Page 61 of A Christmas Mystery

He drags me over to the couch and pulls me onto his lap. “No peeking.”

I huff but only sustain the resistance for a minute. I do want to know what kind of Christmas gifts he has in that bag for me, but I wouldn’t actually defy his desire to keep it a surprise.

When I’ve settled and rearranged so I’m more comfortable, I lean against him. “I guess I can wait.”

“It will be worth the wait. I promise.”

This makes me giggle for some reason. Then I think about all the years that Theo waited for me, and my heart overflows. I wrap myself around him and kiss him again.

This time Claude and Ed don’t interrupt us. We kiss with increasing urgency until I’m pulsing with arousal and I can feel a familiar, hard bulge at the front of Theo’s trousers.

“Should we go to bed?” I ask against his lips.

“No time for that.” He’s already hiking up my skirt and moving my legs so that I’m straddling him. “When I said I was impatient, I meantimpatient.”

Giggling, I pull my underwear out of the way while he fumbles to unfasten his pants. As soon as he’s freed his erection, I move myself into position and groan hoarsely as I lower myself over him until he’s all the way inside me.

I tilt my head down to kiss him again as we rock our hips together in tight little pumps. His erection feels full and tight and so good—filling me completely—and I start whimpering into the kiss as the pleasure coils tight.

Soon it’s too intense to focus on kissing. I turn my head and huff out soft, high-pitched sounds in time with my accelerated rhythm.

He leans back, holding my hips tightly so I don’t get so enthusiastic I cause him to slip out. He’s gazing at me with hot, naked adoration, grunting every time he thrusts up into my bouncing.

He’s never been a talker—in bed or out of it—but as he nears climax he starts rasping, “Love you, Maya. Love you, love you.”

I come with the absolute certainty that he means it. He means it so deeply. He’ll mean it for the rest of our lives. I shake through my release, and he falls out of rhythm right after me, jerking up a few last times until he lets out a loud, satisfied sound and releases inside me.

I slump over him, and he gathers me in his arms again, mumbling again, “I love you.”

“I love you too. So, so much.”

We hug each other until the wetness between my legs becomes too uncomfortable. Then I untangle myself from his body and go to the bathroom to clean up.

When I return, he’s standing up, having a private conversation with Ed about how he understands the neediness, but priorities have to be followed, and Ed will get petted again soon.

I’m giggling as Theo disappears into the bathroom.

I check the couch, pleased I spread out a throw blanket earlier. We have sex on the couch a lot, and it sometimes gets messy. No reason to mess up my couch, which was specially designed to fit into this space.

I’ve bundled up the blanket to wash when I remember the surprise in Theo’s bag. I’m standing over the window seat when he comes out of the bathroom.

“Hey, hey, hey! I said no peeking.” He strides over and drags me away.

I haven’t actually opened the bag. “But I want to know what it is!”

“Fine. I was going to wait until tomorrow and give it to you on Christmas Eve, but I’ll do it now if you insist.” He leans over to pull a small, wrapped box out of the bag.

It reminds me of the box he gave me last year with the beautiful necklace I still wear every single day. I resist the urge to snatch for it. “If you want to wait, that’s okay. I don’t want to mess up your plans.”

“I didn’t have big plans. I just thought that would be a good time to give it to you. But now is good too.” He clears his throat. “Just as well to do it now.”

“Why is it just as well?” I peer at his face, trying to figure out why he suddenly looks slightly stiff.

Nervous.

Shy.

I recognize the signs now when I never did until this past year.

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