Page 16 of A Beastly Christmas Cheerful
Chapter Eleven
BELLE
“I don’t want to,” I mumble as I roll and stretch. Letting out a content sigh, I can’t remember the last time I slept this well. I never want to move from this spot.
My phone starts going off again, and I realize it’s what woke me up. There’s only one reason someone would call me on a loop until I picked up, and it’s definitely about work.
The thought of work makes me jerk awake as I sit up and glance around. When I realize yesterday wasn’t a dream, I start to smile. Then my phone goes off again, and I groan. Ms. King really is the killer of joy, and I’m sure she’ll be killing me next.
Crawling out of the bed, I go in search of Marley. The last thing I remember is being on the couch with him. I cuddled up with my head in his lap, and he hadn’t protested. In fact, he started playing with my hair. I didn’t know something so simple could feel so good.
As if my thoughts have conjured him, he comes walking into the room. I bounce over to him excitedly, and before I can stop myself, I jump right into his arms. He catches me, and his deep and sexy chuckle vibrates against me. I love that sound so freaking much.
“Morning, sunshine,” he tells me.
“Sunshine?”
“You’re always lighting up a room. We should put you on top of the tree.”
"We'll need a bigger tree if that’s the case, but I’m willing to give it a shot."
I think I might do anything Marley asked me. Each time I get a smile from him, it feels like something is lighting up inside of me.
My phone starts ringing again, and I cringe.
“Sorry, keep forgetting to answer that.” I wiggle in Marley's hold, and he kisses me on the top of my head before putting me down. “I kind of love it when you do that.”
“What? Kiss the top of your head?” I nod. He smiles and does it again. “All you have to do is let me know, and I’ll make all your wishes come true.”
“I wish my boss wasn’t such a meanie and that I could go back in time and un-break the espresso machine.”
“You broke an espresso machine?” He lifts a brow, and I see him fighting a smile.
Marley is so lighthearted with me. I’m starting to really believe that we’re a perfect fit. Although I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, as I often do. It always ends in disaster. One that is ringing right now.
"There isn't any proof of that," I tell him. "Unless there’s a camera in the break room."
"In a big office, my guess is they have one."
"Dang it." My shoulders drop, and I wonder if they’ll take the machine out of my paycheck. Joke’s on them, I don’t think it will cover it.
Marley steps past me and walks over to the nightstand. He must have plugged in my phone at some point, probably when he put me in the bed. I wish I'd been awake while he carried me. That's twice that I've missed it.
"What are you doing?"
I watch in stunned shock as Marley answers the phone. I don't know if I should panic or let him try to deal with whoever is on the other end. It’s either my boss James or his boss, Ms. King. It doesn't really matter, though, because I'm stuck in place watching what happens next. I want to know, but I’m scared too.
“Why the hell are you calling so much on Christmas Eve?”
Marley practically growls into the phone, and it makes my nipples tighten. Holy crap. He pauses for a moment, and I assume whoever is on the other end of the phone is talking.
“I have her,” he snaps, and then there’s another pause. “She’s staying.”
My brows lift as I watch him, shocked and kind of turned on.
“Yes, this is Marley Jacobs.”
From where I’m standing, I can hear a small scream come through the line. It’s loud enough for me to hear it, and Marley has to pull the phone away from his ear.
