Page 57 of Stuffed

I look up at him, intrigued. "What is it?"

"Ah-ah." He grins. "It's a surprise. You'll have to wait until Christmas Day."

"Christmas Day?"

"When I come over." His eyes soften. "If you'll have me? I'll stop by my family's house first—I usually don't stay long anyway—but then I want to spend the day with you. Creating new traditions."

My heart melts. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He wipes away the last of my tears. "Just us. However you want to spend it."

"I'd like that," I whisper. "I love you."

"I love you too."

His kiss deepens, hands sliding under my sweater as he presses me against the wall. The brick is rough against my back, but I barely notice, too lost in the way he's touching me, tasting me, making me feel more alive than I've ever felt.

When he presses his hips against mine, his cock rigid, I gasp. "Now, about those new traditions."

His hands slide under my bra as his mouth trails down my neck, and soon all thoughts of Christmas fade away, replaced by much more immediate desires.

“I want to taste you,” his lips murmur against my neck as he slowly begins to fall to his knees. His nose is sliding up my thigh, right to my?—

“Ah,” I moan when he kisses me through the material of my pants.

He has me naked from the waist down in seconds, my ass on a table, my legs thrown over his shoulders as he wastes zero time tasting me. I close my eyes, letting him spread my thighs farther apart as he slides two fingers inside me, his tongue doing wicked things to my clit.

“Seeing your pussy weeping for me like this is worth more than any power I could ever achieve.” I glance down my body, hiseyes dark and hungry, his lips glistening with my wetness as he leans in to finish me off.

My back is arching, his name coming out in a garbled moan as he curls his fingers, hitting my G-spot and making me see stars.

Later, as we drive back through the quiet city, my hand finds his on the gearshift. The Corvette purrs beneath us, and I think about how far we've come from those high school days. How much better reality is than any teenage fantasy.

"Stay tonight?" he asks as we pull up to my building.

"I can't." I touch his cheek. "I promised Ivy I’d swing by to do our gift exchange. But… come over for Christmas? Bring that surprise you promised?"

His smile is soft, secret. "Wouldn't miss it for anything."

As I watch the Corvette disappear into the night, I think about that teenage girl who used to watch him from afar, dreaming of being close to him. If only she could see us now.

Chapter 16

Zane

I'm more nervous than I want to admit as I stand outside Tessa's door, Espresso's carrier at my feet. For two years, he's been my secret—the soft underbelly of my supposedly hard exterior. Only Asher knows about him, and even that was an accident involving an unexpected visit and cat hair all over my supposed-to-be-intimidating black suit.

But Tessa… she deserves to know all of me. Even the parts that might ruin my carefully crafted image. I laugh at the thought, as silly as it sounds, of Harold Matthews seeing me right now with my cat.

When she opens the door, her whole face lights up. She's wearing festive pajamas with little snowmen on them, and my heart does that thing it always does around her—that skip-flutter that reminds me I'm completely gone for this woman.

"Merry Christmas, beautiful girl," I say, fighting a grin. "Ready for my secret?"

She bounces on her toes, looking so excited I almost forget to be nervous. Almost.

"Tessa, meet Espresso." I lift the carrier, watching her face as she sees him, the way her eyes widen, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Your secret is… you have a cat?"

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