Page 22 of His Christmas Gift

“A Christmas wedding?” Autumn laughed softly as she shifted her feet next to mine.

“The officiant can dress up as Santa,” I joked, enjoying the sound of her laugh. It was nice seeing her smile. I knew that this trip didn’t give her many reasons to smile, but I would be her reason. I wanted to be an exception just like she was to me. If love actually felt as warm as this, maybe it wasn’t so bad.

“And we’ll have reindeer too?” Autumn smirked, moving the hand on my shoulder closer to the back of my neck. A light pink flush crossed her cheeks as she gazed up at me, looking at me like I was the only person in the world. I didn’t expect that to feel so good.

“Anything you want, baby,” I replied. The thought of giving her anything appealed to me. However, what also appealed to me was that she wouldn’t want me to do that. She cared more about moments than things. Doing something kind for her went way farther than getting her something expensive. She was far from a shallow person.

“Let’s go find the Christmas tree. I want to take pictures,” her other cousin, Ellie, muttered with a jealous tone to her voice. She led the rest of the family away from us, leaving us there alone together.

“Thank goodness,” Autumn muttered once they left, leaning her head forward to rest on my chest. “You’re literally a Christmas miracle.”

I smiled to myself as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. I just wanted to hold her, to remind her that she wasn’t alone in this. I couldn’t imagine being in her position. I grew up in such a supportive, nurturing family. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far in my life.

The ironic thing was that Autumn’s family thought that they were helping her by pushing her so hard, but all they were doing was holding her back. They put so much pressure and restraint on her, making her tiptoe around her literal parents. She could stand her ground around them. She had gained some boldness from the city, but her parents still knew her weak spots. It was their advantage over her.

“I don’t know how you do this, Autumn,” I admitted as I rubbed her back, feeling her rest her chin on my shoulder. I couldn’t be around people who doubted me so much, who didn’t believe in me.

Autumn shrugged.

“You get used to it,” she murmured quietly.

I shook my head and pulled back to face her, placing my hands on her upper arms.

“You shouldn’t be used to this. They should be damn proud of you for all you’ve done. I know you hate working for me, but you’ve been essential for the remodel,” I told her.

“I don’t hate working for you,” Autumn muttered as she glanced away from me. “And I don’t hate you. Anymore.”

I couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that.

“So, you like me?” I asked her, cocking an eyebrow at her to make her face flush.

A smile tugged at the corner of Autumn’s mouth, but she fought against it with all of her might. She couldn’t hide it from me, though.

“I didn’t say that,” she replied.

“But you’re not denying it,” I said as I slipped my hands down her arms slowly. “I may be your fake fiancé, but you’re feeling something real for me.”

Autumn kept her eyes away from mine, her breath hitching as my hands found her waist.

“I don’t know what I feel,” she told me, her tongue briefly caressing the corner of her mouth. The energy between us was crackling, intensifying.

I tilted my head slightly as I pulled her closer to me by her waist, admiring the snowflakes in her hair and on her eyelashes. My control was starting to fall away more and more. I knew that I wanted this woman. I shouldn’t want her, but I do. Badly.

“I know how I do,” I said before leaning forward to capture her lips.

Autumn’s eyes grew wide for a moment before she pulled away from me. She stared at me in shock for a moment. Then, her eyes shot down to my lips. The next second, her lips were back on mine, and her fingers were buried in my hair.

I tightened my grip on her waist, pulling her body flush against mine as our lips melded together. This wasn’t a kiss for show. This was real. The desire was real. I couldn’t stop myself from acting on it, from touching her how I kept fantasizing about it.

Autumn broke the kiss, catching her breath as she rested her forehead against mine.

“We shouldn’t be doing this. We’re supposed to just be pretending,” she breathed out.

My heart refused to stop racing as her words and my thoughts clashed. I knew that she had a point, but I couldn’t just go back to pretending our attraction to each other was fake. I knew what I felt, even if I wanted to ignore it. I could feel it in my heart, my head, my soul. I wanted her.

“Real or fake, I want you,” I replied, stroking her hip through her soft dress. “And I want you now.”

Autumn closed her eyes for a second like she was trying to regain her composure. Who can turn down pure desire, though? I didn’t know anyone that strong, and we weren’t exceptions in the slightest. When her eyes opened back up, they were darker than before.

“Then, we better get out of here.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

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