Page 45 of My Secret Santa Daddies

For a second, neither of us moves, her chest is pressed against mine, her breath is warm on my neck, her heart is pounding just as fast as mine. I keep my arms tight around her waist, holding her steady as the shock of the fall lingers in the air between us.

She’s close—so damn close. I can feel the heat of her body through her sweater, the way her breath comes out, shallow, and quick. It’s enough to make me dizzy. My hands tighten, instinctively keeping her from pulling away, even though she’s caught, safe.

Her lips part, and she looks up at me, wide-eyed and breathless, her cheeks flushed from more than just the fall. The fire from the hearth flickers in her eyes, making her look softer, and more vulnerable than I’ve seen her in a long time.

“I told you,” she whispers, her voice barely more than a breath. “I had it.”

I chuckle softly, the sound rough with all the adrenaline still coursing through me. “Yeah, it sure looked like it.”

She tries to push away, but I don’t let her go just yet. My hands stay on her waist, keeping her there, close enough that I can still feel the warmth of her breath on my skin. Her fingers curl into my shirt, whether to steady herself or because she doesn’t want to let go, I’m not sure.

“Cody,” she says softly, her gaze flicks from my eyes to my mouth and back again. Her voice isn’t sharp anymore—it’s hesitant, like she’s torn between pushing me away and pulling me closer.

My heart is pounding so hard, it feels like the only sound in the room. “Sierra…”

The mistletoe still hangs above us, swaying slightly, and it’s enough to make me smile despite the tension thrumming between us. I glance up at it, then back at her, my grip on her waist tightening just slightly.

“You know what this means, right?” I say, my voice is low, and teasing, but the air feels thick with something far more serious than a joke.

I don’t wait this time. I lean in, my lips brushing against hers, tentative at first, wondering if she’ll pull away. But she doesn’t. She leans into me, her lips soft and warm as she kisses me back, and it’s like the world tilts on its axis, like everything that’s been pent up between us crashes into this moment.

My hand slides up her back, tangling in her hair as I deepen the kiss, tasting the sweetness of her lips, the hint of peppermint on her tongue. Sierra's arms wind around my neck, pulling me closer, erasing any last shred of space between us. The kiss turns heated, urgent, like we're both trying to pour everything we can't say into this one moment.

Her fingers slide into my hair, tugging gently, and a groan escapes my throat, muffled against her mouth. I want to lift her up, carry her to the couch, lay her down and have my way.

After seeing her the other morning, it’s all I’ve thought about.

I’ve been consumed with the idea of fucking her.

I want to lay her out and explore every inch of her skin. But I force myself to slow down, to savor the feel of her lips against mine, and the way her body molds perfectly to my own.

Sierra's the one to finally break the kiss, pulling back just enough to catch her breath. Her eyes are dark and hazy with desire as she looks up at me. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to dive right back in, to lose myself completely in her.

"Cody..." she whispers, and the sound of my name on her tongue sends a shiver down my spine. Her fingers are still tangled in my hair, and she doesn't let go, or try to put any distance between us.

"Yeah?" I murmur back, my forehead is resting against hers, and my hands are still splayed across her back, holding her close.

She hesitates, like she's not sure how to navigate this moment any more than I am. "This is... we shouldn't..."

But even as she says it, her body arches into mine, betraying her real feelings. I can feel the heat of her skin through the thin fabric of her sweater, I can feel the way her heart is pounding just as hard as mine.

"Sierra," I breathe out, my lips brushing against her temple. "Tell me to stop. Tell me you don't want this, and I will."

She shivers against me, her fingers tightening in my hair as she tilts her head back, exposing the soft skin of her throat. I trail my lips down her neck, tasting the salt of her skin, feeling her pulse jump beneath my tongue.

"I can't," she whispers, her voice breaking on the words. "I can't tell you to stop."

That's all the permission I need. I capture her mouth again, into a deeper, hungrier kiss. Sierra meets me with equal fervor, her tongue sliding against mine, her teeth nipping at my bottom lip. I groan into her mouth as my hands slide down to cup her ass, pulling her impossibly closer.

We stumble backwards, still tangled up in each other, until the back of my legs hit the couch. I sit down hard, pulling Sierrawith me so she's straddling my lap, her knees bracketing my hips. She gasps at the sudden change in position, breaking the kiss to stare down at me, her eyes wide and dark with want.

"Fuck, Sierra," I growl, my hands gripping her hips, holding her in place. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

She rolls her hips in response, grinding down against the hardness straining against my jeans.

The creak of the old floorboards cuts through the haze between us, and Sierra freezes, her lips still against mine. We both pull away, breathing hard.

Her eyes dart toward the ceiling, panic flickering in them as the footsteps grow louder. She scrambles off my lap quickly, her hand slipping from my chest, and before I can say anything, she’s already turning away.

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