh ? Priscilla's girls usually looked more like models, but he had no objection to the additional flesh cushioning this one's bones. Her soft thighs would cradle his hips, give Croupier a warm place to lay his head.
    As if on cue, Croupier pressed against Eve's belly, his need no longer secret. Nick had no plans to allow his desire to go unnoticed.
    Eve snuggled closer. Good. Her need was as great as his.
    Later.
    The best sex is worth waiting for.
    The music segued into another tune with a different beat. Nick stilled his feet, but shifted his