Page 18 of All I Want

And it was a lot. Pent-up need flowed through her as they devoured each other.

She finally broke the kiss, her breathing as rough as his when he pressed his forehead to hers.

“You look stunning. Want to get takeout?” he said, his voice rumbling over her, and she laughed.

She lowered her legs to the floor, but he kept a tight hold on her waist.

“Alex, we should go out for dinner. Like on a real date,” she said, attempting to sound stern as she got lost in his eyes again. Like warm, melty chocolate.

“If you look at me like that, we are getting takeout,” he grumbled, pressing a hard kiss to her lips, his tongue darting out for a quick taste.

“So where are we going?” she asked, stepping out of his hold.

He sighed, and she fought back her grin.

“There’s a great pizza place nearby. It’s not as good as true Chicago pizza, but the owner lived in Chicago for most of his life, so it’s as close as we’re going to get. What is that?” he asked, pointing at her Christmas tree.

“Umm. Obviously, it’s my Christmas tree. What does it look like?”

He shook his head. “A sad excuse for one. It’s a pre-lit tabletop tree. You don’t even have any ornaments on it.”

“You always were a holiday snob. Don’t judge my tree.”

“That’s not a tree. It’s a sad shrub. Charlie Brown wouldn’t even wrap his blanket around that.”

“Shut up and be nice to my tree.”

“You used to have the best decorations and a massive, real tree in the living room. I still remember your house always smelled like cinnamon and pine as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers were put away.”

They’d had more than a few joint holidays since their parents were friends. She smiled at the memory of him sneaking his hand under the table and linking his fingers with hers. He would run his thumb across her palm just to see her squirm in her seat.

“I know, but I’m busy at work and it’s just me, so I didn’t go crazy this year.”

In fact, after she’d moved into her own place after they’d broken up, she’d kept the decorating to a minimum. The holidays were hard for her. Christmas was hard for her. She still remembered Grace’s last Christmas. They’d all put on a good face, tried to not think about last anythings, but they’d known.

The final treatment they’d tried wasn’t working, and by mid January, her sister was gone.

“Dammit, I’m an asshole,” he said, tightening his arms around her. He didn’t need to say anything else. That was one of the great things about knowing someone your whole life. They got you.

“No, you’re not. So, about that pizza,” she said, her voice soft with the tears she refused to shed.

“I am. We’re going to grab a quick bite and then we’re going tree shopping.” He leaned back, giving her a bright smile.

His eyes were tinged with pain, but he quickly masked it.

“And maybe some mistletoe. You definitely need that,” he said with a grin, and she laughed.

“Fine. Lead me to this almost authentic Chicago pizza. If it passes muster, maybe we’ll get a tree.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but I’m up for it.”

***

After a quickdinner of pizza that reminded her of home, Maggie let Alex drag her to the nearest Christmas tree lot.

“Christmas is in two weeks. I bet all the good trees are gone. I’m going to be working constantly, and you know I’m terrible at remembering to water them,” she said.

“Don’t be a Scrooge. We are going to find the perfect tree, and then we are going to make out under said tree,” he whispered against her ear.

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