Page 89 of Christmas Candy

“What time is it?” The haze from the meds was still clouding things for me.

“A little after ten.” Dad patted me on the arm. “Glad you’re all right, son.”

“Thanks.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Anna. I wanted her to rest, to stop worrying, to give me her smile again.

“That late already?” Ellen asked and then swore under her breath. “Oh no, Howie hasn’t been out in ages!”

“You stay here. I’ll go and let him out.” Dad picked up his coat from the sofa near the door.

“No.” I shook my head. “Everyone go home and get some sleep. I’ll be fine.”

Ellen put her hands on her hips, a classic stonewall move of hers. “Someone should stay, Niles, what if—”

“I’ll stay.” Anna leaned back in her chair, apparently unwilling to budge.

“Are you sure?” Ellen glanced from me to Anna, trepidation in her eyes.

“It’s fine Mom, really. I need to get used to all this if I’m going to go to med school, right?”

“Well …”

Dad looked from me to Anna and smiled the slightest bit. “I think they’ll be all right. Come on, let’s go. We’ll have the house to ourselves. Maybe we can get up to some funny business.”

Ellen blushed. “Brent! At a time like this when your son is—hang on—what are you…”

Ellen kept scolding even as she allowed dad to help her with her coat and led her to the door.

“See you in the morning.” Dad gave a knowing look from Anna and back to me again before escorting a tittering Ellen from the room.

“That still grosses me out.” Anna propped her head on her hand.

“What, our parents getting it on?”

Anna groaned. “Yes, that.” She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms.

“Come on.” I shifted over, ignoring the pain radiating from the cast on my leg. It was a dull ache, whatever pain medicine they’d given me doing its job.

She shook her head. “I’ll just sleep on the couch over there.” But then she met my eyes, and I could see she was tempted.

I scooted further and groaned. She was up in an instant, leaning over me. “What, what happened? Do you need more pillows?”

My plan worked. She was close enough so I could grab her and drag her over the rail. She squeaked with surprise as I settled her into the bed next to me.

“Gotcha.” I lay back, somehow drained from that small exertion.

“I can’t sleep in your bed—”

“You can and you will.” I inhaled her scent – some sort of fruity lotion and her shampoo. “I need to be attended to and you’re just the pre-med student to do it.”

She tried to sit up and away from me, but I clamped my hand on her like a vise.

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll stay, Niles. I’ll stay. Just let me take my jacket off. And my shoes.”

“That’s more like it.” I relaxed and watched her strip off her outer layer. Her breasts were perfectly round against her fleecy top, begging to be touched. “Get under the covers.”

“No.” She stripped her shoes off and tossed them next to the bed.

I gripped the sheet and ripped it from under her like a magician with a tablecloth. “Yes. Get under here with me.”

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