Chapter 38 Xander
XANDER
“Snow?” Letting myself into my apartment, I linger by the door and try to detect where she is from the sounds within the apartment.
Despite driving me home after being released from the hospital, Snow suddenly rushed away from me when we stepped out of the elevator and sprinted into the apartment with a wide smile on her face.
“Go away!” she calls from somewhere deep in the apartment. “It’s not ready!”
“Where am I supposed to go?” I call back.
“I dunno, just not here!”
“For how long?”
“Five minutes? Just—” Suddenly, her head pokes out from the living room doorway, her hair flying and her cheeks flushed. “Stay away from the stairs, okay?”
“Okay. Five minutes.” I chuckle to myself and exit the apartment, walking down the hall toward Auriela’s place. Rustle suddenly darts out from somewhere and sprints alongside me, making it to Auriela’s door first and meowing loudly.
Auriela opens the door just as I reach her apartment and she beams up at me. “Xander!”
“Auriela. I came to say Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas! How are you feeling?” The wrinkles around her eyes deepen as she looks me over.
“When your sister called me and told me about your accident, I was so worried. Although I thought it was finally time to steal these babies from you.” She leans down slowly and reaches for Rustle, who arches up into her hand and then darts into her apartment.
“I’m fine,” I assure her. “Nothing that won’t heal by the new year. I’m sorry if Thea worried you.”
“Nonsense, I’m just sorry I wasn’t here to help you. You and that poor girl.” Auriela shakes her head.
“We’re both fine, I promise. I actually wanted to invite you to Christmas dinner tomorrow if you’re available? My sister’s flying down tonight so she can apologize to you in person for scaring you with that call.”
“Nonsense, she was worried, and understandably!” Auriela chuckles and then her smile turns sly. “I actually have plans.”
“Oh?”
“You know Lloyd? On four?”
I nod.
“We’re going to the carvery together.”
“Auriela, are you going on a date? Without my approval?” I tease with a smile.
“Oh, you.” She chuckles, waving her hand. “His son got stuck overseas so I said I would eat with him. But I can pop to yours for dessert?”
“Of course. You are always welcome. And you’re looking much better.”
“I feel much better.” She smiles. “Like I’ve got another fifty years left in me!”
We stay chatting until Snow joins me in the hallway with a bright smile on her face.
She exchanges a few kind words with Auriela, then we say our goodbyes and head back to my apartment.
“So, what was so urgent that you had to run from the elevator and then keep me out of my own home?” I ask as we step over the threshold.
“You’ll see.” Snow smirks, helping me out of my coat. “Just know that I’m limited in what I’m capable of.”
“What are we talking, food? Decoration? Something else?”
“Please, you’ve seen my decoration skills.
” Snow giggles. “I’m amazing. This is different.
” Taking my hand, she leads me toward the living room and then pauses at the closed door.
“I know Fred scolded you and told you to take it easy, but uhm…” She tucks some of her hair behind her ear, and I catch the flush of crimson at the tip. Then she pushes the door open.
Inside, just beneath the Christmas tree, is a nest of blankets and pillows surrounded by fake flickering candles that illuminate the room in a warm orange glow.
There are several packaged cakes and cookies as well as some sparkling non-alcoholic wine, and the TV on the wall is set up with an animated Christmas movie.
“I’m not… I’m not so great at the whole expressing romance through actions so if you think I’m copying your picnic, then I totally am, but this one is warmer and safer, and all the food is pre-packaged and not handmade, but it still tastes good and I thought we could snuggle and watch my favorite movie and count down to Christmas and just…
” She gazes up at me, her cheeks flushing and her eyes reflecting the lights from the Christmas tree as if stars had swooped down and entered her gaze. “Welcome home.”
“You almost sound like you’re asking me,” I say softly, sliding my hand around her back.
“I’m nervous,” she whispers. “But like a good kind of nervous.”
“I think,” I continue as I pull her close, “that’s called excitement.”
The movie and the food were a good idea and I would praise her for it, but as soon as we’re lying down in the warm blanket nest, I can’t keep my hands off her.
Fred warned me off strenuous activities for the good of both of us, given what we’ve both been through, but I can’t not kiss her when she’s laid out next to me and covered in the colors of the Christmas tree.
I can’t not touch her when I denied myself a taste of her for so long.
“Are you sure?” Snow asks, sliding her hand into my hair and stopping just shy of the gauze protecting my wound. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you either,” I whisper against her sweet lips as my hand glides over her abdomen and stops just shy of the stitches keeping her small incisions closed.
Her breath hitches and her other hand on the side of my neck flexes.
“Do you want me to stop?” I slide my hand an inch higher until my fingertips brush the bone of her bra.
“We should.” Her voice trembles and her eyes sparkle up at me.
“That’s not what I asked.” I peck her lips gently.
“No, I don’t want you to stop.” Her hand leaves my hair and slides down to cup my jaw. She runs her thumb over the edge of my lower lip. “But you be careful.”
“As careful as you are.” I seal my promise with a kiss and my soul finds peace.
It’s not like our previous times together when I couldn’t get enough of Snow.
The hunger remains, but our tender state and her pregnancy change things.
We kiss deeply and slowly, as if we’re writing our words of love against one another.
Clothes are removed one by one until we’re both completely naked and our peace is shaken slightly as Snow’s hands pause around a deep bruise on my ribs.
I show her the same attention by studying the marks left on her skin. Fred’s an exceptional surgeon and it shows, but those injuries show how painfully close I came to losing her.
I was powerless to save her and yet fate, thankfully, was kind to me.
I can’t take my eyes off them, though.
Three neatly healing incisions that stood between Snow and the end of her life.
All through the reckless actions of some idiot who will spend Christmas in prison.
“I’m okay,” Snow says, her voice cutting through my thoughts.
I look up at her and lose myself in the softness of her gaze. “I know.”
“And you’re okay,” she murmurs, lightly caressing the bruise. “We’re okay.”
“We’re okay,” I repeat.
Our lips meet, and they don’t part. I position myself over her, supported on one arm, and run my hand over her breasts, teasing her nipples until she’s writhing under me and panting into my mouth each time our kiss breaks for air.
My skin heats up with the heat of desire and a pulse of lust shoots straight to my core when she hooks one leg around my hips and grinds her hot mound against my growing cock.
I need to be inside her.
We must share the same thought because a moment later, Snow’s hands are on my shoulders and she’s very slowly rolling us over until I’m flat on my back with my head surrounded by soft pillows.
“Let me,” she says softly as she climbs on top of me, resting her weight on my lower belly.
The heat from that gorgeous slit between her legs warms my skin and I run both my hands up her thighs.
“Are you sure?”
She nods. “This way, we’ll both be okay.
” Snow leans now and kisses the space between my pecs, then her lips walk across to one nipple and a sharp sting of pleasure coils in my gut as her teeth lightly sink into my flesh.
Then she kisses up to my mouth but as she tries to pull away, I cradle the back of her head and pull her back in for a deep, hungry kiss.
A kiss that lingers until her warm hand wraps around my cock and a moment later, the slick warmth of her pussy closes around my crown.
“Fuck—” My head tips back into the cloud of soft pillows as Snow sinks down onto me with careful precision, her breath hitching and her fingernails digging into my bare chest as she braces herself against me.
“Oh—God,” Snow gasps, her voice trembling. “Thicker than I remember.”
A soft laugh punches out of my chest. “Need to fuck you more if you can’t remember.”
“I’m down,” she gasps, throwing her head back as she bottoms out on my cock and sits there, panting softly.
Her dark hair cascades over one shoulder in a wave, her breasts bounce slightly as she adjusts herself on my cock and she places both her hands gently on my abdomen.
With her head tilts up, her skin shimmers with an array of colors from the Christmas lights on the tree behind us.
I take her in, speechless as her pussy clenches around my cock and pulls all my attention south.
Warmth rises and coils in my gut while my heart begins to race and yet I quickly become distracted.
This is the first time her bump has been clearly visible and it hits me that there’s really a baby in there.
Our future quietly grows inside her. Such a surreal sight.
I caress her hip with one hand and keep my other hand higher on her waist, supporting her.
She finally opens her eyes and looks down at me through her dark lashes, sucking on her lower lip for a few seconds.
“You look so beautiful.”
“Are you saying that because I’m sitting on your cock?” Snow laughs and the tremor through her body shoots straight to my cock.
“Maybe.” I grin. “Do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Laugh. When you laugh, I can feel it with my dick.”
“Xander!” She bursts out giggling and it’s the most sensual, tickling feeling how her body vibrates and ripples around my cock.