Keeping Her Under The Mistletoe: A Novelette

  COPYRIGHT

  © 2018 M. Robinson

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, dead or alive are a figment of my imagination and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s mind's eye and are not to be interpreted as real.

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  El Diablo

  Lost Boy

  Aiden Pierce & Bailey

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  More from M

  DEDICATION

  For those who want to have a wet Christmas…

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Heather Moss: Yoda, Yoda, Yoda… where do I even begin? You have been with me for four years now, and I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for being my right-hand woman and always being there for me no matter what. You have a heart of gold, and I can’t wait to see where 2019 leads you. I know it’s been a rough year, but you are one of the strongest women I have ever met. Your courage, strength, and perseverance are just a few things that I admire about you. Our friendship has grown a lot in the last year, and you have gone from being just my P.A. to being my best girlfriend. I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. Our conversations bring so much happiness and laughter into my life. I know you always have my back, whether it’s cutting a bitch or just lending an ear when I’m having a meltdown. And we both know how many of those I have during deadline. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me! I love you so much. #Homies4Life

  Silla Webb: Thank you for your amazing edits as always!! And thank you for always dropping anything and everything for me. I can’t believe this is our 12th book!!

  To my muffins:

  Lily Garcia: Thank you for all the laughs, the honesty, all the joy you bring into my life. I know you’re ending the year on a sad note, but your papi is in Heaven watching over you. I love you more than I could ever put into words. Oh, and your hashtags! You’re the Queen.

  Lisa Ward: I can’t thank you enough for the ideas, puns, and honesty you provide me at the drop of a dime. Your humor is one of the things I look forward to the most when we’re talking. You bring such amazing light into my stories, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. Also, thank you for coming up with the title of this novelette!

  Betty Lankovits: Thank you for your teasers, suggestions, honesty… just thank you for always being you, you dirty whore. You make me laugh, smile, and I love the conversations you send me with your hubby. They’re always such an inspiration for me. I love you, girl.

  Emma Louise: Meeting you was one of my highlights of 2017. You’re just as amazing in person as you are a part of my team. Thank you for always helping with feedback, teasers, promos, and anything else I ever ask you for. You bring so much happiness and laughter into my life. I love you so much.

  Jennifer Pon: You started out being one of my favorite bloggers, and you’ve turned into one of my favorite people. I love you so much! You have been with me for such a long time and now that you’re a part of the journey with me, makes our friendship that much more amazing. Thank you for always providing feedback as fast as you can. It never goes unnoticed.

  Jessica Laws: Although we haven’t met, I feel like I know you completely. You have a heart of gold, and I appreciate your feedback and honesty more than you’ll ever know. You’re the best. I love you.

  Leeann Van Rensburg: Thank you for everything. From all the images you help with, to all the posts you make in VIP, to how you always provide feedback as soon as I send it. You’re honesty and friendship means so much to me. I love you, babe.

  Louisa Brandenburger: Your boobie input is always amazing! I have learned so much from your knowledge of medical stuff. You make me laugh every time you send feedback, and I love you so much for it. Your friendship is something I can count on and so are our conversations.

  Michelle Chambers: You are the muffin that I have met and hung out with the most. I love you and your daughters so much. Your friendship means everything to me, and I can’t wait to see you again! Thank you for always being there for me, from my books to my personal life. You’re the best.

  Nicole Erard: Thank you for everything you do! Your medical knowledge is always so helpful, and you always provide feedback as soon as I send. Even sneaking into the bathroom at work to tell me your thoughts. I love you so much, girl. Meeting you was one of my highlights this year!

  Stacy Foster: Welcome back, babe! I know you went through some stuff this year, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you back in our muffin family. You’re the best! Thank you for always being honest and providing feedback as quickly as you can. Your son is adorable, and I want to steal him.

  Shelia Marie: I love you!! Every signing I have seen you at you have legit dropped everything just to help me. You’re always so lovely and amazing, and I love you and your nephew so much. Thank you for everything.

  Aidee Cruz: I know you’re away right now, but I miss you like crazy! You’re one of the kindest humans I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I love you so much, babe. And I can’t wait until you’re back.

  To all the bloggers:

  A HUGE THANK YOU for all the love and support you have shown me. I have made some amazing friendships with you that I hold dear to my heart. I know that without you I would be nothing!! I cannot THANK YOU enough for everything that you do!!!

  Special thanks to Totally Booked Blog!! I love you, Gitte and Jenny!! Thank you always for all your love and support!!

  Last but not least.

  YOU.

  My readers.

  My ride or dies.

  My VIPS.

  My friends and family.

  THANK YOU!!

  Without you…

  I would be nothing.

  El Diablo

  Martinez & Lexi

  —Lexi—

  “Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” Adriana whizzed past the living room, going toward the front door.

  “Not so fast, peladita,” Martinez ordered from behind her, knowing she hated that he still called her a little girl.

  Stopping dead in her tracks, she subtly sighed in annoyance, murmuring something under her breath. If I noticed it then Martinez sure as hell did too. She had her father’s short fuse, and the older she got, the harder it was for her to control it. It didn’t help that he guarded her like a rabid dog. Ready to rip anyone who crossed her path to shreds, with his bare teeth if he had to. Not thinking twice about it.

  Adriana knew it too. She turned to face him, looked him in the eyes, and smiled sweetly. Fully aware if she didn’t, he’d just demand that she did.

  Now don’t get me wrong, Alejandro was an amazing father. Our kids adored him as much as he adored them. But at the end of the day, you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks. He still had every bit of El Diablo inside of him, and when it came to our daughter that side arose more often than not. His enemies may have thought he was dead, though his demons were still very much alive and present on the daily. He merely thought he was protecting her when, in fact, he wasn’t doing anything more than pushing her away.

  Martinez was suffocating Adriana, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. Other than try to intervene as best as I could.

  “Yes, Papi?” she angelically replied, biting her tongue.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Oh,
didn’t Mom tell you? Just out with some friends.”

  “What friends?”

  “Alejandro,” I coaxed, loud enough for him to hear.

  He ignored me. “What friends, Adriana?”

  “Just some friends from school.”

  “Girlfriends?”

  “Why does that matter? You never ask Cruz if he’s hanging out with just guy friends. You never ask Cruz anything.”

  Wrong answer, baby girl.

  The way Martinez was toward Crucifixio, our son, compared to Adriana was like night and day. Maybe it was the symbolism behind Cruz’s name, his mother’s cross that I never took off. Alejandro thought he was already protected, when the truth was he was raising another man just like him. Which terrified me in more ways than one.

  Martinez simply responded with what he always did, “Your brother’s a man.”

  “But he’s a year younger than me, and I’m still a peladita?”

  “Adriana,” I warned, closing my book and standing. Her tone needed to change if she was going to get anywhere with her father.

  “If you haven’t noticed I’m sixteen, almost seventeen. Why can’t you trust me like Mom does?”

  Alejandro remained calm, placing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. Eyeing her with the same intense glare I hated and loved.

  “Trust is earned.”

  “And what have I done not to have your trust? You barely let me out of your sight. I was homeschooled up until a year ago, but Cruz has been going to school since he could walk. How is that fair?”

  “I never said life was fair, Adriana. Everything I do is to protect you.”

  “Protect me from what? You’re not El Diablo anymore, remember?”

  “Who do you think you’re talking to, peladita?”

  “You! You’re standing right in front of me, are you not?”

  Oh shit.

  He stepped toward her, and I stepped in front of him. Gently setting my hands on his solid, muscular chest, placing myself in the line of fire. He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his dark, soulless eyes at me. His jaw clenched so tightly I thought it was going to snap off.

  “Just let her breathe,” I whispered low enough so she couldn’t hear me.

  “Playing Devil’s advocate, I see.”

  “Alejandro… all you’re doing is pushing her away. Please. I don’t want to lose our daughter. Do you understand me?” I asserted in the same tone.

  If he felt anything toward what I said, he didn’t show it. Once again remaining the snake in the grass, prepared to strike at any given moment.

  And, of course, Adriana pushed his buttons by adding, “What exactly do you think you’re protecting me from? Me falling in love with a man just like you? Because I could think of worse things I could do.”

  I instantly shut my eyes, feeling her response in the depths of my core.

  “Mom is happy with you. So why couldn’t I be with someone like you?”

  Martinez didn’t hesitate at shifting his venomous scowl toward her, threatening, “Because I’d put a bullet in between his goddamn eyes.”

  Making Adriana and I both jerk back from the reality of his warning.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she breathed out.

  “Don’t knock on the Devil’s door, Adriana, and expect him not to answer,” repeating the same words he once said to me.

  I shuddered. “Stop it. She’s just testing you.”

  “No, she’s baiting me.” The next thing I knew, he stepped past me and was in her face, gripping onto her chin. “You listen to me, I will only say this once. Don’t follow your mother’s mistakes because, sweetheart, if you do, I promise I’ll make him pay for them.”

  She yanked her chin out of his grasp, and to my surprise he let her.

  “I’m not scared of you.”

  “You may not be, but I can guarantee you he will be.”

  “Alright, that’s enough!” I grabbed ahold of Adriana’s arm and dragged her toward the door. “Go. But I expect you to text me when you get to the movies and come home right after. Understood?”

  She nodded, only eyeing me, and I swear I could feel Martinez’s glare burning a hole in my back. We never argued in front of the kids, it was something we always did behind closed doors. The war that awaited me when she left was a battle I expected.

  As soon as the door closed behind her, he eerily rasped, “You’re going to pay for that, Cariño,” in a tone that made me tense and wet.

  Taking a steady breath, I spun slowly around to face him. Without saying another word, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his cell phone.

  “No!” I shouted, snatching it out of his hand. “You are not calling your guards to follow her. She’s not a little girl anymore, and one day she’s going to realize you have men following her every time she leaves the house. And she’s going to hate you, Alejandro. Is that what you want?”

  “What I want is for you to give me my phone before I take you over my knee and remind you why they called me El Diablo.”

  I swallowed hard and licked my lips. His eyes followed the movement of my tongue.

  “I’m not scared of you either.”

  And the bastard deviously grinned in that Alejandro Martinez sort of way. “No”—he leaned into my lips so I could feel the sincerity of his words—“but you will be.”

  —Martinez—

  A sudden insatiable urge came over me to punish her, make her pay for the events that just unfolded. Show her she couldn’t get away with crossing me.

  In one second flat I spun her, pushing her petite frame in front of the fireplace, knocking down all the stockings that had been hanging. The 14-karat gold Italian stocking holders fell to the stone beneath her with a loud, heavy crash, triggering her to jump. The heat from the flames instantly burned hot into her skin as I roughly placed her hands on the mantle. Using my foot to spread her legs from behind.

  With her back now to my front, it gave me the leverage I wanted to put her in her place.

  At my mercy.

  “Do you feel that fire raging?” I roared into her ear, not referring to the flames burning in front of us. Thrusting my cock further between her ass cheeks, fucking loving the feel of her in my devious hold.

  Her skin glistened in the soft glow of the fire. The Christmas tree lights illuminated the dim living room. The soft, soulful lull of Christmas music played from the record player in the corner.

  “Alejandro—”

  “Did I say you could talk?”

  Her cautious gaze lingered on the Christmas ribbon I was pulling off the tree. Deciding to take out my frustrations on her cunt instead of her mouth. I tightly tied the ribbon around her wrists, hanging them off the nail that was holding up a Jolly fucking sign on the mantle.

  Lexi knew what she was getting into when she married me. I hadn’t changed, if anything I had gotten worse over the years. Having to protect my family by any means necessary. Even if it meant putting a bullet in someone’s head. I meant every word I said to Adriana. As much as I wished I wasn’t like my father, I was the spitting image of him in every sense of my being.

  Our son had been much easier to raise than our daughter. He was becoming a man I was proud of. I didn’t want him to be a part of the world I buried long ago, except there was a small part of me that did.

  He was a Martinez after all.

  Born to be feared by everyone.

  It was just the way things were meant to be.

  I constantly struggled with my conflicting emotions, trying to decipher between right and wrong. The lines were blurred for most of my life, and maybe it was too late to salvage what was left of me. But then I’d look into the eyes of my wife and children, and would realize this was where I was meant to be.

  Awaiting the war fuming inside of me…

  For both Cruz and especially Adriana.

  I growled, digging my fingers into Lexi’s hair at the nook of her neck. Roughly yanking it back as far as it would go. Allowing my murderou
s thoughts for what our daughter was getting herself into to take over. Pushing me over the blistering edge.

  Lexi whimpered in pain and in pleasure, expecting nothing less from me.

  Bringing her pouty fuck me lips to mine, she sucked in a breath, causing her tits to strut out. Making my cock twitch at the thought of thrusting my dick in between them.

  Our stares connected as I watched her eyes glaze over with need.

  “Alejandro, please… let’s just talk this out.”

  Pressing my hard dick into her ass again. “You feel that?” I taunted. “Does that feel like I want to talk this out?”

  “No, but—”

  “Don’t make me gag you with my cock deep throating that sassy fucking mouth, Lexi. The same mouth that after all these decades still doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up.”

  She reacted exactly how I knew she would. “You’re such a fucking asshole!”

  “Keep trying me, Cariño, and I’ll do something useful with that mouth of yours.” I grinned, eyeing her up and down with a predatory regard. Anger rose, but I swallowed it back down. “We both know how hard it makes my fucking cock.” Unbuttoning the front of her dress with my other hand, I tore it off her shaking shoulders, leaving her naked in front of me.

  Just the way I liked her.

  “Because trust me, sweetheart, I want nothing more than to fuck your face right now. But, instead, I’ll fuck your pussy that belongs to me. You want me, baby? You want a piece of El Diablo?”

  She trembled, sucking in another deep breath as my knuckles caressed the roundness of her breasts. Her nipples hardened from my soft yet demanding touch. Sweat perspired from her hot, smooth skin.

  Slowly, I continued my sweet torture down the sides of her bare stomach toward the edge of her silk panties.

  Everywhere my fingers skimmed left behind a craving for more.

  The way she breathed.

  The way her mouth parted and her tongue moved to wet her dry lips.

  The way her body responded with every movement of my hand.