Page 78 of Deck the Fire Halls

One shift, then I’d be in that man’s bed, with him in my arms and preferably with him underneath me. Naked, with me nailing him to the mattress.

Our first time together had been magical.

It was an intensity I wasn’t quite prepared for. Which, given the build-up, I shouldn’t have been surprised. But being inside him, holding him while Iimpaled him, hearing how his breath hitched, how he moaned, pleaded...

Utter perfection.

Today was going to be a long day. And long it was... Time dragged, every minute on the clock, and my anticipation ticked up a notch. Keeping busy didn’t even help much.

Chuck kept laughing at me, and the last time he caught me checking the damn clock on the wall, he clipped me upside the head. “Stop it. You’re making me antsy.”

“Can’t help it,” I grumbled. “If you had plans for hours of sex, you’d be watching the clock too.”

“Hours?” He squinted at me, then shook his head. “Really?”

“And this is why you don’t get pizza hand-delivered to work. You need to up your game, bro. Worship that woman’s body, wring her out, good and thorough. Make it all about her.”

“Hey, I know what I’m doing. How is this even a conversation we’re having right now?”

“Have you ever hand-delivered pizza to her work?”

“Well . . . no. Have you?”

“I hand-delivered him a single red rose,” I said proudly. “At his work, three days ago. You should have seen his smile.”

He gave me a disappointed shake of his head. “You’re making me look bad. Come on, man.”

I laughed. “It doesn’t have to be a red rose or anything expensive. Google how to make a paper flower. Hell, buy a packet of her favorite cookies from the storeand make her a hot chocolate.” I looked him dead in the eye. “Or hand-deliver pizza to her work.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

“And then worship her body for hours?—”

He shoved me. “Shut the fuck up.”

I laughed, then looked at the clock. It had moved all of three minutes.

Goddammit.

It wasafter midnight by the time I got to Rob’s place. He’d left the front porch light on, a warm light welcoming me, and that made me smile. Whereas my house looked dark and cold, lonely, and the metaphor of this contrast was not lost on me.

I opened the screen door and before I could try the door handle, the door opened inward. Rob stood there in his long pajamas and slippers—home comfort personified—and he smiled. “Hey.”

I stepped inside, collected him in an embrace, and kissed him. “You look so good,” I murmured.

He laughed, surprised. “I was almost asleep in my chair.”

My heart knocked against my ribs. “You stayed up for me?”

“Of course.”

Man, that made me so freaking happy. I kissed him softly. “Thank you.”

“It’s only midnight. If you were finishing at three, it’d be a differentstory.”

“I had visions of sneaking into your house and crawling into your bed. You’d be asleep and all cozy and warm, and I’d snuggle in close, pull you into my arms...”

“You envisioned all that?”

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