Page 52 of The Loophole

We found them smoking cigars in my uncle’s home office. When I told them we were turning in, my grandfather said, “Already? It’s barely nine o’clock.”

To which Uncle Charles replied, “Leave them alone, Edmund. You remember what it was like to be a newlywed! These two have been waiting all day to tear each other’s clothes off.” My grandfather nodded knowingly.

Wow, really? There’d been way too much talk about my sex life in the last three minutes.

After that, we stopped off in the kitchen to thank the staff for dinner, and then we took Dusty for a quick walk. When we got to our room, we changed into sweats, and I built a fire in the rustic fireplace. There was a small sofa against one wall, and we dragged it in front of the hearth and settled in side-by-side.

I leaned back and stretched out my legs as I muttered, “This is the first time all day that I’ve felt truly relaxed.”

“Have you been having any fun at all since we’ve been here?”

“Sure. Hanging out with you has been great. And I’m glad I’ve gotten to spend some time with my grandfather and Uncle Charles.”

Embry said, “I’m a little sad that Fallon left this morning.”

“Are you?”

“I know he was being pretty awful, but I guess I was hoping you two might reconcile.”

“I’d be open to it, but I’m not the one carrying some sort of personal vendetta.” I changed the subject, because talking about my brother didn’t fit with my plan for a relaxing evening. “What do you think about going home after brunch tomorrow, instead of the day after Christmas like we’d planned?”

“Will that upset your family?”

“I think they’ll understand. We cut my birthday plans short and came here a day early, so it’s basically a trade-off.”

“I’m all for it, as long as you don’t think it’ll ruffle any feathers.”

“I’m willing to take that chance.” I turned to face him, as much as I could on that little loveseat, and said, “It sounds so good to me to be cozy at home for Christmas, just the three of us—you, me, and Dusty.” The dog was sitting on the floor between our feet, and he looked up and wagged his tail at the sound of his name. “I want to spend the day in pajamas, and cook for you, and give you your presents. I can’t wait to see your reaction when you open them.”

There was a lot of emotion in Embry’s voice when he whispered, “That sounds like a wonderful way to spend Christmas.”

“Then it’s a plan. We won’t take no for an answer, even if my grandfather tries to guilt us into staying.”

“We’ll bust out the ‘but it’s our honeymoon’ card if we have to. He can’t say no to that.”

I nodded, and both of us shifted a bit. Embry tucked his feet under him and leaned against me, and I put my arm around him. This feltsogood. Instead of trying to analyze why that was, I just enjoyed it.

We watched the fire slowly burn down, until Embry stretched and murmured, “Let’s get ready for bed.”

After we took turns in the bathroom, we climbed under the covers. This time, Embry didn’t wait for us to gravitate together in our sleep. Instead, he slid close enough to share the same pillow and rested his hand on my waist.

As I studied his features, he grinned and asked, “Can you actually see me right now, without your glasses?”

“I’m nearsighted, so you’re perfectly in focus.” We’d also left a small lamp on across the room, so that helped.

I ran my fingertips along the curve of his jaw, which was slightly rough from his five o’clock shadow. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Em,” I said softly.

He whispered, “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true, and because you need to hear it.”

He searched my eyes before leaning in and tenderly kissing me. I took us deeper, dialing up the heat as I slid my hand down his back.

I knew this was a turning point—we were about to redefine our relationship, but I wasn’t really thinking about where we’d go from here. I wasn’t thinking about much of anything, actually. For once, I managed to get out of my head, feeling instead of thinking—and whatever was happening between us felt wonderful.

Since he was pressed against me, Embry knew I was starting to get hard. He whispered, “Is it okay if I touch you?—”

“Anywhere you want.”

---