A Christmas of Coal and Mistletoe

Life gave Cathy everything she ever wanted: a loving husband, a beautiful home and even her own business. In spite of having it all, the overwhelming desire to flee grows stronger by the day.



Dan adores his wife and wants nothing more than to pamper her, as he’s always tried to do over the past ten years. Yet for all his attempts, behind the smiles and “I love you’s,” he senses her growing distance.



When a lusty Twelve Days of Christmas Trip takes a horrific wrong turn, will it push the couple over the edge, or remind them life can blur by and every moment should be cherished?



EXCERPT:



I knew a signal of challenge when I saw one. Fine. I was game.



As we drove toward West Virginia state line, I couldn’t miss appreciating the beautiful countryside. Rolling green hills offset red, green, and golden leaves that decorated the treetops. Horse farms sprang up around large bends in the road, hills became more mountainous, and the sparse signs of snow became a bit heavier. As I continued taking in the passing sights, Dan reached over and ran his fingers up my thigh.



I turned away from the window to stare at my husband in wonderment. Mr. “Only-in-the-House” continued massaging my inner thigh as his fingers occasionally splayed to almost reach my clit, which had that special little spot pulsing to life. I shifted in my seat until his fingers hit the right spot. Since he was driving and I was still in jeans, I hadn’t a clue what we were going to do, but he’d begun something that I demanded he finish.



“Take them off.” Stern. Commanding. So not like Dan.



“Here? In the Jeep?” I frantically looked out of the windows at the all the passing cars.



“It’s dark, and the windows have enough of a tint that unless someone has their face pressed against the glass, they are not going to see anything. I told you. I picked this Jeep for the nifty perks that came with it.”



“What if we get pulled over?”



“We won’t. Take them off, Cathy.” I glanced one last time toward the windows and then, after hearing the seriousness and intensity in his voice, looked one last time toward him. I didn’t tell him, but this demanding behavior of his was turning me on. Dan had always been one of those who couldn’t decide. He’d always left choices up to meâ€"where to eat, what movie to see, and yes, even what we did in bed. He did whatever he thought I wanted. But sometimes, someone else just acting, rather than debating or over-rationalizing, had its perks. Going from your gutâ€"or, er, erection rather than your brain. This was such a time.



Lifting my hips, I shrugged out of my jeans. Of course I hadn’t thought about my Uggs, so, sitting half upright and strapped into my seat, I leaned over to remove them.



“They can stay. What I need is in reach. Plus,” and, with a kid-caught-in-the- cookie-jar look, he pushed a button on the dash, “heated seats happen to be another perk.”