Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
4 Days til Christmas
I tried to quiet my raging heartbeat. I wanted to hear every sigh and illicit sound she made.
Her blue eyes flared wide, as if she was shocked at how excited she was already. The firelight turned her wild hair into spun gold and the festive glow from the tree scattered most of the shadows.
The storm still whirled around outside. The wind suddenly died down which only added to the thick quiet of the moment.
She was hesitant, her eyes downcast as she tentatively stroked herself.
“Ocean.”
She closed her eyes.
“Angel.”
The dark fringe of her eyelashes fluttered as she finally raised her eyes to mine.
There was a vulnerability in this act. In showing off what feels good to your partner without interference.
Even if I couldn’t see everything, I already knew her tells. The flush to her cheeks, the way her chest rose and fell, the little purr she wasn’t even aware she made.
The sound of her fingers dipping into her wetness made my belly tighten in reaction. I eased down in my seat, my cock so hard I was afraid to touch it.
It was trapped in the confines of my clothes. The bridge between us was endlessly long and yet the tension ramped with each wet stroke of her fingers.
My own memory of the shape of her. The tight clit that was pulsing under her fingers a sensory memory to me. She seemed to be circling so slow, her breath hitching with a quiet shudder.
Her eyes wanted to close.
I saw them droop.
“Angel.”
Her gaze snapped to me, her lips parting as she drew herself ever closer. She widened her legs into a lotus pose and the outline of her fingers teased against her snowflake pants.
“Hudson, touch yourself too.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Hurry. I’m so close,” she said in a shuddering voice. “Come with me.”
“Fuck,” I said with a groan. “Let me see you then.”
Quickly, she kicked off her pants. Then she perched at the edge of the couch as she opened herself for me. The wet sounds of two fingers thrumming her clit made me groan.
I drew out my cock and fisted it almost cruelly. Her eyes widened and she sawed her teeth along her lower lip.
I watched and learned what she liked. The way she reached deep inside in a rhythm known only to herself over years of self-discovery was like a secret, intimate map to this woman I was already so crazy about.
Her thighs quaked as she centered her attention on my cock, and then she lifted her gaze to meet mine. I saw her let go a split second before she trembled, and the purring moan unfurled from her chest.
She collapsed back on the couch, the very tips of her fingers gently coaxing the last of the orgasm loose, triggering me.
The quick punch of a groan had me quickly tugging my shirt up to come across my stomach, my eyes never leaving hers.
She stood on shaky legs, her shirt barely flirting with her thighs, and walked toward me. She trailed her fingertip through my cum and brought her finger to her mouth. “I’m going to clean up.”
“I think I need to rename you Devil.”
She grinned over her shoulder as she grabbed her pants, flashing me that delectable ass before she disappeared near the stairs to where the first floor bathroom was.
I flung my arm over my face and tried to put my head back together.
Lust was an obvious factor between us, but I’d never known a woman who could twist me up like Ocean. Frustration, laughter, and hell…this must be what connection truly was.
I was so fucking sunk.
I tore off my shirt and tossed it aside.
Was she even as wound up as I was?
I couldn’t tell. I’d get close for a moment then she’d give me that secret smile and she seemed to pull away from me. Enough that I had no idea where I stood with her.
Pissed at myself for getting so goddamn torn up, I hauled myself off the couch, grabbed my shirt, and hurried upstairs. I needed a minute after that equilibrium-shattering moment between us, so I took a quick shower to reset and clean myself up. Since I was upstairs, I found the laundry and set up a load to wash.
Ocean had turned the television back on and the roar of a crowd told me the hockey game had come on. I returned downstairs to find the living room put back to rights and her back in the kitchen.
The scent of apples and cinnamon had my stomach growling. I should be full to bursting from dinner, but evidently, I’d worked off enough of my food.
“Hey.” She smiled at me as she opened the oven. “Since we’re stuck here and this pie isn’t going to last until Christmas anyway, I figured we could have a piece.”
“It smells amazing.”
“I got it in a nearby orchard. Same place I got Agnes.”
“Agnes?”
She laughed. “The tree. She has such a towering personality I had to give her a name.” She closed the oven door with her hip and set the tinfoil-covered pie on the counter.
“Apparently, they do everything big.”
She laughed. “That’s fair. And based on what I saw at Brothers Three, I’ll have to agree. I got some of their new apple wine if you want a glass.”
I wasn’t much of a wine guy, but I nodded. “I’ll try it.”
“Great.” Her smile was a little too wide as she brushed by me to go to the fridge. She pulled out a pint of ice cream from the freezer and then the wine from the bottom shelf. Busying herself with opening the wine, I took my cues from her and got out plates and rummaged for an ice cream scoop.
“This place literally has everything. I’ve never stayed at a rental that actually had things you need.”
“I know.” She shook her head as she popped the cork on the bottle. “The woman who owns this place is married to some real estate guy named Hamilton. She has a B&B called the Hummingbird’s Nest in town, but I guess they also have some rental properties. She left me a really sweet note with the basket.”
“The basket with the golden bag of condoms?”
“She thinks of everything.”
I caged her in at the counter. “You’ll have to thank her.” I lowered my mouth to hers, but I didn’t quite meet her lips. The bravado melted as she stepped into me, pressing her face into my neck. “Ah, Angel.”
“Why was non-sex so much more than sex?” she asked quietly.
I straightened and cupped the back of her head. “Because you let me in. I hope I don’t scare you.”
“Oh, you do.” She gripped the back of my shirt. “More than anything.”
“Why?” I tried to ease her back, but she just held onto me tighter.
“Can we put a pin in the sharing stuff? I just want to enjoy you and the game for a little while.”
I rested my chin on top of her head. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“Good.” She eased back and went on her toes to give me a quick kiss.
We made a carpet picnic with all of our snacks.
The trio of pie a la mode, some sharp cheddar cheese from the bountiful fridge, and apple wine was a damn good way to end the night.
The game was a lively one and seeing Ocean get so invested in the players dissolved some of the twisted emotions I didn’t know what to do with. When the Kings scored on Calgary in the last third, she tackled me with a screech.
“You love your team.” I laughed as I caught her close.
She laughed. “I do. I get a little crazy about the game.” She sprawled over me and stacked her arms on my chest, resting her chin on top. “I thought you liked them too.”
“I do.” I brushed a kinked curl out of her face. “I think I like watching you watch them even more.”
She wrinkled her nose at me. “Charmer.”
I collapsed back on the floor. Somehow her calling me that seemed like an insult. “Sometimes. But I don’t say anything that isn’t true.”
“Even with your marketing prowess?”
I laughed and lifted my head to meet her gaze. “Who says I have prowess?”
“Just a feeling.”
I relaxed and stared at the rafters. “I’m really good at my job.”
She reached up and tapped my chin. “But?”
I rolled her over and she giggled. “You’re too perceptive.”
“It’s my job to read people.”
“Being an assistant?” I settled between her thighs, resting most of my weight on the thick quilt we’d spread out on the floor.
She automatically hooked her leg around my waist and lightly swayed her leg. It felt so damn natural to just be with her. I pushed her shirt up a bit to feel her skin.
She smiled as she propped herself up with one of the cushions from the couch we’d tossed on the floor. “Yeah. I have to figure out what they need before they do. Means I plan for every eventuality.”
“Or problem.”
“Especially the problems.” She sunk her fingers into my hair and stroked lightly. “Which is why I know you’re not telling me everything.”
“Like you’re so forthcoming?”
She sighed. “If you don’t want to share, then don’t.” She started to push me off her, but I kissed her belly.
“Sorry.”
She relaxed under me. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing either, Hudson. This is new for me too. And the only thing keeping you here is a storm.”
“It’s not the only thing.”
“You have to go to your family’s house. Be with them before you have to go back to Chicago.”
Even if Chicago was feeling like more of an uncomfortable fit every day since I met Ocean.
It was even before then, asshole.
“Tomorrow problem,” I mumbled as I settled against her. The warmth of the room as well as the food and surprisingly good wine had me drifting. She seemed content, as well, stroking my hair absently as she watched the recap of the game.
The rumble of a text sounded from her phone, reminding me vaguely that I needed to check in with my family. The idea of leaving our little nest was too much to deal with tonight.
I had no idea how long I drifted in that in-between of wake and sleep. The sports talk had been replaced with the canned laughter of an old sitcom.
I lifted my head, and she patted my cheek. “I love cuddling with you, but I have to pee so damn bad.”
“You should have told me to get up.” I laughed and rolled off her, groaning at the fact that I’d slept on my stomach for way too long.
“Kinda like when a kitten is on your lap. There’s a rule.”
“So, I’m a cat?”
“More of a golden retriever.” She patted my head and darted across the room.
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. I winced at the time and hurriedly cleaned up our snack plates, adding them to the dishwasher.
She came back to find me folding blankets. She turned off the television, took the throw from me, and tossed it on the couch. “Bedtime.”
The word invoked a yawn, and she laughed.
“Did your family check in?”
She nodded. “River and Levi are hoping for new flights, but there’s still a lot of unknowns.”
“The rest of them?”
“All bitching about flights.”
She’d told me about how many family members she had, but there were two she didn’t mention at all. “Who are the last two?”
“My baby brothers. One is stuck in Michigan, I think. He was driving his bike across country but it got too bad to drive his motorcycle. Supposedly he sent it ahead. The way things are going it’ll probably arrive before him. My other brother has to work right up until Christmas Eve.”
And again, she didn’t say the names.
“Enough about their bitching.” She moved into me, going up on her toes. “It’s after midnight.”
I smiled against her mouth. “Is that right?”
“We both win. Now, let’s go make a win on the big king-sized bed upstairs.”
I couldn’t really argue with that.
And I had a feeling she didn’t want to tell me more.