Page 14 of Snowed in with a Grinch

“More than OK.” I reach behind me to unhook it myself. “Please.”

He groans as the fabric falls away, revealing my breasts. “Perfect.” Then he’s walking me back toward his bed, guiding me onto the mattress with one arm behind me and his mouth on my breast. When his tongue swirls around my nipple, coherent thought becomes impossible.

“Sawyer!” I arch up, fingers tangling in his hair.

He switches to my other breast, lavishing it with the same attention while his hand kneads the first. Every touch sends sparks straight to my core, and I'm trembling with need.

“Please,” I gasp, not even sure what I'm begging for.

He lifts his head, eyes hooded. “Tell me what you want, angel.”

“I want...” My cheeks heat.

“Tell me.” He nips at my collarbone. “I want to hear you say it.”

“I want you inside me.”

Sawyer groans, a deep, primal sound that vibrates through my body. “Fuck, Noelle.” He kisses me hard, all tongue and teeth and desperate need. I can feel how much he wants me, his arousal pressing insistently against my thigh. “I want that too.” He speaks between kisses. “But what I want even more is to make you come.” He kisses me again, like he's trying to pour every ounce of longing into this one moment. “Tell me how you like to be touched, angel.”

“I…I don't mind...” The words come out soft, uncertain. Sawyer’s whole body goes still above me, and as he presses up on his hands to look at me. “I mean, whatever you like is fine with me?” The words come out as more of a question, and I watch his expression change as understanding dawns.

“Noelle...” His voice is rough as he searches my face. “Have you done this before?”

I shake my head, heat flooding my cheeks. But it's not embarrassment making my heart race—it's the way he's looking at me, like I've just handed him something precious and fragile. Like he can't quite believe I'm trusting him with this.

“Christ.” He drops his forehead to my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin. “You're killing me here.”

“Is that... is that a problem?” My voice wavers slightly, and his head snaps up immediately.

“God, no, angel.” His hand comes up to cup my face, thumb brushing away tension I didn't even realize I was holding. “It's an honor. And a responsibility I don't take lightly. But I need you to be sure it’s me you want doing this. That now is the right time for you. This isn't something we can take back.”

The tenderness in his touch, and the careful way he's holding himself above me, makes my chest tight with emotion. This man who keeps everyone at arm's length, who builds walls to protect himself, is looking at me like I'm Christmas itself. Like I matter.

“I'm sure,” I whisper, reaching up to trace the worried line between his brows. “I want it to be you, Sawyer. Not because we're trapped here, or because it's Christmas... but because when you look at me like this, I feel... seen. Really seen.”

For a moment, he just stares at me, and I watch the walls behind his eyes crumble. Then he's kissing me again, deep and thorough, like he's trying to pour every ounce of emotion into the press of his lips. “I want to make this perfect for you.”

“It already is,” I whisper, arching up to chase his mouth. “You feel so good to me, Sawyer—right. I want more.”

He groans, the sound rumbling through his chest and into mine. “I'll give you everything, Noelle. Everything you want. And not just for Christmas. For everyday after that. I’ll give you all I have.” His hand slides down my side, fingertips tracing each dip and curve until he reaches the waistband of my leggings. He toys with the elastic, teasing. “Can I take these off?”

I nod, not trusting my voice. He sits back on his heels, hooking his fingers into the fabric and slowly peeling it down my legs. The first brush of cool air against my heated skin makes me gasp, but it's nothing compared to the way Sawyer is looking at me—like I'm a feast he can't wait to devour.

He discards my leggings somewhere on the floor, leaving me bare except for my candy-cane striped panties. A blush heats my cheeks as his gaze rakes over me, taking in every exposed inch.

“God, you're stunning,” he murmurs, hands gliding up my legs, over my knees, along my thighs. “I could look at you like this for hours.”

I squirm under his heated gaze and reverent touch. “I'd rather you do more than look.”

A wicked grin spreads across his face. “Oh, I plan to.”

And then his mouth is on me again, kissing a trail of fire from my neck down to my breasts. He takes his time, teasing each nipple with teeth and tongue until I'm arching off the bed, hands fisting in his hair.

“Please, Sawyer...” I'm not even sure what I'm begging for, I just know I need more. More of his hands on me, more of his mouth, more of him.

“I've got you, angel.” He kisses lower, tongue dipping into my navel. “Just relax. Let me make you feel good.”

My breath hitches as he presses a kiss right above the waistband of my panties, his beard tickling the sensitive skin of my lower belly. He looks up at me with those intense green eyes, holding my gaze as he slowly drags my underwear down my legs, sending a shiver through my entire body.

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