Chapter 18
stella
Lazy sunlight spills through the sheer white curtains, painting only my shoulder in soft gold.
Outside, I can make out the faint sounds of a more upbeat version of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
On the floor, my pink underwear is tossed to the side, half inside out, like I couldn’t get them off fast enough.
I should get up, but instead, I close my eyes again.
I don’t move. I just breathe. My body is warm and more relaxed than it’s been in months.
There’s a soft hum with the faint ache of the pleasure I still feel from last night.
If I roll over and find Jonas gone—even if it’s only because of his morning run—this perfect, blissful bubble I now find myself in will pop.
“Did you know you snore?”
My lips pull up uncontrollably, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Don’t worry, though, it’s the cute kind.”
I roll over, ready to call him a liar, but fall short when my eyes land on the man before me.
Both arms folded behind his head, his body made of pure, thick muscle, a sliver of the white sheet hides one leg and his enormous, pierced cock.
And that one thick, tattoo-covered leg hangs out of the sheets.
Jonas is so fucking hot, it literally takes my breath away.
What’s worse is that this perfect specimen of a man is kind.
He’s selfless and thoughtful. He’s witty and funny, and all the things I didn’t expect him to be.
He reaches a hand up and tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. It’s a move he’s done multiple times since we’ve been here, and every time he does it, it still takes my breath away.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks.
I chew the inside of my cheek, nervous about how honest an answer I’m willing to give.
I’m thinking all of this feels more real than either of us intended. I’m thinking I could wake up next to you like this forever and be happy. I’m thinking of how crushed I’ll be when we go our separate ways after tomorrow. I’m thinking, what if it doesn’t feel the same for you like it does for me?
I’m still not ready to pop this bubble with the answers to those questions, though, so instead I say, “I have something for you.” I turn, grab my bathing suit top from the floor, and make quick work of the tie.
“I’ll be honest, you topless in bed was enough for me.”
“I can’t give a gift naked.” I laugh, reaching into the nightstand drawer. “Okay, close your eyes.” I wait a beat, clutching the paper bag to my chest, and turn around to find Jonas propped up against the headrest, sitting with his eyes closed.
My heart hammers so loud that if the air conditioning vent stopped, I’m sure he would be able to hear it.
It shouldn’t be this big of a deal, but as my gaze sweeps his body again, I start to second-guess myself.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I place the bag into his waiting palm, and his free hand catches mine.
My breath stalls in my throat as I look to him, and his eyes open, fixated on me.
I don’t drop his gaze, but I feel it when he intertwines our fingers together.
He stares into my eyes, his thumb brushing over my knuckles, and when his lips pull up into that smile of his, I feel him everywhere.
It’s overwhelming. I inhale a shaky breath before dropping my eyes and nodding toward his lap. “Merry Christmas, Jonas.”
Seeing the gift shop mistletoe ornament hang between his fingers and how he stares at it, I’m suddenly feeling self-conscious again. “I know it’s small and kind of lame—”
“It’s perfect.” His thumb brushes over the tag that reads Caribbean Splendor Resort. “I think it might be the best gift I’ve ever received.”
I want to roll my eyes, but when he looks at me, the truth in his gaze is undeniable.
He leans forward, his lips meeting mine, and for the first time, I’m absolutely certain there’s nothing fake about this kiss.
My body melts into his, as if I couldn’t possibly keep away from him, and his arms wrap around my lower back, pulling me tightly against him, as if he needed this just as bad.
His tongue sweeps my lips, and I open for him, letting him in deeper.
Deeper into the kiss and deeper into my heart.
He nips at my bottom lip, and I moan, pressing myself further to him.
“You might want to put some underwear on,” he whispers against my lips.
“Not where I thought this was going.” I smile, but don’t open my eyes when Jonas begins to pepper kisses down my neck.
“I have something for you, too.”
“Is it your real name?”
“You. Wish.” He swiftly kisses me once more, and then he’s up, standing at the edge of the bed, pulling on his boxers.
“Oh. Like, right now?” I slide out of the bed, grab Jonas’s Pearl Jam T-shirt from the chair, and meet him by the patio door.
“What are we doing?”
“Close your eyes.”
I do as he says, but not before eyeing him skeptically. Standing with my eyes closed, I’m forced to use my other senses. I hear the scrape of a chair leg across the patio, a light flick of some sort, and then what I can only describe as a humming sound.
“Jonas?”
“Keep ‘em closed. One more minute.” His voice gets closer until I think he’s back in front of me, and he confirms it by grabbing both of my hands in his.
“Okay. Open.”
I let my eyes flutter open and adjust to the sunlight once more. Jonas’s sea-green eyes stare back at me. If his gift to me is him, I’m embarrassed to admit how much I like it. I wrap my arms around his neck and pop up on my toes.
Just as our lips are about to touch, something tickles my nose.
I flinch, blinking up in confusion. I’m about to ignore it when another drop lands on my cheek, this one distinctly colder.
Tiny flakes slowly dance over my head, and my chest tightens as I lower my gaze back to him.
His eyes are bright, quietly searching mine, and the smallest smile tugs at his lips when the realization dawns on me.
“Penny for your thoughts, Stell?”
My nose and eyes burn as I fight to hold back tears. “You’re going to have a whole lot of pennies by the time you leave,” I whisper in awe as the flecks of snow begin to cover the patio around me.
“Roughly four.” He snakes his arm around my back, and I blink away the liquid lining my eyes. “But they were worth their weight in gold.”
I don’t think. I throw my arms around him and jump.
As if he’d been waiting, his strong arms catch me.
One hand holds my back while the other guides my face toward him.
I kiss him feverishly and without restraint.
He spins us around, never letting our lips break, and sets me down on the patio table.
Fingers that feel slightly less calloused than they did a few days ago slide under my shirt, along my bare back until they reach my bra strap.
In one quick flick, I feel the fabric come loose.
Jonas’s shirt hangs down to my knees, so I didn’t bother putting anything else on when we came out here.
I can’t give a gift without a bra, but apparently I can receive one without underwear.
I thank my past self for my foresight, though, when we break apart just long enough for Jonas to peel the shirt from my body and toss my bra over his shoulder.
The morning birds seem to get excited over that because I catch an uproar of chirping before I smile, pulling Jonas back to my mouth.
One hand glides along my outer thigh, before he hooks it around his waist, and his other hand dips to the space between us.
My chest arches forward when he drags his thumb through my already dripping center, and then lowers his mouth to my pebbled nipple.
I drop my head back, shivering when he drags, flicks, and licks his tongue over me.
Every moan that escapes me makes him suck harder, and I think I could come from his mouth on my nipple alone.
When my gasps of pleasure grow louder and my body arches further into him, his fingers start to tease me.
“Jonas,” I whine, bucking my hips toward him, needing more pressure.
“You have no idea how sweet you sound when you breathe my name.” He dips his middle two fingers only one knuckle deep, and I bite my lip hard enough to taste copper.
“Now I want to hear you scream it.” He fills me without warning, hot and relentless, in a way that I can’t control when his name tears from my lips.
His fingers drive into me, and the sound is so wet and obscene.
Cold flakes of snow land on my chest, immediately melting upon contact with my burning skin, and I’m already so close.
My hips meet him with every thrust of his tireless fingers, and I place my hand on his bare chest, until I’m reaching lower.
“Fuck, Jonas. Please.”
“You want it, Stell? Pull it out.”
His fingers remain inside me, but slow their pace. I’m panting, out of breath, but when I lower his waistband and his cock juts out and I gather the full weight of him into my palm, I forget how to breathe.
“Spit on it.”
I hold his gaze but don’t hesitate as I gather the saliva on my tongue and let it fall exactly where it’s intended.
My fingers wrap around his length, and he inches forward in my hand, and the warm metal ring at his tip hits my clit.
I jerk forward at the sensation, but before I can catch my breath, his fingers are fucking me again.
The wooden table creaks beneath me with every matched stroke. His fingers continue to fill me while my hand works his cock until my walls start clenching around him.
“Fuck. Yes. It feels so good.”
“Say it again,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “I’ll make you come, just to hear you say it.”
“It’s perfect. God, Jonas, you’re perfect.”
He pulls out, and I swear to god I nearly collapse. He plants both hands on either side of me, his knuckles turning white against the table top. “Put me inside you.”
I lock eyes with him once more and position him at my entrance.
“I know I didn’t say this last night, but just so we’re perfectly clear.
” He bites my bottom lip before kissing the sting.
“None of this is for anyone else. You are mine. This pussy is mine. And there’s nothing fake about it.
” He bottoms out, stretching me fully until I fall to my back onto a thin layer of cold snow.
He drives in, hitting a spot deep inside me, and his pace turns punishing. “When I finish, I’m going to bend you over this table just to watch my cum drip out of you.” He pulls out, dropping his lips to my ear. “And then I’m going to fuck you again.”
I cry out when he slams back in. The table scratching against the floor, our labored breathing, and skin slapping fill the patio as a flurry of snow continues to rain down on us.
He has claimed every part of me, and I’ve lost control of every thought when my legs begin to tremor. Pleasure washes over me in wave after wave as he continues to fuck me through my climax. I reach up, grab my nipples, and pull the already taut peeks, moaning until he’s right there with me.
“Fuck, Stella!” One last thrust and a deep groan, and Jonas is coming hot and deep inside me.
Both of our bodies tremble as he leans forward, still not pulling out. I reach forward, run my fingers through his hair, and smile when I look up to find the snow still falling lazily around us.