Page 22 of Merry Christmas To Me
Chapter 10
Sia~
It was past ten, and the only reason I was up was because my phone has been ringing and pinging with Merry Christmas texts and calls. And when Archer’s phone started doing the same, we succumbed to the inevitable and got out of bed.
But the lack of sleep had been worth it.
After that incredible bout of sex, where we had declared our intentions, we’d had a long, good discussion once we’d come down off our highs. Archer had admitted that he had never been onboard with just a fling between us, and I had confessed about developing feelings for him, but being too afraid to say anything about it.
I had also confessed that a small part of me was hoping this wasn’t some rebound thing, and Archer had been adamant that it couldn’t be a rebound thing if I was never in love with Rodney. Archer had even gone on to demonstrate all the reasons why I couldn’t have been in love with Rodney, and why I must be in love with him.
Needless to say, we won’t be having sex today.
And as I thought about it, I was pretty certain I’d never just bounce back from anal sex with Archer, because the man was just too damn gifted size-wise.
I felt his strong arms wrap around me from behind as I mixed my hot chocolate and marshmallows. I usually drank coffee, but Christmas morning demanded hot chocolate and marshmallows.
“What’s the plan for the day?”
“I’ve always dropped Lily’s and Daniel’s gifts off on my way to my parents, but since I’m not making that trip, when she texted me Merry Christmas this morning, I asked her when a good time would be to drop off their gifts.” I leaned back to snuggle closer. “She said anytime was fine.”
“Well, we always do a stop-and-grab at the shop between three and five.”
I turned in his arms, making sure I had a solid hold on my mug. “What’s a stop-and-grab?”
He smiled, and he really did look sexy in the morning with that freshly-out-of-bed look. The man looked good after a night of dirty sex. “Since I don’t have any real family, I’ve always opened the shop between three and five, so my employees and their families can pick up their gifts.”
My heart warmed, and it wasn’t because of the hot chocolate. “That’s so nice.”
“There’s a lot of dropping off of gifts for each other and while you’re dropping off your gifts, you can pick up any that have been left of you.” Archer shrugged. “If there are any left over that couldn’t get picked up for whatever reason, I just bring them up here, and they get picked up over the weekend.”
“That’s sounds nice,” I told him, and it did. It took the pressure off having to divide your time between family and friends. “So, how about we eat a late breakfast, shower and attempted to look presentable, then take Lily and Daniel their gifts, and by the time Lily’s done pressing me for details, we’ll be back in time to open the shop?”
He kissed me on the forehead before saying, “Sounds good, but one thing first.”
“What?”
Archer grinned, and it was so easy to get lost in how stunning he looked. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get used to it. “It’s a surprise.” Throwing me a wink, he instructed, “Now go sit down.”
I took my hot chocolate to the couch, and asked, “Do I have to close my eyes?”
“Mmm, that’s probably a good idea,” he called back, and I smiled at how I could actually hear the happiness in his voice.
A few seconds later, I could feel Archer’s warmth. “If this is a naked surprise, let me set down my hot chocolate first,” I teased. “We don’t need explaining that to an ER doctor.”
His laughter filled the apartment, but he quickly realized the validity of my statement, because he said, “I’m reaching for your hot chocolate, Sia,” he chuckled. “Better safe than sorry.”
My brows went up. “Are you telling me thisisa naked surprise?”
Taking my mug from hands, he replied, “There’s a possibility it could end up that way.”
“Oooohhh,” I grinned. “I’m intrigued.”
Archer chuckled. “Open your eyes.”
When I did, Archer was sitting on the couch next to me, a beautifully wrapped box in his hand. My heart dropped and I could feel slight pressure behind my eyes. Even though I had done the same, Archer getting me something before last night’s talk mattered more than he could ever know.
He must have seen the emotion in my eyes because he whispered, “Baby…”
