Chapter 10
Ten
AIDYN
Ten Days until Christmas
At eight years old, Garrett was freaking adorable. The grin on his face. I want to get that back for him. If I can prove to him that Christmas is important, that family is important, maybe this could work. Except Garrett believes in family. That’s not the problem.
He’s pushed away from family. Protected himself. And he’s done it for so long that I’m not sure he remembers how to do this. Or why it’s important.
Good thing he has me to show him.
“Should we start decorating?”
I rest my head on his shoulder, in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. Anyone could come in at any time, but I need a few more minutes of this. Of him. His hands rub my back, and I sink into his embrace.
“Let’s do it tomorrow. Tuesdays are slow, so I can take off a few hours after the trucks come in.
We can put up the outside lights, and then after school, Lanie can help us pick out a tree.
” I feel awful that Garrett’s taken time off and I’m still working.
But I can’t leave Ramon in charge of the diner when we’re busy.
And scheduling time for Christmas stuff has been tricky.
He places one of his hands on my nape, using his thumb to stroke the sensitive skin of my neck. “What should we do tonight?”
And damn, that sounds sexy as hell. And way too inviting. I lean back to look at his face. His eyes are dark and intense, and they drop to my mouth. “You have a house full of people, love. So you can forget whatever you’re thinking.”
He squeezes my neck and shifts his body, slotting his leg between mine. His other hand pulls us closer. “I’m not the only one thinking it.”
“You’re not.” I grab the sides of his face and kiss him. Taste him. Then I reluctantly pull away and put distance and the island between us. “Lanie has been begging to see her horse. That will give us both a chance to cool down.”
Lanie is thrilled with the idea, so we bundle up and trudge through the snow to the barn.
Daisy and Maple are both happy to see us.
Daisy is Mac’s horse. He and Rainn are in Kansas City.
Garrett is keeping Daisy for him. Lanie rushes over to Maple and Garrett feeds Daisy. She feeds Maple and brushes her down.
Lanie is good with Maple. And Garrett is good with Lanie. They talk about horses as they work.
After the horses, Garrett takes us to meet the rest of the animals. He also has goats and chickens. Garrett mentions he has someone help with the animals since he’s always so busy.
I haven’t seen Lanie smile this much in ages. She loves animals, especially her horse. And she loves her uncle.
As we trek through the snow back to the house, I want to hold on to this moment longer. The three of us together. Happy. That’s the only explanation I have for throwing the first snowball.
Garrett gasps, and Lanie laughs so hard she slips and falls in the snow. “So this is what we’re doing?” Garrett asks, but he’s smiling. “I hope you’re ready, Aidyn.”
I jump out of the path of his snowball. And then there’s more as Lanie joins him in the attack. Searching for cover, I dive behind a gate and start building my arsenal. Then it’s all-out war. Snowballs shoot past me as I defend my spot.
The onslaught stops suddenly. I listen, but all I can hear is my own breathing.
Then Lanie giggles off to my left, and I hear footsteps off to my right.
I peek over my makeshift bunker and gasp as a snowball hits the side of my face.
Then another from the other direction. I duck under cover, but snowballs are flying from both sides.
Once the attack starts to wane, I stand and wave my hands in surrender.
I walk slowly toward them with my hands up.
Garrett lowers his arms, grinning, and I tackle him to the ground. We roll in the cold, soft snow, and he laughs as he tries to shove snow down the front of my coat.
“That’s cheating.” Some of it slips under my shirt, and I gasp at the icy wetness on my skin. Lanie is laughing her arse off, so I’m determined to take her down next.
Garrett rolls us both so he’s on top and his eyes catch mine. He stills, and I’m trapped in his heated gaze. Our breaths mingle, and I want to kiss him. But Lanie is right there.
“Hey, beautiful,” he says in a low voice.
“Hey, gorgeous.” I smile and quietly gather a handful of snow. His eyes drop to my mouth, and I almost give in. But instead, I smash the snow on the top of his head and rub it into his hair.
“What the—” He jumps off me, laughing as he shakes the snow off. “That was uncalled for.”
“Fair is fair.”
We finally make it back to the house and dust off the snow before going in. We remove our jackets and boots in Garrett’s mudroom. Because, of course, he has a mudroom. He doesn’t even allow shoes on his carpets.
“I’m freezing,” Lanie says, her teeth chattering as she hugs herself.
“How about some hot chocolate?” Garrett asks as we walk past the downstairs guest room. The door is closed. It’s not that late, but I guess his parents are tired from their day.
Once we get to the kitchen, Garrett turns to face us. “Oh.” I follow his gaze. Lanie is soaked.
“Shower first. Then hot chocolate.”
The rest of the bedrooms are upstairs. There are two bedrooms on one side and two on the other. A bathroom is at the end of the hall, close to the room Lanie is staying in. I chose the bedroom close to Garrett’s. Once Lanie is in the bathroom, Garrett ushers me into his room.
“What are you doing?”
He steps closer and slips his cold hands under my shirt. “You’re cold.”
“Christ, Garrett.” I knock his hands away. “You’re not helping.”
“Are you sure?” he asks with a grin. “How about a shower?”
“Sounds perfect. But it’s your house. You should go first.”
“Or we could shower together.” His heated look tells me showering isn’t the only thing on his mind.
“That’s not happening, love. What about Lanie? Your parents?”
He places his hands on my hips and pulls me closer.
“My parents are in for the night.” He kisses below my ear.
And the scrape of his scruff on my neck ignites a fire that spreads through me, warming my icy bits.
“And you complain about Lanie’s long showers all the time.
” He nibbles down to my shoulder and pulls my collar down to suck on my collarbone.
“Garrett, love,” I moan as my body makes the decision for me.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
I gasp at the feel of his tongue. What was I going to say? I pull away to catch my breath, and it comes back to me. “Don’t you dare stretch my shirt.”
He chuckles. “Then take it off.”
“You take it off.”
We’re both grinning at each other. Then Garrett strips my sweater and my undershirt off. His eyes devour me. Christ, I love how sexy he makes me feel. He pulls his shirt off and his bare chest is a wonder. Firm muscles and dark hair.
Garrett locks the bedroom door. “Shower, now.”
I nod helplessly, and he guides me to his bathroom and locks that door as well.
We strip down and get under the hot spray. “This has to be quick.”
His eyes crinkle. “Is that a challenge?”
I laugh. “No.”
“Oh, I think it is.” And then he sinks to his knees with his eyes on mine and takes my cock into his mouth.
“Holy feckity-feck.” I thread my fingers through his hair. How am I so close already? It’s been way too long.
Garrett licks under my cockhead and then swallows as much of me as he can. His lips stretch obscenely around my cock, and he uses one hand to stroke me and the other to roll my balls in his fingers. Fuuuuck. Pleasure shoots through me, making my toes curl. Christ. I’m not gonna last.
His eyes reach mine, begging me to fuck his mouth.
I’ve seen that look many times. I let go of my fear of getting caught and give in to my body’s demands.
Clutching his hair, I let my body take over, fucking into his mouth just the way he likes it.
And way too soon, I’m releasing down his throat.
Once he pulls off, I yank him up into a hot, messy kiss, devouring his mouth and my cum slipping out of it.
When I reach for him, he shakes his head. “We don’t have time.”
I hate that he’s right.
He shampoos my hair and washes my body with gentle, nurturing hands, and I’m not sure I deserve such care.
Once I’m clean, he cradles my face. His heart is in his eyes. “I fucking love you so much.”
Emotion overwhelms me. I’m so gone for this man. “I love you too, Garrett. So much.” He kisses me again.
We dry off separately to keep from getting distracted.
That’s when I realize my problem. “My clothes are in my room.”
“Huh. Going naked is a bold choice.”
I smack his arm, and he laughs. “Arse. You distracted me.”
“I got you, sweetheart.” He hands me a robe from his closet.
I slip it on, still not happy roaming the hallway in Garrett’s robe with my daughter so close, but it’s damn sure better than the alternative.
Once Garrett is dressed, he steps out of the room and nods, giving me the all-clear. The bathroom door is open. Garrett goes downstairs as I rush to my room and quickly dress.
The hot chocolate is done when I reach the kitchen. “I see you found the marshmallows.”
Lanie has filled all our cups so they’re overflowing. As we sip our hot chocolate, Lanie and Garrett talk about yard decorations and what else we need to get.
“A giant snowman? Or a Santa?”
“How about a reindeer?” I suggest. “Like the one in your picture.”
“Only bigger,” Lanie says. “Much bigger.”
“Fine. Add it to the list.” This time, his grumbling is fake. I can tell by the happiness shining in his eyes.