Page 17 of His Christmas Gift

“It’s sexy, especially if I do this.” He stripped the towel from her body with a quick flick of the wrist. Her hair fell down over her shoulders, brushing and teasing her breasts and it was enough to make him need another taste of her. “God you’re beautiful, princess. If you don’t get dressed soon, I’m going to end up keeping you in bed all day, and I really should get some work done this afternoon.”

“Can I borrow a shirt?” She leaned into him as she gathered her hair up to put it into a messy ponytail.

“You can borrow anything of mine you want, Missy, but I think this will suit you better,” he stated walking her out into the bedroom, letting her see the outfit he’d had Addison send over for her. Thankfully the woman recalled her sizing and tone, and the jewel green day dress should look amazing on her.

“Where on earth…” She stopped spotting the tag on it with a light smile at him. “You had someone send this over this morning?”

“I’m not about to send you out in your, adorable as they may be, pjs at this time of day, princess. I’ll never let anyone hurt you or think poorly of you,” he stated lifting her chin towards him, seeing the happy, accepting, surprise in her eyes.

“I love it, but you don’t have to buy me anything for me to like you Jasper. I’d much rather have you sitting beside me, holding my hand, than to have jewelry and dresses.”

“I noticed you didn’t mention shoes, chocolate, or wine in that speech,” he teased making her laugh before slipping into the garments so they could get her things packed and transferred to his home.

∞∞∞

Melissa knew it took twice as long as he kissed her every few minutes, letting the kisses last longer than light pecks or caresses, but she didn’t mind. It meant she was with him, and she wanted every possible moment with him she could manage.

Once she told him who she was, he might feel differently about her, or else her father might attempt to stop their relationship. She didn’t want either of those things to happen, so for now, she’d keep the truth to herself and enjoy being with Jasper.

“I think that’s the last of it,” he said coming back into her apartment after taking down the last load. “You travel very light for even six months, Missy.”

“There’s not a lot of room around here. I was just glad to find a furnished spot that would do a six-month rental rather than a year.” She checked the cabinets again for food that they’d missed. It reminded her of the bathroom cabinet, and she slipped back into it, taking out a few items she’d missed, including her birth control pills she’d forgotten completely about last night.

“Those might be important in the next few weeks,” he said seeing the package in her hand when she settled the little bits into her bag. “It didn’t even cross my mind to think about it last night.”

“Or mine but thankfully I take them in the mornings, so I’m not super late on it.” She took the one for that day before they headed out to the car. She would deal with the lease and the rest of it later; right now, she just wanted to spend a few more minutes with Jasper.

He settled her legs across his lap once they were in the car and lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it making her smile. “I want you to know that I never forget protection; with you was the first time that I’ve ever not used it.”

“Ever?” she asked in shock. “You’re honestly saying that I’m the only one…”

“The only one I’ve ever felt skin to skin in the most intimate way, yes,” he said loving the color that hit her cheeks. “And now I’ll admit, it’s become a bit addictive, but if you want, I’ll do my best to ensure nothing happens and we can use…”

“No,” she said stopping him. “I’m good at remembering my pill. I’ve been on them for quite a while now and it’s usually second nature, even when I’m not feeling great, to take it.”

“How long is quite a while and can I ask why you’re on the pill when you were still a virgin?” he questioned running a finger across her lips to stop himself from kissing her.

“Five years, my cycle was so irregular that it was impossible to do anything,” she told him, comfortable enough with him to admit it when she’d never even told her father about being on them in the first place. “I could go months without a period and then I’d have one that would nearly knock me over. My doctor recommended the pill so I could regulate and lessen my cycle when it did come.”

“That must have been difficult to handle without your mother around, princess. I’d think it’d be hard for any teenager to deal with the uncertainty of when it might strike let alone if you couldn’t ask someone close to you about it. I’m glad it helps but even if you weren’t on the pill, I still wouldn’t regret last night, not even if it had led to a possible risk.”

“You don’t really mean that, do you?” she asked surprised that he wouldn’t be worried that they might potentially have made a child if she hadn’t been taking the pill.

“With you, yes.” He kissed her softly accentuating the answer. “One of these days, we’re going to make a baby and I’ll be the happiest man alive, Missy. I haven’t changed my mind since I met you, what I told you that night is still true. In twenty years, I still want you to be wrapped around me while we watch our children continue to grow. As soon as your internship is finished, I want to meet your father. I want to tell him that I’m going to take care of you for the rest of your life, and it’s going to be a long one, princess. You and I are meant to be one. We are in one way, and I hope soon, we can become it in another.”

“I want that too,” she whispered, letting his lips taste hers until they were back at his house.

It didn’t take long to get her things unloaded from the car and she pushed Jasper from the room—his room—so she could put them away while he worked. He truly did need to get some work done and then she could go see about getting the rest of the Christmas party décor settled.

She changed her mind on that seeing the flakes falling from the sky once she moved downstairs and instead, she moved around the house, coming up with an idea of how to decorate it for Christmas. She peeked into the other rooms to see how they were decorated, and she stopped outside one of the guest rooms, wrinkling her nose at what she found behind the doors.

“What’s wrong?” Jasper asked catching Melissa unaware making her jump slightly.

“These rooms, beyond the one you let me use, and yours, they’re awful Jasper,” she said making him laugh fully. “I’m serious, who on earth decorated these other rooms?”

“Me.” He laughed as she bit her bottom lip slightly. He lifted his thumb and stopped her from doing any damage telling her, “I know they’re sad, I just never have that many guests over at a time. My mother decorated the one you used and arranged my bedroom as well. I just stuck pieces in the other spaces and had Mrs. Nelson toss comforters onto the beds to cover up the mattresses. Most of them likely don’t have sheets on them.”

“I think it’s going to take me longer to get these rooms reorganized and decorated than it will the Christmas and investors’ parties combined,” she said with another glance into the room.

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