Chapter 5
FIVE
My Favorite Kind of Dessert
LOGAN
At dinner, our conversation remains surface-level.
Mostly, we talk about the food and our favorite dishes.
The three of us sit at the wooden table in the corner of the cabin.
Its matching chairs and the coordinating bookshelves create a rustic vibe, though the place is anything but.
The dining area is open to the living room, making it one big space, and the place is equipped with everything a guest could need.
Camden watches Yana’s every move, and he hangs on to her every word.
He tries to hide it, but I know him well enough to see the subtleties.
The way he swallows thickly each time she smiles, the way his jaw tightens when I lean into her.
I’ve never asked for confirmation, but I’m pretty sure he noticed her first. It’d be a lie if I said it didn’t eat at me.
Every day—hell, every hour—my attraction to her grows.
Knowing that my best friend, the one guy who knows every part of me, is attracted to her too makes me fucking jealous.
But there’s another sensation there too, something hotter.
A jolt of excitement hits me every time I consider that he might want her as badly as I do.
I shouldn’t like it. I should want to shut it down, claim her, make it clear she’s mine.
Yet when his eyes track her, my pulse spikes in a way I can’t explain.
The stone fireplace is tall and wide. It’s the room’s focal point, with a big sectional and a coffee table in front of it.
One of the first things I noticed when I stepped into the cabin was the absence of a Christmas tree.
There’s not a single sign of the approaching holiday.
Does that mean she isn’t celebrating it?
I decide to go for it.
“You don’t like Christmas?” I ask.
The warm lighting emphasizes her freckles as she shifts and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Why would you think that?”
Camden beats me to it, saying, “There’s no Christmas tree. No lights. Literally nothing.”
“I do like Christmas.” She sighs. “But I don’t celebrate it on the 25th.
The orthodox church I belong to celebrates it on January 7th, so we tend to celebrate and exchange gifts on January 1st.” She sets her glass on the table.
“For my family, Christmas is more like a secular holiday. An opportunity for us to get together more than anything.” She glances at Camden, then at me.
“Though after I’d been in the US for a couple of years, I got more into the Christmas spirit.
I normally put up a Christmas tree in my apartment, but it felt unnecessary this year since I won’t be home.
And I’m only here for a week, so decorating the cabin seems silly. ”
The more she talks, the more I realize how much I like her voice. She has an accent, but her words are soft. Like she’s good at meeting the tone of the person speaking to her, mimicking their habits and pronunciations.
“Roman mentioned that, but I didn’t pay much attention at the time,” Camden drawls. “He said his family celebrates Christmas twice.”
Smiling, Yana nods. “Yup. I’ve been to parties at their house on January 7th and also on the 25th.” She takes a sip of her apple juice. “What about you two? Do you celebrate Christmas?”
Camden’s smile slips, and he lowers his focus to his plate. Fuck. I should’ve mentioned this when I asked her not to call him the Grinch. All because his late granny used to call him that whenever he wasn’t in the mood close to Christmas.
“I love Christmas,” I chime in, cutting through the awkwardness that’s swept over us. “I usually spend the holiday with my parents and my little sister, Lucy. This year, she might be more excited for my visit than Santa’s.”
A bolt of laughter springs out of Yana’s mouth. “What did you promise your little sister that has her so excited?” She tilts her head to the side. “And how little are we talking?”
“A new iPad with an Apple pencil. And she’s eight.”
Yana’s mouth falls open, and her eyes go wide. “Your sister is…” She peers up at the ceiling, a crease between her brows. “She’s seventeen years younger than you?”
“Yup.” I can’t help but smirk. This woman knows how old I am? Interesting. “Did you google me?”
She snorts. “I did, and I’m a hundred percent sure you did the same for me.”
I wince playfully. “Guilty.”
The air between us shifts, becoming more charged. Our glances linger, the tone of our voices heavier. The flirting more pronounced. It all screams mutual attraction, and I honestly can’t wait to be alone with Yana. The way I want her is mind-blowing.
I’ve never craved a woman more than I crave this one.
“What about you, Camden?” she asks, ripping me out of my thoughts.
Fuck.
Note to self: No daydreaming about a girl when you should be checking in with your best friend and the pain he carries surrounding the most traumatic experiences of his life.
Tongue pressed to the inside of his cheek, he keeps his focus trained on the wall ahead of him.
I straighten, ready to intercept, but before I can, he opens his mouth and says, “I’ve always loved Christmas and New Year’s.
But two years ago, my granny died right before Christmas.
My parents died in a car crash when I was nine, and after that, she raised me.
Now I don’t have anyone to celebrate it with, so this time of year is hard. ”
A heavy silence settles between us.
Camden has an unreadable expression on his face, while Yana’s eyes fill with tears. I sit back, racking my brain for a topic that will lighten up the mood.
“Oh my God,” Yana mutters. “I’m so sorry.”
She reaches over, probably intending to grab his hand on the table, but he clocks the movement, and before she has a chance to touch him, he retracts his hand and picks up his glass.
“Sorry for ruining the mood.” He downs his whiskey and stands. “Let’s find a movie to watch.”
“Yeah, sure,” she mumbles, meeting my gaze.
“Sorry,” I mouth.
With a shake of her head, she stands and starts collecting dishes. I help her clear the table and rinse the plates so she can load them into the dishwasher. When we return to the living room, Camden is sitting on the edge of the couch, his elbows on his knees, his expression still drawn.
“Logan mentioned you were watching Home Alone last night,” he says quietly, avoiding looking at either of us. “I thought maybe we could watch Home Alone 2?”
“Sounds good.” I settle on the other side of the couch.
Yana joins me, letting me drape my arm around her shoulder and tuck her into my chest. Her hair smells like cinnamon and apple, a scent I’ve always associated with Christmas. When she laughs, the sound reverberates through my body. Even our breaths are in sync now, calm and comfortable.
Twenty minutes in, Camden pushes off the couch. His eyes shoot straight to us and linger, his jaw rigid. “I’m tired. Gonna turn in.” His voice sounds flat. “Night.”
I nod.
“Night,” Yana responds.
With that, he strides away, leaving the two of us alone. Within minutes, it’s clear that neither of us is interested in watching the movie any longer.
Yana tilts her face up to me, her gray-green eyes bright in the glow of the TV screen, and I don’t think twice.
I tighten my hold and kiss her. It’s slow and gentle at first, and when she sighs into my mouth, I slip my tongue past her lips and deepen the connection, running my hands down her sides, feeling her up, relishing her curves.
She breaks the kiss suddenly, her breath ragged, and stands. With her hand held out to me, she whispers, “Come with me.”
I thread my fingers through hers as she leads me to her bedroom, my heart pounding.
We don’t turn on the light, so the room is dim, the moon outside the only source of light.
She takes a deep breath, then licks her lips.
“This may not be the best way to set the mood, but this is how I am.” Shoulders pulled back, she clears her throat.
“We’re both athletes. Our lives are ridiculously busy.
Travel, training, tournaments, press events.
” She steps into me and places her hand on my chest. “If there’s something between us, I’d rather find out now than drag this out and play games.
Being intimate with my partner is important to me, so I want to know now if we can make it work.
If we have what it takes to have mind-blowing sex. ”
Her honesty, her confident tone, and the way she tells me what she wants while holding her head high? Ten out of fucking ten.
Gripping her waist, I hold her gaze. “I’m with you. No waiting. No bullshit.” I angle closer, my mouth at her ear. “And trust me, Queen, we have what it takes to have mind-blowing sex.”
“Big words.” Her hot breath fans over my face.
“From a big guy.” I cover her mouth with mine, teasing her at first, giving her gentle pecks here and there.
But as I explore her body with my hands, the kiss grows more intense, our lips glued to each other, our tongues tangled.
I kiss her with everything I have, with all the burning passion that ignited in me the moment I saw her at the store a few hours ago.
“Fuck, I love kissing you,” I murmur against her neck.
Moaning, she throws her head back. “It feels so good…”
With a deep sense of satisfaction, I suck the sensitive skin there into my mouth. She grips my shoulders, digging her fingers into my flesh through my tee. It only spurs me on, causing me to leave a trail of love bites down her neck.
“You’re lucky I’m into this stuff.” She giggles as she pulls me closer to the bed. “Trying to mark your territory, Golden Boy?”
I chuckle. “I’m not trying to do anything.” I push her slightly, easing her onto the sheets. “After tonight, you’ll know you’re mine.” Bending, I gently grip her chin and lift her face. “Take your T-shirt off. Red looks good on you, but I’d prefer you without it.”
With a nod, she obeys, tossing the tee to the floor.