Chapter 18
We get to Ridge’s house to find that he’s lost power too. And his generator isn’t working either. So, here he is in front of me, stoking the fire in the living room, while I bring pillows and blankets in from the closet he pointed me to so that we can sleep near the warmth tonight.
On the plush rug, I position the pillows and blankets far enough away from the fire so that we won’t be charred to death, but close enough that we won’t freeze into human Popsicles either.
I spread our pillows out so that he doesn’t think I’m assuming we’re going to snuggle, even though my mind keeps wandering to doing that and much more.
After all, it’s Christmas. And we’ve already been together before, so what would be the harm in being together again?
“That should burn for a while,” he says, setting the fire poker down and taking a few steps back to where I’m kneeling on the makeshift bed. “I can tell you, I’ve had this house for four years and never once used that fireplace.”
“At least it’s festive, right?” I smile. “Hopefully, you’ve been watering your beautiful tree. Otherwise, it might get a little toasty.”
“And what a shame that would be,” he drawls, amused. “And just so you know, I have been watering it. For your information, I’ve been watering the fuckin’ thing twice a day. Pain in my ass it is.” His tone is grumpy, and I can’t help but giggle.
When he plops down beside me, his hand brushes mine, and I can’t fight the shiver that runs down my spine.
No one has ever had this sort of effect on me, and I don’t know why he, out of all people, does.
But I can’t fight it, and I’m not even sure I want to.
Especially not right now, when we’re here all alone for Christmas.
“So … you’re leaving the day after tomorrow?” He keeps his eyes on the fire, not looking my way. “Right?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” My voice comes off much squeakier than I’ve ever heard it before. I’m not the girl who has a mousy voice when I’m around a man. And yet he makes me nervous. So, here I am, Squeaky McSqueakster. “As long as no more storms hit, I suppose.”
“Last I looked, it should be clear for the next few weeks.” He sounds so far away, despite being right in front of me. “I can take you to the airport. If you want.”
My heart squeezes from his sweetness, but also aches because I know this time, my flight is going to take off, and we won’t be on bad terms. And that will make it harder when I walk away.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, shaking my head. “I feel like I’ve already inconvenienced you enough as it is.”
“I promise you, Fireball, I don’t mind,” he mumbles. “Inconvenience me anytime you want. You’re keeping my life interesting.”
I can’t stop blushing, and with his back still to me, I wave my hand in front of my cheeks to try to cool myself down. There’s something about Ridge Adams’s gentle side that turns me into a schoolgirl with her first crush, and I forget how to talk altogether.
I don’t even have the chance to gather my bearings and answer before he’s turning toward me. The flame from the fire dances across his cheeks, lighting up the sad expression on his face.
“Hey, Stella?” he murmurs, his shoulders sagging.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry you’ve never had a Christmas before today,” he whispers, and even though his voice is still the same deep tone it always is, it’s soft and comforting. “I wish I could have made your first one a little better than it was.”
There it is. The sweet, thoughtful man that is inside, beneath the rough outer layer and the person he is when he’s trying to be tough. We sit on the floor as the fire crackles with life. My throat becomes dry, and I shake my head, reaching for his hand and putting mine on top of it.
This man and his family have made me feel something inside my heart that I’ve never once felt on this particular day.
Joy. And even though I’m not a part of their family, I kind of felt like …
I was today. I could leave it at this and tell him I’m tired.
I could go to sleep, and tomorrow, maybe whatever this feeling is inside my chest would subside.
“It was great actually.” I pause, my eyes boring into his, then sinking down to his lips before going back to his eyes. “If you have any DVDs, we can watch a Christmas movie or something on my dinosaur laptop, if you want?”
“That sounds good.” He swallows, and the light from the fire illuminates his Adam’s apple as it bobs. “I don’t have a huge selection of DVDs, but I have a handful. You can pick.”
That earns him a tiny smirk and a brow lift. “My pick, huh?” I muse. “Even a chick flick?”
“I love a good chick flick, babe.” He shrugs softly. “Whatever you’re feeling, that’s what we’ll watch.”
The conversation we had about his parents flashes through my mind—about them staying in and watching whatever Katherine wanted to watch for a movie—and I can’t stop myself from smiling. I had this man pinned wrong. He isn’t a heartless dick. In fact, he’s the opposite.
“A Christmas one actually sounds nice,” I whisper. “Got any of those?”
A grin takes over his lips before he starts laughing. “Well, I do have one Christmas movie on DVD.” Taking his phone out of his pocket to use the flashlight, he gets up and walks toward the entertainment center. Reaching inside, he pulls out something. And when I see it, I frown.
“The Grinch?” rushes from my lips. “You own the movie The Grinch?”
“Riley got it for me a few years back to be funny.” He looks down at it. “I haven’t watched the actual movie though since I was a kid.” His eyes glimmer with amusement as he holds it up, waving it slightly. “Kinda fitting though … don’t you think?”
“Oh, and what’s that supposed to mean?” I roll my eyes toward the ceiling, shaking my head. “Are you trying to hint that I’m the Grinch, Outlaw?”
“Maybe we both are?” He shrugs. “But, yeah, Fireball, mostly you.”
I stare at him, pretending to be in disbelief for a beat before I snatch the case from his hand and crouch down toward my laptop.
“I’ll get this all started, and you can make the hot chocolate since you have a gas stove.
” I can hardly believe what’s coming out of my mouth.
Christmas is a holiday I barely acknowledge, and yet here I am, dragging it into the late-night hours.
“And before you say you don’t have any, there’s a box in the bag I put on the counter. I had it at the rental house.”
“All right, all right,” he says with a grin, holding his hands up. “You got it. I think I may even have whipped cream to put on top.”
The flirty way he says the last part of the sentence makes my heart skip a beat. And even if he didn’t mean anything by it … suddenly, I’m imagining Ridge with a can of whipped cream.
Naked.
Stella only made it about twenty minutes into the movie before she fell asleep again. And things were fine, really.
Until she rolls onto her side, scooches her back into me, and presses her ass against my cock.
Even with the fucking movie playing and me telling myself over and over not to get hard, I can’t help myself. And now, seconds later, my dick is hardening, pressing into her.
I shift, slowly rolling onto my back, knowing that I need to get up. Right now, I need to walk around and essentially … walk off my boner, but just as I start to push myself to stand, her hand touches my wrist.
“Ridge?” she says sleepily, stopping me from actually getting up. “Where are you going?”
I look from her to my hard dick and back again. “Was just going to stretch, Fireball,” I lie. My dick is already stretching.
And the longer she stays this close to me, the more he fucking grows.
Get it together, buddy.
She sits up slightly, the fire still rolling and lighting her in the prettiest glow. She reaches for her laptop and closes it.
“Well, fuck you, Mr. Grinch,” I tease her. “Didn’t want to watch the part where his heart grows a bunch of sizes?”
With a shy shake of her head, she reaches for me and grips my shirt lightly. “Where were you really going, Outlaw?”
I swallow, knowing I can’t lie to her. She’ll see right through it.
“I was hoping a walk around the house would make my dick calm down.” I shrug. “Having you this close excites me a bit.” I look down. “Or … a lot.”
I don’t know what the fuck she’s going to say. She could tell me to get away from her, that she’s not interested and the one night we spent together was a mistake she’ll long regret. With this woman, I never know what she’s going to do.
But instead, she grips my shirt tighter.
“Show me,” she whispers. “Show me what happens when I’m close to you.”
“Stella …” I say nervously, not sure if she even knows what she wants. “It’s Christmas. You’re confused, and I don’t want to take advan—”
My cock swells even harder, and my chin tilts up as I fight myself on all the reasons why I should just leave her alone and not make things even more complicated.
“Feel for yourself, Fireball,” I murmur, moving onto to my side and letting my cock nudge into her leg. “One graze against your ass, and that’s how hard I am.”
She drops her hold on my shirt but slides her hand downward, pulling the fabric up so that her palm skims my stomach. The lower her hand moves, the harder my cock gets, and when she finally brushes her hand against my dick through my sweatpants, I groan.
“Is this my Christmas present?” she breathes out.
“If that’s what you want, Stella … it’s all yours.”
“It’s what I want,” she whispers, running her palm over the bulge again. “Is it ready to be unwrapped?”
“Yes.” I swallow, feeling my cock twitch. “Fuck. Yes. It is.”
She looks to my right, and something catches her eye, but when she leans forward to grab whatever it is on the floor, I’m shook when she reveals a long piece of red ribbon. Because I don’t know what she plans to do with that, but I hope she’s about to tie me up.