Page 63 of Second Chance Christmas

“I have a confession,” he muffled against her skin. “Two years ago, the night your boyfriend proposed to you. I was there. Hand poised to knock on your door, ring in hand.”

Her heart stopped.

“Aspen? What are you talking about?”

He held a hand up. “Let me finish, baby. I finally had enough of living without you. I’d lost Jace and realized I didn’t want to live without you anymore. Kade was right. I should have come clean sooner, but this...”

She watched Aspen pull a box out of his pocket and took it from him.

“You’ve kept this all this time?”

He nodded, a grim look on his face.

She turned the box over in her hands. “How did you know Lewis was proposing?”

“I caught sight of the stupid bastard on one knee through the window. It took a lot of fucking control not to bust your door down, and steal you away.”

“But?” She could barely breathe.

He slashed a hand through his hair, a pissed off look taking over his expression. “You looked happy and I had no right in destroying that.”

He leaned in slowly and melted his lips over hers in a warm, heart-searing yet equally sweet kiss, and for those brief seconds everything around her went silent. And they were back on the football field, their first kiss and the same fireworks going off in her head.

Why did she have to like the feel of his lips against hers felt so damn perfect? Soft yet possessive. She pivoted her head and took the kiss deeper, unrushed.

“While I couldn’t barge into your life then, my sweet Ivy, I sure as hell can now. After this morning and after I fed that bare pussy my cum, you should know, I’m not going anywhere. No more playing the nice guy next door. I’m taking what I want and I want you.”

She slipped her hands through the lapels of his coat and wrapped her arms around his waist. His body heat enveloped her and she breathed in his “No, Aspen. You never were the nice boy next door. You were the bad boy in sheep's clothing and I fell for your lines and sweet smile. Time and time again.”

He leaned down, slid his hands down the curves of her ass and lifted.

She wrapped her legs around him, his cock already hardening between them.

“Be honest, has anyone else ever taken you bare, Ivy Sunday? That douche Lewis? I have no right to ask, but I need to know. Answer me and don’t lie. Have you let another man feed you their milk?”

“What?” she snapped, surprised. “Aspen, I’ve had sex in the last eight years.”

“Not my question.”

her shock faded and she could see the pain, the need to know shine back at her through his eyes. She swallowed hard. No, never.” She gazed back at him and let the truth of her words settle between them.

“Good, I was you first,” he drew out.

Her breath caught on a small laugh. “In more ways than one.”

And just like that, her heart fell for all those unspoken promises that hung between.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Her gaze roved over the lights and landed on the fire as she nestled into his arms. “I used to like the flames. Remember how we would sit out here long after I finished helping Gran and talk for hours while we watched the flames.”

“Mmm-hmm. Why do you think I brought you out here?” he settled them on a bench, with her spread over his lap.

She smiled. Her mind lagged behind, heavy with other details such as Aspen and her alone under all the stars and twinkle lights to realize his ulterior motive. “The last time I was this close to an open flame I was covered in soot and rained on and lost everything.” Maybe a sane woman would read that as a sign she needed a fireman in her life. Life’s little ironies could really get the best of a person.

He took her hand and locked their fingers. “I’m sorry, Ivy Sunday. When did this happen?”

“You don’t know?” That didn’t seem likely knowing her gran. Maybe she’d been too busy pulling together her disappearing act to tell anyone past her besties. “This past November. We had this big Thanksgiving dinner planned. I would cook and he would gather his parents from the airport.

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