Knight and Sleigh: An Erotic Lucien Knight Christmas Novella Read Online Free

it.’  
    He knew she wasn’t entirely comfortable, and she knew that he wouldn’t change his mind and give her her bags back, either. It was the way he approached every aspect of their relationship; to reel her out as far as she was willing to go then push her a little bit further still, ever watchful and ready to gather her in again the moment she really needed him to.  
    She made her way over to the small kitchen, and he followed her, pulling out one of the stools at the breakfast bar. She glanced towards him as she reached a couple of tall mugs down from the high shelf, and as always his impossible blend of beauty and sheer, sleek manliness made her gaze linger. Seated as he was behind the breakfast bar, she could only see him from the waist up, his chin resting on his hands as he leaned his elbows on the surface.  
    Sophie had a thing for his hands; from the strong, capable size of them to the wickedly good things he was capable of doing with them. They were the hands that held her body when she orgasmed, held her hand when she was scared, and held her heart as delicately as if he were cupping a dandelion clock to protect it from the wind.  
    Flicking the gas on, Sophie set some milk to warm and spooned in chocolate, stirring it slowly as it heated through.  
    ‘I have other gifts for you. Would you like one of them now? It’s traditional to give gifts on Christmas Eve here.’  
    ‘You already gave me these gorgeous shoes,’ Sophie said, worrying afresh that her gift for Lucien wouldn’t arrive, or that it wouldn’t please him in the way she imagined it would. One thing was certain - it was going to be late. Her plan hadn’t accounted for the Norwegian tradition of Little Christmas, the practice of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve rather than December twenty fifth.  
    ‘The shoes were a gift for both of us,’ he said unconcernedly. ‘I like seeing you in them.’  
    She let her eyes dwell on the view from the kitchen window as the chocolate warmed slowly though. It was coming up to midday, towards the precious hour or so of brief, beautiful blueish daylight before the polar night resettled once more over the pristine, snow covered Lyngen Alps. It was snowing heavily out there, flakes the size of feathers drifting down and settling like a thick quilt over the arctic landscape.  
    Sophie leaned over and flicked on the radio, half for musical accompaniment and half so they could keep an ear out for weather warnings. Soft carols filled the kitchen, and for a few seconds Sophie wished she were a child again making gingerbread with her mum back in England.  
    ‘We could go outside, take a walk maybe?’ she murmured, trying her luck as she poured the chocolate cautiously from the pan into the mugs, because bare skin and boiling milk in close proximity could so easily end in disaster.  
    ‘We could, if you’re feeling brave.’ Lucien’s eyes glittered at the prospect. ‘It’s pretty deserted out there but you might thrill the occasional walker. I’ll let you wear walking boots, but it’s birthday suit, not snowsuit. From the ankles up, you stay naked, Princess.’ He accepted the mug she slid across the counter to him, his eyes on her breasts as she turned. Sophie wondered about challenging him, because she was not making coffee, as stipulated in his earlier rules, but decided it would be splitting hairs. Anyway, she had to admit she was enjoying Lucien’s adulation, even if her nakedness in the kitchen was a little unnerving, not to mention risky.  
    Considering now the option Lucien had offered, Sophie flicked her eyes to the ceiling. She should have known better than to try stealth to get around his rules.  
    ‘We could go as far as the hot tub later, if the snow stops,’ she tried.  
    Lucien flicked an eyebrow up, a “maybe”, or a “maybe I have other plans” kind of gesture. He looked as if he was going to say something, and then his gaze moved from her to the radio beneath the