She played with my hair and adjusted her body so my bare cock parted her folds. “Let me guess. You got a clean bill of health?”
“Yep.” I frowned, clenching the muscles in my stomach and trying to gain some fucking control. “What are you doing here, baby?”
“I’m clean too. I haven’t been with anyone in years and I had to get tested for everything when I redid my insurances.”
“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” I took in a shuddering breath. “Because I want you to be very sure before you suggest that.”
She smiled softly and raised her head to press a kiss to my mouth. “I’m as sure as I’ve ever been about anything. I’m on birth control, so we’re clear on that part of it, too.”
“You’re absolutely sure about that?” I asked again, even as I started sinking into her. Everything else would have to wait tonight.
She felt way too good to retreat. If she said yes, it was happening.
Laurie nodded before winding her arms around my neck and pulling me even closer to her. “I’m sure, Jacob. I want that. We’re both clean. I’m meticulous about taking my pill. I’m sure. I promise.”
Instead of replying, I slanted my lips over hers and said everything I wanted to say with my body. I didn’t know how many minutes or hours passed as I lost myself in her. If I wasn’t kissing her, I was looking into her eyes. My hands never left hers, except for when I felt her nearing the edge.
Three strokes with my thumb later and she toppled over, arching her neck and slamming her mouth to mine. I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet, though.
Slowing down only long enough for her to catch her breath, I started speeding up again when I couldn’t hold back anymore. We were covered in a thin layer of sweat by the time I felt my release right around the next bend.
Our bodies moved together seamlessly until we both cried out. I buried my head in the crook of her neck and she stroked my hair as we came down together, the occasional tremor still passing through us.
We lay with our limbs intertwined in front of the fire after. I held her close as our breathing returned to normal. The sun had set properly outside, and the only light in the living room was the flickering red, green, and yellow from the Christmas tree and the orange glow from the fire.
I’d read about making love in front of a fire, especially at that time of year, so many times. There was also so many movies with the seemingly obligatory scene of a couple getting it on on a bearskin rug while a fire roared behind them.
I’d never really understood the appeal, but I sure did now. There was something magical about that moment. Something that made me want to stay in it forever, which meant it was time to get up.
I groaned in her ear, drawing my legs away from hers. “We’d better get those presents wrapped before I fall asleep.”
“Are you sure we can’t just have a little nap?” She flashed me a sated, lazy smile when I sat up, wrapping the blanket around her.
Shaking my head, I grinned and pulled the blanket off her. “No can do. You know as well as I do that we’ll end up fooling around some more and then falling asleep until tomorrow morning. Come on, lazy bones. Let’s do it.”
She sighed but heaved herself into a sitting position as well. When I was sure she wasn’t about to doze off on me, I got up and felt her eyes on my naked ass when I walked to the kitchen to get us some wine.
“How do you feel about naked present wrapping?” she asked when I came back in carrying two glasses of red wine. She’d arranged the blanket around her shoulders, but it was toasty enough in there that it wasn’t strictly necessary.
I arched a dark eyebrow at her before running my gaze deliberately down the length of her body. The blanket wasn’t big enough to cover the important bits in their entirety, and I was one hundred percent sure we wouldn’t get much done while that was the case. “I think that sounds like your best idea yet, but we’d better put on underwear at least. I’m not keeping my hands to myself for very long if you keep sitting there like that.”
She laughed. “You say the most romantic things to me.”
“I aim to please.” I handed over her glass, pulled on my boxer briefs, and sat down across from her. “Are you ready to tackle this?”
“So ready.” I watched her dig out her underwear from underneath the pile of clothes and awkwardly wiggle her way into her panties without standing up, then hook her bra behind her back. “Better now?”
When she turned her attention back on me, I could already feel my body reacting to her again. My tongue came out to swipe across my lips, and my briefs felt tighter than they had even a second before.
“Nuh uh.” She waved her finger at me and chuckled. “You said we had to get this done first. I’m keeping you to it, mister.”
“I say stupid things sometimes. Maybe we should leave it until tomorrow morning after all.”
“No can do.” She reached for a roll of giftwrapping and grabbed the closest present to her.
It was a shaving kit with a specially mixed pot of shaving soap for her dad. She’d told me he loved that brand, but it was difficult to get a hold of since it was imported, and it was on the more expensive side.
According to her, everyone was getting spoiled that Christmas, though. She felt like it was the least she could do after everything they’d put up with from her. I completely disagreed that anyone had had to put up with anything unreasonable from her, but she wouldn’t hear it.
I didn’t try to change her mind. It was her money, and if it would make her feel better to spoil her family, then she should absolutely use it for that.
I sighed heavily but threw my hands up in surrender and got to wrapping. We goofed around while we were busy and she showed me how to tie a bow after I’d watched her do the first one and declared hers miles better than my own.
It also turned out that while I could technically make the corners, I couldn’t do them without the wrapping crinkling at the fold. After she showed me the same trick her mother had shown her, it started going much better.
We kissed and drank our wine while the festive music continued to play in the background. That same sense of peace and satisfaction from before still lived deep in my chest whenever I was with her.
This is going to be the best Christmas yet. I just know it. Especially now that she’s agreed that they’ll spend it with us.
Laurie dropped her head back and laughed. Her hair had come loose in all our rolling around, and she’d left it that way. In the firelight, it glowed and formed a golden halo around her head.
A lump formed in my throat, and before I could even think about stopping them, the words were coming out of my mouth—not that I wanted to stop them anyway.
It was true and there was no reason not to tell her. “I’m in love with you, Laurie. I think I have been for a while already. Maybe even since the day I learned your story and saw how strong you are.”
Her jaw slowly went slack, and her laughter froze as she moved jerkily to face me.
I wasn’t done yet, though. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The best person I ever could’ve hoped to meet. And Katie is the best thing that’s ever happened to Allie.”
I gulped down a long sip of my wine, swallowed, and tried to order my thoughts. There were so many. All of them wanted out at the same time.