Page 46 of Flirting with the Scrooge

“Well, Tinsel, there’s more where that came from. Always.” I press a gentle kiss between her breasts. “Also, I didn’t have fucking to “Jingle Bells” on my holiday BINGO card, did you?”

She bites back a laugh. “Nope. That was a first.”

“If we keep doing that, Christmas just might become my favorite holiday.”

I continue to snuggle against her warm body, mostly because I never want to let her go. Fuck. I’m walking on thin ice. Pretty soon, I’m going to get too far and fall in. I need to tell her the truth, but right now I’m a selfish man and want to soak up every last moment I can get with her.

“I gotta dispose of this condom.” With a push-up motion, I’m rising to my feet. The blanket floats down, covering her body. She grips the edge and tugs it higher over her chest. I pull off the rubber as I stroll to the bathroom to toss it into the garbage. When I return, Tatum’s sitting up, leaning against the couch with the blanket still wrapped around her. She lifts the corner, inviting me in. I crawl under the blanket and hook my arm around her shoulders, tugging her to my chest.

Her hand runs over my stomach. “Truth or dare?”

I tense. “Like the game?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re serious?” I glance down at her.

She lifts her chin to meet my gaze and nods. “It’s been years since I’ve played. Humor me.”

Her sparkling blue eyes make it hard to say no. But I can’t go with truth. I have no idea what she’ll ask and I can’t risk it. At this point, lying to her isn’t an option. “Dare.”

“Damn. I had a really good truth picked out.” She taps her finger to her lips as she thinks. “Okay. I got it! Go outside and make a snow angel… naked.” A mischievous smile spreads across her lips.

“It’s like ten degrees outside. You want me to willingly throw myself into the snow?”

“Yes.” She shrugs. “People do it all the time. They do the Polar Bear Plunge into Lake Superior. Or the Finnish tradition of jumping into icy water after a sauna. Some people even go surfing during a white squall in the freezing cold lake.”

“They have dry suits when they do that, so that doesn’t count. Unless, you have one of those? If so, I’ll go snorkeling through the snow if you want.”

She doubles over in laughter. “Too bad I just got rid of my dry suit. While I don’t have a sauna, I do have a steam shower. If you do it, I’ll have the shower steamy and waiting for you.” Her eyebrows raise. When I don’t answer, she continues, “if you don’t take the dare, you have to answer the truth.”

“How about we do it together?” I don’t know how she does it, but she makes me feel alive again. I’ll willingly do all these crazy and spontaneous things as long as I can do them with her.

She rolls her lips between her teeth. “Okay. Let’s do it. I want to do something wild.” She jumps up and the blanket slides down exposing her naked body. Then she’s sauntering down the hallway.

I have a hard time collecting my thoughts. I’m hypnotized by all her silky smooth skin on display. When she disappears from my sight, I yell, “Where are you going?”

A few seconds later she’s emerging from the bathroom. “Getting the steam shower ready.”

I climb to my feet and I meet her in the kitchen. My gaze travels over every curve of her delectable body. My dick twitches as if he’s ready for round two. I tamper down that thought. Every time I’m alone with Tatum, she’s bursting with confidence. It’s one thing I’m most attracted to about her. Yet, when she’s around others, mostly Adam and her parents from what I saw, she loses fragments of herself. The people who are supposed to help her flourish, only want to knock her down. As long as I’m here, they’ll have to get through me first. I’ll always tell her she’s perfect.

When she’s within arm’s reach, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and haul her to me, claiming her lips in a soft and slow kiss. When I pull away, her eyelashes flutter open.

“What was that for?”

“I wanted to kiss you.”

A small blush dusts her cheeks, but she quickly recovers. “It’s not getting any warmer outside, so we should do this.”

She slides the patio door open as an icy blast of cold smacks our bodies. All my muscles tense as a visible shiver runs up her spine. Her arm stretches across her chest, covering her tits from the cold while I cup myself. She tiptoes onto her shoveled patio and I follow a step behind. We both turn with our backs facing the snow. I hold out my hand and she clasps her fingers around mine.

I peer down at her. “One. Two. Three.” We fall backward. A wave of snowflakes flutter around us as we hit the snow. I clench my teeth together.

“Ahhh! This was a terrible idea!” She scream laughs.

I scurry to my feet and give her my hand to help her up. Once she’s stable, I bend down and wrap my arms under her butt and lift. “Shower time.”

I’m racing through the house with long strides until I reach the bathroom. She slides down my body as I lower her to the floor. Not waiting another second, she yanks open the shower door and steps inside. I’m trailing right behind her. When we’re cocooned in the warmth of the steam, I wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her to me. Her hands slide down my rib cage before landing on my hips.

---