Page 23 of Twelve Dates of Christmas

Chapter Ten

~ Holly ~

To call me overwhelmed was an understatement. I’d had no idea Rylan was wealthy, let alone filthy rich. Holy cow. Suddenly, I was really glad I’d told him I loved him before I saw all this. I’d hate for him to think his bank account had anything to do with my feelings.

It didn’t.

He handed me one of the hot chocolates and sipped the other.

“This room is beautiful,” I told him. “The whole house is, what I’ve seen anyway. But I really like this one.”

“You can do whatever you want with the house.”

“You’re really serious? About me moving in? About marrying you?”

“Dead serious.” He handed me a cookie. “When you’re warmed up a little, I’ll show you around the place…maybe, make a stop in the bedroom.”

I swallowed, and my tongue darted out across my bottom lip. Bending away from him, I placed my cookie and the hot chocolate on the tray. I took his mug and did the same with it.

“I’d like that tour now.”

“You’re sure?” he asked. We both knew it wasn’t just a tour of the house. I might not even see the whole place before I ended up in his bed. There was no where I wanted to be more than I wanted to become one with him. I’d felt that way for days. And now, I knew my date crasher felt the same way.

I nodded. “There are better ways to warm me up than hot chocolate, don’t you think?”

He grinned and stood with me in his arms. “This is the family room. Hallway.” His legs took long strides while I clung to him, and we kissed. “Foyer and main stairs.” He took the steps at a jog that bounced my body. I just giggled and held onto him tighter. “Upstairs hallway.” More kisses. “Bedroom,” he finally announced. The door banged shut behind him with a kick. After a few more long strides, he placed me on the blankets. “Bed.”

“Good tour.” I hadn’t seen a bit of it, and I didn’t care. I pulled him down over me. His mouth immediately covered mine. He groaned, giving quick biting kisses.

“I was so worried about you, baby. I was thinking of you all day, then when you called, I about lost my mind. You’re getting a new car.”

“I’m not with you for—”

He cut me off with a kiss. “I know. And you’re getting a new car. I need you to be safe. Always.”

I shook my head. “I can’t take a car from you, Rylan.”

“You’re going to be my wife. All this will be yours, too.”

“Um, I…”

“Never letting you go, baby.”

I never wanted to go anywhere anyway. If we had to live together in my shabby little apartment, that would have been okay. I just wanted him. When I’d thought I’d have to tell him goodbye my heart had broken.

“You have me, wherever we are,” I promised. “Here or at my apartment.”

“You’re moving in here,” he reiterated.

As we kissed, we pulled at our clothes, needing to be skin to skin. It was the first time for me, and I’d never felt as aroused as I was now. He’d already told me he’d never felt anything like he did with me, so I had to believe this was all new for him, too.

His fingers skimmed over every inch of exposed skin while I dragged my fingertips along the hard ridges of his powerful, large body. God, he made me feel tiny.

I gasped when his lips closed around one of my nipples.

“I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you are,” he said against my skin between licks and sucks. He drew until I writhed, tugging, tugging, tugging at the secret connection between my breasts and my core.

My hips lifted, grinding against him while he shifted to the other nipple.

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