by AJ Renee
She looked toward the open door and didn’t hear Jake. Scanning the room, she spotted his bag in the corner and noted that it was still zipped.
Michelle dressed quickly and shot the bed one more glance before heading to the living room in her festive slippers. “Jake?” she called out when she didn’t find him on the couch.
In the kitchen, she saw that everything was not only washed, but not one item was in her dish drying rack. She opened the dishwasher and found it empty. Personally, she never used the machine unless Janey and Eric were over. She took a quick peek in her cabinets and found things more or less in their place.
The man could clean up the kitchen, he made beds, and he could make her come nearly on command. He was surely one of a kind.
If only she could find him. Her heart squeezed briefly when she considered the possibility that he left without saying anything to her. When she remembered his bag in her room, she moved to the front windows and peeked out. Jake’s car was in her driveway with about six inches of snow covering it.
A familiar noise caught her attention. She slipped her feet into her snow boots and grabbed a jacket. She zipped it up as she stepped outside and walked toward the scraping sounds.
And that’s where she found him.
Jake was bundled up and shoveling the driveway to her garage. The sidewalk to her car was already cleared.
“What are you doing?” she called out.
“Shoveling snow,” he said, and she watched his warm breath puff into the cold air.
“Yeah, I see that,” she called back with a roll of her eyes.
Jake chuckled. “Then don’t ask silly questions.”
“You don’t have to do that!”
He shrugged by way of answering. Michelle grabbed the broom she kept on her porch and began sweeping the snow drift off it.
“Baby, I got it. Go inside and stay warm. Light a fire, and I’ll be in there soon.”
Michelle continued cleaning off wood. “Okay.”
Jake shook his head and continued his task. Once she finished, she went inside and lit the fireplace like he’d suggested. Taking a quick peek outside, she made sure he was still where she left him and rushed to her car.
Michelle grabbed the bags of gifts and hurried back inside. She locked the door to her bathroom and wrapped his gifts in record time. She placed them next to her miniature Christmas tree with Janey’s, Eric’s, Bobby’s, and a couple of others’ presents.
She smiled at the blinking lights, loving the way his gifts fit with the rest. Michelle rubbed her cold arms and glanced at the fire. She put another log into the fireplace and stood in front of it with her hands toward the flames, letting the warmth seep back into her body.
That’s how Jake found her. “You’re still cold?”
She watched him shake the snow off his hair before removing his jacket. “It suddenly got warmer,” she teased.
Jake chuckled. “What movie do you want to watch, sex addict?”
“Hey! I’m not a sex addict,” she said and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Mhmm,” he answered and gathered her into his arms. “I’m not complaining. I love how your body reacts to my touch.”
“Sounded like a complaint to me,” she teased.
Jake tickled her sides, and she burst into a fit of giggles.
“St—op!”
He moved quickly, pinning her back to his front as his free hand continued to tickle her.
“Jake!”
When his fingers slowed a little later, she focused on breathing rather than trying not to pee. “God, I love your laugh,” he said and kissed her.
A slow, sweet kiss. It wasn’t meant to excite her but managed to do it anyway. Her hands wrapped behind his neck, and their bodies pressed against one another. Jake ended the kiss faster than she would have liked and placed his cheek on her head.
Michelle sighed at the sweetness of it all. Sure, her lady bits were clamoring for some Jake attention, but her heart pitter-pattered with Jake’s actions.
He released her and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together. “Let’s pick a movie to watch.”
“Jake?” Michelle asked as she cuddled into his warmth.
“Yeah?” he asked, flipping through the choices.
“Thanks.”
Jake lowered the controller and looked down at Michelle. Her breath lodged in her throat at the full force of his attention. “For what, beautiful?”
“Everything… cleaning up after breakfast, making the bed, shoveling the driveway—”
“Making you come over and over again?” Jake raised his eyebrows suggestively and cried “ow!” when she elbowed him in the ribs.
“You didn’t have to do any of that. So thank you,” she said and forced her eyes to the screen.
Jake kissed her temple. “I love taking care of you,” he whispered before resuming his search for the perfect lazy-afternoon movie.
They’d watched a few movies yesterday with a couple of interludes. It seemed neither of them could keep their hands off the other.
Movies, sex, and food. What better way to spend a day? Michelle really couldn’t remember a time when she was so relaxed.
Jake made her comfortable. He took care of her needs in and out of the sack. He was sweet, funny, and sarcastic. They seemed to match each other in so many ways.
A nagging little voice wanted to say it couldn’t be that great all the time. Another voice punched it in the throat, and the bugger hadn’t said a peep in hours.
Michelle giggled at the thought as she dried off her legs. Looking up, she focused on Jake’s ass before he turned toward her.
“What?”
“Huh? Nothing,” she said. Her brows creased between her eyes.
“I don’t know, I think if you found me laughing at the same time I was staring at your ass, you’d probably throw that hair dryer at me,” he said, nodding at the dryer on the counter.
“True.” She giggled.
Michelle wasn’t a giggling female. Jake seemed to bring out a side of her she didn’t know existed. He made her laugh constantly, and she had to admit, being a giggling female wasn’t so bad.
“Good thing dinner smells delicious from in here, or else I’d have to give you a little spanking for being so mean.”
Her cheeks warmed at the image he painted. She also wasn’t the pull-my-hair or spank-me kind of girl. Jake seemed to bring out a whole new layer to her.
“I’m going to walk away now before I do something that we will both love.” He tossed his towel over his shoulder and walked away naked.
Michelle couldn’t help but admire his body as it disappeared through the door. Once she couldn’t see him, she moved to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She caught her reflection and noticed a glow that hadn’t been there before Jake plowed into her life.
It’d been over thirty-six hours together now, and it didn’t seem to be enough. Sure, some of that time was spent making each other come. The rest was spent cuddling and getting to know each other even more. Every minute together filled her heart with joy.
A few hours later, the Christmas ham and mashed potatoes were put away, and the kitchen was once again in order, thanks to Jake’s active involvement in the process. He even cut some ham into bite-size pieces and placed them on a platter next to the cheese slices and olives that were already there.
“Take this to the side table, and I’ll pour us some wine,” he said before shooing her out of her own kitchen.
Michelle slapped him on the ass. “Quit being so bossy!”
He chuckled at her as he grabbed the bottle of wine. “If you want my surprise you’ll listen, beautiful.”
She froze and stared at him. “Surprise?”
“Mhmm.”
Unlike some people, she loved surprises. Michelle carried the platter over and picked an olive off the side. Excitement filled her as she plopped down on her couch.
Jake handed her a glass and set his next to the food.
“Memo to self, she really likes surprises.”
Michelle bobbed her head up and down with a huge smile. “Yes!”
She listened to some rustling followed by a few muffled curses that came from her room. Michelle had no idea what he was doing, but she did start questioning whether an ER visit was in order. “You okay?”
“Yeah!” he called back, his voice a little closer this time.
Michelle grabbed a piece of ham, cheese, and an olive and popped them into her mouth, giving the flavors her full attention. Only it seemed her timing was off.
She took a gulp of wine to push the food down after Jake appeared in the doorway.
“Merry Christmas, beautiful.”
Her eyes moved from top to bottom. He wore a Santa hat, no shirt, and red boxers with gold trim. Slung over his shoulder was a red velvet sack. She rose an eyebrow at his costume, then her lips tipped up in a smirk.
“Hellooo, Santa,” she said before giving him a cat call.
Jake chuckled. “I heard someone’s been a good, naughty girl this year.”
“I have!” she said excitedly and crossed her legs under her. She didn’t know where Jake was going with any of this, but she was A-okay with that fact.
“I’m glad, because I have a present for you.”
Michelle’s eyes dropped down to his red boxers, the image of what lay just behind the fabric coming to mind. She licked her lips and watched the fabric move.
“You know, there’s more to me than just my body,” Jake said and crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
“Oh, I’m quite aware of that. Now what’s this surprise you have, so I can make sure I use my manners and thank you properly.”
Jake’s eyes darkened with interest. “Elle,” he groaned.
He shut his eyes tight for a minute. She assumed he was summoning his control. As far as she was concerned, he didn’t need to. She was already considering the many ways she hoped to have her way with him.
Jake opened the sack and dug for the bottom. When his arm came back out, he held a small square box. It was neatly wrapped with a simple gold bow on it.
“Merry Christmas,” he said and handed her the box.
She smiled at him and squealed. “Thank you!” she managed to say before shaking the box next to her ear. When no sound gave her a clue, she ripped off the paper and opened it.
“Oh!” she whispered. Inside the box was the most beautiful engraved locket. On it was simply, “Elle” in a pretty script. The delicate chain matched the locket in white gold. “Wow,” she said, looking up at him.
“Do you like it?” the normally confident man asked. He worried his bottom lip as his eyes watched her nervously.
“It’s beautiful!” she said and hugged him. All the teasing and humor from before were gone. “Will you put it on me?”
Jake’s large fingers fumbled with the tiny clasp before he finally got it on her. Michelle grabbed the locket and admired it. She pried the two halves open and found it empty.
“You can put a picture in there…” Jake whispered with a shaky voice.
“It’s gorgeous, Jake!” After rolling to her toes, she kissed his lips briefly. “Thank you.”
“When I saw it, I thought of you. I’m glad you like it.”
Her heart tumbled a little at his words as her eyes returned to the pretty locket between her fingers. “I love it. I want to put a picture of us in here,” she whispered and looked up with a smile.
Jake’s smile was brilliant and reminded her of a child on Christmas morning. It made her less nervous knowing she wasn’t the only one traveling these unsure waters.
He reached into the bag once more and she silently questioned him. “There’s something else—”
“Oh, Jake, you didn’t have to! This is more than enough!”
“Well, too bad, I like spoiling you.” He handed her another small box that made her wonder if there would be more jewelry. She really hoped there wasn’t.
The real stuff made her nervous. She wore a pretty set of diamond studs in one set of holes in her ears and pretty but cheaper stuff in the other hole. As it was, she had very bad luck with necklaces, but she would wear Jake’s.
Unwrapping the box, she glanced at him quickly and opened it. Inside there were two cubes.
“For when you drink your Glenfiddich,” Jake said as he handed her a new bottle. “This way you don’t water it down.”
She laughed. “Wow, this is really thoughtful. I have seen these before online, but have never been able to find them. Thank you, honey!”
Michelle put the gifts down after kissing his lips, this one a little longer than the last. She nipped her overactive libido in the bud so she could focus. She moved to the tree and grabbed the two items she wrapped earlier.
“Merry Christmas,” she said, giving him the larger gift.
“Wow, what’s in here?” After placing it on the table, Jake tore at the paper. The box only mentioned The Hoppy Place Company. Jake rushed to grab something to open it. “What is this?” he asked with a raised brow before pulling out a large glass container.
“A starter homebrew kit,” she said, beginning to wonder if she’d picked a bad gift.
“What?” he asked with a large smile. He reached in and grabbed more odds and ends inside the box and placed them next to the glass container.
“The guy at Hoppy’s said it was their smallest and most basic kit. He suggested it in case you decided you preferred to just drink rather than brew it,” she spouted off nervously.
Jake stepped toward her and pulled her into an embrace. “This is an awesome gift. Thank you!”
“Really?”
Jake pushed her hair back and cradled her face in his hands. “Yes! I’ve been toying with the idea of brewing, but never pulled the trigger on it. It’s like you read my mind.”
“He said there was a local place in town that sold the hops and malt you’d need. I guess it’s a pretty popular place. I didn’t realize how big homebrewing was until I bought the kit.”
Jake stepped back and examined the different parts he pulled out. “Yeah. I know a few friends who have gotten into it.”
As she watched him, her heart bubbled over with happiness. Seeing him so excited made her wonder what a morning of gifts would be like with kids.
Kids.
Whoa.
Michelle shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She didn’t want to put the cart in front of the horse after all. With the movement, she caught the other gift that sat unwrapped on the table.
“Oh, hey, I forgot!” she told him as she handed him the smaller box. “Careful, make sure you don’t drop it,” she added when it wobbled in his hands.
Jake unwrapped it and pulled out a pint glass. His thumb slid across the etching in the glass that read, my brew’s better than yours.
“You can use it to drink whatever beer you make,” she said. She was proud of herself for thinking of this gift. Originally, she considered something cheesy like, Jake and Michelle established 2017. The only problem she had with that was the worry that she would jinx it all.
“It’s great. Thanks, Elle. These are the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me.” His eyes shimmered for a moment before going dark with desire.
Michelle cleared her throat. “You still have one more gift to give me.”
His brows knit together with confusion. “Huh?”
She sat on the couch and looked up at him. The fire’s light glowed over his body. “Since Santa arrived a little early, I think he should take off his suit before anyone learns the truth.”
Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “You’re right. Only…”
“Only what?” she asked, hearing the breathlessness in her voice.
Jake put the glass in its box followed by the hoses into their box, building the anticipation between them. “On whether you’re on the nice list or the naughty list.”
Movement caught her eyes, and she watched as the loose Santa boxers tented. “I
guess you should come over here and check.”
“Is it always going to be like this?” Michelle asked between pants.
Jake chuckled under her. “I hope so.”
After he’d teased her with a slow removal of his costume, he gave her three explosive orgasms in the living room. They hadn’t bothered with dressing and moved to the bed, landing in a crumpled heap of blissful exhaustion.
Sometime in the early morning, Jake woke her with his kisses before pushing her over the edge once more. It seemed they still couldn’t get enough of each other.
They were incredibly compatible in, under, over, and out of the sheets. He listened and genuinely showed interest in the things she had to say. They shared similar interests and beliefs. They clicked.
“Elle?” he murmured against her skin.
“Yeah?”
“Good morning.”
Michelle giggled. “Great morning to you.”
“What time are we going to Eric and Janey’s?” he asked.
She bolted up, effectively shoving Jake to the side, and looked at her clock. The red numbers flashed ten twenty-eight in the morning. “Shit!”
Michelle threw the covers back onto Jake, but before she could stand, his arm wrapped around her waist. His short beard came to rest on the crook of her neck.
“Talk to me,” he said calmly.
“We’re late. At least I am.”
“Okay. Late for Janey’s or something else?” he asked and pulled her onto his lap.
Skin to skin with nothing in between them. She focused on slowing her heart—that now beat faster for a different reason.
“I told Janey I would come over early and help with dinner. I’m late—shit, where is my phone?” she asked. Looking at her nightstand, she didn’t find it attached to the charger.
Jake placed her on the floor by the bed. “Go shower. I’ll find your phone and bring it to the bathroom. I’ll send Eric a text letting him know we are running late. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Michelle’s feet moved to follow his commands before her brain could catch up. She never did well under this kind of pressure. It was one reason she stayed late at work. That added pressure wasn’t there, and she could get things done a little early. Her brain frazzled easily, and it seemed Jake was the calm voice of reason. She reached the door and looked over her shoulder as he slipped on his boxer briefs.