Edible Delectables (15 page)

Chapter Thirteen

“Jason, that’s not going to fit in your living room.” Kara was pointing at the monstrosity in front of her in disbelief.

“Sure it will.”  Jason scrutinized the tree.  “We’ll have to trim some off the bottom anyway.”  He rationalized shrugging, as if it were obvious.

Well, considering he was buying it for his house, who was Kara to tell him not to? “Yeah …Okay.  Whatever you say.” There was no way that tree was going to fit.

They had made a quick stop at the store on their way to get a tree, and picked up decorations, lights, and a tree stand.  Kara bent over to check out the size of the tree trunk, then stood back up and tried to keep from smirking while shaking her head. 
Good luck with that one. 
Jason remained oblivious and flagged down a sales guy instructing him to cut off the bottom of the tree, trim some of the lower branches, and then, together, they wrapped it up tight and tied it to the top of Kara’s van. 

With the tree secured atop the van, Kara and Jason set out to return to Jason’s townhouse, Christmas music playing on the radio as they drove. At home they unloaded their treasures, bringing in the tree last, still wrapped, making it easier to transport with only the two of them to carry it in.  When they got it positioned in the stand Jason screwed down the base, then clipped the wrapping and let the branches fall free.

Which, as Kara had suspected would happen, immediately caused the tree to fall over.

“Oh, crap!”  Jason stood, surprised, and grabbed at the tree, trying to right it.

Kara smirked but stayed out of the way, her internal ‘
I told you so
’ itching to jump out.  The damn thing was ten feet tall! And then there was the girth: it took up the entire corner by the fireplace. 
Oh, that has to be a fire hazard
.  Jason grabbed the tree by the middle and began lifting it back up and Kara jumped in to help.  Once the tree was upright, Jason had her keep hold of it while he took a step back to analyze the situation.  He ran to the kitchen and was back quickly with what looked like string and sheet rock hooks; he then set out to secure the tree.

“Cheater,” Kara muttered.

Jason laughed and continued on his task.

Once the screws were in the wall, he took the twine and wrapped it around the middle of the tree, securing it upright.  When he was finished they stepped back and admired his handy work.

“Perfect.”  Jason smirked.

“The top of the tree is scratching the ceiling.  You won’t be able to get a topper on it,” Kara pointed out.

“Ah, but that’s what you think!”  Jason grabbed one of the bags and dug around until he pulled out a large red bow, then held it out in front of Kara’s nose.

“Well done, Dietrich,” she relented.

They spent the rest of the evening drinking the eggnog Kara had insisted on buying, which Jason improved with a ‘dash’ of brandy, and garnishing the tree.  When they were finally done, they turned off the lights and admired their hard work.

“It’s perfect, Jason,” Kara admitted in an astonished whisper.  And the tree was; it was big and full, and when it was decorated, it was a perfect Christmas tree.

Jason wrapped his arms around Kara from behind and squeezed.  She could tell he loved the tree, and having picked it out together had felt so right, not to mention decorating it with him.  This was by far the best Christmas she’d had in years, and she owed it all to the man whose arms were wrapped around her.

“Let’s make a fire,” he whispered in her ear.

“It’s sixty five degrees outside, but go for it,” Kara whispered back, leaning to kiss his cheek.

Jason chuckled as he let go of her to start the fire.  When he had the logs burning, he grabbed a blanket and some pillows from his room and began to make a cozy pallet on the floor in front of the fire and their newly decorated tree.  Making a quick pit-stop by the thermostat, he cranked it down to make being by the fire more comfortable.  After setting everything up, he laid down on their makeshift bed and wiggled his eyebrows at Kara, holding out his hand to her.  Giggling, she took his hand and laid down beside him.  He immediately rolled on top of her, ensconcing her in his arms, and kissed her firmly.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his back and leaning up to kiss his neck.

“For reminding me there’s more to life than work.”  He captured her lips for a softer kiss, this time taking her bottom lip between his and gently tugging.  Licking it lightly, softly asking permission to deepen their kiss; Kara obliged.  What started out as something soft and sweet, was soon heated and passionate.

As their make out intensified, Kara couldn’t help but begin rubbing against Jason’s thigh for friction to appease the ache that was building inside her.  As though knowing what she needed, he ran his hand down her stomach to press between her legs.  She surely would have jumped from the feeling, had he not been securing her down with his body.  Her moaning intensified as she grew closer to her orgasm and he stopped momentarily. Kara groaned and jokingly glared at him.  Jason just chuckled and unbuttoned her pants, pulling the zipper down slowly, teasingly, before slipping his fingers inside and pressing firmly against her.  Her head fell back and her breath caught, her climax building again, only to have Jason once again take his hand away.

She looked at him incredulously.  “WTF?” she growled, though she was breathless, which took most of the bite out of her question.  Jason smirked, then laughed and shook his head at her.  Saying nothing, he sat up, grabbing her by the hips, and hooking his fingers into the waist band of her pants he pulled them down to her ankles, stopping at her shoes which he made quick work of.  With her shoes off he finished stripping her, taking her socks off with her pants.  Kara lay before him naked from the waist down but apparently he needed more.  He pulled her arms, getting her to sit up and pulled her shirt up and off, quickly followed by her bra, then sat back gazing at her as though to admire his handy work.

Kara flushed at his scrutiny and felt the urge to cover herself, but Jason quickly had her laying back down, once again covering her body with his clothed one.  He kissed her mouth, then her neck, her breasts, the middle of her chest over her heart, down her stomach, stopping to dip his tongue in her belly button, and finally stopped, hovering over her heated sex.  He gently placed his hands on her inner thighs and spread them, diving in to her heat.  This time he didn’t stop until she yelled his name.

As Kara came back down from her orgasm, Jason quickly undressed and positioned himself above her; pausing for a moment and staring at her intently.

“I’ve never made love in front of a Christmas tree before,” he stated.

“Me neither,” Kara admitted quietly, unsure of why she felt the need to tell him that.  Something in her wanted him to know this was all for him, and only him.

He leaned in to kiss her while his body took over and once again brought her to climax, with him quickly following her over the edge.

~*~

On Christmas Eve, Kara was going to go with Jason to his parent’s home.  She baked a pumpkin cake to bring for dessert, and never one to show empty handed, made sure to stop by the store for a nice bottle of wine as a gift.  Knowing Jaime would be there, Kara pondered what to get her, as she felt as though they’d become something of friends.  At first she considered just grabbing a gift card, but then decided to take a chance on an actual gift, crossing her fingers Jaime would like it.

At six-thirty, after Jason picked her up, they headed across town toward the lake.  Kara’s mouth fell open in shock as they pulled up the drive.  Jason’s family was loaded!  The house, or more aptly, the mansion, appeared to be two stories from the front, but had been built into the hillside, adding another level down from the back.  Jason reached out and grasped Kara’s hand, holding it as they entered the house without bothering to knock. 

“Mom!” he called out, from the empty foyer, where they could hear Christmas music playing softly, throughout the house, from a speaker system.  Jason pulled her hand lightly, heading further into the house. They finally located his mother in the kitchen, checking on the turkey baking in the oven. Kara sat the cake carrier on the counter as Jason greeted his mom.

“Hey,” Jason announced their presence, slightly startling her.

“Oh, honey!”  Jennifer Dietrich pushed the turkey back in and closed the oven door.  Pulling off her oven mitts, she tossed them on the counter and reached for Jason to give him a hug.  “Merry Christmas!”

Jason grinned, looking slightly sheepish at his mother’s attention. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Kara … Baker,” he added as an afterthought.

“Welcome, Kara Baker,” his mom laughed as she pulled Kara into a warm hug.

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you Mrs. Dietrich.” Kara returned the hug, momentarily feeling a pang of loss for her own mother.

“Jennifer, please,” Jason’s mom insisted.

Kara smiled and nodded, acquiescing.  Remembering the wine and cake, Kara handed over the bottle, and motioned to the dessert on the counter, “Merry Christmas.”.

“Thank you!”  Jennifer took the wine, holding it out in front of her to admire the label before putting it down on the counter.  “We’ll have it with dinner,” she said, and then motioning to the cake, “and this for dessert!” Kara blushed, smiling gratefully at Jason’s mom.

The three of them continued with mild pleasantries, Jennifer asking about Kara’s bakery, while Jason expounded on how fantastic all her creations were, when Jason’s father walked in and embraced Jason in a one-armed man-hug, complete with back pat.

“Good to see you, Son.”  Kara noticed immediately how similar Jason and his father were, and how handsome the elder Dietrich was, easily envisioning Jason in twenty years.  Her heart rate increased slightly, at the mere thought of knowing him then.  His father was most likely in his late forties, but could honestly pass for a man in his late thirties, having kept himself in excellent shape.  His dark hair was peppered with gray, giving him a distinguished look, bringing to mind a handsome actor when Kara looked at him.  His deep blue eyes popped from behind the black framed glasses he wore, and Kara could imagine seeing Jason in a similar pair as he grew older.

“Likewise, Dad, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Kara.”  Kara held out her hand, but instead of shaking it, Jason’s dad did just as his mother had, and pulled her into a warm embrace.

“It’s very nice to meet you Kara, we’ve heard a lot about you.”  Jason’s dad winked at him, and Kara could see Jason blush slightly.

“Jaime,” Jason muttered, and his dad grinned, showcasing the same beautiful smile Jason possessed.  Could a man in his late-forties be considered adorable?  Because this man?  He was.

Kara and Jason stood together, both slightly embarrassed by the attention, but Kara just smiled, “Thank you Mr. Dietrich, I’ve been looking forward to meeting the rest of Jason’s family.”

“Please call me Jeff.  Mr. Dietrich just reminds me I’m old enough to have a doctor for a son, and then I get the feeling I should start planning out my mid-life crisis.”

“Oh, please, sweetheart you passed planning five years ago; I’m just waiting to come home to find the sports car in the drive,” Jennifer piped up.

“Well, now that I know you’re expecting it, and are apparently alright with it, I’ll get right on it after the holiday,” Jeff retorted in good humor.

“Do it and you’ll be sleeping in it.”

“So then that’s a no on the two-seater I’ve had my eye on …” Kara laughed at their banter, as Jeff leered at his wife.  Their repartee portrayed a long history together, and showed were clearly still very happy with one another.

The car-slash-mid-life crisis discussion was interrupted when Jaime walked in, date in tow.  Kara was the only one surprised to see him, but when she did,  a squeal of excitement erupted as she dashed toward him.

“Ryan!” she exclaimed, enveloping him in a huge bear hug.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Ryan asked, returning the hug enthusiastically, while swinging her slightly back and forth.  She pulled back and glanced over Ryan’s shoulder. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him over to Jason.

“Ryan, this is Jason, my boyfriend.”  She felt the familiar surge of heat that spread across her cheeks every time she introduced Jason that way.  Jaime walked over, joining them with a surprised look on her face, causing Kara to gasp and apologize.

“Oh Jaime, I’m so sorry for attacking him like that!” she chuckled, a little breathless as she explained; “I’ve just known Ryan since right after high school. It’s so great to see him here; you guys are great for each other.”  Jaime smirked and waved Kara off, while giving her a hug hello.

“It’s nice to meet you, man,” Ryan said, holding out his hand to Jason, and Jason shook it.

“Same,” Jason nodded.

“So how did you guys meet?” Kara asked to nobody specific while looking back and forth between Ryan and Jaime.

“Her accounting firm needed a programmer.  They wanted to try out some new software.”  Ryan smiled over at Jaime, which she returned flirtatiously.

Jason’s dad walked up to their small group and held out his hand to Ryan, “Nice to meet you, I’m Jaime’s
father
, Mr. Dietrich.”  He enunciated the father part.

“Jeff!” Jennifer came closer, chastising her husband.  Turning to Ryan, she continued, “He’s Jeff,” she paused, giving her husband a pointed look, “and I’m Jennifer, and we’re very happy to meet you, Ryan.”  Jennifer finished her introduction graciously, then swatted Jeff with a dish towel.  Everyone laughed, except Ryan, who only managed to give a small, seemingly unsure smile, as he glanced between Jaime and her father.

“Good job, Dad, freak my date out on Christmas Eve.”  Jaime lightly punched her dad in the arm before taking Ryan’s hand and pulling him toward her, and away from her father.

“I was kidding,” Jeff chuckled, shrugging innocently.  Then, as soon as Jaime turned toward her mother, Jeff motioned to his eyes and pointed to Ryan, indicating that he’d be watching him closely.  Kara could see Ryan gulp and look to Jason, who just shrugged and nodded in agreement with his father. Kara rolled her eyes and elbowed Jason in the ribs, before succumbing to the laughter bubbling up inside her.