Page 66 of Flirting with the Scrooge

I slam the door and my face falls. “No. I was too late.”

“I’m sorry.” She rests a hand on my forearm.

“Let’s go get my car. I just want to go home.”

The entire drive to my house is a blur. All my thoughts were on Connor and how close I was. I know I can always call him, but it’s not the same. It’s not how it was supposed to happen.

I pull into my driveway and kill the engine. Right now, I'm just going through the motions. All I want is to get inside and bury myself under the covers.

I stroll up the sidewalk to my front door and freeze. The outline of a broad shouldered, muscular guy is sitting on my doorstep. Am I dreaming? Is this all a dream? He lifts his head and his gaze meets mine. My breath hitches. All the words I want to say die in my throat. Several seconds pass, neither of us saying anything, the current flowing between us saying it all.

Finally, I find the words I was looking for. “I thought you left.”

“I almost did. I was steps away from the jet bridge when a devastating story about a family who lost their home to a fire on Christmas flashed on the TV screen. Instantly, I thought of you. What happens if you catch your house on fire again and I’m not there? Or who’s going to steal your Christmas tree?” He glances up at me and I press my lips into a thin line, holding back the tears that want to race down my cheeks. He rises to his feet and in two long strides he’s standing in front of me. “There’s no snow in LA. What’s going to happen to Fuck Xmas Frank? Who’s going to make me chocolate chip cookies? Most of all, you’re not in LA. And how stupid would I be if I left?”

Tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I can’t hold them back anymore. They slide down my cheeks while a smile lights up my face. “You would be pretty stupid.”

A small laugh drifts from his throat. “I know. I can’t have that.” He reaches up and cups my cheek. With his thumb, he brushes away the tears. Instantly, I nuzzle into his warm palm. “I had a million excuses why I should leave but you’re the reason why it’s worth staying.” His lips press to mine. Soft and sensual. He pulls away, but his lips are still touching mine. “So, what do you say? Spend Christmas with me?”

I scrunch my nose and look up toward the sky, pretending to contemplate his words.

“Well, don’t think too hard.”

A bright grin covers my face. “Yes! Of course!” I throw my arms around his neck and he wraps his around my waist. He lifts me up and twirls me around. When my feet land on the ground again, I rise on my tippy toes and kiss him. But quickly I pull away. “Wait. You don’t have a house anymore. Are you only asking to spend Christmas with me because you’re homeless?”

He throws his head back in laughter. “Damn. You’re on to me.”

I glance around the step. “Also, where’re your suitcases?”

“Currently, they are on their way back to LA. So, I’m homeless and naked.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Well, you’re not homeless anymore, but I might keep you naked for a while.” I grab his hand and tug him toward the front door. Before we enter, I spin around. “I have a confession. I went to the airport tonight to, I don’t know, stop you? Go with you? All I knew is that I didn’t want to be away from you.”

“Damn. So, we could be on our way to LA right now.”

“Well, no. I got to the airport, paid for an expensive ass ticket, only to get to the gate to find out the doors were closed.”

“Why didn’t you call or text me?”

“I bailed on family Christmas pretty quickly and forgot my phone.”

He nods. “Just imagine if I got on that plane. Things could be a lot different.”

“I feel like we would have found our way back to each other. But this scenario has a lot less tears and moping. I’m glad it worked out this way.”

His thumb brushes a loose strand of hair off my forehead. “Me too. Now let’s get inside and I’ll show you how glad I am.”

A laugh bubbles out of me as he picks me up and pushes us into the house, slamming the door behind us.

* * *

Three orgasms later, two for me, one for him, we’re lying in my bed. I inhale the comforting scent of Connor's woodsy cologne as his arms wrap around me. Lazily, I trace a finger over the tattoo on his chest. “I still can’t believe this is real.”

“Would one more orgasm prove that it’s real?”

I press my lips to his chest. “There’s no way I’m moving right now.”

“You can lay there. I got the rest covered.”

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