Chapter 46
Ford
Standing in the shower, I let the warm water cascade over me, a smile spreading across my face. Harper is curled up asleep in my bed, blissfully unaware of how her declaration that we’re together has transformed my world.
She’s moving back home, ready to give us a real shot at happiness. What was supposed to be the worst Christmas of my life has turned into the best, and I can hardly believe my luck. I sigh, grateful to the universe for granting me something I’ve longed for over ten years.
Suddenly, slender hands glide around my torso, fingertips tracing the ridges of my abs before I jump at the sensation of warm, soft lips pressing gentle kisses down each vertebra of my spine.
Harper’s delicate hands, still cool from the bedroom air, find their way down my stomach and grasp my cock, stroking with a perfect rhythm that has me growing harder with each deliberate movement.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispers, her breath hot against my shower-dampened skin.
She presses her bare body against my back, her nipples hardening as they make contact with my wet skin, and I let out a deep moan when she reaches down to caress the boys with more pressure than most women dare, sending electricity coursing through me.
“Let me go, and I’ll show you how merry it can be.”
She giggles, her fingers releasing their grip as I turn to face her. My mouth finds hers, hot water streaming between our lips as I thread my fingers through her wet hair, tugging just enough to make her gasp.
The hard peaks of her nipples graze my chest, leaving trails of sensation across my skin.
I slide my hand down the slick curve of her stomach until I reach the soft heat between her thighs.
Her breath catches when I circle that swollen spot with my thumb.
“Every morning,” she whispers against my mouth, her hand wrapping around me again, tighter this time. “Just like this.”
“You have no idea how much I love you.”
“Show me.”
Her lips curl at the corner, eyes darkening to the same shade they were in that coatroom at Gina’s wedding when she bit down on my shoulder to keep quiet. My hands find her hips, turning her until she faces away from me.
Water streams down the curve of her spine as I guide her foot to the edge of the tub. She braces against the tile wall, looking back over her shoulder. I slide into her inch by inch, the sensation making my vision blur at the edges. My teeth graze her earlobe as I whisper against her wet skin.
Wrapping my arms around her, I palm the soft weight of her breast, feeling her nipple harden against my palm while my other hand slides lower. Harper’s breath hitches, her wet hair spilling across my shoulder as her body arches. “Ford,” she breathes, the word dissolving into steam.
The slick heat beneath my fingers pulses as I circle that sensitive spot.
Her palms reach out to brace herself on the tile wall, her spine curving like a bow.
Water streams between our bodies as she presses back against me, the shower’s rhythm no match for our own.
She needs this as much as I do, and she meets me thrust for thrust, delighted at the rough speed I’m pounding into her.
“Baby, I—” My voice fractures as lightning builds at the base of my spine.
Her head falls forward, a strangled sound escaping her throat as tremors ripple through her thighs.
The flutter of her around me pulls me under, her name torn from my lips as the world whites out.
For heartbeats afterward, we stand locked together, the shower’s spray cooling against our flushed skin.
We both pant, neither moving, and I love the feel of her around me. Filling her as I moan her name. I honestly don’t know how life could get better than this.
“Don’t get a place in town.”
Harper stiffens against me, and I realize how it sounds. “What?”
“Stay with your parents,” I clarify, “until you’re ready to move in with me.”
Pulling away, she turns around, and my limp cock brushes against my thigh. “You don’t think living with my parents will be a problem?”
I capture her bottom lip between my teeth and nibble. “No, because I have a feeling you’ll spend most of your nights here. With me. Naked and moaning.”
“Don’t you mean I should move in with you when we’re ready?”
Her face fits perfectly in my palms as I cup her cheeks, rubbing her soft skin with my thumbs. “I’m ready now, but I don’t want to pressure you until—”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“I don’t want to move back in with my parents. It’s either my own place or with you.”
A smile spreads across my face. “Me. Pick me.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Not for me,” I admit. “I mean it when I say I’ve wanted this forever, Harper. But I need you to tell me if you feel like things are moving too fast. I want it all with you, but you need to be ready, too.”
She sighs, tilting her head. “You have no idea how hot you are when you talk like that.”
I laugh and kiss her. “Do we really have to leave? I think I’m coming down with something.”
My fake cough lacks conviction, and she taps my cheek playfully. “There will be plenty of time to go down when we get back home. I’m determined to show you just how good my mouth skills are.”
“Oh, I’ll hold you to that, baby.”
She winks and hops out of the shower. Merry Christmas to me.
Harper
Christmas with our families exceeded my wildest expectations. Everyone was so supportive, filling the air with a spirit of giving. And Ford? He really knows how to give.
“Merry Christmas to us,” I say, my skin glistening with sweat.
“You know, I think this should be our plan every year: Christmas Eve together, Christmas Day with our families, and Christmas night sweaty and naked,” Ford suggests.
I laugh and nod. “I can totally get onboard with that plan. This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
“Oh, hold that thought. I have something for you."
He leaps out of bed, the mattress springs creaking beneath his weight.
My gaze follows the defined muscles of his back as he rushes into the living room, completely naked, his firm ass flexing with each hurried step.
Ford's modesty vanishes around me—has from that very first night—and I lie back against the rumpled sheets, still warm from our bodies, eagerly awaiting his return, the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead and cooling the thin sheen of sweat on my skin.
I’ve never felt so comfortable, confident, and loved. It’s okay to be Harper—every part of me. He doesn’t dim my shine. If my career outgrows his, he won’t resent me for it. Ford Stokes will always be my biggest supporter.
He rushes back in, his naked body silhouetted against the doorway light, performing a playful little shimmy that makes everything bounce in the most delicious way. The mattress dips and springs creak as he dives back under our tangled sheets, his skin still radiating heat against mine.
A small velvet bag dangles from his fingers, tied with a crimson ribbon that catches the dim light. I laugh and accept the gift he presents, running my thumb over the soft fabric, but then my smile fades. "I didn't know we were exchanging gifts. I don't have anything for you."
“You told me you love me. You’re planning to move in with me. And you’ve given me all of you—many, many times. Baby, I never need another present as long as I live.”
His words drive me wild—so brazen and honest, so direct. I always know exactly what he wants, and it’s refreshingly clear.
I open the bag and pull out a wooden ornament carved into the shape of my camera. My breath catches as I examine it, the details exquisite. “Did you make this?”
“Started carving it the day you stumbled into my store,” he replies. “Do you like it?”
Running my fingers along the smooth surface, I marvel at how accurate it is. “It’s amazing, baby. I can’t… You have a real talent for this. Maybe we should set up our own stand at the holiday festival market. You could carve ornaments, and I’ll frame some of my photographs.”
“Anything you want, Harper.”
I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s absolutely remarkable. I notice small indents on the bottom and turn it over, revealing two dates: two days ago and Christmas Eve a year from now. “What are these?”
“Oh, yeah, I added those last night after you fell asleep.”
“What are they for?”
A small smile spreads across his face as he rubs my thigh. “Well, the first date is when you told me you love me.”
My lip pops out in a pout as I gaze at him, feeling touched by his sentimentality. “Aww.”
“And Christmas Eve next year, assuming you’re on board, will be the date I give you something else.”
“Something else?”
“My last name.”
Fear creeps in, freezing me momentarily, but I push it away when I see the sincerity in his eyes. I have no reason to be scared.
“If it doesn’t happen next year, that’s okay. I just want you to know I plan to give you everything you’ve ever wanted. A Christmas Eve wedding, lights, snow, the works. Whenever you’re ready.”
“You’re giving me this stunning ornament that represents my passion and a promise of forever?”
“You’ve always been my forever, Harper. I have no doubts that we’ll make it official. Now that I finally have you, I don’t plan to ever let you go.”
Setting the ornament on the nightstand, I turn and climb onto his lap, my thighs sliding against his.
His pupils dilate as my weight settles on him, and beneath me, I feel him hardening again.
I trace the flush spreading across his chest, up his neck, to where his pulse hammers visibly at his throat.
When I lean in, his breath catches, and his hands tremble slightly as they find my hips.
“You so much passion and love in you, and I cannot figure out how you don’t explode with it. How it can stay inside because you feel so much.”
“For you. Only for you.”
I rub against him, coaxing a moan from his lips. “You are insatiable.”
“It comes with the territory of having the woman of my dreams on top of me, naked. And she didn’t run when I promised forever. It’s hard to stay satisfied for too long.”
“I love you.”
“God, I love you, Harper,” he replies, kissing me as we come together once more.
Definitely the best Christmas ever.