Page 43 of Rebel Without a Claus
Only after Luke secures the latch like it’s Fort Knox does he relax against me, draping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in close.
His breath is hot and sweet against my ear. “You didn’t meet me here in two minutes, by the way. So that whole thousand point thing? The extra ribbon? All null and void.”
I shrug. “Small price to pay to watch you chase your renegade reindeer through the whole town square.”
Luke leans down and whispers against my ear. “What about your consolation prize?”
I whirl to face him, clutching his flannel collar with one hand and his neck with the other. “Oh, I’ll take that now.”
I kiss him. Or maybe he kisses me. Hard to tell. It’s like leaning into a fire. One second of soft pressure and then it ignites, deep and dizzying. His hands cup my face, his body pressing me back against the wall, and I melt into it because I’ve wanted this forever. Since high school. Since before either of us knew how to say what we felt.
His lips part mine and I gasp against him, threading my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. He groans, so deep and low in his chest that I could drown in it.
I feel his hands drift to my ass, squeezing, then I’m in the air, being lifted up and I wrap my legs around his waist, hooking my ankles at the small of his back. He’s clutching me against him as he pushes me into the wall of the sleigh, the ridge of his cock pressing between my legs deliciously.
Then—the curtain falls.
Literally.
A gust of wind knocks down the makeshift velvet backdrop separating the main square from our private little alcove.
Somewhere in the background, the entire town gasps.
I freeze.
Luke freezes.
And there we are. Center stage of the town square. Again. This time, literally dry humping each other against Santa’s sleigh.
The sleigh bell jingle on the speaker dies out in a quiet electronic whine.
Children drop their ciders. Someone—probably Aunt May—lets out a delighted, theatrical shriek.
His hands are still on my ass. My fingers are still tangled in his hair. We’re flushed and breathless and tangled.
“Oops,” I say to the crowd as Luke lowers me back to my feet.
No one moves. Then a slow clap starts. One person. Then two. Then the whole town is clapping.
Mr. Thorne mutters something about “youths.”
Luke lets out a sound between a groan and a laugh and leans close. “I was wrong about Blitzen.You’rethe real menace here.”
“You like it,” I whisper.
I straighten my scarf and coat and turn to face the crowd with a tight smile, waving. Then with the back of my hand, I smack Luke in the side. “Wave like we’re supposed to be here!”
Snickering, he does as he’s told even though neither of us are fooling anyone. If the whole town wasn’t aware we were a couple before? Well, they do now.
The tree lights flick on overhead, and the town erupts into cheers.
But I barely hear them.
Because Luke leans in and kisses me on the cheek gently.
And I know, without a doubt, I’m all in.
CHAPTER 15
