Chapter 10
WARNING: HOLIDAY SMUT HAHAHA! I just can't help myself ;) This chapter is really sweet though, but there is a bit of smut at the very end. Enjoy!
"Maya, we need to leave in five minutes," Lucas called from the living room as she put the finishing touches to her outfit; smoothing the deep red fabric of her dress across her middle and checking her lipstick in the mirror.
"Two minutes!" she called back, grabbing the last few things from the room and wishing she'd thought to ask Lucas to bring her clothes back with him when he'd gone to pick up the gifts the previous night.
"Will I do?" she appeared at the door, Lucas giving a long low whistle and motioning with his hand for her to twirl.
"You," he stood up to kiss her softly, "Are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I don't tell you that nearly enough."
She laughed, noticing Noah peeking at them from between his fingers.
"Can I look yet?"
It was Christmas Day and after a blissful morning, opening gifts with the kids back at Lucas' place, they'd had to get ready to go to his parents' house for the full on Friar Christmas Extravaganza.
With Noah and Maya now suitably dressed for the occasion after a quick stop back at Maya's apartment, they were on their way; car stuffed with gifts and the dish they were bringing for dinner. As Lucas drove them carefully through the snowy streets towards his parents', Noah singing "Jingle Bells" in the back seat while Daria babbled tunelessly along with him, Maya was suddenly hit by the thought that her life had changed almost inconceivably from where she'd been the previous year. If someone had told her then that she'd be working in New York, teaching in a high school, in a committed relationship with an amazing man, with another beautiful child in her life, well…
"You look deep in thought, Babe," Lucas interrupted her daydream, reaching a hand out to rest on her leg.
"I'm just thinking that I'm the luckiest girl in the world right now," she smiled, picking up his hand and lacing her fingers through his.
After the trauma of Riley returning the previous day, they'd agreed not to worry about her for the time being, and discuss what they would do after the holiday was over. Maya had put the whole thing to the back of her mind, mostly at Lucas' request, but also because she was determined that nothing was going to spoil their happiness on their first Christmas together.
Waking up that morning had increased the sentiments she'd been having tenfold. Noah had bounced onto their bed shortly before seven, so excited he could barely get out a coherent sentence. Lucas had gone to fetch Daria, and Noah had led the four of them downstairs to discover that, yes, the phone call to Santa's office the previous night had worked! They'd then spent the morning in their pjs; letting the kids open some of their gifts and having a lazy breakfast. It had been perfect; the kind of thing Maya had once imagined was reserved for other women.
"We're here!" Lucas announced, pulling into his parents' driveway and beginning to unpack the car. Maya unstrapped Daria from her little car seat, smoothing her little red and green Christmas dress down and fixing the Christmas ribbons she'd put in her hair. Lucas had joked that one of the main differences in Daria's life since the arrival of Maya was that her style had definitely improved.
"Merry Christmas Mrs Friar!" Noah greeted her excitedly as they unbundled themselves in the hallway and headed through to join the rest of the family in the living room. The two children were immediately wrapped up in hugs and kisses from everyone as Lucas and Maya stood in the doorway, smiling at the children's excited reactions.
"Have you guys had a fun morning?" Pappy Joe asked Noah, settling the little boy onto his lap and ruffling his hair affectionately.
"Uh huh!" Noah nodded enthusiastically. "We were at Lucas' and I was worried last night that Santa wouldn't know, but Lucas had Santa's elf's number and we called him and I even got to talk to him and when we got up this morning Santa had brought all the presents to the right place!"
"Whoa!" the whole room feigned shock impressively well.
"And what about you, little one?" Mrs Friar bounced Daria on her knee, receiving a giggle in reward.
"She got a new doll, didn't you Daria!" Noah hopped off Pappy Joe's lap and knelt in front of Mrs Friar, holding Daria's hands and waving them around. The little girl squealed with delight, obviously enjoying the attention.
They were interrupted by the arrival of Lucas' grandmother from the kitchen, greeting them all, kissing the children soundly and then stopping in her tracks as she spied Lucas standing behind Maya with his arms wrapped around her waist. She narrowed her eyes craftily and pointed a finger at them.
"What?" Lucas wasn't quite sure what he'd done.
She motioned her finger upwards and the whole room began to catcall and whistle at them as they realized that his grandmother had spotted the mistletoe above their heads.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" they shouted, and even Noah, who had taken to closing his eyes during moments of PDA, joined in, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
Lucas rolled his eyes at his mother, who was obviously the culprit responsible for the mistletoe, before holding his hands up in protest.
"We're not here for your entertainment you know!" he protested.
"Lucas, quit whining and kiss the girl!" his father called across the room.
Lucas spun Maya in his arms, dipping her dramatically and bending down to kiss her deeply, both of them not really bothered by the whoops and cheers of his family around them. By the time he'd pulled her back to her feet Maya's face was prettily flushed, though by leaning backwards or embarrassment he wasn't quite sure.
Grandma clapped her hands together approvingly and made her way over to kiss both of them, patting Maya's cheek affectionately.
"I don't see a ring yet…" she scolded Lucas, raising her eyebrows in that maddening way which turned him back into a five year old boy every time she did it.
"Give me time, Grandma!" he protested and Maya shot him a questioning look.
Soon everyone was chatting happily and gifts were being passed around; the children first, with Noah and Daria receiving more toys from the Friars. Then Maya and Lucas passed out their gifts to everyone, with Mrs Friar seeming particularly touched with the beautiful framed photo of Daria which Maya had put together for her. Maya and Lucas received a joint gift from his parents of a voucher for a restaurant Lucas liked in the city, with a coupon included for "free babysitting for an evening with the Grandparents." Finally it was Grandma Friar's turn to dole out gifts to all her family, which she did with a twinkle in her eye.
"Why does Grandma go last?" Noah asked, intrigued.
"Because Grandma always chooses the most fun gifts," Pappy Joe explained with a grin, raising his eyebrows to Lucas. Evidently it was some sort of running family joke.
Everyone opened them one by one, with Grandma laughing heartily at each of their reactions; Maya hadn't quite understood some of the gifts, and Lucas had leaned over to whisper the relevance of each. Finally it was Lucas' turn and he received a hideous Christmas-themed sweater which apparently was the latest in a series, then Maya was handed her gift. She tore the paper open, wondering if she too had a similar garment, only to immediately freeze as she realized what was inside.
"What is it Maya?" Mrs Friar called across the room.
Her cheeks turned scarlet and she floundered for a response as Grandma chuckled in the corner.
"Grandma…" Lucas gave her a warning gaze before glancing down at what was in Maya's lap, hidden by the paper.
"What is it, honey?" Lucas' mom asked, innocently.
"Nothing," Lucas' eyes grew wide.
"Show us!" Pappy Joe insisted, reaching over to see what was inside, only for Lucas to grab the gift away.
"Thank you Grandma, we'll enjoy that…later," he offered, as Maya chuckled and folded the lingerie away in her bag.
They would DEFINITELY enjoy that later.
After a huge dinner, everyone sat back in their chairs, full and content just to chat. It wasn't often that Lucas' extended family was in the same place at the same time, such were their schedules. After discussing Lucas' studio, conversation soon filtered back to the children, with Noah being asked about his preschool and friends.
"So have you had fun having your first Christmas in New York?" Pappy Joe asked him, as Noah spooned a generous helping of ice cream into his little mouth, narrowly missing dribbling most of it down his shirt.
He nodded vigorously. "I miss my Grandpa and Grandma, but we talk to them on the computer and I liked having Christmas here and with Lucas and Daria."
"Daria loved having Christmas with you too," Mrs Friar agreed, "You'll be a very good big brother one day…"
Noah seemed oblivious to the comment but Lucas shot his mother a warning look, "Mom…"
"I know, I know…inappropriate!" she protested, turning her attention away from Lucas and Maya and focusing back on the baby on her lap.
Lucas' dad broke the tension, "So, Noah, did Santa bring you everything you asked for?"
They all laughed and Noah thought carefully for a second. "Almost!" he replied.
"Oh, did he leave something off the list?" he teased, gently.
"Well…" Noah began, looking a little unsure of what he was about to say, before Grandma Friar nodded for him to continue. "When Mommy took me to the mall to meet Santa I got to ask him for what I'd like for Christmas and there was one thing that I asked for that he said he wasn't sure he could bring."
Lucas groaned internally and grabbed Maya's hand under the table.
"I asked him if he could make my mommy and Lucas get married," he explained to stifled giggles from around the table. "But Santa said that he couldn't really do gifts like that and that I would just have to cross my fingers and it might come true!" His little face looked suitably hopeful.
"Aww! How can you say no to that face?!" one of Lucas' cousins protested, with the rest of the family rounding on them too.
"Well there are two people in this room who could make that wish come true!" Mrs Friar insisted and Maya leaned her head on Lucas' shoulder as they both laughed in protest.
"Mom, did you and Grandma rehearse that with Noah before dinner?" He pointed a finger at her accusingly. "Seriously, the thing is; you know how crazy I am about Maya, and yes, we've discussed marriage, but give us a bit of time, okay?"
"But you guys are perfect for each other, man!" Cousin Dan insisted.
"We'll do it when we're ready," Maya insisted, "We don't want to feel pressured into it. Besides, I don't know why you're looking at me; I've got no say in the timing whatsoever!" and she elbowed Lucas, grinning from ear to ear as the family laughed at her comment.
"Hey! I thought you were supposed to be on my side; you're meant to be backing me up here!" he protested, and she held her hands up in mock innocence. "I'm not doing it at Christmas because it's too predictable!"
"Too predictable!" laughed his father, "Trust you to want to make it a surprise!"
Lucas shrugged, pulling Maya closer to him with the arm slung casually around her shoulders, "Well, it should be special for this one. So, you'll need to be on your guard at all times!" He grinned, dropping his head down to place a soft kiss against her lips, earning a chorus of awws from the rest of the family.
It was later in the evening and the family was back in the living room. Lucas had started a roaring fire in the fireplace and Maya had helped Mrs Friar make hot chocolate for everyone. Noah sat on the carpet, playing contentedly with a Lego set that Cousin Dan had bought for him, and Lucas had put Daria down for a nap in a spare room upstairs, knowing that it had been an exciting day for her.
"So what are your plans for New Year's?" Lucas asked Cousin Nicole, "Are you going back to LA?"
She shook her head, "No I'm staying here for a while; it's nice to be home after the competition season is over."
Cousin Nicole was also a dancer, and competed professionally all over the world, but her work base had always been in LA.
"Any gossip you want to share with the rest of us?" Cousin Dan rubbed his hands together eagerly; they were all still in touch with many of the dancers from their competitive days and liked to hear how they were getting on.
Nicole shrugged, trying but failing to sound nonchalant, "Anyone in particular?"
"No!" Lucas protested, "Please don't bring her up today!"
"Who?" Mrs Friar seemed oblivious to the subtext, looking genuinely confused as the younger family members looked amongst each other nervously. Lucas finally puffed out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
"Riley is back in town," he admitted.
The shock was written all across his parents' faces, "Riley is back, here?!" his mother questioned, "Since when?"
"Since yesterday," admitted Maya, earning another shocked expression from Lucas' parents.
"And you didn't think to tell us?" Mrs Friar accused Lucas.
"Mom, she literally turned up at the door yesterday while I was out. Maya was in with the kids and I came back a few minutes after she'd arrived. I really don't want to talk about her."
"But why now all of a sudden?" Lucas' father asked, "We haven't heard a word from her since the day she left and suddenly she arrives back. Did she want to see Daria?"
Maya nodded, "She asked if she could hold her but Daria was getting upset…"
"I can understand why!" Mrs Friar interrupted, "She hasn't shown any interest in that child since she was born! Why does she suddenly want to know now?"
"Word on the street is that she's fighting with her new man," Nicole offered. "I didn't see it myself but I heard people talking about it quite a bit in LA. I'm sure that it's pretty much over between them, and there's only one reason she'd come back to New York…"
He stopped suddenly and Maya looked at the expression on his face; it told her more than if he'd continued.
"Lucas…" she completed the sentence for him.
She was met with a sea of reassurance from the rest of the family, and Lucas tightened his arm around her.
"Well, she'll be disappointed there," Mrs Friar nodded resolutely, "As if Lucas would even remotely consider going back to that bitch…excuse my language…especially when he has beautiful Maya now!"
Everyone agreed and conversation shifted suddenly away from the topic. Maya tried to keep up with what was being said as she snuggled into Lucas' side on the couch, but in the back of her mind she felt uneasy now that the subject of Riley had been brought up again, and she could tell that Lucas did too.
Tomorrow, she told herself. She was having such a wonderful time. All the trouble with Riley would just have to wait 'til tomorrow.
It was well after nine by the time they left the Friars and headed back to Lucas' place for the night. His mother had asked them to stay but they were keen to get the kids in familiar beds and relax alone together for a while. Daria had been asleep for a few hours already and Maya carried her straight to her crib when they got into the house, briefly waking her to put her in her pjs before returning to the living room where a sleepy Noah lay curled up on Lucas' lap.
"Bed," she commanded, ruffling her little one's hair. "It's been an exciting day and you're tired."
"No I'm not!" he tried to protest, stifling a yawn.
"Mommy's right," Lucas agreed, as the little boy burrowed into the warmth of his chest. "Come on, how about I put you to bed tonight?"
"Okay," Noah nodded, looping his arms around Lucas' neck as he picked him up, and leaning up to kiss his mom goodnight.
"Night, Baby," she smiled, "Sleep well."
Lucas could feel Noah's head already lolling as he carried him upstairs, heading into the spare room which had unofficially become Noah's and switching on the lamp next to the bed.
"Pjs first," he set Noah down on the bed and helped the sleepy little boy change before crawling into bed.
"Can I have a story?" Noah yawned, and Lucas laughed.
"Buddy, you'll be asleep before the end of the first page. Besides, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."
"You wanted to talk to me?" Noah seemed surprised.
"Man to man," Lucas nodded seriously, kneeling beside the bed so they could talk quietly.
"Okay," agreed the little boy.
Lucas cleared his throat and wondered how to bring up the subject. He'd never been so nervous speaking to a five year old before. "So, you know how much I love your mommy, right?"
"Right," agreed Noah.
"So, do you remember a while back we had a chat about us maybe getting married and I told you that I'd check with you to see if it was alright before I asked her?"
Noah's eyes lit up, "Are you going to ask Mommy to marry you?"
Lucas couldn't stop an ear to ear grin from reaching his face. "Yeah, I am. But only if it's okay with you, Buddy."
Noah said nothing, instead sitting up suddenly in bed and throwing his arms around Lucas, his little cheek pressed firmly to his chest.
"Is that a yes?" Lucas laughed.
The little boy nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
Lucas laughed and kissed his head, ruffling his hair. "One thing though; this has to be a secret, okay? I haven't told anyone else, you're the only person who knows. I'm not going to ask her for a few days now, so you need to keep the secret to yourself or it'll spoil it."
"I can keep a secret," Noah nodded, "It's a really good secret too, so that makes it easier!"
"Good boy," Lucas smiled, "And I know it'll be hard so if you need to talk about it, you can talk to me, or you can always tell Daria because she won't tell anyone!"
They both laughed and Noah hugged Lucas again before lying back in bed as Lucas tucked the covers around him, kissing his forehead.
"Goodnight Buddy," Lucas whispered, turning out the beside lamp and heading for the door.
"Goodnight Daddy," Noah's voice stopped him in his tracks, tears immediately pricking at his eyes; he couldn't even bring himself to remind Noah not to get ahead of himself. "I guess I got my wish from Santa after all!"
While Noah and Lucas were having a life-changing discussion in the spare room, Maya had taken the opportunity to have a quick shower to freshen up; tying her hair out of the way and letting herself relax under the spray after the busy day. After a few minutes she hopped out, grabbing a towel and drying herself before opening her bag to search for what she'd been pondering in the shower.
The Christmas paper rustled and she gently unwrapped it, tossing the wrapping into the trash can and holding the items up so she could get a better look at them. Maya had never really worn sexy lingerie and her first reaction at Lucas' parents' house had been to feel completely mortified, but as she took a closer look at the gift, she couldn't help but smile to herself as she imagined Lucas' reaction. Grandma had good taste, that was for sure, although Maya couldn't ever imagine her own grandmother buying her underwear to seduce her boyfriend with! Taking a deep breath she slipped the red flimsy chiffon of the babydoll over her head and pulled on the matching panties, turning to take a look at herself in the mirror and mentally reminding herself not to cringe. She was pleasantly surprised by what she saw, allowing herself a brief moment of self-indulgence to twirl, realizing that she actually looked pretty good. Emboldened, she let her hair loose from the bun she'd put it in for the shower, running her fingers through it, aiming for sexily tousled, and then reapplied her makeup, searching for a deep red lipstick she'd bought a few months earlier but never had the courage to wear. Finally satisfied, she took one last glance in the mirror and headed back into the bedroom.
She wasn't sure if it was because she'd had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner or because of the lingerie but she felt a strange sense of confidence come over her. Dimming the light on the wall, she hastily tidied up the clothes she'd been wearing before her shower and wondered what to do next. It might have been a little silly but she was in that kind of mood, so she climbed onto the bed, arranging herself in the middle in what she hoped was an alluring and not a ridiculous way. She was just about to second-guess herself and get up when she heard the click of Noah's door close, followed by the soft padding of Lucas' footsteps along the hallway. The door opened and she could see his face instantly light up as he took in the sight of her lying on her front on the bed, feet kicked up behind her, crossed at the ankles.
"Wow!" he breathed, pushing the door closed behind him and stalking towards her with a predatory look in his eyes.
She giggled and crawled to the edge of the bed to meet him, kneeling up and letting him take her hands, holding her arms out so he could get a better look at her.
"You look…" he seemed completely at a loss for words. "Remind me to send my Grandma some kind of thank you note!"
They both laughed and he pushed her back, crawling on top of her and moving them back to the top of the bed again.
"Merry Christmas Lucas," she whispered into his ear, following her words with a kiss to his jaw, then the corner of his mouth, until his self-control snapped and he captured her lips roughly, and she let her legs slip open to cradle his body against her hips.
His tongue begged entrance to her lips as he began to grind against her and she could feel her breathing begin to quicken as his hands slipped down her sides, playing with the soft fabric of the nightie before slipping his hand underneath to lay his palm flat against the smooth skin of her stomach.
"Has anyone ever told you red's your colour?" he grinned, breaking the kiss for a moment to finger the hem of the nightie as Maya looked up at him coyly.
"Well if this is the reaction it gets then maybe I'll wear it more often," she grinned, lifting her hands so that Lucas could lift the slip up. He moved excruciatingly slow; kissing each patch of newly revealed skin until he had it completely over her head, leaving her only in the panties. She in turn made quick work of his shirt and pants, tossing them aside onto the floor as he kicked off his shoes and socks.
He rolled them over so that she was on top of him, kissing down her neck and enjoying the look on her face as he sat up, moving her to straddle him; her head falling back, eyes closed as he paid careful attention to every last inch of the soft skin of her neck, then down her chest, until he took one nipple into his mouth; Maya gasping and wriggling on his lap as he swirled his tongue around the area, pulling her hips more snugly against his own, feeling her grind against his hardness in response.
He reached a hand between them, dipping beneath the fabric of the tiny panties to slip between her folds; she was already wet and he could hear her moaning breathily as he rolled her clit between his finger and thumb, her breath hitching until he could tell she was close.
"No," she protested, "I want you inside me."
She didn't have to ask twice. He could tell she was impatient and they had plenty of time to do it in a more leisurely fashion later. Flipping her over, he pinned her back against the bed; hooking his fingers to pull down her panties and letting her toe them off the end of the bed. She made to try to remove his own underwear but it was taking too long so he slid them off himself, dropping them on the floor and crawling back over her with a wolfish grin.
He ran his hands up the length of her body from her feet to her thighs, past her butt, skimming the edges of her breasts to lift her hands above her head, pinning them to the bed with one hand as his free hand reached back down between them to position himself at her entrance.
"You okay?" he checked, and she nodded vigorously, reaching up to pull his head down to meet hers in a blisteringly hot kiss as he thrust forward to join them, both of them groaning in relief at the sensation.
"I am now…" she replied, arching into him as he began to set a steady rhythm, reaching his forehead down to rest against hers, knowing that neither of them was going to last long.
"Love you, Baby…" he whispered, increasing the pace as his need for release drove him on. Beneath him he could feel she was close, her eyes closed, head thrown back, blonde hair fanned out against the pillow like an angel.
He could feel her begin to clench around him and he reached a hand down between them, rubbing her most sensitive area until she came apart; crying out suddenly, her head and shoulders arching off the bed.
"I've got you…" he whispered softly, holding her tightly as she came; her erratic breathing beginning to slow as she lolled her head against his shoulder. He could feel himself close to the edge, and increased his pace with a final few thrusts before crying out himself, emptying into her.
They both lay exhausted, sweaty and sated; Lucas rolling to pull her on top of him while they recovered; Maya's hair even more authentically tousled than it had been earlier.
Maya made a quick trip to the bathroom to clean up then returned, slipping into bed beside him where he'd moved under the sheets; cuddling up to his warmth and laying her head in the crook of his shoulder.
"I had a wonderful day," she smiled up at him, reaching down to kiss the curve of the muscle of his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Me too," he whispered, kissing her forehead and smoothing her hair back over her shoulder. "Best Christmas ever…"
"Hopefully it's just the first of many," she smiled back at him.
And as he kissed her, cupping her face in his hands, he knew for certain that's what he wanted it to be.