Page 50 of Another Christmas from Hell

“As you should be,” Cayley said, licking her lips as she once again prepared herself for the harsh interrogation that she had no choice but to put him through, only to swallow hard as she watched the way his jaw clenched tightly, but not before he released a groan that sent her heartbeat racing and-

She was definitely in over her head on this one, Cayley decided as she sat there, watching him and found herself thinking about how much she liked it when he touched her, the way that he held her, and those mornings when she pretended to be asleep when he gently ran his fingertips over her back while she sat there thinking about just how badly she wanted to touch him again. She thought about the night they picked out a Christmas tree a lot, probably more than she should.

“How long have you been thinking about me?” Cayley found herself asking as she reached up and ran her hands over his chest, absently noting the way that his muscles jumped beneath her touch as she watched her hands move over him.

“Too long,” Bryce said hoarsely as his hands gripped the edge of the kitchen island as she moved her hands over him, enjoying the feel of warm, smooth skin beneath her touch.

“I’ve thought about you,” Cayley found herself admitting as she glanced up to find him watching her. She watched his jaw clench tightly as her gaze dropped back down to his chest as she pulled her hand back just far enough so that she was now running her fingertips over his chest and down his well-defined abs.

“How long?” Bryce asked, only to groan when she ran her fingertips down his chest and over his abs.

“Too long,” Cayley admitted as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his chest, only to smile when she heard the soft moan he released when she did it.

Curious to see if she could make him do it again, Cayley tilted her head back and pressed her lips against his throat, earning a groan and a muttered curse that had her tilting her head back more so that she could kiss the spot just beneath his chin. She loved the way that he responded, Cayley thought, turning her head back down so that she could kiss his throat as she started running her hands over him again.

“I thought you were interrogating me,” Bryce said, groaning as she kissed a path down his throat and moved her hands over his chest and down his stomach.

“I am,” Cayley said, unable to help but moan as she ran her hands along his sides before sliding them over his back. “This is the accelerated version.”

“Is that what this is?” Bryce murmured, only to groan again when she turned her head and kissed the side of his neck.

“How often do you think about me?” Cayley asked as she continued taking her time, kissing his neck as she ran her hands over his back as she thought about all those times that she found herself watching Bryce, thinking about him, and those times when Kevin’s touches weren’t enough.

She’d tried to stop thinking about him, tried not to think about how much she wanted him, how good it would feel to touch him, and when she couldn’t, she felt sick to her stomach. It wasn’t long before she’d started pulling her hand away when Kevin tried holding it, started avoiding his touch, and made up excuses when he wanted to spend the night as the guilt ate her alive. She’d never been able to understand this pull that Bryce had on her, never wanted to, and when he was around…

“Every fucking day,” Bryce said as his hands cupped her face and gently pulled her attention back to find him watching her. “How often do you think about me, Cayley?” he asked as his gaze searched hers.

“More than I should,” Cayley admitted softly.

“I don’t want to wait for Friday,” Bryce said, gently shaking his head.

“For what?” Cayley asked, watching as his gaze dropped to her lips.

“For this.”

CHAPTER27

“But…” Cayley mumbled sadly, making Bryce chuckle as he pressed a kiss against her forehead before he stepped away.

“Give me a minute,” Bryce said absently as he took in her apartment, taking in the boxes stacked in the corner, the Christmas tree that even he had to admit was beautiful, before shifting his attention to the scented candles on her coffee table and decided that they would have to do.

“Why are you playing with my emotions like this?” Cayley asked as Bryce crossed the room and turned the Christmas lights on before making his way to the coffee table and lit the candles.

“Have you always been this impatient?” Bryce asked with an easy smile as he made his way across the room and turned the lights off, only to chuckle when she said, “Yes.”

“I don’t know how my brother puts up with you,” Bryce said, sighing heavily as he made his way back into the kitchen, noting the curious expression on Cayley’s beautiful face as she took in the softly lit apartment.

“I’m a pleasure to be around,” Cayley assured him with a solemn nod as he pulled her into his arms.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Bryce murmured, kissing her forehead as he took her hands in his and placed them on his shoulders.

“Ummm, what are we doing?” Cayley asked, sounding curious.

“You’re dancing with me,” he said, only to bite back a sigh when she pointed out, “There’s no music.”

“You really are a pain in the ass,” Bryce said, pressing another kiss to her forehead before he reached over and grabbed her phone. After a quick search, he found what he was looking for.

“I can’t dance,” Cayley reminded him, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as Bryce placed her phone back on the kitchen island as soft music suddenly filled the small apartment.

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