Page 54 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

“See you!” I told Jared before shutting the door to his car and watching him drive away from the hotel.

I let out a breath, seeing a faint cloud drift from my lips. I couldn’t believe it was already Christmas Eve. Soon after tomorrow, Autumn and I would head back to New York City to either start a new chapter or go back to how things used to be.

Waiting to see was torturous. For now, I wanted to enjoy this time with her here for as long as possible. I walked into the hotel and up to our room, quietly unlocking the door and slipping inside since it was late. The television droned quietly, casting light on the bed as Autumn lay on her side with her back to me.

I slipped off my shoes and unbuttoned my dress shirt trying to listen and hear if she was asleep or not. The room was so quiet.

“Autumn, are you awake?” I whispered.

“Yes,” Autumn replied, not turning to face me.

I changed into my sleep shorts after slipping my dress shirt off my shoulders. Quietly, I got under the covers, laying on my side behind her. I reached out to rest my hand on her hip.

“I’m sorry you don’t feel good,” I told her. I wanted her to have a better Christmas Eve than this.

Autumn let out a slow, long breath before turning over to face me. She gazed up into my eyes remaining quiet for a few seconds before speaking.

“It’s okay,” she said.

I frowned slightly, wondering if anything else was up. She seemed more distant than normal, which made me concerned. I hoped that nothing bad happened that made her upset.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” I asked her. Maybe there was something that she needed to confess. There was something that I needed to confess, but I was waiting to get back to New York City, to get away from the haze of being back in our hometown with all of its memories and drama.

Autumn’s eyes almost seemed to widen, but they reverted back to their normal size immediately. She shook her head as her eyes darted away from mine.

“No,” she murmured quietly.

I guessed she didn’t feel like interacting much tonight. Maybe it was best if I just left her alone. She was probably worried about going to her parents’ place tomorrow for Christmas. It would be our final performance, so we had to make it count to make sure that they believed that we were in love. On my end, there wasn’t much performing to do.

“All right. I hope you sleep well,” I told her before starting to turn over.

Suddenly, Autumn reached out and cupped my cheek, drawing my lips to hers in a soft kiss.

I tensed up in surprise at first, not expecting her to kiss me after acting so odd around me. I couldn’t stay shocked for long, though. Her lips were too soft, too warm, for me to focus on anything else. I closed my eyes and leaned into her, kissing her slowly and patiently.

Autumn moved her hand around to the back of my head, caressing my hair as we tangled up together underneath the sheets. We had to be as close as possible, hands reaching and caressing. She slipped her leg between mine, lips parting as my tongue brushed hers.

It felt like we were kissing in slow motion. Every touch felt laced with passion, with need. The kiss wasn’t fiery and lustful. It was so much deeper than that, striking me hard. I always wanted this woman wrapped up in my arms. I didn’t want to let her go, and I was so glad that she wasn’t distant anymore. She was right here with me.

Autumn broke away from me briefly to slip her shirt off before dragging me back into the kiss. The heat started to turn up, but our touches were still soft. Our movements were still slow. We just wanted to touch, to feel, to experience.

I moved my hand along her side, tracing the curves of her body and feeling her breasts against my chest. She was so warm and soft, feeling perfect in my hands and against my body. Somehow, I needed her even closer. I helped her slip off her shorts and panties, my briefs and sleep shorts soon following.

Autumn rolled onto her back, coaxing me to crawl over her. She gazed up at me with soft eyes, her fingertips tracing my jawline.

“Please,” she whispered. She then swallowed hard. “I need you.”

I leaned down and kissed her softly, holding the back of her neck. She seemed so vulnerable right now, giving herself over to me. I was going to take care of her, to show her that I was here for her until she sent me away. Until then, I wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ve got you,” I promised before pulling her legs around me. I slowly pushed into her, feeling her thighs tighten around my waist. My forehead pressed against hers as our bodies settled together. This was how close I wanted to be to her.

“Dean…” Autumn gasped out quietly. She slipped her fingers through my hair, keeping my forehead against hers as I started to rock my hips against hers.

I closed my eyes reveling in how good she felt. I picked up the pace slightly, but I focused on going deeper instead of faster. I didn’t want to rush. I wanted to feel everything, to have her feel everything.

“Oh… yes…” I breathed out, heat flooding through me. I leaned down more to capture her lips, needing to taste her. I needed all of her. I couldn’t imagine going back to New York City and losing her, losing what we had. It made me happier than I had ever felt before.

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