Page 39 of The Christmas You Crash

Pink floods Lexi’s cheeks. It’s more than the bite of the cold. This is a flush that starts at her chest and climbs up her neck before spreading across her cheekbones. It just makes me harder. She has to know how beautiful she is. Has to. But her chin dips to her chest, and she can’t make eye contact as she whispers her thanks.

That just won’t do.

With gentle pressure, I grip Lexi’s chin between my thumb and pointer finger and tip her head up, silently asking her to look at me. “You’re so beautiful, Lexi,” I say when she finally does.

“Thank you.” Her attention falls to my lips. Her pink tongue snakes out and wets hers.

“Lexi?”

Her attention remains on my lips. “Hmm?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.” Her breath catches, and I surge forward, capturing her lips with mine. They’re soft and pliant, while mine are demanding. My hands go to her waist, and I grip her, pressing her to my chest as I flip our positions. My back is where hers just was, and Lexi settles in my lap, straddling me. Whatever hesitation held her back after the Monopoly game has fled. She doesn’t hesitate to return my kisses. Her hands grapple with my shoulders as she holds on to me.

When I nip her bottom lip, she mewls. Fucking mewls. Instantly hard, I try to shift myself, so I’m not pressing into her center. I don’t want to scare her away. Not when she’s meeting me stroke for stroke. Her movements become more intense, frantic.

“The way you kiss...” she murmurs against my lips. “No one’s ever kissed me the way you do.”

How is that even possible? What idiots has she been dating? I can’t get enough of her. “No one’s ever made me as hard as you do.”

She chuckles against my mouth. The feeling of her mostly bare skin pressed against mine is everything. She’s driving me wild. Water sloshes around us as we make out, both of our bodies starting to move against each other.

“Ryder”—she pulls back just long enough to meet my gaze—“I know this can’t go anywhere, but what if we give ourselves a snowed-in-pass?”

My damned heart stutters, but I hide it. “What do you mean?”

Her fingers trace across my shoulders and map the planes of my back. “Well, it’s like Vegas. What happens in the cabin, stays in the cabin. We can do whatever we want, and it stays here. My dad never has to find out. We never have to do the awkwardcanwe make this workthing, and neither of us will have to try to alter our busy schedules, only to realize there’s just not enough time in the week. We can be together while we’re here, and when we leave, we go back to our lives. What do you think?”

What do I think? I fucking hate everything about that idea. A few days with Lexi won’t be enough, and I know it. But she’s determined to put a wall between us. Do I agree with what she’s asking, or do I pull back now and put a stop to all of this? Can I leave whatever this is here when the week is up and the snow is plowed?

I should tell her no. I should tell her I think it’s a terrible idea. That I don’t want to pretend I don’t know her when we leave. But she’s so eager. It’s written all over her face. I don’t want to deny her, and if I’m being honest, I don’t want to deny myself, either. If she was proposing we give this thing a shot and see where it goes, I’d agree in a heartbeat. But this? I’ve had a few casual flings with women, but none of them has made me feel half of what Lexi Cross does.

“What do I think?” The words hang between us. I cup her cheek in my palm and run my thumb along her chilled skin. “I think, if that’s all you can give me, I’ll take it.”

Green irises study me, bouncing back and forth as she surveys my face. She drags her lower lip between her teeth. “Ryder...I think you’re a great guy, and if circumstances were different, I’d...”

“Hey, it’s okay,” I say, stopping her.

“It’s just that, with my master’s program and everything, I really don’t have time to date. There’s so much going on, and I’m not really in the right place for a relationship, you know?” She stares at me, wide eyed and expectant while gnawing on her lower lip. Water sloshes around her hands as she wrings them in her lap.

She’s probably right. She doesn’t have time for a relationship, and neither will I, once my stupid hand heals. And sure, Lexi Cross is beautiful and smart, and hilarious, but how much of my attraction to her is proximity-based? After all, we’re stuck here together with no one else around. Ofcourse,she’s going to seem like the most amazing woman ever. There’s no one around to compare her to.

That has to be it.

So, why doesn’t it feel that way?

“I get it,” I say, pasting a smile on my face. “I vote yes on the snow-pass.” She sighs as I press my lips to hers. “I can’t seem to say no to you.”

“Are you sure?”

No. “Yes. Now, as fun as this hot tub is, I want to get you naked and eat your pussy. And it’s a little cold to lay you out on the deck for that.”

She shifts on my lap, her pupils blown wide.

“What do you say we bring this inside?”

“I say yes,” she says, breathless.

That’s all I need to hear. Ignoring our towels, I scoop her up out of the water and carry her inside. She squeals and holds on tight to my neck, but her laughter tells me she’s not afraid. Lexi Cross trusts me not to drop her, and I won’t betray that.

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