He stared back down at her, faintly confused by that.
"Breeds never celebrate Christmas."
"I celebrate Christmas every year," she whispered. "And on Christmas Eve, my entire family descends. My brothers and their families, my parents, and on holiday nights friends and neighbors are always dropping in. Every Christmas Eve we go caroling in the park, and we laugh and drink hot chocolate and freeze our butts off walking back."
"And you do this why?" He fought the feeling of confusion that swept through him. She was quiet then. The Christmas lights flickered over her face, multihued and giving her expression an almost otherworldly hue.
"Because I love doing it," she finally said, sighing. "Because I feel close to my family, my friends, and to my beliefs."
He nodded slowly. "You feel closer to your God," he said.
And she smiled.
"Dinner should be ready." She pulled from him slowly, catching his hand and drawing him to the kitchen.
"And we have all these cookies. After we eat, I have about ten million paper Christmas bags to start filling with chocolate chip cookies."
"And those are for?" But he followed her, because her smile was teasing, warm and filled with joy.
"For the breeds at Sanctuary. Cassie Sinclair told me once that they go nuts for chocolate chip cookies. So Callan Lyons was kind enough to give me a number for the bags I needed, and I've been filling them for weeks."
He paused, ignoring the tug on his hand. "That's over three hundred breeds at the moment, Haley."
"And just think, over three hundred smiles when they taste my delicious cookies. I make very good cookies."
She did indeed. She made cookies that melted in the mouth and made a breed think of chocolate ecstasy. But Noble wasn't certain if he wanted to share those cookies, and her smiles, with other breeds. But one thing was certain, he wasn't about to dim the pleasure the thought of it brought to her eyes. As they shared the late dinner, she managed to convince him, and how she did it he wasn't certain, to make sure those on duty were fed as well.
One by one they came in, ate a plate of heaping roast, potatoes, and carrots, with fresh-baked bread. They were sent off with a handful of cookies.
Even that damned mongrel coyote that trotted at Mordecai's heels was given a bowl of fragrant roast. And he stared at Haley with adoration as he stuck his snout in the bowl and lapped it up. It was nearly four in the morning before she loaded the dishwasher, and Noble noticed her hands were shaking. He'd smelled the heat building in her, surprised it had taken so long. Normally, the second phase struck must faster, and burned hotter.
"Enough." He closed the dishwasher and took the dish towel she held from her hand. A fine film of perspiration dotted her upper lip, and the light sprinkling of freckles glared out from across the bridge of her nose, her face was so pale.
"I think I might need you." She was almost panting, her ni**les so hard they were pointed into the material of her robe and the sweet scent of her desire filling the air.
The need had lain dormant inside her for nearly four hours, only to strike in a matter of minutes. Which was unusual.
"Have you taken the pills I gave you?" He pushed her hair back from her face. Haley shook her head. "The first one made me feel funny. I didn't like it."
"Funny how?"
She shook her head. "It gave me a headache. I don't like headaches."
"It shouldn't have given you a headache." He frowned.
"Can we discuss this later." Her arm curled around his bare shoulders, her lips pressed into his flesh. "I'm tired of waiting."
"Why did you wait?" He glared down at her. "You fed every breed in the city rather than taking care of yourself."
She stared up at him somberly. "I wanted to know what you felt for the past year. You held back, even after you moved in here. I needed to see how it hurt you."
Noble stared back at her in shock. "Haley, it isn't the same for the males, sweetheart," he groaned, clasping her face with his hands. "The physical symptoms aren't as severe. Baby, why didn't you say something?" The endearments slipped out naturally. He barely realized he had spoken them, concern filled him, driving past his lust as he stared into her nearly blue eyes. The gray had almost disappeared, to be replaced by a grayish blue that fascinated him.
"Noble, kiss me before I have to kill you," she groaned. "If you'd just kiss me, I'd be okay."
"It's the kiss that makes it burn," he reminded her, clasping her face and holding her still.
"Then make it burn."
He took her lips with a groan. He licked over the sweet curves and picked her up in his arms. Stilling her heat was the greatest pleasure he could know. But this time, it wasn't the bed he wanted to use to still that fire.
Still kissing her, he stumbled his way to the living room. There, in front of the light of the fire, he laid her down on the large rug.
"What are you doing?" She stared up at him as he stripped his jeans, then knelt beside her and eased her robe from her shoulders.
"I want to take you in the firelight," he growled. "With your Christmas lights shimmering around you and the light of the fire warming you. I want to see you right here, watching me as I take you." She touched his hair, her graceful fingers threading into it before caressing the nape of his neck. Her arms arched gracefully moments later as he pulled the gown from her, then she lay there, naked, wanting him, her gaze languorous and filled with desire.
"I used to fantasize about you right here," she told him, her voice low, throbbing with the power of her need. "I imagined you taking me while the fire burned beside us." He knelt between her thighs, his c**k pounding a desperate beat of hunger as he let his hands cup her br**sts, let his lips and tongue lick over them.
Her nails bit into his shoulders, and he felt the purr that suddenly dug through his chest. He had never purred in his life. But as her sharp little nails raked over his shoulders, the sound exploded from him.
And Haley shuddered beneath him.
Noble's head jerked up, his eyes narrowed.
"Just a little one," she panted, describing the orgasm he knew had just exploded within her. Yes, just a little one, but spurred by the sound of his purr.
"You liked that?" He pressed her br**sts together and lowered his head again, licking over her ni**les as she arched to him.