Page 29 of Mistletoed with the Mountain Man
"I know." She grins, bumping her shoulder against mine. "So what's the plan for today, Deputy?"
"Well, the inside’s done, Christmas angel. We finished the last bedroom."
"Oh." She blinks, like she hadn't realized. "Right. Wow. We just need to put up the exterior lights and some additional decor and it really is done, isn't it?"
The implication hangs between us.
The job is almost complete. Technically, she won’t need to be here anymore.
"Sadie and Ledger come down tomorrow," I say. "Harlon arrives the day after. Then it's Christmas Eve."
"Time flies when you're decorating, bribing rodents, and having incredible sex," she says lightly, but I catch the tension in her shoulders.
I should say something to ease her mind.
But to be honest, I’m not sure what to say.
"We should get going on the outside before the weather turns again," she says, gathering the plates and sliding off the stool. "Make sure everything's ready before your sister gets here tomorrow.”
She's deflecting again.
But all I can do is nod.
We get the outside done in record time, worried the weather will force us to stop.
And well, the thought of stopping to talk about…us, terrified me more than spending hours on the 32-foot ladder with a nail gun.
I’ve never hung so many lights over three stories of house—over decks and eaves and around garages and gables.
While I did that, Nia put up wreaths on every door, arranged the front yard with white Santa sleighs, reindeer and frostedsnowmen with pops of red, gold, and silver to bring everything alive.
By early afternoon, the place looksspectacular.
Worth every penny.
For lunch, I have pizza delivered from Pizza Palace, the only place in Deepwood Mountain that still delivers in this kind of weather, and we eat on the couch in front of the fireplace.
"Your family's going to love it," Nia says softly, curled against my side with her feet tucked under her. "This is the most beautiful cabin I've ever decorated."
I press a kiss to the top of her head. "You brought it to life."
"We make a good team." She tilts her face up to look at me. "Don't we?"
The vulnerability in her question makes my chest tight. "Yes, Christmas angel. We really do."
She sets her plate aside and shifts in my lap, straddling me. Her hands frame my face, thumbs stroking along my jaw.
"I don't want this to end," she whispers.
She kisses me before I can say anything, soft and sweet and devastating. I melt into it, my hands settling on her hips, pulling her closer.
When she pulls back, her eyes are dark. "Let me make you feel good."
"You always make me feel good."
"No." She slides off my lap and sinks to her knees between my legs. "I meanreallygood."
My brain short-circuits as her hands go my belt buckle. "I want to taste you, Kade. Want to feel you come in my mouth."
