Epilogue
Kaylinn
It was our fourth food truck of the night when Sasha pulled me back down the boardwalk with his bright laugh.
For cozy first dates, this guy might hold the trophy. We’d been texting nonstop since that first night, and he’d called me every night to hear my voice—the cheeseball. Then we found the right day that worked for both of us and here we were, hopping from one food stall to the next all along Merryl Pier. There was a boardwalk along the dock and beach area, and that meant a couple dozen shops and food trucks that sold fun choices of snacks. We just ordered one at each place and shared them. My favorite part was the playful bickering over which ones were good and which were more creative than delicious.
It was hopelessly endearing.
“I think this one might be my favorite,” I admitted, taking another bite of the seafood kebab with some sort of mystery sauce on it.
“Does that mean I don’t get another bite?” Sasha leaned over to try to steal another piece.
I hummed, pretending to really think about it.
“Oh, come on. Please, Kaylinn?”
I softened and pulled a piece off and held it out to him.
He took it between his teeth, his lips brushing over my fingers and sending a zing up my arm.
I met his eyes again, and there it was. That tether between us, pulling me closer into his orbit, even as he had his arm around me. I wanted to be closer.
He felt it, too, judging by the soft heat in his gaze. “Maybe I should take you home since that was our last stop.”
I nodded. “Yes, please.” I’d packed extra clothes just in case, and as he pulled me to his truck and opened the door for me, I knew I’d made the right choice.
He hopped up into his side and leaned over the console. He kissed me deeply, drawing a small moan from my throat before he put the truck in gear and took my hand.
I don’t know how long it took to get from the boardwalk to his apartment, but it was both too long and too short before he was fumbling his key into the lock and pushing it open, dragging me with him only to press me against the door and lock it behind my back so he could kiss me with everything he had.
I gasped, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue past my lips to tangle with my own.
I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving back as good as I got.
He dropped his keys on a small table beside his door and hooked his hands behind my thighs. He squeezed, and I jumped, easily wrapping my legs around his waist and pressing our bodies that much closer together.
He groaned and disconnected our lips to press his to my throat, dragging another shuddering breath from me.
“Take me to your room,” I demanded, breathless.
“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckled, but I knew even in the dark that he was blushing.
It had been doing that a surprising amount tonight, and I loved it. He looked adorable with a red face and a bashful smile.
He hefted me off the door and moved easily through the apartment and down the hallway to an open door with a huge window, moonlight streaming in.
“Light?”
“No,” I hummed, trailing kisses along his jaw. “I want to feel you.”
He groaned. “For fuck’s sake, Kaylinn.”
He kicked the door closed behind us and lay me down on his bed.
“What naughty language for a child’s guardian,” I teased, tugging at his shirt to reveal a very nice body underneath—blue in the moonlight but still very visible.
Sasha scoffed, kicking off his shoes while he was at it. “Well, she isn’t here now, is she?”
He pressed against me again, tugging off my shoes and socks before nestling himself between my legs and running his hands up my sides over my dress.
“No,” I replied, taking the opportunity to run my hands over his chest and shoulders. “But I don’t think that means you can speak so dirty.”
I pulled my gaze from his chest back to his eyes, my favorite piece of him.
He smiled, the haste of arousal leveling out, though the intimacy and desire remained heightened. “I think you like it when I talk dirty, babe,” he challenged.
I smiled. “Not tonight, though.”
He softened and nodded, then leaned down and kissed me softly.
I wound my arms around his neck again and let myself trace circles over the back of his shoulders as he deepened the kiss.
His hands dipped under the bottom of my dress, then paused when he reached my panties.
I nodded. “Off.”
He pressed another kiss to my neck before pulling back enough to shimmy my dress away from my body and toss it off to the side.
“God, you’re gorgeous.” He was breathless as he praised me, taking me in from head to toe as I lay in only my bra and panties.
“So are you. Now take them off.” I sat up and unbuckled his pants, shoving them down his thighs, which were more toned than you would think when he wore those damn jeans.
Before I knew it, we were bare to each other, our bodies pressed together under the moonlight, and I ached with need.
“Sasha, please,” I begged, pulling him forward by my heels against the backs of his thighs.
He’d spent far too long with his fingers inside me, and he’d already thrown me over the edge once. I wasn’t about to let him do it again before I felt him enter me.
“So demanding,” Sasha scolded, but he was just as breathless as he grabbed a condom and broke the seal.
I snatched it from him and leaned forward, rolling it onto his length and tugging him back to me. “Come on. Now, damn it.”
“Who has a naughty mouth now?”
But he moved over me and guided himself to my entrance. A second later, he pressed into me, one fluid motion until he was fully sheathed, and we were both panting.
“God, Sasha, please.”
I didn’t beg, but damn if I wasn’t begging for it today.
He didn’t disappoint. He pulled himself back and thrust into me in one deep motion, and he didn’t let up until we were both moaning against each other. My arms bracketed him against me as we moved frantically to our mutual orgasms.
“Sasha!” I broke suddenly, and he only thrust into me again, hitting just the right spot that thrust me over the edge and into my second high of the night.
His movements stuttered, and he pushed into me one more time before I felt him reach his own climax.
We fell to the mattress together, quick breaths and sticky bodies molding together as one.
“Happy now?” he goaded after a few moments of silence.
I snorted and tugged his hair, where my hand was still threaded into it. But I couldn’t hold back my feelings, not after everything he’d done and had been to me in the last few weeks.
“Best first date ever.”
I felt his smile against my collarbone, and we drifted to sleep together.
Thank you for reading Taste of the Holidays!