CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Nadine
The days were rushing by, I thought as I lay in bed next to Reynolds.
I was tracing circles over his naked back with one hand while my other played with his dark blond hair.
These mornings meant so much to me, and I wasn’t sure I had many of them left.
Our contract had ended the first week of December, but Carmen had agreed to let Reynolds rent the condo until the paperwork was done on the new home I’d picked out.
For a while, Reynolds had talked about us living together after his inauguration.
I’d been so excited, but then he’d stopped talking about us being together after he’d bought me the house.
To be fair, that’s also around the time poor Candace Key was murdered, and he’d had to focus all of his energy into helping the police navigate the situation. He’d been so busy.
But it left me unsure of where I stood. When we’d come back from Grand Bahama Island in early November, I’d felt certain that as soon as his inaugural ball was over, he’d end things with Whitney.
I had thought we’d be together then. But then he’d continued to go out with her once or twice a week without mentioning their upcoming break-up.
I had become less and less sure of what was happening between us.
And he hadn’t mentioned us being together in a while. It had been a couple of weeks now since he’d said anything about our future. I was starting to feel as if he knew it wasn’t going to work out between us but didn’t want to tell me.
I tried not to be sad. After all, I’d known what this was from the start.
And what did I have to complain about? I’d spent the past almost seven months having a torrid affair with a man who taught me that sex was beyond anything I’d ever hoped to experience.
Just thinking about him got me all hot and bothered.
Plus, thanks to our contract, Mama was set up in a luxury beachfront condo.
She had a cute car that she tooled around West Bay in.
She was seeing two different men who lived in her condominium complex.
They were both very nice, but she’d made it clear she wasn’t planning on settling down anytime soon…
or ever. She’d been hurt enough in the past. She just wanted to enjoy life.
And I was so glad the contract I’d agreed to had made that happen for her.
Reynolds had bought me a house. It was an adorable craftsman’s bungalow in a great neighborhood near downtown.
The sidewalks and huge old trees reminded me a lot of The Estates at South neighborhood.
I loved it, and I couldn’t wait to move in.
It was within walking distance to work and friends, which would be awesome until I could drive.
I had a good job. If you’d told me a few months ago that I’d be working for the Salazar’s real estate company, I would’ve laughed. Loud and long. But it was true.
And, now that the contract was up, I had seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the bank. Even if I pinched myself, I still wouldn’t believe I wasn’t dreaming and that I’d wake up back in the single-wide trailer in Puckins to go to my crappy, dead-end catering job.
So, I wasn’t sure I was going to get the prince at the end of this fairy tale.
Was it going to hurt if I didn’t? Yes. But would I get over it eventually?
I swallowed hard just thinking about it as I stared into Reynolds’ handsome, sleeping face.
I wasn’t sure. He would be the man against whom I measured all others, that was for sure.
And I thought there was a good chance that no one else would ever measure up.
“It’s creepy to stare at someone when they’re sleeping,” he mumbled, opening his eyes just a little to observe me.
I laughed and pushed him slightly, barely causing him to move. “Merry Christmas, Reynolds.”
“Merry Christmas, Nadine.” He rolled over and got to his feet. He went into the bathroom, and I heard water running before he appeared again. “Stay here.”
“Okay,” I giggled a little and jumped out of bed as soon as he walked out of the room.
I wondered if he had a present for me. I had a couple for him, too, in the closet.
I wanted to get them so that he wouldn’t think he was the only one who’d remembered presents.
I hurried over to the closet, grabbed the bag with three wrapped gifts in it, and launched myself back on the bed before he could get back.
I set the bag on the floor where he couldn’t see it.
He was back quickly, a huge smile on his face as he laid out gift after gift on the bed. They were distinctive white packages with bright red bows. They were stamped with the word ‘Cartier’ on them, and I gasped and my mouth fell open. “Reynolds! What did you do?”
“I bought you some things. Madeline helped me so that I wouldn’t get you something idiotic.”
I got on my knees and reached for him, attacking him and nearly dragging him down with my kisses. “Thank you.”
“You haven’t even opened them yet,” he protested.
“But it was so thoughtful of you to ask Madeline to go with you.” I looked at the boxes. There were way too many. “Even though I can tell you spent too much without even opening one.”
He shrugged and grinned. Without a shirt on, his hair messy, he appeared younger than he was. I could tell how excited he was to give me the gifts, and that meant as much, if not more, than the gifts themselves.
I had never gotten many presents at Christmas, but Mama had always managed to scrape together enough to give me one or two things.
She’d never lost that look of strain and anxiety around her eyes and mouth as I’d opened them, though.
I never would tell her this, but it had made me feel worse than if she hadn’t bought presents at all.
Seeing Reynolds with a relaxed, cheerful face as he went to get the gifts gave me a warm feeling inside like I’d never experienced on Christmas morning. This was what it was like to have enough money to give someone you cared about a present.
I loved it.
“Open them already! I can’t stand the anticipation,” he growled at me, and pushed a present into my hands. “Do this one first.” His grin was wide as he sat back on his heels and watched me.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed, ripping into the first package. I gasped when I opened the box and saw a gorgeous necklace I’d admired back in the summer when I was shopping with Madeline. “That’s way too expensive,” I said as I handed him the box and turned around for him to put it on me.
He bent down and kissed my neck first before putting it on, and I felt myself getting turned on. God. I could barely be around him without wanting to fuck him. I didn’t mean to, but I let out a little moan as he continued to kiss up the side of my neck.
I felt his smile as he turned my head and kissed me. “You have a lot more to open, angel.”
I shivered. I loved it when he called me that. I’d heard him call plenty of women ‘honey,’ but I was the only one he’d ever called ‘angel.’
I opened box after box, getting more excited as I opened each one. I made him put each necklace and bracelet on me. I tried on all the earrings but could only wear one pair. I chose the sparkling diamond solitaires he’d given me.
Finally, after I’d opened all of my gifts except one, he laid me back on the bed. “My God,” he breathed. “Do you realize how hot you look right now? You should always be draped in jewels.” He shook his head as his darkened eyes traveled up and down my body.
I blushed. I was wearing a lacy negligee that was comfortable to sleep in, but it was still pretty sexy. “Wait. Hold that thought. I have something special for you.”
I reached down for the bag of presents I had for him. I pulled one box out. “Open this one.”
He raised an eyebrow. “It better be good to take my attention off you.” He adjusted himself, and I gave him a little smirk when I saw how hard he was.
He opened it and held it up. In honor of how much he’d come to love me dressing up for him, as long as it wasn’t an alien costume, it was a very sexy elf costume. He groaned as he saw it. “Go put this on.”
“But what about your other presents?”
“Right now, Nadine. I need you to put this on now.”
I grabbed it out of his hands and hurried to the bathroom.
I pulled off what I’d been wearing and put on the new outfit.
It was made to look like I was a very naughty Christmas elf.
The red silk corset top, trimmed with white velvet, pushed my breasts up until they looked almost obscene.
It was a crop top, showing off my flat abdomen.
The micro skirt bottom, complete with black elf belt was silky and so short that my ass peeked out.
It also had a matching red silk thong that I wore underneath it.
To complete the look, I wore red and white striped thigh highs and red stilettos.
I brushed my teeth and hair and checked myself out in the mirror.
I liked all the jewelry with it. It made it seem like I was Santa’s mistress or something.
I giggled. If Reynolds thought I was hot before I put this on, he was going to freak out now.
“Hurry up, Nadine!” he called from the bedroom.
I opened the door dramatically and positioned myself so he would have a great view.
“Oh my God.” He swallowed hard. “That might be the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.”
“I’m your naughty elf.” I turned around and bent over, touching my toes and then slowly dragging my hands up my body as I turned to look at him over my shoulder. “I’m here to fulfill all your wishes for Christmas.” I winked at him.
“Jesus.” His eyes ate me up as I rounded the bed, hands on my hips while I strutted in my heels.
“What do you want for Christmas?” I asked in a sexy voice.
He couldn’t decide what to look at. His eyes bounced from my cleavage to my lips to my hips to my eyes. “So much. I want so much from you for Christmas.”