Page 81 of Deck the Fire Halls

So thoroughly had and so sated.

So beautiful.

So mine.

I knew it was too early to be thinking long term and to be feeling such emotions. I always did fall hard and fast. I loved with my whole heart, right or wrong, and I refused to think of that as a flaw.

And I refused to think it was anything other than fate that brought our paths together. There was no way of ever knowing if we had a few months of this or forever. And watching him sleep, peaceful and perfect, I didn’t care how long I had with him, how long we lasted. I’d take every second I could get.

I was falling in love with him.

And I refused to think that was a bad thing either. I wouldn’t be sorry for it.

I needed to get us cleaned up, but when I tried to move my arm from underneath him, he fussed and clung to me, and sound asleep, he mumbled my name. “Soren.”

My heart expanded, soaring and full. I exchanged my arm from under his neck with a kiss to his cheek. “Just gonna clean you up,” I murmured.

He mumbled something else I couldn’t make out, his eyelids never opening, but his lips curled up in a smile.

Oh yeah, I was falling for him. Absolutely no doubt about it.

I pulled the blankets up for him and kissed his lips before getting out of bed. I discarded the condom in his bathroom wastebasket, found a washcloth, ran it under hot water, and went back into the bedroom.

I cleaned up his stomach and chest, then mine from where it had smeared, and I climbed back into bed.

As soon as I was beside him, he snuggled right in and I held him tight. I closed my eyes, thanking all my lucky stars for bringing this man into my life.

Then I thanked fate, and for good measure—and just in case—I thanked that Christmas Cupid too.

I don’t knowwhich of us woke first. We both stirred, wrapped around each other. Warm, comfortable, sleepy. “Morning,” I croaked.

“Hmm.”

“You feel okay?” I rubbed his back, then slid my hand down to his ass, gently rubbing a circle on his ass cheek with my thumb. “Kinda worked you over hard last night. If you’re sore...”

He stretched his back and clenched his butt cheeks. “Hm. A little. S’not bad though. Not sore enough to not want to do it again.”

I chuckled. “Maybe we should give your perfect ass a rest.”

He whined and when I pulled back to look at his face, yes, he was pouting. Laughing, I tucked his face intomy neck for a tight hug. “I have no clue what time it is, but maybe we could snooze for a little while yet.”

“Sounds good,” he mumbled.

“Do you have any plans for today?” I asked. “Any time you need to be up by? I’d say from the light behind your blinds it’s about eight.”

Rob sighed. “Nothing. The only thing I planned on doing this morning was you.” He froze, then snorted out a laugh. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that and I was going to correct it, but I’m just gonna leave it as it is.”

I rubbed his back, and we lay there in silence, dozing. I heard sounds of life outside: cars, someone calling their dog, even a phone ringing somewhere across the street. And normally I was up by now, even when I had worked the late shift.

But today, I wasn’t getting out of this bed or out of Rob’s arms for anything or anyone.

Until my phone rang anyway. I groaned, rolling over, wondering where my phone even was. It wasn’t on the bedside table, so I peered over the side of the bed, where our clothes were still a crumpled mess on the floor. My phone was in the pocket of my work pants.

Ugh. I had to get up.

“Goddammit,” I grumbled, as I left Rob to collect my phone.

“No,” Rob said, trying to keep hold of me. “You’re nice and warm.”

---