Chapter Twenty-One Alex
If next year is going to be all about me, this year needs to be all about Noelle.
Somehow.
I’m still working on that, hoping that an idea to bring Christmas to life for the beautiful woman lying across my lap will spring to mind in the next— I glance at my watch. In the next hour and a half. Definitely cutting it fine.
Noelle stretches as the credits start to roll, a content smile on her face. ‘Thoughts on your first official Christmas film?’
‘It was decent,’ I concede, though I’m pretty sure the grin on my face betrays me.
Noelle hums, seemingly satisfied and sits upright. I feel the absence of her body against mine as soon as it’s gone, and the urge to pull her back down and press her flush against me again is overwhelming.
‘I think I’ll shower and get ready for bed,’ she says, springing to her feet with more energy than I currently possess. She hovers on the spot for a second or two, looking strangely hesitant, and then says, ‘I’ll… I’ll meet you in your room?’
I nod, not entirely sure why she feels she even has to ask. We’ve spent the last two nights pressed up against each other and, with everything that’s happened between us today, she can’t really believe there’s any reality where I don’t fall asleep with her by my side. Can she?
She gives me a relieved grin and then disappears down the hall, her braids swaying behind her with each step she takes. She’s humming something under her breath as she goes, and I’m pretty sure it’s a song from How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
The fact that it doesn’t irritate me – the sound of Christmas music echoing in my home – is a testament to how far I’ve come over the last three days.
I rise from the sofa, suddenly feeling restless. I meant what I said earlier – if Noelle is determined to celebrate me next year, the least I can do is make sure she has a Christmas to remember this year.
She deserves that much and so much more. But how?
How do I go about making this Christmas something truly special with only – I glance at my watch again – an hour before midnight strikes? My thoughts drift, once again, to my foil stars hiding away in my office.
Surely I can do better than that. Can’t I?
I’m lost in my thoughts as I absentmindedly walk over to the window.
The sight of the snow outside beginning to melt snaps my attention away from my mental dilemma and I press my face against the glass, peering into the darkness outside.
Moonlight casts silver outlines on the melting snow and I can see the roof of Noelle’s car.
Three days ago it was buried in a sea of white, but now the thaw has begun and I feel a twinge in my chest.
A slight pang of regret mixed with something else.
She’s going to want to leave, isn’t she?
And I wouldn’t blame her. Wouldn’t stop her either.
As soon as she realises that the storm is over and the roads are safe, she’ll be out of here in a flash.
Part of me is happy for her – I know how much she wants to be with her family, her loved ones, for Christmas.
But another part of me, the inherently selfish part, desperately wants her to stay.
But Noelle deserves more than my own selfishness right now.
I shake my head and turn off the TV before I clamber upstairs.
I hear the sound of the shower running as I walk past the guest bedroom.
I hesitate outside for a moment, half-heartedly wondering if I should knock and let her know about the storm, but I guess I’m a coward because I keep on walking.
I want to savour this for just a little while longer.
I reach my room and take a deep breath. Guilt gnaws at me as I step into the shower and underneath the cascade of blissfully warm water.
I should tell her.
She deserves to know.
And besides, she’ll realise sooner or later anyway. I’m surprised her phone hasn’t been blowing up with calls and texts from Eve, telling her to hurry up and get on her way.
I step out of the shower, steam billowing around me, and wrap myself in a towel. The air is cool against my damp skin as I make my way back to my bedroom, intent on pulling on some clothes. As soon as I open the adjoining door, I freeze.
Noelle is lying across my bed like some sort of Christmas gift waiting to be unwrapped. My fingers twitch by my side as I take her in. She’s wearing an oversized sweatshirt of mine, the green fabric hanging off her shoulder, revealing just enough skin to set my heart racing.
And that’s it.
Nothing else.
Her long, bare legs stretch out across my white sheets, her skin glowing under the soft lamplight in a way that makes her look almost ethereal.
My heartbeat pulses at the sight of her, and I can feel desire coiling in the pit of my stomach.
Without a word, I cross the room and stand in front of her, reaching out a hand to caress her cheek. Her skin is soft beneath my touch, warm and inviting. She leans into my hand, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment before she meets my gaze again, a silent question lingering between us.
I lean down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that sends a jolt of electricity coursing through both of us. Noelle responds eagerly, her arms winding around my neck as she pulls me closer, deepening the kiss.
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of kissing her.
It feels brand new every single time. I could drown in the sensation, in the way she moulds herself against me, like she can’t get close enough.
I’m still slightly damp from the shower, but Noelle doesn’t seem to mind.
She drags a hand down the length of my chest, stopping where I’ve got the towel wrapped around my waist. Her long fingers dip under the fabric, and I feel her smirk against my lips as she pulls me backwards and onto the bed with her.
I topple over her, our bodies fitting together perfectly, and her laughter bubbles up between our kisses.
I could very easily lose myself in Noelle. In the softness of her skin. In her panted moans. In the way she arches against me with a quiet desperation that mirrors my own.
But then that guilt rears its ugly head again and I pull back.
Noelle blinks up at me blearily, frowning. ‘Is everything all right?’
I glance at the window, where moonlight now seeps through the gap in the curtain. I turn back to Noelle and pull away just enough to meet her questioning gaze, hating myself for halting the moment. ‘I think the storm is over.’
Her brow furrows in confusion, and I imagine she’s trying to process why I’d bring up weather when there are clearly more pressing issues at hand.
My dick, for example, which is currently straining against the loosely wrapped towel around my waist.
I sit upright on the bed, trying to subtly adjust myself. ‘I noticed about an hour ago. If you left now, I think you could make it to your grandmother’s house before sunrise. I can call a car for you if you’re worried about your one making it the whole way.’
Noelle makes a sound that’s a mix between a scoff of disbelief and a dry laugh. She sits up too and fixes me in place with a sharp stare. ‘Are you asking me to leave?’
‘No,’ I say quickly. ‘That’s the last thing I want.’
‘Then why are you saying anything?’
‘Because it’ll be Christmas in about five minutes,’ I say with a wry grin. ‘And I know how important it was for you to spend it with your family. So…’ I shrug. ‘Now you have your chance.’
Noelle considers me for a few long moments. ‘And if I said I wanted to stay?’ She lifts herself up onto her knees and then straddles me, draping her arms loosely around my neck. ‘If I said that it’s your birthday in about four minutes, and I wanted to stay and celebrate with you?’
My hands immediately go to her thighs and I have to bite back a groan as my fingers dig into soft, supple skin.
She smirks and grinds into me, sliding over my already painfully hard dick. ‘Answer the question, Alex. If I told you that I wanted to stay? Then what?’
‘If you really wanted to—’
She leans in and nips at my neck. ‘I do.’
I swallow. ‘Then—’
‘Then what?’
I’m tired of playing games. I pull her flush against me, my towel falling by the wayside so my dick can run along the fabric of her panties. ‘Then there’s nothing else to discuss,’ I growl against her lips.
Noelle lets out a happy sigh. ‘Finally. We’re on the same page.’
Her lips meet mine in a frenzy and we tumble back onto the bed, our bodies writhing together in a desperate need for each other. I slip a hand between us and she practically purrs in approval as my fingers run along the thin, damp strip of fabric that’s keeping her pussy from me.
‘Are you just going to tease me all night?’ she murmurs against my lips as I press my thumb over her clothed clit and watch as she hisses and arches further into me.
‘Seriously considering it.’
She pulls back slightly and rolls her eyes. ‘Hilari—’
‘Take them off,’ I say, my voice rough with desire.
Her eyes widen a fraction, but she doesn’t ask for any clarification. Just drops a hand and tugs her panties down her leg before tossing them into a dark corner of the room.
Noelle crawls back up my body, and I can now feel the damp heat of her core against me, begging to be touched. And I desperately want to touch her. But not like this.
I slide down on the bed until I’m lying flat against the sheets. ‘Here.’ I point to my face and enjoy the way Noelle flushes immediately. I can actually feel the warmth spreading through her where my hands meet her skin.
‘You want me to—’
‘Sit.’
Her tongue darts out to wet her lip before she gives me a tiny nod, and crawls up my body until her thighs are bracketing my head. I give them both a squeeze, signalling for her to sit down fully, but she hesitates.
I look up, watching as she curls her fingers around the edge of the headboard. I can feel her entire body tingling.
I wait a beat, but she doesn’t move. I raise a brow and give her thighs an encouraging squeeze. ‘Weren’t you the one who said that you wanted to… What was it? Ah, yes. “Wipe that smirk right off my face”?’