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  Not So Silent Night

  By Sheri Velarde

  Not So Silent Night © 2015 Sheri Velarde

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book would not have been possible without the following people.

  Editor: Leona Bushman

  Cover Artist: Victoria Miller

  Proofreader: Charlotte Isaac

  Stoker Publishing

  Dedication:

  First and foremost I want to thank my loving husband William for all of his support.

  Thank you to my friend and editor Leona for pushing me as an author and as a person.

  Thank you to all of my author friends who help me continue to grow and write.

  And last but certainly not least, thank you to all the readers in the world. This would not be possible without you.

  Sniffling, sneezing, and itching eyes; just what Anna needed to brighten her already dismal holiday season. The Grinch had nothing on her as it appeared she was literally allergic to Christmas. Her first Christmas working in the flower shop she had inherited from her grandmother and she turned out to have an intolerance to the greenery and the poinsettias this season required.

  "I always knew there was a reason I hated this stupid holiday," she said to herself as she got ready to close. "Only two more days. I can last two more days, and then I can get rid of all this crap." Thankfully, she would not be open on Christmas Day itself, so the end was in sight. In fact, she planned to spend her Christmas getting rid of all the plants that had been making her miserable for the past month. There would be no after Christmas sales for her. She’d rather eat the loss than deal with sneezing one day longer.

  She had almost finished cleaning up in back when she heard the bell on the door ring less than five minutes before closing. "Seriously? Can't people let me get out of here on time just one damn night?" she muttered to herself as she stormed toward the front so she could wait on her customer and then get the hell out of the store.

  Anna whipped around the corner in a huff, not caring if she scared the latecomer away. She stopped in her tracks and almost forgot what had pissed her off when she saw the customer in question. The most breathtaking back view of a man she had ever seen stood just inside the doorway, and her brain stopped working for the moment. Wow, who knew broad shoulders and a great rear could stop a woman in her tracks? While she gawked like an idiot, the man turned around and proved to be even more distracting from the front. This guy was like a wall of muscle, perfect body attached to a very masculine and handsome face with the deepest blue eyes Anna had ever seen.

  "Sorry, I know you are about to close, but I need a gift of flowers," he said when he saw Anna. He had a very thick eastern European accent that she thought might be Russian, which of course only made him hotter. She noticed his eyes taking her in, and she couldn't help but stand a little straighter, showing her curves off to her advantage while she absentmindedly ran her fingers through her long, wavy, raven hair, which most men seemed to love.

  It took Anna's brain a few moments to catch up before she could speak. Her previous anger and frustration vanished, replaced by eagerness to help this particular customer. "No problem at all. Do you have an idea of what kind of gift you are looking for? Is this for your girlfriend or wife?" Anna held her breath as she waited for this mystery man to answer, a bit annoyed with herself that she cared so much about what he might say.

  "No, it is for my mother. My family is visiting for the holidays, and I almost forgot today is her birthday. You are the only shop still open in all of Manchester, so I thought flowers are a perfect gift." He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat. This man had charming down to a science.

  Anna shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind. It was so unlike her to let a man distract her. Hell, she had barely even looked at men since Justin, but it hurt to think about him, so she tried to concentrate on her job. "Well if she is just visiting, you probably don’t want to get her a plant, which would be hard for her to get back home. A floral arrangement seems best to me. Do you know what her favorite flower is? Her favorite color?" Anna tried to be professional as she skirted the gorgeous man in her midst and turned her store sign to say closed and locked the door. "Sorry, but I want to make sure you are the last customer of the night."

  "Of course, I am sorry to be keeping you late. Please feel free to add an extra charge for the inconvenience. I am just glad you are open, and I can give my mother something beautiful. I trust your judgment. Give me the biggest and best arrangement you have," the mysterious man said, while following Anna with his eyes. She could physically feel his gaze on her as she moved around the store, searching for the perfect gift.

  "Well, it is winter; white is a traditional winter color without being Christmassy, which is what I would suggest for a December birthday. I have this fairly large piece already made. If your mother has a favorite flower I can emphasize it, and I think she will be very happy," Anna said, attempting to be all business despite being incredibly attracted to and interested in the man in her midst. She felt drawn to him; something about him felt familiar even though she knew for a fact that she had never met him before. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy you forgot. She had only felt something like this once before. She shook her head and stopped that line of thought in its tracks. She had work to do and drudging up terrible memories would help no one.

  "How beautiful. Perhaps you can add some more white roses? You are very good at what you do. This is exactly what my mother will love."

  "Excellent. Let me put these in a larger vase, then I'll cut the roses, and you will be ready to go. It should not take me more than ten minutes, if you can wait," Anna said, heading toward the work area at the back of the store. Her mystery man followed rather closely, his eyes burning into her from behind. She quickly began working with the flowers, doing her best to do a good job and make her customer happy, like the proper business person she so desperately tried to be to honor her grandmother's memory.

  Anna got lost in her work and her thoughts, so she literally jumped when she heard the deep male voice right behind her. "You are so talented at this. How long have you been working with flowers? It is okay for me to be back here watching you?"

  "Of course it is, sir. I am trying to hurry for you but still make a beautiful presentation for your mother. As to your question, I have worked around flowers off and on my entire life. This was my grandmother's shop. I grew up here. Once she got sick, I moved back here to take care of her and the store. She's gone now, and I inherited the shop, for better or worse," Anna answered without a second thought.

  "Please call me Alexander or Alex, not sir. And you are?" Alexander seemed to be so much more interested in her than in the flowers she worked with.

  "Anna. Nice to meet you, Alexander. So you just got the quick sketch of my life, so perhaps I can ask where you are from. I love your accent."

  "Russia. I grew up right outside of Moscow."

  "Russia? Wow! What brings you to small town Vermont? Other than the snow, I can't imagine we are anything like Moscow," Anna said in true wonderment.

  "My family came to visit, and we wanted to go somewhere quiet for the holidays. I live in Washington, D.C. now. Here seemed like a good spot for a vacation. And I must say I am glad we picked this town on a whim." Alexander moved even closer to her, close en
ough they were almost touching, and he could gently stroke her hair, sending a visible shiver down her back. "I am not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

  Anna swallowed. "No, uncomfortable is not exactly the word for what you are making me feel." She turned around so she stared up into Alexander's deep blue eyes. They were close enough for her to kiss his full lips, and she found herself wanting to very much.

  "You are a very beautiful woman, Anna." Alexander stepped even closer so their bodies touched. Anna immediately felt heat rush through her body from only a little contact. She felt her own blue eyes widen in anticipation.

  "Thank you," Anna murmured, feeling a blush spread across her face, so evident on her pale skin. "So are you... I mean, you are very attractive too."

  He smiled and leaned down so his lips almost touched hers. "I am going to kiss you now, Anna, unless you tell me not to."

  "Umm, okay." Anna's breath grew heavier as Alexander brought his lips to meet hers. He started slowly teasing her, giving her a chance to stop him, before he deepened the kiss. At first, Anna just stood there, letting him take charge, before her brain caught up to her desire, and she decided to wrap her arms around him. She pulled their bodies closer together, deepening the kiss, knowing they were quickly about to move beyond kissing.

  "If you want to stop this, now is the time," Alexander said in a tense yet tender voice as he lifted her onto her workbench. "After this, I don't know if I will be able to stop. I want you like I have never wanted a woman. I am drawn to you in a way I cannot explain."

  Even though it was completely out of character for Anna, her response came out as more of a plea rather than an actual answer. "Please, whatever you do, don't stop."

  That seemed to be all the encouragement Alexander needed. He brought his lips back down to Anna's, forcing her mouth open with his tongue, clearly claiming it as his own. He pushed his body in between her legs; Anna quickly wrapped her legs around him, scooting closer, wanting to feel more of his body next to hers.

  Meanwhile, Alexander reached down, pulling her sweater off in one swift motion, and let out a sigh of desire when he saw her full breasts, hard nipples and all, peeking through her lacy bra. He immediately lowered his mouth to her aching nipples, sucking and nipping them in turn, right through her bra, causing her to let out noises of pure pleasure. She reached back and unhooked her bra, freeing herself so Alexander could devour her even more.

  Anna rubbed herself against the huge and growing bulge in his pants, making herself wetter by the second. She pulled frantically at his clothing, needing to get him out of it as soon as possible. He raised his head from her breasts to help her. His jacket and shirt were gone in no time. Anna could not stop herself from touching his broad and well-muscled chest, running her fingers through his chest hair.

  Alexander chortled a little. "You're tickling me."

  "This may sound weird, but you are much hairier than most men I have been with."

  "Then you have been with boys and not men." Alexander slowly unzipped his pants as he spoke, unleashing himself and letting Anna see just how much of a man he really was, and though she knew he had a little something more than man about him, she couldn't waste time thinking about anything supernatural right now. She immediately began to undo her own jeans and wriggle out of them. Alexander quickly kicked his remaining clothes off and helped pull her jeans off. He then reached down and ripped her panties right off her.

  "There is something about you; I don’t think that I have ever wanted a woman so badly." He brought his mouth down between her legs and licked her with a ferocity she had never experienced before. She was so built up from the sensual tension between them, he had her screaming in ecstasy in a matter of moments and yet he did not let up. When he finally came up for air he murmured, "You taste fantastic."

  Anna slipped off her worktable, to her knees. "Well let me see if you do too." Again not stopping to think about what she intended to do, she seemed to be full of lust and instinct as she took him into her mouth, purring with pleasure as she sucked him deeper and deeper down her throat. Alexander groaned with desire as well, wrapping his fingers tightly in her long hair, urging her to take him farther yet. She began to pick up her speed, using her hands to cup his balls and handle what she couldn’t take in her mouth. Just when she thought he was about to come undone for her, he pulled her back to her feet.

  "No, I want to come inside of you." He roughly turned her around and pushed her over her worktable. Anna was more than ready as she spread her legs apart and arched her ass up, inviting Alexander to take her. She had never wanted a man the way she wanted this hot and aggressive stranger; she loved how animalistic he was with her, bringing out the animal in her as well.

  She heard the ripping of a condom wrapper right before Alexander grabbed her by the hips and plunged into her. She saw stars for a second, and he gave her a minute to adjust before he started pumping into her in earnest. Anna began moaning as she pushed back into him, urging him deeper into her. He was so large, a little pain mixed with her pleasure, but it all suited her just fine. In fact, it made her hotter and wetter by the minute. As he punished her from behind, she reached down and fingered her own clit.

  She came quickly, screaming in pure delight, but Alexander did not seem to be ready to slow down. Instead, he pulled out, swung her around, and lifted her back onto her worktable. "I want to watch you as I please you," he said as he entered her once more. He became more forceful, thrusting faster and faster, as if unable to control his urges, his need to come, any longer.

  Anna arched back, and Alexander brought his mouth to her breasts, devouring her as he pumped faster into her, bringing her to new heights with each thrust. She came again just when Alexander threw his head back and virtually howled when he climaxed. For a moment, Anna swore something strange happened with his face, but he kept thrusting into her until she screamed herself, and she felt too good from so many orgasms to care about what she might have witnessed.

  "Wow," was all Anna could think to say as she leaned back on her worktable. The same worktable her grandmother had made flower arrangements at for years, but where she herself had just had the best sex of her life.

  "Wow indeed," Alexander said as he pulled her up and kissed her, holding her tightly next to his chest. She felt him nuzzling her hair with his cheek and sniffing her hair. "I know I keep saying this, but there really is something different about you; I have never acted so out of control with someone before, especially with someone I just met."

  Anna sighed. "Well this is not exactly a regular occurrence in my life, either. Oh God, if only my grandmother could see what we just did on her worktable." Suddenly she laughed. "Actually, she was such a free-spirited hippy, she would probably approve and say it was about time."

  Alexander chuckled. "Then she sounds like someone I would have liked to meet." He kissed her passionately. "I have to see you again. I have to meet my family now, but later tonight, can I see you?"

  Without a second thought, Anna answered, "Yes."

  "Give me your address. I can meet you after dinner with my family, once they return to the lodge."

  "I live upstairs, but I need to go grab something to eat too. I can meet you over at the Sidewinder's Bar and Grill when you are done. It’s just down the road from here. Just head three blocks south of the shop here. It’s bright and loud. You can’t miss it. I can eat and maybe play some pool or whatever until you show up. Got to keep myself distracted while waiting for you."

  Alexander smiled and nodded. "As long as I get to see you tonight." He reluctantly let her go and helped her off the table. As they began to clean up and get dressed, he added, "Make sure you eat a good meal. I plan on keeping you up all night."

  "I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, you owe me some new panties." Anna couldn’t help but smile.

  ****

  They quickly dressed, and Anna finished the arrangement for Alexander's mom. She felt slightly wrong charging him for the flowers after what had jus
t transpired, but a girl had to keep a shop afloat. They then solidified their plans to meet up at Sidewinders after Alexander had his mother's birthday dinner with his family at one of the nicer restaurants in town.

  As Alexander climbed in his rental car and drove away, Anna decided to just walk the three blocks to the bar and grill, dropping off her day's deposit at the bank along the way. It was the local hangout, and she was sure to see some friends there who would help her pass the time. Unfortunately, she would probably see the new owners there as well, Blake Owens and his brother Clay, both of whom hit on her mercilessly no matter how many times she rebuffed them. She shook her head and pushed those two out of her mind as she relived what had just happened with Alexander. She had never felt drawn to a man the way she was drawn to her puzzling Russian. Not even Justin, whom she had thought had been her one and only soul mate.

  Sure enough, the moment that she walked into the bar, Blake hung all over her, helping her take her jacket off and standing excessively close as usual. However, this time he abruptly pulled back from her after she swore he sniffed her hair. "What have you been up to, dear Anna? You don't smell of your usual flowers and sweetness."

  Anna blushed, realizing that she hadn't showered and probably did smell of sex, but she certainly wasn't discussing any of that with Blake. "Just missed my shower this morning," she answered as she headed for the bar to order.

  While she ate, she noticed Blake in a deep conversation with his brother. Clay kept eyeing her and then shaking his head. She wondered if she was so easy to read, if they had figured out she had just had sex. She sensed that they had of course, and it pissed her off. Still, she didn't understand why they would take her sex life so seriously. It wasn't as if she would ever date either one of them, and she had made that abundantly clear on more than one occasion. Since the moment she had met them, they had given her the creeps. The little warnings in her head told her to keep them at a distance, and she sure tried despite their constant attention.