Page 223 of Redeemed

“I’m glad you two get to reunite,” Colton says tiredly, “but can you not do it right in the doorway?”

With a grin, I pull Xander out of the way so Colton can step through with his and Haven’s bags. Haven follows and throws a relieved glance my way when she sees my arms around Xan.

“The drive okay?” I ask.

“Fine,” Colton says. “The roads were pretty clear almost the entire way.”

“Good.” I place my lips right by Xander’s ear and whisper, “You okay?”

“Am now,” he mumbles.

I squeeze him tight. He’s in the same boat as I am. We hate the thought of spending Christmas without our families, but being apart from each other is torture.

“I’m gonna shower,” Colton says. “How does ordering in for dinner sound to you all?”

We all voice our agreement, and he nods.

“After you come back down, we need to talk,” I tell him. “Well, the three of us. Not Haven.”

“About what?” she asks.

None of us respond, and she huffs and rolls her eyes.

“Trust us, doll,” Xander says. “It’s better this way.”

“Fine,” she grumbles. “I’m gonna shower, too.”

The moment her and Colton have disappeared, Xander pins me against the counter and fuses his lips to mine. I hook my fingers through his belt loops and yank him closer. As the kiss turns heated, I feel his dick harden.

Xander bites at my bottom lip. “We’re not doing this again.”

“What, kiss?” I ask sarcastically.

“No,” he practically growls. “We’re not spending Christmas without each other again. I’m fucking sick of it, Luc. I don’t care if I have to kidnap both you and Rora. You’re coming home with me next year.”

I grin. “I think I like the idea of you kidnapping me.”

Eyes darkening, Xander presses his hips into mine. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, Ace.”

“You know I don’t.”

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath.

“Kidnap Rora for any reason other than her safety, though, and we’ll have a problem. The girl is traumatized enough.”

“Hmmph. Fair enough.”

Still wrapped up in each other, we spend the next twenty minutes catching up. Xander updates me on stuff he didn’t tell me when we talked every day, and I do the same. Finding out how much Colton opened up at home is a relief, but it also has me sad that he’s just going to shut down his emotions again now that he’s back.

Unless… I don’t know. Maybe Haven can help him.

When Colton reenters the kitchen with his hair still damp, Xander and I reluctantly pull away.

“What’s going on?” Colton asks.

I place the flash drive Greg gave me on the counter. “This is proof that Mark is stealing from the general fund.”

Colton’s eyes dart from the drive to me. “How the hell did you get that?”

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