Page 18 of A Kiss For The Holidays

I point to the fire then climb under the blanket and pull it over the two of us. “I got cold, so I got up to add more logs to the fire.”

Dalton pulls me back into his warm embrace, his lips a hair's breadth away from my neck.

“I’m sorry, love. I’m meant to be taking care of you.”

My smile is large in the darkness before it falls and I allow my hopes to guide my question, an inkling of fear bleeding into my words. “Dalt?” His breathing is heavy again, so I am not sure if he hears me or not. The fire crackling and the blood whooshing in my ears, is the only sound in the quiet room as I wait for him to respond.

“Yeah?” His voice is sleepy and he squeezes me a little tighter.

“Did thismeansomething to you?” I emphasise ‘mean’, pouring my feelings into that one four-letter word. “I’m afraid you’ll say it was just for fun. Which it was but -” I feel vulnerable saying this to him but at the same time, he’s my favourite person in the world and if I can’t be honest with him now, there may not be a chance for us. “I don’t want to just be your way of passing the time. Or some kind of sexual experiment. My heart has always been yours, Dalton, and I so badly want what happened here to mean something to you, the way it does to me.”

Dalton shuffles behind me, his grip around my waist still tight. “No Ash, this isn’t me using you to pass the time or as an experiment. And yes, everything that’s happened between us means something to me. You mean the world to me.”

His words warm me more than the fire ever could. But though Dalton has never lied to me, the part of me that constantly questions the world starts to wonder why, if that is true, he still hasn’t kissed me.

Chapter 15

Dalton

Iroll over in the bed, my body seeking the warmth of Asher but instead of finding the enticing body of my favourite person, I find an empty spot on his side of the mattress. A shuffling from behind me has me rolling onto my stomach to follow the sound. The sight that greets me is nothing short of amazing.

Asher stands, fully clothed, his hair messy and his eyes bright. His lips are stretched wide as he moves his hands to the masterpiece behind him. Paper snowflakes hang from the low ceilings, a few balancing against the windowsill, and more have been pushed between the leaves of our Christmas ‘tree’. A string of popcorn, pinecones and twigs of berries are wrapped around the top of the tree, winding through the spindly branches. A paper star, coloured with yellow marker sits precariously at the top, tilted slightly to the side.

“Merry Christmas,” Asher beams and the chuckle that leaves me is full of warmth as I scoot myself up and off the bed. Still naked from the night before, I run a hand down my chest and over my morning wood, watching as Asher's green eyes narrow, tracking the movement. With all that happened the night before, I completely forgot it was Christmas Eve and I feel momentarily guilty that I sidetracked our efforts, leaving him to do this all alone.

“Merry Christmas, Ash. When did you have a chance to do all of this? It looks… wow!” Slowly, without taking my eyes off of him, I slip into my clothing, wishing so much that I could quickly shower before putting on this same outfit for yet anotherday.

“I got up early. I wanted you to wake up in a Christmas wonderland,” he shrugs, as if getting up with the sun to make this morning special isn’t the most amazing fucking thing anyone has ever done for me. Beate limps into the room, and I laugh at the string of popcorn she’s dragging behind her. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, not again. Where did you pull this from?” Asher mutters, taking the string from the dog. It’s then that I look around the room and see that not only has he decorated the area near the windowsill where our tree stands, he’s also placed pinecones, popcorn and snowflakes on the mantelpiece above the fireplace and paper stars on other surfaces.

“It’s amazing,” I say as I walk closer, placing one hand on Asher's hip, watching his Adam’s apple bob as I slide it to his waist and pull him closer. Using my free hand to tip his head up, I meet his eyes and press our foreheads together. “It’s a perfect Christmas. Thank you.” He licks his lips and my eyes watch as his tongue makes a second lap over the glossy pink skin. It would be the easiest thing in the world to move closer and seal my lips to his.

I wasn’t lying when I told him that this means something to me - that being with him is not some fun way to pass the time while we’re stuck here. I, very quickly, accepted that the feelings I have for Asher run deeper than friendship and once we leave this cabin, they won’t change. I'm more certain about that than I've ever been about anything.

The only other thing I am sure of right now is this: IwantAsher. Iwantto be with him and Ireallywant to kiss him.

Moving my hand from his waist, I cup his cheeks then slowly ghost my lips over his, loving the way his breath hitches as I apply more pressure, erasing all the distance between us. Fireworks erupt inside me as our lips meet. My blood sizzles and the moment is time stamped as the most incredible one of my life. Asher grips my waist tightly, moaning as he deepens the kiss, taking control and swiping his tongue along the seam of my lips until they part, allowing him access.

Sliding my hands down his face, along his neck, over his shoulders and all the way down to his ass, I squeeze then lift him, never breaking the kiss. He gasps and wraps his legs around me then bites my bottom lip. The pain catches me off guard and I pull away, looking into his forest green eyes. Asher’s lips are kiss-swollen and wet, curved up on one side into a playful smirk, and I take a deep breath just as he slams them back to mine. This kiss is rougher, harder, deeper than before and I massage the globes of his ass as I let him take control, letting him own this kiss and me.

Kissing him feels like everything good. Like that feeling you get when you walkinto your house after a long trip - that comfort of being back in your own space.

Asher feels like comfort.

And he tastes like mine.

We’re both panting and breathless, our cocks hard, rutting into each other by the time he pulls away, allowing us both some much needed oxygen.

“That was…” Asher’s words trail off before he presses a soft kiss to my lips. “That was so much better than I ever expected.”

“Worth waiting for?” Still carrying him, I take a seat on the sofa and he straddles my waist. His eyes are blazing as he takes my hand and links our pinky fingers together. This close, I can see the tiny freckles that dot his nose and I lay playful kisses up and over the bridge, loving the way he giggles and shifts his weight on my lap.

“So worth it. I’m glad I saved my first kiss for you. It was never meant to belong to anyone else. You're perfect Dalton McKenzie. Everything about you is a dream.”

His words wrap around my heart like a warm blanket. This boy has held my heart in his hands for as long as I can remember - first as my best friend but now as… more.

It's the third time I've circled the small room, looking out the window longingly then back at Asher, who is sitting with a book on his lap. I feel restless. I want to go outside, kick a ball, ski,dosomething. Asher is the best company I could have asked for, but my body needs action and to expel some of this energy bubbling inside.

“Hey,” Asher says as he puts his book aside and climbs to his feet. “Let's play a game.” He looks around the cabin until his eyes land on the coat cupboard next to the front door. Without another word, he opens it and starts rifling through the items inside. I know from looking earlier when I was hunting for string that it's home to a mop, a broom and a clothes drying rack as well as a few boxes of forgotten items from past guests.

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