Page 98 of Cheater and the Saint
24
Saint
Three Weeks Later
There was something magical about Christmas trees; the twinkling of the lights, the way the ornaments reflected off of them, and the overall peace from sitting and staring at it. Halloween was my favorite holiday, but there was a special kind of feeling with Christmas. One I couldn’t put into words, but rather feelings.
Love, peace, and joy. Just like the song, right?
After making myself a cup of hot cocoa that night, I sat on the couch and cuddled into the cushions. The TV was off and I was listening to the Christmas playlist I’d created that had the pretty choral type songs. They were my favorite. I sipped my hot drink and looked at the tree, enjoying the alone time.
Leo had gone to the mall with Jacob to do some Christmas shopping. Lately, he’d started hanging out more with Jacob than with his friend Tayte.
I’d asked him why, and he’d answered, “Tayte is going down one road. And I’m going down another. We’re still cool, but I don’t like the person I am when I’m with him.”
A change had taken root in Leo. A good one. After Thanksgiving, he’d really started pushing himself in his studies, and he’d done a ton of research about possible career options. He liked the outdoors idea, but he also liked working with people. A job where he worked around a bunch of people would be good for a social butterfly like him.
So far, he’d come up with: a gym teacher, a youth counselor, and a porn star—that’d been a joke, thank god. I then told him that he didn’t have to decide on a career yet. He needed to find a field of study he enjoyed and go from there.
Hearing a ping from my phone, I saw a message from Chris.
Chris:Ho, ho, ho, mother fucker.
Christmas tree emojis trailed at the end of the message.
Me:Stop talking about your mom like that. Rude.
Chris:How’re things? How’s life? What’re you doing? What’re you eating?
I typed back a response and hummed asCarol of the Bellscame on. Me and Chris had our ups and downs, but he was still my best friend. He’d been ecstatic when I told him Leo and I’d made things official, and ever since then, everything had been back to normal with him. He was dating some guy he’d met at the buffet in a Chinese restaurant, and he gave me an update on how they were doing.
Keys jingled from outside the door right before there was a click, and Leo walked in with Jacob following behind him.
“God, turn a light on,” Leo said, kicking the door closed with his foot and holding bags.
“A light is on.” I pointed to the lit tree. “Have fun?”
“Leo dragged me all over the mall.” Jacob plopped down on the loveseat. “It was a madhouse.”
“Quit your bitching,” Leo called out as he walked down the hall. He closed his door before coming back into the living room. Yep. That meant he bought me something. “You got some good deals, so shut your face.” He sat beside me and pulled me against him. “Where’s Angel? I thought he was coming over.”
“He did,” I answered, laying my head on his chest. “He left like ten minutes before you got home.”
“Nothing shadier than a man ducking out right before the boyfriend gets home.” Leo quirked a brow. “Did he steal your honor? Should I expect to see fang marks on your neck?”
After placing my cup of hot cocoa on the coffee table, I tickled beneath his chin—which was the place he was most ticklish—and he squirmed around, trying to break free. He was such a big baby and squealed.
“Take it back,” I said, still tickling him. I had his leg pinned under mine and held down his dominant arm.
“Fine! He’s not a home wrecker,” Leo wheezed, and I stopped. “But I’m pretty sure he’s a vampire.”
His little battle with Angel was all in good fun. Angel had apologized to him for being an asshole, and even though they weren’t the best of friends, they were friendly at least.
“You guys are so cute I could throw up,” Jacob said, standing and grabbing the two bags he’d brought in. “Goodnight.”
Once we were alone, I straddled Leo on the couch and kissed him. His hand rubbed my back, and I felt his dick harden against mine. He smiled against my lips before trailing kisses from my mouth and down my neck. When he sucked the skin at the base of my throat, I gasped and grabbed a handful of his dark hair.
Bottoming was still something I had no interest in doing, but I loved the feel of him grinding his hips upward. Fucking me with our clothes on.
