Page 17 of Mistletoe Misconduct

It doesn’t take long before her eyes are fluttering shut. Her body starts to slump further into the couch cushions until her feet are completely pressed against my hip.

A faint whistling sound comes out of her before she turns over, stretching herself out in a position that looks less than comfortable. Her head is smooshed into the corner of the couch; she has one leg over my lap, the other bent and digging into my leg.

At nearly six feet tall, she certainly isn’t fitting into small spaces like this.

I run my finger up the length of her silky smooth leg. “Lea,” I whisper. When she stirs, I speak a bit louder. “Lea, wake up. You’re gonna get a kink in your neck.”

She sits up, staring at me groggily, but instead of staying upright, she shifts around the couch until her legs are on the opposite side of the couch. She drops her head into my lap and tugs the blanket over her head. A deep sigh puffs past her lips.

This is fine,I tell myself. She’d do this with anyone. You’re just a warm body in close proximity and a good pillow. Nothing more.Stop worrying.

Despite my thoughts, I can feel my blood pressure start to spike. A twinge of dull pain thrums behind my eye, and acid bubbles in my gut.

Her light strands have fallen over her face, and I resist the urge to brush them away, instead focusing on the way they flutter with each breath she takes.

Loud music drags my attention away, my heart hammering against my chest as Lea burrows further into me. Her arm falls limply in my lap, her fingertips less than an inch from my dick.

I groan, trying to pay attention to the surprisingly well-built Santa on screen who’s singingJail House Rockfrom inside his own jail cell.How the fuck did he get there?

My phone buzzes against the wooden end table beside me. I pick it up, hoping it’s not my mom or Liam, but I can’t be that lucky.

“Hey, Mom,” I say, keeping my voice as quiet as possible.

Sobs from her end of the phone have the hair on my neck standing up straight, and my throat feels tight.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, my eyes flicking to Lea, hoping like hell she doesn’t wake up to hear any of this.

Chapter thirteen

Lea

Kai’s gentle voice starts to trickle into my foggy mind, but when I feel his hand land on my hip, squeezing tightly, his voice grows more strained, and his words come out more quickly.

“Mom, you’re okay. I promise,” he tells her.

I should sit up so he knows I’m awake.This is none of my business.

I can’t make out what his mom is saying, but his body tenses beneath my head with every passing word.

“I know,” he says, lowering his voice. “I believe you, Mom. Ireallydo. No, no, you are not crazy,” he tells her. “Of course, yes. You’ve been saying he is for a while now, Mom, but you can’t letanyone else know that, okay? Promise me you won’t tell anyone else.”

He releases a long sigh. “I’m going to come see you soon, alright? We’ll get it all sorted out. For now, lay low and don’t try to contact him again.”

Kai’s grip on my thigh doesn’t relent as the conversation continues, his voice ranging from shrill and panicked to quiet, firm, reassuring. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re talking about that has his emotions so all over the place.

“I love you, too, Mom,” he tells her, hanging up the phone and dropping it in his lap.

I hear the moment his head hits the back of the worn-out sofa and feel his abs graze my cheek with the long breath he releases.

My eyes flutter open, and I take in his tight lips and clenched-shut eyes. The moment they open and land on me, his nostrils flare.

“How much of that did you hear?” he asks.

“Enough to know you’re upset, but not enough to know about what,” I admit, my voice small.

He closes his eyes again, sucking in a deep breath, but instead of getting upset with me, his eyes soften when they open. He traces circles along my hip with his fingertip, and the way his cheeks deflate has my heart cramping.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” I ask, not hopeful that he will.

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