Page 9 of Bonded By Christmas
I’m a bit of a homebody, though.
We ran into each other in the hallway one night when he was collecting his delivery, and I was coming in after work.
It’s not necessarily a ritual, but we have eaten together a few times since. And he knows how much I love bourbon chicken with fried rice. It’s like the holy grail of Chinese delivery, since only one place around here has it. I’m used to having to go to the mall to get my fix.
I groan, drop my fork in the plastic take-out container, and put it down on the coffee table. Snagging my soda, I take a long sip before screwing on the lid and putting the bottle down.
“I’m stuffed.” I fall back against the couch cushion and dart a look at Cal. He’s on the other end of the sofa, shoveling a massive bite of lo mein into his mouth.
It’s beyond me how the man can look attractive while doing the most random things, but here we are. He has two sexy little hoops that frame his bottom lip. Maybe those are called snake-bite piercings? It’s hard to tell since I’ve only seen someone wear studs in that kind of piercing, but they fit Callum’s faceto perfection. They’re black stainless steel, and they match the hoop in his nose, which coincidentally matches the plethora of dark tattoos that line his neck.
He catches me watching and winks. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in a bite?” He holds out the white box of noodles.
“I’m literally dying. I think I ate three pounds of food.” I stretch back, running a hand over my stomach. “Why didn’t I stop when I was full?”
He laughs, and his wavy blond hair falls over his forehead. It’s shaved close on the sides and around the back, but the hair on the top of his head is so long, I bet he could braid it if he wanted to. “Because it tasted good?”
“Obviously,” I agree, grabbing the remote and flicking to Netflix.
Staring at him is a bad idea.
Luckily, I’m too full to do something ridiculous like chuck myself at him, but last time we hung out…
It got close.
He brought this strawberry shortcake covered in whipped cream for dessert. Then proceeded to feed it to me by hand. The entire experience felt sexual, and I was sure he was into me too, but once the slice was gone, he sat on the other end of the couch and simply watched the rest of the movie.
I kept waiting for him to kiss me or make a move of some kind, but he was totally respectful and left as soon as it was over. It was confusing, to say the least, and I’m a little surprised he even popped back by. I spent the next several days convincing myself that I made something out of nothing.
Now he’s here again, and it’s safe to say I have no idea what’s going on.
“What are we watching tonight?” He drops his food on the coffee table and reaches down, loosening the ties on his boots. His blue-green eyes meet mine as he kicks out of his shoes.
I try to focus on the question, but Callum is stupidly hot. Like the kind of gorgeous you only see on actors or musicians or maybe models.
A few days’ worth of stubble, just a few shades darker than the hair on the top of his head, frames his strong jaw a little too well as he grins.
And the man smiles like he knows how melty it makes my insides.
That’s unfair.
“Not that I hate Christmas movies, but how do you feel about horror?” He shoves himself off the couch and gathers the trash, dropping it into the plastic bag that it came in. Once everything is tidied, he heads to the trash can in the kitchen. “Need anything while I’m up? Do you have beer?” He pulls open the refrigerator as I blink in confusion.
What is happening?
Chapter Five
Callum
Ilove the way Lacey’s nose wrinkles when she’s confused. I find it quite fucking cute, even if she’s busy looking at me like she has no idea why I’m in her apartment.
There’s no beer, so I settle for a bottle of water and make my way back to the couch. She turned on the heat when she first came in, but there’s still a light chill in the air. Sliding around the coffee table, I grab the blanket thrown over the back of the chair and bring it to the couch with me.
“Are you going to stretch out?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows.
She came home from work in jeans and an oversized wool coat, but she changed into Christmas pajamas before she joined me to eat.
They’re patterned and soft. I have the overwhelming urge to ask her if she has a favorite stuffie. Probably better to save that question until later so she doesn’t shut down on me completely.
