Chapter Twenty-eight #3
Harper leaned in, and Charlie met her halfway.
Their kiss started light because of their smiles but quickly evolved into full lips and tongues and moans.
Harper pulled at Charlie’s thighs, and she happily climbed onto Harper’s lap and straddled her.
“God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered into Harper’s mouth.
“Me too.” Harper leaned back slightly and looked into her eyes. “I really do love you.”
“Me too.”
Harper smiled and started pressing a line of kisses along Charlie’s throat, and she melted into the contact until the incredibly rude timer on her phone started going off.
“What the fuck?” Harper said.
“Sorry,” Charlie said as she slid off of her lap.
“Where are you going?”
“Breakfast is ready.” Charlie sighed at the interruption, but she also didn’t want her breakfast experiment to burn, either. Blackened savory croissants would not set the mood she was going for.
“I guess I am a little hungry, but I still object to this interruption.”
“Same, but we should eat while these are hot,” Charlie said as she pulled them out of the oven. “And they smell delicious.” Her mouth watered at the savory yet buttery scent filling her senses.
“They do smell good, but don’t you think they might need a little time to cool? We wouldn’t want to burn our mouths. That would be a real tragedy after so many weeks apart.” Harper bit her lip as she stared at Charlie with lust in her heated gaze.
“That’s true, but I’m pretty sure if we jump back in, these will be long cold before we come up for air, which might be another tragedy, given how good they smell.” It pained Charlie to say it, but when she and Harper went back to bed, she didn’t want anything to interrupt them for hours.
Harper growled but said, “You’re probably right. I have to work soon anyway, so we should probably press pause on this until later.”
Charlie’s shoulders fell with her mood. “It’s Christmas Eve. You have to work?”
“Yeah. I’m closed tomorrow, but we’re open for several hours today. A lot of people come to the Keys for the holiday, and I normally do pretty great business on Christmas Eve.”
Charlie pulled out plates and thought about how to make the best Christmas Eve for both of them, even with Harper having to work. “What time do you close tonight?”
“Seven, so I should be upstairs by eight.”
“When you said, ‘a few hours,’ I thought you’d close by four or something.” Charlie tried to squelch her disappointment. Especially since it was already after ten, so Harper was going to have to eat and run. Charlie set the plates on the table and sank back onto her chair.
“Are you a big Christmas person?” Harper said.
“Not in a long time, but…we’re starting a new chapter today, so I thought maybe we could start some new traditions too. Turn over a new Christmas wreath, if you will.”
“We still could tonight after I close. Eight isn’t really that late, especially since we slept in today.
And we have all day tomorrow to start new traditions, too.
” Harper tore a piece of her croissant off, and a little steam escaped as the mouthwatering scent of sautéed onions, garlic, and sharp cheese permeated the kitchen.
Charlie stared at her mouth as she pursed her lips and blew on it, her brain taking a break from Christmas thoughts as she envisioned those perfect lips on her skin later.
“Oh my God, this is amazing, Charlie. Did you go shopping while I was sleeping?”
Charlie laughed. “Nope, you had all the ingredients for this in your kitchen.”
“Wow. Color me impressed.” She took another bite and groaned.
“You were right to want these fresh. And I have to get ready as soon as I finish this as I still have to walk Franky and shower. But I’ll close the bar as early and as quickly as I can tonight.
I hate having to leave you. You could come down and hang out for a while.
The bar is more decorated than this apartment, so at least it’ll feel festive.
And we’ll play holiday music on the jukebox all day too. ”
Charlie looked around the apartment and noticed that there wasn’t a single holiday decoration. Not that she could judge. The last time she’d decorated for Christmas was her first year in New York. After that, it had just seemed like a waste with how busy she was.
“How would you feel if I did just a little decorating in here today? Since I don’t have anything else to do, I could use my car to do a little shopping before I put it back in storage and decorate a little while you’re working.
” Charlie wondered if she could get them both in the holiday spirit with a few well-placed decorations.
And they were definitely going to need some more food or they might starve tomorrow.
Harper’s face brightened. “Have at it. I’m feeling more festive than I’ve felt in years.”
Charlie’s earlier disappointment vanished as she started to plan out all the ways she could create some Christmas spirit and make Harper’s and her first Christmas together something special.