Page 57 of Sexted By Santa
“I’m sorry,” I told him, “but that’s never happening.”
If I couldn’t manage a relationship with one man, I certainly couldn’t manage one with two.
Hugh looked frustrated as he pushed a little closer, tipping his head close. “Our night together was good, wasn’t it?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Butwhy? If I was good enough to be your friend, and if I made you feel good in bed, thenwhy—”
My chest felt as if it were caving in on itself.
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.”
“It’s because I’m not your type, but with Fynn there too, it could work.”
“Oh Christ.” I felt sick. Had I done this to Hugh, turned him into this desperate man willing to twist and contort his relationship in an effort to please me?
“Just listen. Hear me out. That’s all I ask.”
I shook my head, at a loss for words.
Jaxson stepped into the kitchen. “Christian, I was beginning to wonder what kept you. Everything good in here?”
Mortification mixed with relief as Hugh took a step back. What must Jaxson think of this tableau?
“Yes, sorry, we were just about finished here.”
Jaxson moved closer, gaze flicking between the two of us. I felt nervous, words trembling on the tip of my tongue, ready to spill out.This isn’t what you think. Nothing happened. I don’t want him.
I want you.
“Join us for coffee,” he suggested. “I’m sure your aunt would like to spend a little more time with you.”
I exhaled shakily. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Hugh sighed. “I suppose I’ll join the others as well. Think about my offer. We could all be happy again.”
Jaxson’s eyes fixed on me as he stepped closer. He cupped my cheek, much as he’d done before we came here tonight. I’d stepped away then, certain I couldn’t let my desire for him lure me into another bad relationship choice. But just now, he was everything I wanted, and here in the same house with Fynn and Hugh, I could see clearly that he was nothing like the men I’d been with before.
The bad choices of my past didn’t have to define my present.
I leaned my face into his palm, soaking in his warmth.
“I’m going to kiss you unless you tell me not to,” he murmured.
I swallowed hard. “You are?”
“Right here, right now. While he’s watching.”
Ah, a kiss to convince Hugh I was taken. Not such a bad idea, even if my stomach did dip with disappointment. I wanted a real kiss, one that was for us, not a performance.
“So this is just to scare him off?” I murmured.
Jaxson pressed his body to mine, pinning me to the cabinets behind me. When Hugh pressed too close, I’d felt trapped. But Jaxson’s weight was a comfort, warming my body inside and out. He nudged my face up with his hand, and my breath caught when our eyes met.
“Honestly? No. It’s not for him; it’s for me,” Jaxson said. “Because I desperately want to kiss you. But I wouldn’t mind if it made him back the fuck off.”
I grabbed a fistful of his shirt—a sense of déjà vu dropping over me as I repeated the move I’d made in the car. Only this time, I didn’t hesitate. I tugged him toward me, and Jaxson tipped his head to meet mine.
