"What's wrong?" Zack asks.

I look up into his brown gaze and then shake my head and look over at my brother, who is also watching me. "Did you check your phone?"

He pulls his phone out of his pocket, frowning down at it. He swears under his breath, kisses a troubled Lo on the cheek, then stands and pulls me into a hug.

"It's okay, princess."

"I don't ever want to hear from her, Ty. She knows that."

He drags his hand up and down my back soothingly, murmuring in my ear. "Just delete it and go about your holiday."

"What is going on?" Zack demands.

"It's my mom," I reply softly and glance over at Cara. "She texted."

"What did she say?" Cara asks quietly.

"Just merry Christmas," I mumble. And that she's sure to remind us that she's spending it without my dad because we killed him. "I don't like hearing from her."

"It's okay," Seth speaks up and surprises me by rubbing my shoulder. "I don't like hearing from my mom either."

We all still and watch Seth carefully.

"When did you last hear from her?" I ask calmly.

"Today."

"What the-" Zack begins, but I hold my hand up to stop him.

"Did she call you?"

"Yeah, she called my cell phone." He nibbles his s'more as though it's no big deal at all. "She said merry Christmas."

"I wonder how she got your number."

"Jill should have been a lawyer," Ty mutters to Lo.

"She said the school gave it to her." Seth shrugs and then frowns.

"Did she say anything else?" I ask. Zack has begun pacing behind us in the trampled snow. Jeff and Josh both look like they're ready to punch someone out and Nancy is wringing her hands in agitation.

Seth nods uncertainly and glances over at me. "But I'm not supposed to say."

"It's okay." I rub his back and shake my head at Zack when he opens his mouth. "You know you can tell us anything, Seth."

"She said she might make a trip up here from Vegas soon to see me."

"Oh." I raise my eyebrows as though I'm surprised. "She's living in Vegas, huh?"

"I guess." He scowls. "I told her not to come here."

I nod thoughtfully. "That was probably a good idea. Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"If she calls again, please tell your dad right away, okay? She's not supposed to be calling you."

"Oh." He looks back at Zack and frowns. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't know."

"It's not your fault, buddy." Zack ruffles his hair and smiles rea.s.suringly. "Just let me know next time, okay?"

"Okay."

"Stick a marshmallow on my stick, will ya?" Lo asks Seth with a grin.

Everyone exchanges looks, and I know there will be a discussion about Kensie after Seth goes to bed. If that woman so much as steps foot on this property, I'll beat the c.r.a.p out of her myself.

"I wish we could have piped Christmas music out here," Nancy murmurs softly as she snuggles into her husband's side.

"Here!" I wake my phone up and pull up Pandora, set it to a cla.s.sic Christmas music station, and turn the volume up before setting it in the cup holder of my camping chair. "There you go, Mama King."

"Thank you, sweet girl." Nancy sighs happily as "O Holy Night" plays sweetly around us. Zack pulls me in for a snuggle, tucking me against his chest. Lo and Ty have their heads together, whispering intimately, while Josh and Cara lean against each other, watching the fire.

Thor is lying in a sugar coma on a blanket in the snow and Seth is leaning against him, looking at his phone.

"Are you texting someone?" Zack asks him.

"No, I'm reading," he replies.

I smile to myself and wink at Nancy, who catches my eye.

"I don't see Santa yet." I lean back to look up at the sky that has magically cleared, putting on a grand display of stars.

"I think he hits us up last, on his way back up to the North Pole," Jeff replies with a smile.

"That makes sense." I nod. "Seth, you still have to put the angel on the tree."

"I won't forget," he answers absentmindedly.

"I think we're going to head up to bed," Ty announces and pulls Lo to her feet.

"Sorry guys," she says with a yawn. "I've just been extra sleepy lately."

"Working long hours?" I ask with a frown, worried about my friend.

"Yeah." She smiles softly and glances up at Ty, and I have a feeling that work's not the reason she's tired at all.

"Us too," Josh announces as he and Cara climb out of their chairs and gather their garbage to carry in with them.

"Come on, Seth, let's go put that angel on the tree." Nancy and Jeff stand and motion for a sleepy Seth and Thor to join them.

"But I'm not tired."

"The sooner you sleep, the sooner Christmas morning will be here," I remind him. "Good night."

"See you in the morning." Nancy leans down to kiss her son's cheek, then, to my surprise, kisses mine as well then whispers in my ear, "So happy to have you as part of our family, Jilly."

I blink back tears as she pats my cheek and follows her husband and Seth into the house.

On my phone, Kelly Clarkson is singing about having a merry little Christmas, and Zack and I are alone with the fire in the clear Christmas Eve night.

"Are you ready to go in?" I ask him quietly.

"I'm ready to do this," he replies and stands before me. He offers me his hand and tugs me to my feet, and then to my utter shock, wraps one arm around the small of my back, kisses my cheek, and begins to sway with the music. His brown eyes look almost amber in the firelight. He has the beginnings of stubble on his chin. I desperately want to push my fingers through his hair, so I reach up with my free hand and tug his hat off his head, toss it on the chair, and finger-comb his hair gently.

"How are you feeling, Mr. King?"

"Like the luckiest man in the world." He kisses my forehead and sighs contentedly.

"This is starting to be the best Christmas I can remember." I smile and graze my knuckles down his cheek. "Seth is having a blast."

"He's excited," he agrees. "Wanna help me bring his snowmobile out of the garage and set it up for him?"

"Where are you going to put it?"

He grins widely and suddenly looks like a young kid on Christmas morning himself. "You'll see."

CHAPTER.

Fourteen.

ZACK.

This is the best f.u.c.king dream I've ever had.

I'm lying on my back on the softest bed I've ever been in and I'm naked. Jill is with me, stroking my c.o.c.k until it throbs and pulses with the beat of my heart. Her small hands roam up and down my body. I push her hair off her face and watch raptly as she gazes up at me with happy blue eyes and runs the tip of her tongue up the underside of my d.i.c.k.

"Zack."

I hear her sweet voice, but I don't want to wake up. This is just too d.a.m.n good. But as I surface, I realize, I'm not dreaming.

Jill's hand is cupping my sac and she's licking my c.o.c.k like it's an ice cream cone.

"Merry Christmas, babe."

"Merry Christmas," I mumble sleepily and tangle my fingers in her rich brown hair. She smiles widely up at me, then takes me into her mouth, sinking down on me until I can feel the back of her throat.

I about jackknife up off the bed. f.u.c.king A, I've never felt anything better than Jilly's amazing mouth wrapped around me.

Except when it's her p.u.s.s.y.

Her hand glides up to circle my c.o.c.k and she tightens around me, just the way she knows I love it, and begins to jerk me off into her mouth.

Dear sweet mother of G.o.d, I f.u.c.king love this woman.

She hums and it's like lighting a fuse. My b.a.l.l.s tighten and I harden even more.

"Baby, you know I f.u.c.king love this." I try to keep my voice low so no one else in the house can hear me.

"Mm-hmm," she agrees.

"But if you keep this up-ah, f.u.c.k, sugar-I'm going to come in your mouth."

She pulls off me long enough to say, "Good," licks the tip, and then sinks over me again and sucks hard.

Good G.o.d, she could suck the rust off a b.u.mper.

And she's all mine.

I thrust my hips up off the bed and begin to f.u.c.k her face in earnest and she growls deep in her throat.

Growls.

I groan as I surrender to my release, coming in her mouth, and d.a.m.n if she doesn't lap up every drop, then kisses up my body, my neck and cheek, and whispers in my ear, "Merry Christmas, Zack."

"That might be the best d.a.m.n Christmas present I've ever received." I can't catch my d.a.m.n breath. I'm panting and sweating and the gorgeous woman draped over me has a very smug, catlike smile on her face. "Proud of yourself, aren't you?"

"Very," she agrees readily, making me chuckle. She rubs the dimple in my cheek with her fingertip. "That was fun."

"You won't get an argument out of me." I kiss her forehead softly. "What time is it?"

"Six," she replies. "I figure the rest of the house will start waking up anytime."