Twenty-three
Reid
It had been a long time since I woke up on Christmas morning and felt excitement about the day.
As a kid, I could recall it being such a big deal to me, and not just for the presents. It was knowing I’d have a whole day with both of my parents and our extended family.
Sadly, only having the holidays to look forward to for our family to ever be together meant that I was out the door and on my way to a new place to live as soon as I could make it happen.
The holidays hadn’t been the same ever since.
Until now.
Until today.
Until Natalia.
I hadn’t even opened my eyes, and I was already the happiest I’d been in a very long time. That it was Christmas morning, and I was in my hometown of Cardinal, was icing on the cake.
With my arms still wrapped around her warm, soft body, I peeled my eyes open and looked down at Natalia.
Perfect.
Even as she slept, she was the most precious thing. I’d thought that weeks ago when I’d spent the night here tending to her as her body tried to heal from her assault. But now I got to hold her all night without so much as a scratch marring her figure. There was no question about it—I was lucky.
As though sensing my gaze upon her, Natalia’s eyes fluttered open. She tipped her chin up and brought her attention to me. A lazy but satisfied smile spread across her face. “Merry Christmas.”
Her voice was a deep rasp.
“Merry Christmas.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“Just a few minutes,” I answered.
She nodded and cuddled closer. Although, I wasn’t quite sure how she accomplished that, considering her body was practically plastered to mine as it was.
But I wasn’t complaining. I was more than content to have her as close as she wanted to be.
Hell, if she wanted to climb on top of me first thing this morning, I’d be more than happy to assist in getting her there.
“It was better than I thought it was going to be.”
Assuming her mind was in the same place as mine, I countered, “The sex?”
She blinked in surprise. “What? No. I mean, well, yes, of course. But I wasn’t referring to that.”
“What are you talking about, then?”
Natalia’s fingertips brushed my chest lightly. “Falling asleep and waking up in your arms. I’m not sure I’ll want you to ever go back to your cabin.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “I’ll stay here as often as you want me to.”
“I’m glad.” She pressed a soft kiss against my chest and looked up at me again. “Would it upset you if I told you I have two gifts for you today? One is for now, and the other is for later.”
I nearly choked. “Not at all, considering I did exactly the same thing. I have one for you to use now, and the other you likely won’t be able to use for a few months.”
Her body went rigid. “You got me Christmas presents?”
Wanting to feel her weight on top of me, I fell to my back and tugged her closer.
Natalia loosened up enough to hook her leg over my thigh.
Driving my hands into her hair on either side of her head, I spoke softly.
“Of course, I got you gifts. You just said you did the same for me. Why wouldn’t I get you something? ”
She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s not… I’m sorry. I… It’s been a very long time since I’ve gotten any Christmas gifts.”
Suddenly, I wished I’d gotten her more than I had. I’d been worried about going overboard too soon and scaring her off, but perhaps I should have gone with my gut. “I’m sorry to hear that. Not even with your friends?”
Natalia blinked rapidly to stave off the tears and let out a long breath. “Danielle and I exchange a gift with one another every year, but it’s a planned thing we always do. I don’t know. It feels different than hearing you admit that you got me something.”
“Two things,” I corrected her.
Her laugh filled the air. “Right. Two things. I guess I should clarify something, though. When I said that I had something for you now and something for you later, I meant that I had a gift I wanted to give you at this very moment.”
“Okay. Do you need to get up to get it, because I kind of like having you where you are right now?”
With a gleam in her eyes, Natalia said, “Actually, you’re the one who needs to get up.”
“Me? Why?”
Something that looked a lot like mischief leaked onto her features as her hand drifted down my body. “You don’t need to get up on your feet. Just… Oh, someone’s already there.”
I smiled. “I got there right around the time you opened your eyes and wished me a Merry Christmas.”
“Well, in that case, you’ve been waiting a while for this gift.” Natalia shifted her body, positioned herself between my thighs, and gave me one last naughty look before she parted her lips and took me into her gorgeous mouth.
Merry Christmas to me, indeed.
Natalia had made it clear yesterday that she was prepared to return the favor of me going down on her, but I’d been too desperate to get my cock inside her pussy. But now I realized the mistake I’d made.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t enjoyed what we had last night.
I did.
It was amazing.
But what she was doing to me now was just barely in second place. I should’ve known from the start that it was her mouth that would be the death of me.
Fuck.
She was incredible.
“Natalia,” I groaned, driving my hands into her hair as she worked her mouth over my length.
It took massive restraint to allow her to set the pace and depth, to not hold her head in place and thrust my hips up. Fortunately, Natalia did enough with her lips and tongue and hand that I managed to hold myself back.
She sucked and licked and fisted me.
She hummed whenever I let out a groan, which only made me want to do it again.
And she alternated her pace. Slow, then fast, then slow again. She licked up the shaft, caressed and massaged my balls, and paid special attention to the tip.
When I was on the verge of an orgasm, I gripped her arm. “I’m going to come, if you want to stop.”
Natalia lifted her gaze to meet mine, hollowing her cheeks as she did, and I could see the challenge in her stare. She wanted this. She had no intention of stopping before she’d gotten me to the other side. And that was all it took for me to lose control.
My head dropped back on the pillow as she sucked me dry, swallowing down every last drop.
That mouth.
Those lips.
That tongue.
She’d barely freed me from the confines of her mouth when I surged up, flipped her over, spread her legs, and buried my face between them.
No way was I going to allow her to do what she just did without giving her the same.
So, that’s what I did.
And it was easily the best Christmas morning of my whole life.
Following the morning I’d had with Natalia, I didn’t think it would be possible for anything to happen that would ruin my day.
We’d spent a fair amount of time in bed with one another before dragging ourselves to the kitchen for some sustenance. Natalia had wanted to give me the gift she’d bought for me, but I refused to open anything without being able to give her the gifts I’d gotten her.
So, I hopped on the golf cart that was still sitting outside, drove over to my cabin, and picked up the gifts along with a change of clothing. When I returned, I found Natalia had left the front door unlocked, because she’d decided to hop in the shower. Naturally, I joined her.
And after another round of fun with her, we finally exchanged gifts.
“This is your gift that’s meant for now,” I told her, handing her the first of two wrapped boxes.
Her face lit up with happiness. The excitement she exuded reminded me of myself when I was a kid on Christmas morning. “The box is huge, Reid. What the heck is this?”
Smiling, I said, “You’ll have to open it to find out.”
Natalia didn’t hesitate. She tore off the paper with such exuberance. And once she revealed what was beneath, she gasped. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, her eyes darting between me and the gift. “Are you serious?”
“You said it was one of your favorite things to do,” I reminded her. “And while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sitting around the fire, eating campfire treats, and kissing while stargazing, I thought you might want to see them up close.”
Natalia dropped to her knees, reading every detail on the box about the telescope I’d gotten her. A rogue tear escaped and spilled down her cheek. “This is so special, Reid.”
I moved toward her, and the second I was close enough, she launched herself into my arms. “Thank you for this. I want to tell you that it’s too much, but I love it, so I won’t ruin it. Thank you.”
I wasn’t quite sure there was anything I’d ever done before that made me feel so good inside. “You’re welcome.”
“Okay. You next.”
“But I have another gift for you.”
“You go next,” she demanded, getting the gift and holding it out to me. “It’s just a little something. I wish I would’ve done more.”
Glad to simply be here with her, I said, “Listen, this morning was phenomenal. You could’ve given me nothing else, and this day would already be spectacular. Whatever is in here is just a bonus.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she lowered herself to the ground beside me.
I tore off the wrapping paper, tossed it aside, and revealed the plain white box beneath. After pulling off the lid, I pushed the tissue paper out of the way and exposed the gift inside.
For several long moments, I merely took it in. My eyes roamed over every detail.
“It was something I thought you could put on your desk while you’re here. And maybe, after you return to Pittsburgh, you can have it as a reminder of what’s here.”
I wasn’t sure how I could ever forget what was here. “I love this.”
“Really?” There was genuine surprise in her tone.
“Yes. The red heart is where we first met, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It is.”