Page 34 of Christmas Wishes

Keaton snorted. “God, no. How condescending is that? I like that you don’t smile a lot. Makes it feel an accomplishment when you do.”

I froze, and Keaton casually took the pan from my hand and hung it over the kitchen island. Then he patted my arm as he wiped down the counters. My ex had hated that I didn’t smile more. He would jokingly call me RBF. Riggs’s Bitch Face. I never found it funny.

“You surprise me,” I said when my faculties returned.

Keaton sidled up to me and got in my face. “I can surprise you in a lot of ways, beefcake.”

I reflexively licked my lips and tilted my head down.

“Riggs, I’ve got some meals in the freezer for you to take home. They’ll tide you over through the incoming storm.”

I half listened to her reheating instructions, but most of my focus was on the cherry scent of Keaton’s lip gloss. Did it taste like cherry too?

Chapter18

Keaton

I followedRiggs in my rental car back to his place. My mind raced. Had we almost kissed in Doris’s kitchen? I hoped so because an almost kiss might lead to a real kiss, and I wanted to fucking take Riggs apart.

He’d showed me a different side of him tonight, and I wanted more. Riggs had opened up like a thawing in early spring. It didn’t help that I’d noticed a few clues that Riggs might not be a stereotypical bossy top, which was my exact jam. I loved a big guy but hadn’t met many willing to let a tiny guy like me take them. And that goddamn smile made me horny.

Riggs pulled his truck into the spot I’d been parking in all week. Oops.

When I parked and exited the car, I rubbed my arms to fight the freezing air while trailing Riggs into the garage. “Sorry I’ve been parking in your spot.”

Riggs set his toolbox on a surprisingly clean workbench. The entire garage was organized within an inch of its life. I wondered if that was Riggs’s doing or Nico’s. “No problem. Habit to park there.”

Now I had a visual to go with the sounds I heard each evening when Riggs came home.

Riggs opened the door to the kitchen and flipped on the overhead light, and we shed our coats and shoes in silence. With the outdoor gear off, we turned toward each other. My heart pounded as we stared into each other’s eyes for several long moments. The tension swelled, sucking the oxygen from the room.

We crashed into each other and kissed hungrily. I stretched on the tip of my toes as Riggs wrapped a possessive arm around my waist and arched down to reach me. His beard scratched against my skin in a tantalizing way that sent shivers racing along my spine. There was nothing hesitant in the kiss. No trace of any first-kiss awkwardness while learning someone else’s pace, which direction they liked to angle their head, or how much tongue revved someone’s engine. Riggs kissed how he kissed, which happened to be perfect for me.

Riggs hissed when I slid my hands under his flannel. I wanted to know how furry his chest was. My fingers drifted along the coarse patch of hair.

He pulled back millimeters. “Cold hands.”

“You like it,” I said against his lips.

Riggs grinned and,nngh, it was so fucking hot. “I might.”

His hot kisses warmed me up from the inside.

I pushed Riggs back against the closed garage door and worked my fingers into the buttons of his flannel shirt. I licked the rough, stubbled skin on his neck as he shuddered under my touch. I was getting one shot with Riggs, and I wanted to make it good for us both.

“We shouldn’t do this,” he said as he continued to grip my hip.

“Dear Riggs’s brain, fuck off for a bit.”

Riggs laughed roughly and let his head drop back against the door as I sucked on Riggs’s skin. I needed to leave a mark there so Riggs would remember this tomorrow.

I pulled his head forward so I could get at his mouth again. His grip tightened on my hip.

“I want to feel your tonsils around my cock.”

“Fuck.” Riggs thrust against me, then dropped to his knees. I nearly came on the spot.

I stared down at him, watching as he unzipped my jeans and pulled me out. He leaned in and inhaled deeply, which was hot as hell. I ran my fingers through his short hair as my hard cock aimed itself at his mouth.

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