“But—”
“It’s not just sex,” he cut me off. “You’re in my blood. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
Just like that, all my defenses crumbled.
Exultation gleamed in Reid’s eyes as he read my expression. He massaged my nape, sending shivers down my spine. His lips brushed mine and he commanded, “Spread your legs, Ev.”
I made a sound like, “Gah,” from the back of my throat as arousal flushed through me, and I slowly spread my legs.
Just like that, whatever control Reid had snapped. He crushed his mouth down on mine, his kiss voracious, his tongue exploring, chasing mine. It was the deepest, dirtiest fucking kiss of my life, and I loved it.
I clung to his waist, trying to draw him closer, to feel him between my legs.
As we kissed, he reached beneath my petticoat and tore at the stockings. I broke away, panting, “My costume!”
“The costume is indecent,” he replied, nipping at my lips, trying to pull me back into the kiss as he yanked the tights down my thighs.
“It’s the most demure elf costume ever!”
Reid pulled back, scowling. “Every time you bend over that fucking Christmas tree, your skirt flies up. Every father in that line got a view of your spectacular arse, and Santa wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding how much he was enjoying himself.”
“This costume is ridiculous,” I argued.
“Yes, and yet somehow I’ve been fighting a hard on ever since I first saw you in it.” Reid reached down and pulled off my elf shoes. My tights followed suit.
“Reid!” I braced my hands on his shoulders for balance.
“Please tell me your wet,” he practically begged as he coasted his hands along my thighs and curled his finger beneath my underwear.
“I’m always wet for you,” I whispered, almost mournfully.
Whatever he heard in my tone stopped him. He cupped my face with his other hand, his thumb brushing my mouth. “How long?”
I knew what he was asking.
“Since I was thirteen,” I admitted, knowing there was no point hiding it now. I’d loved him in some way or another since I was a kid.
His expression was so tender, if I could have melted any more I would have been a puddle of feels at his feet. “Patrick is going to kill me,” he replied hoarsely.
I stiffened.
Reid shook his head. “But you’re worth it, Ev.”
Just like that, I couldn’t wait. I needed him. Now.
I told him as much, fumbling at the slim leather belt looped through his black suit pants.
We were frantic; hot skin and searching hands. Reid took over releasing himself, while I shimmied out of my underwear and kicked them across the room.
Then he was there, revealed to me.
Hot, hard and thick.
Watching him roll a condom over his length was the sexiest show on earth.
“Oh my God.” My inner muscles squeezed as if they could already feel him inside me.
“I wanted you naked and bare to me the first time we did this … but I just can’t fucking wait to be inside you.” Reid pulled me across the desk to meet him, one hand clasping my nape again, the other gripping my hip beneath my skirts.
I gasped against his mouth as he prodded between my legs.
He thrust at the same time he kissed me.
Pleasure-pain exploded in a cascade of shivers down my spine and the back of my legs, tingling all the way down to my toes. I was small; he was thick.
It was a tight fit.
Slipping my hands down over his rock hard arse, I wrapped my legs around his hips. He glided out of me and pumped back in. The slight burn eased and all I felt was the overwhelming, amazing fullness of him moving inside of me. I revelled at the feel of his muscles shifting beneath my hands and I dug my fingers into his cheeks, begging for more.
“Harder!” I broke our kiss to pant.
Reid lifted his head. Our eyes locked as he moved his hand from my nape to my other hip, so he could steady me.
Then he fucked me in earnest.
I had to let go of him to hold on to the desk.
Biting back my cries of pleasure, I held Reid’s eyes the whole time he drove into me. His expression was fierce with need, eyes glittering under the light, teeth slightly bared as he took his pleasure from me.
Surprise flickered over his face. “I’m … I’m going to come. Fuck.” He slipped a hand between my legs and rolled his thumb over my clit.
“Oh God, of fuck, oh God.” My head fell back on my shoulders as that tight, winding tension building inside of me reached the heavens.
And shattered with the bliss of it all.
I cried out, forgetting where we were, as my inner muscles rippled around Reid in voluptuous tugs.
His eyes widened with the sensation. “Evan!”
My body was still pulsing with release as he throbbed inside me, his hips shuddering against mine as he climaxed.
I reached for him, kissing him through the last of it; desperate kisses that turned languid and luxurious as our orgasms eased.
Finally, Reid lifted his head to cup my face in his hands. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
I grinned and agreed, “Yeah.”
“It’s not enough,” he breathed, peppering sweet kisses down my chin and throat. “I need you again.”
As much as I didn’t want to remind him, I whispered, “I have to get back to the grotto.”
With a heavy sigh, Reid nodded and reluctantly eased out of me.
I winced a little.
“You okay?” he frowned.
“More than,” I promised him.
His eyes roamed over my face. “No regrets?”
“No regrets.”
“You’re not leaving me.”
I grinned. “Was that a question or a demand?”
He scowled, but his tone didn’t match his expression. “Evan … please don’t leave me.”
Tenderness flooded me. “What about Patrick?”
Reid sighed again. “If he cares about us, he won’t stand in our way.”
“I don’t want to cause problems between you. I know how much his friendship means to you and vice versa.”
“It does.” He slid his hands beneath my skirt again, causing goosebumps to chase his touch. “But I told you, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. If I let you walk away, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
His words caused me to smile so big, I probably looked like a moron.
Reid didn’t seem to think so, though. He smiled, squeezing my thighs. “Happy?”
I nodded. “Extremely.”
“Good.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “Because it’s my new mission in life to make you happy. So happy you’ll never want to leave me.”
“I approve of this mission,” I teased, pressing kisses to his bristly cheek until I reached his ear. And then I took a plunge of faith and confessed, “I love you, Reid.”
He jerked back from me, making my heart sputter with fear.
But then he demanded, “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
Trying to quell my smile, I replied, “I mean it. No way has ever made me feel the way you do.”
Confusion flooded me as he reached past me for his wallet. At the same time, he kicked off his shoes and the trousers that had fallen to his ankles.
“What …”
He was pulling out another condom. “Take off the dress. You’re going to be late.”
“Reid?”
“You just told me you love me. I want to say it to you while you’re naked and on your back and I’m buried deep inside you.”
I’d never taken off a dress so fast in my life.
Minutes later, I was sprawled across the couch in Reid’s office. We were both gloriously naked.
And he made love to me as he murmured how much he loved me over and over again.
Neither of us cared how loud we were or if anyone heard us.
&nb
sp; All we saw was each other, all we felt was one another and all we heard were those three little words whispered between us as we connected in every way two people could.
Evan
Christmas Morning
My heart lurched when the doorbell rang. My palms sweated when Mum called out as she passed the living room from the kitchen, “That will be Annie and Reid. I’ll get it.”
I heard their loud greetings of ‘Happy Christmas’ to one another, Reid’s voice more of a rumbling murmur in amongst our mums’ higher pitched tones. The sensation in my stomach was familiar. I’d felt that deep, nauseating dive that time my high school bestie convinced me to jump from the top diving board at the swim center.
Suffice it to say, my anxiety was through the roof.
After two weeks of keeping our relationship a secret, Reid and I had decided to tell our family on Christmas morning. It was a gamble and possibly selfish if we ended up spoiling everyone’s day. However, it was the one time our families would be together and in a guaranteed good mood. And we lived on the hope that this news would be a gift to our parents.
Reid had wanted to tell Patrick on his own, but I didn’t think that was fair. It wasn’t all on Reid.
Mum ushered Annie into the sitting room first and Reid’s mum came straight to me. I stood up on trembling knees to embrace her and accept her soft kiss on my cheek. “Happy Christmas, Annie.”
“You too, sweetheart.” She clasped my face in her hand, her dark eyes filled with tenderness. “You look beautiful. And happy. My son’s treating you right at that office, then?”
As hard as I tried I couldn’t fight the blush that heated my cheeks. “Of course.”
The corner of her lips turned up in a knowing smirk and suspicion rippled through me.
Did she already know?
My eyes flew past her to Reid.
Happiness engulfed me at the mere sight of him. The man made me giddy. Every morning I went to work, excited to be there, to see him, to steal secret kisses in his office. To leave before him, but then meet him by his car and drive to his apartment for dinner. Afterward, we made love. And then we’d lie in bed, talking about everything and nothing. Laughing. Cuddling.
Until he had to take me home.
Not this last week. He’d insisted I leave clothes at his apartment so I could sleep over.
Waking up in his arms, safe and content, was the best feeling in the world. And while it had been amusing for Reid to drop me off a block from the department store so it didn’t look like we’d arrived together, I was looking forward to the day we could walk through it hand in hand.
There would be gossip.
But I didn’t care what people thought.
Correction: I only cared what our families thought.
Reid held my gaze for a second or two, hiding nothing of his feelings for me. Then Dad embraced him, breaking the moment.
I felt a little discombobulated as we got the Christmas greetings over and Annie laid the Christmas gifts she’d brought under the tree. Patrick and Reid were the last to embrace.
“Happy Christmas, mate.” Pat clapped Reid on the back.
“Happy Christmas. You doing alright?”
“Well you’d know if you ever picked up the bloody phone,” Pat teased, but there was an edge to his voice as he sat down on the sofa. His posture was relaxed, but his questioning gaze never left Reid.
Reid swallowed. Since the man was excellent at hiding his feelings, including nervousness, I felt more than a surge of discomfort for him. I wanted to cuddle into him. Instead, I could only sit down on the edge of the sofa and stare.
“Been busy,” Reid eventually said. “No excuse, though, sorry.”
In truth, he’d been avoiding my brother because he hated lying to him.
Studying Patrick’s face, I knew he knew Reid was lying or being evasive at least. His eyes narrowed.
“Well.” Mum clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we open presents first before we have breakfast?”
My stomach lurched again as Reid and I looked at each other.
It was time.
“Actually.” Reid stepped toward me and I drew slowly up from the sofa to meet him. He slid his arm around my waist and cuddled me into his side. I could hear his heart thudding fast and loud at my ear. It was just as fast and loud as my own. “Evan and I have something to tell you. I hope it’s good news.” Despite the dramatic gasp my mum emitted, our eyes were on Patrick. Reid repeated, “I really hope so, Pat.”
Patrick was expressionless.
“You’re together?” Dad asked, pushing up out of his armchair.
“Yes, sir,” Reid replied. “I love your daughter very much.”
I would never grow bored hearing that.
“Oh my God,” Mum cried out, hurrying over to hug us. “This is wonderful news!”
I laughed at her exuberance, relieved as Dad drew Reid into another hug, this one including a hard, clap on the back and the murmured words, “You take care of her, or else.”
“I promise,” Reid replied solemnly.
“Come here,” Annie said as Mum stepped aside. She was sniffling now, like we’d just announced we were having a baby or something. I stepped into Annie’s welcoming hug and she whispered in my ear, “I’m so happy it’s you.”
“I love him,” I promised her, tears thick in my throat.
“I’ve known that a while, sweetheart.” She cupped my face again and beamed. “I was just waiting for my son to notice. Thankfully, he’s a smart one.”
I laughed at that as Reid overheard, huffing good-naturedly before hugging his mum.
All of that was lovely.
More than lovely.
It was a better reaction than either of us could have hoped for.
Yet there was an ominous silence from Patrick’s spot on the sofa.
Reid took my hand in his, squeezing it tight. “Well, Pat?”
My big brother leaned his elbows on his knees and stared up at us. “She’s my wee sister.”
I blanched.
Uh oh.
“I know,” Reid replied. “But I can’t help how I feel about her.”
His gaze came to me now. “He’s thirteen years older than you.”
“That means nothing to me. It’s just a number.”
“He’s your boss.”
“We’ll make it work.”
“People will talk.”
“We don’t care.”
Patrick looked at Reid. “You never stick a relationship out.”
Reid’s hand tensed in mine. “Evan is different.”
Patrick stood up. He was shorter than Reid by two inches, but somehow he seemed bigger than all of us in that moment. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”
It wasn’t an empty threat.
“Patrick,” Mum admonished. “You’re ruining a happy moment.”
“No, it’s fine,” Reid assured. He released me to walk over to his best friend. He held out his hand to Patrick. “This is my promise to take care of her. You’ve trusted me in the past. Trust me now.”
Patrick eyed the offering. Then returned his gaze to Reid’s. “I’ve never had to trust you with anything as valuable as Evan before.”
Okay, so my heart melted at that.
Tears pricked my eyes as I felt Mum squeeze my shoulder. Flicking a look at Dad, I saw nothing but pride for Patrick on his face.
“I know,” Reid’s voice was hoarse. “I’ll earn that trust, Pat. I promise you.”
We all held our breath as silence stretched between them … and then, finally, my big brother shook Reid’s hand.
Mum blew a loud puff of air out between her lips. “Oh, thank God for that.”
The atmosphere was strange after our announcement. While Annie and Mum brimmed over with joy, Dad was chilled as ever, but Patrick’s uncharacteristic brooding caused tension. Reid and I sat together, casting each other concerned looks. The last thing I wanted was to cause a breakdown in their lifelong friendship
.
Mum refused to acknowledge the tension, continuing on as if Patrick was fine.
We’d just finished exchanging gifts when Mum told Dad to come and help her put together the breakfast in the kitchen.
“Can you wait?” Reid asked.
Mum paused from standing up from sitting on the arm of Dad’s chair. “Why?”
“There’s one last gift to give out.” There was a slight nervous tremor in Reid’s voice that alerted me.
“Oh?” Annie asked.
Reid nodded, his expression serious, almost strained, as he stood up and retrieved his jacket from over the back of a dining room chair. Confused, I watched him remove something small and dark out of the pocket.
I was less confused when he returned and went down on one knee in front of me.
Blood whooshed in my ears. Shock immobilized me.
Was this happening?
Was this a joke?
WHAT?
I gaped at Reid in question, seeing a jumble of emotions fight for supremacy in his gaze. Then his hands moved in front of him and a million of my own emotions flooded me.
He held up a black velvet ring box.
He opened it.
Nestled inside, sparkling in the winter sunlight flooding my parent’s front room, was the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. It was a platinum band with delicate filigree work that encased smaller diamonds along the top half of the very slender band. Clasped in the middle was an oval diamond. It was perfect. Not too over the top for my small hand.
And exactly my taste.
But it was an engagement ring!
We’d only been dating two weeks?
I didn’t have to say that. He read it in my expression. Reid reached for my hand, his fingers curling around it. “I know it’s soon.”
“Uh, huh.” I nodded. It was very soon.
What scared me the most, however, was how much I still wanted to yell, “YES!” at the top of my lungs.
“You know me, Ev.” He tugged on my hand. “You know I’m a man who goes after what I want. It’s why I’m successful. Business is one thing … finding the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with is the most important thing that will ever happen to me. I never thought I’d find you. I didn’t even know feeling so much for someone was possible. And it hasn’t been easy. It’s been complicated. But all the best things are. And you, my love, are not just what I want. You’re everything I need to be happy. And I don’t see any reason to mess about for the sake of what we’re supposed to do. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I want it to start right now.”
All I Want For Christmas Is You Page 9