This was the Best. Christmas. Ever.
~*~
The following morning Kara woke up at seven, still exhausted and completely sated from the night before. Today they were headed to her father’s house, and for the first time in their Christmas history, she and her father both had dates. Eva and Eric were going to be joining them for dinner, and Kara couldn’t wait to introduce Jason to everyone. Evalyn had already met him, but that was before they had declared themselves a couple, and somehow it felt different now.
Chapter Fourteen
Waking up Christmas morning, Kara couldn’t imagine a better gift than lying naked next to Jason. His warmth surrounded her as his arms held her close, and his legs entwined with hers. Kara had never been one for snuggling much, preferring her space while she slept, but with Jason it was different. His heartbeat relaxed her; his steady breathing and warm embrace a constant reminder of his presence. His affections, which appeared to be growing daily alongside her own, reminded her she was no longer alone.
She was in love.
Of course she couldn’t say that out loud. She refused to be one of those women who declared, weeks into a relationship, they were in love with every man they dated. Having only been dating Jason a few weeks; she could only imagine what he’d think if she admitted these feelings now.
Shaking off her thoughts, Kara gently slipped out of Jason’s arms and tiptoed to the bathroom, careful not to wake him. Quietly she took care of business and washed her hands, then tiptoed back to the bed. Just as she was settling in beside him, Jason reached out and pulled her to him, snuggling her back to his chest.
“Good morning,” his voice was gruff with sleep, as he gently kissed her jaw and nuzzled his nose to her ear.
“Merry Christmas,” Kara replied softly, her arms covering his as they wrapped around her stomach and she looked back at him over her shoulder.
“Mmm … Merry Christmas,” Jason returned the greeting, gazing at her through his half open eyelids as he smiled; leaning forward he kissed her nose.
“Would you like breakfast?” she asked, rolling over to face him.
He chuckled softly, “Maybe…”
“What would you like?”
“You,” he answered, as he rolled her onto her back, climbing on top of her, while settling himself between her legs.
Kara swatted his arm. “Seriously, are you hungry?”
“Very.” Jason gave her a mischievous grin, and then slowly began kissing his way down her body.
“Jason,” Kara tried to admonish him with a serious tone, but couldn’t stop the giggle that slipped out as his tongue tickled her navel. He kissed his way over to her surgery scar, which was still rather red looking, and pressed his lips to it softly. Kara ran her hands through his soft hair, earning her a moan as he looked back up at her with a lazy smile before returning his lips to the path they were on. He inched his way downwards excruciatingly slowly, and Kara could feel her excitement burning her alive once he finally hit his destination. Her hands returned to his hair, her knees came up on either side of his head, and she opened herself up as widely as possible.
“Jason,” she breathed his name again, this time merely a whisper as her head rocked back and forth. He didn’t respond with words, instead using his hands and tongue to communicate. He slipped his left hand under her leg, wrapping it around her thigh up near her hip and anchored himself to her. His right hand caressed her other thigh as he moved to slip it inside her. She immediately clenched around him releasing a loud moan of pleasure. He began working her, slipping another finger inside, moving them around as her breathing increased. Her hands tightened in his hair while her breathing became erratic. He sped up his ministrations with his tongue, flicking it back and forth, up and down, over and over while his hand pumped her as deeply as it could. Finally, his efforts were awarded with her orgasm as she came hard, pulling his hair roughly and yelling out profanities mixed with pleas to deities and his name.
“Fuck, Jason,” Kara said breathlessly, her eyes still closed as she came down from her high.
“Okay,” Jason snickered as he climbed back up her body. He grabbed at the sheet, quickly wiping down his face before flipping her over onto her stomach, causing her to yelp in surprise. He laughed at her reaction as he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a condom.
~*~
“Last one,” he noted, ripping it open and rolling it down his length.
“I made an appointment to get back on the pill,” Kara’s voice was muffled by her head in the pillow. Jason couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face at the thought of being with her, nothing in between them. He had never been opposed to condoms, in fact he’d always worn one, following the old adage ‘better safe than sorry’, but he knew with Kara it was different. She wasn’t just some girl - she was his girl. More than once he’d been tempted to forego wrapping it up; amazed the thought of her getting pregnant didn’t cause automatic panic down into his bones, though he knew neither of them were ready for that. He would admit he was glad she was going to take birth control, it would allow for more spontaneity. But just as he was grateful, he also felt certain one day they would go without any prevention. One day. That thought alone made his heart pound.
Kara squirmed beneath him, bringing him from his thoughts and back into the moment. He grasped her hips and pulled her up onto her knees, leaving her head down as he entered her in one move, emitting a deep groan from the sensation. He continuously rubbed her back and hips as he thrust into her over, and over, before reaching around to tease her with his fingers. It didn’t take long before he heard her whimpers turn into full-on moans, followed by her calling his name once again.
He would never get tired of hearing that. He followed her over the edge and they both collapsed onto the bed, Jason falling to her side so as not to crush her with his weight. Their movement caused him to pull out and he quickly disposed of the used condom before snuggling back up against her.
“Okay, now I’m hungry,” he chuckled.
~*~
Throwing on his clothes, Jason followed Kara into the kitchen for breakfast, smiling at her small four-foot tree in the corner on top of a table, and noticing a rather large gift underneath it. She clapped her hands loudly twice and the tree lit up, causing Jason to jump then burst out laughing. Only Kara, and probably Evalyn, would have the Clapper plugged into a Christmas tree. Thinking it over for a minute, he realized it was actually a pretty damn good idea.
Kara whipped up pancakes and bacon for breakfast, as Jason made fresh orange juice with the juicer on the counter. When done, they settled in at the breakfast counter to eat in a comfortable silence.
While eating, Jason’s eyes continued to be drawn to the large box under Kara’s rather small tree, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was for him, as he knew all of the other presents Kara had purchased were wrapped and already in bags ready for the trip to her father’s house in Houston. Kara looked over, noticing Jason’s gaze, and rewarded him with a wicked grin, but saying nothing.
Once they finished eating and cleaning up, she grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him toward the tree to sit in front of it. She grabbed the box and handed it to him, plopping it in his lap.
“Merry Christmas,” she smiled as his eyes lit up at the gift. He was about to tear into it when he realized he hadn’t given Kara her gift. Jumping up, he grabbed his keys and ran out to the car, quickly returning, shivering and jumping up and down from the cold. The weather had turned nasty from a cold front that had blown through, and he had neglected to put a shirt on. Sitting back down beside her, he handed her the small gift, then glanced from his large gift to the one in her lap and chuckled, hanging his head.
“In this situation, size means very little,” he assured her. Kara just bumped his shoulder and leaned over to kiss him.
“I never worry about size with you.”
They both began to rip into their gifts at the same time, paper flying. Jason was blown awa
y by what Kara had gotten him. He smiled as he thought about how often he complained to her about not having time to make a good cup of coffee in the morning. The crude oil they passed off as coffee at the hospital was thick enough to hold a spoon up, and hardly drinkable. Now, unwrapped in front of him was a full pot, programmable, grind 'n' brew style coffeemaker, with water filtration, five grind levels and three coffee-strength settings. This shiny machine did just about everything but wake you up with a blow job in the morning. It was quite possibly the perfect gift for him, and he couldn’t believe she’d thought of it.
~*~
Kara was equally shocked to find a brand new, bright red mp3 player in her hands. According to the package insert, this little baby recorded video, played live radio, and had sixteen gigs of storage. Kara gasped as she pulled it from the box and turned it around in her hands. She remembered mentioning in passing how she was thinking of buying something like this, thinking it would be nice to listen to audiobooks as she worked.
“Jason! It’s too much!” Kara sat, stunned.
Jason gaped at her, “Kara …” he pointed to the gift in his lap, his mouth still hanging open. They stared at one another, frozen in shock at how well the other had listened and understood them, then hugged, cracking up as they fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs as they giggled.
“I love it,” she murmured, and Jason nodded.
“Thank you, it’s perfect,” he replied, speaking of her gift to him. She pulled back and tilted her head up, giving him a deep kiss. When they made their way to the shower, which took longer than Kara was anticipating when she discovered Jason had plans for them - other than showering - they were running late. Of course she wasn’t complaining, but it did put them behind schedule, so they hurriedly loaded the car with gifts and hit the road, heading to Houston.
~*~
The drive to Houston, which normally took three hours, took Jason only two and a half. Kara knew he liked to drive fast - just driving around town his standard was ten miles over the limit at all times. But this, this was different. Get him out on the open road and he knew no boundaries.
“Good grief, Jason!” Kara exclaimed, watching as the speedometer inched toward ninety. “You know you’re actually speeding toward meeting my dad right?” Kara huffed, scolding.
The mention of Paul got Jason’s attention, and Kara rolled her eyes as she watched the number on the speedometer drop infinitesimally. At least it was something. She shrugged her shoulders, giving up, and looked back out the window.
When they finally hit the outskirts of Houston, Jason heeded her advice and slowed down, winking at Kara as he did so. The thought of getting pulled over and receiving a ticket on Christmas day obviously didn’t appeal to him.
“Good boy,” she reached over to pat his head, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand to his mouth and kissing it instead.
~*~
As they neared his subdivision, Kara directed them to her father’s house and before Jason knew it, they were sitting parked in Paul Baker’s driveway. Up until that moment Jason had been full of confidence, only now, he felt as if he were standing on a precipice. Please don’t let me screw this up, he sent up as a quick prayer. Hitting the lever to pop the trunk open, he and Kara climbed out of the car, grabbed the gifts from the back, then walked to the front door. Jason shifted the packages in his arms trying to knock on the door before Kara laughed, walking up behind him, and instructing him to just go in.
Carefully, he balanced his load and opened the door. The house was small and old, but tidy. Jason could smell cedar and something faintly metallic. It was pretty obvious the house was missing a woman’s touch, as there was a recliner in the living room, facing a flat screen TV, and an old floral print couch that looked as if it were an afterthought for the room. Off in the corner was a small Christmas tree, smaller even than Kara’s.
“Just put them down here,” Kara instructed, as she set her pile of gifts down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Jason did as he was told, before walking to the tree for a closer look. The ornaments were all handmade, and most appeared to be from Kara’s childhood. He smiled as he reached out to touch the small heart with a small handprint in the middle, Kara’s name printed below it. As he took inventory of the room, he noticed almost all the pictures were of Kara alone. Most were school pictures, and Jason perused each; he loved seeing Kara grow up through the timeline in front of him. There were a few multi-print frames, collages of her and her father camping, and snapshots of Kara making silly faces for the camera. Jason’s heart sped up as he made his way toward Kara’s high school pictures. He was standing in front of her junior year photo when Kara walked up behind him.
“Ugh, I really wish he’d put these in a photo album, preferably stored on a high shelf …in the attic.” Kara reached out and covered the picture of her smiling face with her hand. Jason chuckled, and pulled her hand away.
“You were an adorable kid, Kara,” he said, motioning to the walls.
Kara smirked at him, “You have to say that when bombarded with pictures of your girlfriend amidst her prime adolescent period. However, I know the truth - I was gangly, a late bloomer, and I wore braces until I was fifteen.”
“Is that why you were smiling funny over there?” Jason began to walk back toward the photo of Kara with an awkward, closed smile on her face, but she pulled his arm and began to lead him from the room. Jason chuckled and allowed her to steer him to the kitchen instead.
Looking for Paul, instead they found the source of the metallic smell in the air. Paul’s gun lay in pieces, in the midst of being cleaned. However, what they didn’t find was Paul.
“Dad?” Kara called out when she didn’t find him in the kitchen. She walked to the back door and opened it, spying her father grabbing wood for the fireplace. Winter this year in the south had been colder than normal.
“Hey, Kara baby!” Paul dropped the few pieces he had in his arms onto the bundle he’d already stacked into the carrier, and brought it into the house. He set the carrier down on the ground then swept Kara up into his arms for a fierce hug. “How are ya, kid?”
“Can’t. Breathe.” Kara gasped, as her dad swung her back and forth.
Paul set her back on the ground, still with his arms around her.
“Uh, Dad, I’d like you to meet Jason Dietrich. My boyfriend.” Kara motioned to Jason, her eyes downcast, looking slightly awkward for some reason. Jason smiled and held out his hand.
“I’m glad to meet you, Mr. Baker.” Paul released Kara and shook Jason’s hand.
“Uh huh,” Paul grunted, earning a pinch to his side from Kara. He winced and rubbed the sore spot as Kara swatted her dad’s shoulder and pulled away.
“Please, call me Paul,” he amended, frowning at Kara’s abuse. Obviously Jason’s dad wasn’t the only one who could play games with the boys their daughters brought home.
“Merry Christmas, Dad.” Kara reached up to kiss her father’s cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Kara.” By Paul’s smile, Jason could see Kara hung the moon in Paul’s eyes. “Can I get either of you something to drink?” he asked, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer then offering it to Jason, who gladly accepted. Kara shook her head no, and set about grabbing things from the refrigerator to prepare Christmas dinner. Thankfully, her father had remembered to thaw the ham she had stashed in his freezer the month before, when she had been over visiting for Thanksgiving.
Paul sat down at the table, motioning for Jason to take a chair.
“Where’s Anna?” When he had spoken to Kara regarding their holiday plans, Paul had been so excited about having a date this year for Christmas dinner, especially with the addition of Jason to their gathering.
“Kris changed her plans at the last minute and decided to come home for the holiday. Her mom and I … dating … is still sensitive for her.” Kara could see the irritation on her father’s face, but knew he was too polite to complain outright. Dave Miller had been gone for three years n
ow; it was time for Anna’s daughter to let her move on. Kara sighed and kissed her father on the head, patting his back in comfort. Paul shrugged and drank his beer, turning his attention back to Jason.
“You own any firearms, Jason?” he asked, as he began reassembling his gun. According to Kara, Paul wasn’t one for small talk, but it looked as though he was going to make an effort to get to know Jason.
“No, sir,” Jason answered honestly.
“Do you not agree with people owning guns?”
“Dad…” Kara murmured a warning to her father.
“I do, when they are properly trained, such as yourself, and when the guns are taken care of, but I’ve seen too many victims of negligence to own one myself,” Jason answered. Paul nodded his head, apparently impressed with Jason’s answer.
They drank their beer as Paul finished up, and Kara flitted about the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner. Jason was just beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable at the struggle for conversation when somebody knocked on the door then immediately opened it.
“Knock, knock,” Evalyn called out, stepping into the house. Eric followed behind her, his arms full of presents. Evalyn made her way to the kitchen as Eric deposited their gifts in the living room with the others.
“Hey, Jason,” Evalyn patted his shoulder, and leaned in to give Paul a hug. “Merry Christmas, Daddy.” Eva had taken to calling Paul “Daddy” years ago, as he had proclaimed her his adopted daughter, she was over at his house so often. Paul had even threatened that he was looking into claiming her on his taxes. Evalyn preferred the Baker residence to her own, as her alcoholic parents tended to ignore her, when she was lucky. When she wasn’t so lucky, they were verbally abusive. When she and Kara had started college and moved in together, Eva stopped visiting her parents altogether, keeping their contact to occasional phone calls or an annual face-to-face visit if she happened to be in town. It had been Paul who walked her down the aisle when she and Eric had been married, something her own father was none too pleased about, but since they had gone on vacation and had refused to reschedule, they had missed the wedding anyway.