Naughty or Nice: A Friends to Lovers Christmas Romance

by Alexis Winter

  He jumps into the water, not even noticing my sudden panic to strip down. When his head breaks the surface, he looks around for me, still finding me on the creek bank. “What are you doing? Get in here.” He waves me on.

  I wave him off. “Nah, I think I’m good.”

  His eyes level on me. “Felicity, get in the water,” he orders.

  “No, I’m okay. I’ll just watch.” Watch? What a weird thing to say and such a bad choice of words considering the way I’m staring at him and checking him out.

  “Why did we walk all the way down here if you didn’t want to swim?”

  I don’t have an answer.

  “Felicity, get in this water right now or I’ll carry you in.”

  God, no. “Okay, okay. Turn around,” I say.

  He laughs. “What?”

  “Turn around, okay?”

  “Why? We’ve swam in this creek for years. Why do I have to turn around now?”

  “Because I don’t want you to see me in my bathing suit.”

  He scoffs and rolls his eyes but turns his back to me. I move behind a tree and pull my t-shirt over my head, dropping it onto the ground. Then I slide out of my shorts. I look down at my skinny body. I have no ass, no hips, and no boobs. In fact, the only part I’m proud of is my stomach. It’s nice and flat. But no curves at all? Come on! The pink bikini fits me well. Mom just purchased it this summer. I tried it on and everything and loved it until now.

  I step out from behind the tree and start making my way toward the water. That’s when Carson turns around, catching me. I swear I see his lips turn up into a pleasant smile, but then he wipes the look away and runs for me. Before I know it, I’m in his arms as he carries me into the water. Once we’re deep enough, he throws me and I fly through the air, landing in the water. I pop up, probably looking like a drowned cat.

  “You asshole!” I say, wiping water out of my face.

  That only makes him laugh. “What? You were being weird and I fixed it.”

  “I wasn’t being weird,” I argue.

  “We’ve swam together a million times, Felicity. Why are you suddenly so worried about me seeing you in your bathing suit?”

  I get quiet which is the wrong thing to do around Carson. He lunges for me. He pulls me against his chest so my back is pressing against it. He starts tickling me and I start fighting and wiggling, trying to get away.

  “Tell me,” he demands, refusing to let me go.

  “It’s because you have a nice body and I look like a little girl,” I say all at once, hoping he didn’t understand a word of it.

  That’s when he stops with his torture. He spins me around in his arms but refuses to let go of me. There’s only a small space between us as our eyes meet. “That’s why? You think you don’t look good in a bikini?”

  I nod. “I mean, I look fine if I was swimming with a bunch of little girls, but I don’t look like the girls you date. They have boobs, and hips, and—”

  He cuts me off, shaking his head. “You’re only thirteen, Felicity. You’re not supposed to have that stuff yet. When I was thirteen, you remember how I looked?”

  I smile and nod. He was tall and skinny and lanky. Plus, he had that weird thing going on with his voice.

  “You’ll grow and change. And you’re already beautiful, so when you do, you’ll knock their socks off.”

  I smile even though my face heats up. “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  I smile up at him and I feel tension settling between us. His hands are still on my hips, holding me close and his blue eyes are shimmering like the ocean on a sunny day. I wet my lips, not knowing why. Only knowing that I need…something. That’s when he splashes me in the face and the moment is gone.

  “Hey!” I yell, splashing him back. The war is on and everything is back to normal with us, even though those lingering feelings will never leave.

  Fourteen

  Carson

  It’s going on midnight before I finally give up on watching that curtain. I pull my chair back to my desk, shut off the computer, and turn off the light. I flop into bed and cover my eyes with my forearm. Sleep finds me easily, but even in my sleep, she’s there, teasing me.

  “Hey, man, what are you doing back here? Didn’t you escape this small town for the big city?” my old buddy Mike asks.

  I give him a high five that turns into a handshake. “Yep, officially done with my third year of college. Only one more to go,” I tell him, proudly.

  “Awesome, man. So what are you doing back here? Miss the high school parties?”

  I laugh. “No, not exactly. My friend was in your class. She graduated so I figured I’d come and celebrate with her. You seen Felicity anywhere?”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s inside. She was in the make-out room.”

  My anger flares. “Make-out room?”

  “Yeah, it’s the room off the living room. The one with the blacklight and all the couches.” He smiles and nods his head once.

  I walk into the house that the graduation party is being held at and go straight to the room he described. I look over every face in the room, but Felicity is nowhere to be found. I immediately start praying that she didn’t move from the make-out room to a bedroom upstairs. I turn and walk back through the living room and into the kitchen where I find her in a circle of a bunch of guys. They’re all dying for a minute of her time. Too bad they ain’t getting it tonight. Not now that I’m around.

  “Hey, shorty,” I say, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the circle.

  At first, anger flashes in her eyes, then she sees that it’s me and it’s replaced with a smile. “Carson?” she breathes out, pulling me in for a huge hug. The way her breasts press against my chest causes a fire to light low in my stomach.

  “What are you doing here?” she asks when she pulls away and I get the full view of her. She’s wearing a tiny little skirt, a low-cut tank top, and a pair of heels that make her legs look toned and sexy as fuck. After the last party like this that I rescued her from, I’m not leaving her alone the rest of the night. This outfit would be far too easy to lose.

  I shrug at her question. “Just wanted to come and celebrate with you. Congrats!”

  She smiles and her green eyes light up. “Thank you. I didn’t think you’d show up. I haven’t seen you since that weekend last fall when you gave me the college tour.”

  I take her hand and wrap it around my elbow, leading her out back where it’s a little more quiet. “I know, but I couldn’t miss this. Hey, what college did you end up choosing anyway?”

  She frowns. “USC.”

  “What? Why didn’t you choose Chicago?”

  She shrugs. “I said that it depended.”

  Oh yeah, I remember her saying that but I never did find out what it depended on. “What was it depending on?”

  Her face flushes. “You.”

  “Me?” I ask, shocked. “Why did it depend on me?”

  She rolls her eyes. “You know, for a smart guy, you’re really dumb.”

  I freeze. What am I missing?

  “I came to your place, we kissed. I thought I made my feelings clear, but you pushed me away. So I decided instead of being constantly reminded of it, that I would move on, start fresh, far away from you and my confusing feelings for you.”

  Oh…I get it. “Felicity,” I breathe out, but she just shakes her head.

  “It’s fine, Carson, really. I get it. I mean, you’re older, more experienced. And I’m me. The girl who followed you around everywhere, made you watch over her. I shouldn’t expect you to feel the same about me as I feel about you.”

  “Felicity,” I breathe out again. “I didn’t know you felt that way. I mean, I know we kissed, and I enjoyed it. I really did. But I thought it was just a drunk make-out thing. I figured you would’ve kissed any guy in that moment.”

  “Seriously, that’s what you think of me?”

  I shrug. “I mean, last summer I had to pull you off a table because you w
ere stripping in front of a bunch of guys.”

  Her eyes tear up. “Screw you, Carson.” She turns and walks back into the house.

  Fuck. Why did I say that?

  I go after her, but she’s found comfort in the arms of some guy. Which is fine. She’s taken care of and I’m still here to keep my eye on him. As long as she’s okay, I’m fine. I stop in the kitchen, leaning against the counter so I can watch her without being too close. I get offered a drink and I accept it. If I’m going to be stuck at this party, I might as well enjoy myself a little at least.

  Hours pass and I find myself getting more and more drunk while she gets more and more comfortable in the arms of that guy. They’re on the dance floor now, slow dancing. He’s holding her close, his hand dangerously close to an area I will break his fingers if he touches. Her head is on his shoulder and every time they spin, her eyes lock on mine. Jealously is eating me up from the inside out. I finish off my drink and something inside of me takes over. I don’t even know what I’m doing.

  I walk up to them and get her attention. “Can I cut in?”

  The guy pulls back and says something, but I don’t hear a word of it. Instead, she comes to me willingly. The guy walks off, pissed off and grumbling but I couldn’t care less. I have her in my arms now. My hand is on the small of her back and her arms are around my neck with her head on my chest.

  “What are you trying to do? Make me get in a fight?”

  She giggles. “Still the same old Carson, I see.”

  “That’ll never change, Felicity. I’ll always chase away any guy that comes near you. I’ll always protect you, even when you don’t want me to.”

  She lifts her head off my chest and her eyes meet mine.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why does it mean so much to you? I mean, clearly you don’t want me.”

  “What I want and what you need are two completely different things, Felicity.”

  I know she’s taking that to mean, it doesn’t matter if I want her because she needs protected, but what I really mean, is that I want her, but she doesn’t need that.

  Her eyes are still locked on mine and the urge to kiss her is stronger than ever. “Come on, let’s go get a drink,” I say, needing to stop this before it starts. She kissed me before and I loved it, but she doesn’t know that. If I kiss her, she won’t know where she stands with me and I don’t want to confuse her more.

  I take her outside and we get another drink along the way. We’re hanging out by the pool, talking, laughing, and just having fun for hours. The drinks go down too smoothly and I forget to keep an eye on how much she’s consuming. Actually, I forget to limit myself as well. She sits up on the poolside chair, putting her knees facing me. I sit up the same way and her eyes light up.

  “Hey, let’s go swimming. For old time’s sake. You know like we did in the creek behind the house.”

  I look down at myself. I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt. “I don’t have a suit.”

  She shrugs as she stands up. “Me either.” She pulls off her top and pushes her skirt down her legs. She’s wearing a black bra and black boy short panties. Without warning, she dives into the pool. The pool and the night around us are dark. This part of the house has clearly been closed off to the party. With nobody around, I strip down to my boxers and dive in after her. When I break the surface, she’s giggling and swimming over to me.

  “Not so shy this time, are you?” I say, thinking back to that time she was too shy to be in front of me in her bikini. Now she’s running around in her underwear.

  She wraps her arms around my neck. “Well, a lot of stuff has changed since that day,” she says, her eyes flashing down to my lips.

  “Like what?”

  “Like, I finally have the boobs and curves I wanted back then.” She lets out a giggle.

  I shake my head. “I didn’t notice,” I joke.

  “Shut up,” she teases. “I know you’ve noticed.”

  “How?” I ask.

  “Cuz you can’t keep your eyes off them,” she says around a smile, and when she says that, I lose all control and look down at them again. They are nice. Big, but not too big. I’m sure they’re firm and would feel perfect in my hands…or mouth.

  “What do you want, Carson?” she asks softly in the darkness.

  My mouth opens but no words come out. What do I want? I want her.

  “Just take it,” she says.

  “I can’t take anything from you, Felicity.”

  “Then I’ll give it. Again and again and again until you have this whole thing figured out.” She leans forward and captures my mouth with hers. Her lips are soft and strong as they move against mine. They’re sweet and teasing, pushing me to want so much more. I feel like I’m getting a second chance. I blew it last time by overthinking. This time, she’s in control. I’ll stop when she tells me to stop and that’s about it.

  I place my hands on her hips and pick her up against me. Her legs wrap around my waist as I move us to the corner of the pool. I press her up against the two sides as I deepen our kiss. My hands are still on her hips and they begin kneading and massaging their way around her thighs and ass. When I get two large handfuls of her ass, I squeeze tightly and she moans into my mouth.

  Fuck. I’m a goner.

  “What do you want from me, Felicity?” I ask against her lips.

  “Everything,” she replies, pulling my mouth back to hers.

  I let out an animalistic growl as I break our kiss, peppering her jaw and neck with kisses and nips from my teeth. Her fingers lace into my hair, pulling and tugging, egging me on. She seems to know what she’s doing, but does she?

  “Are you still a virgin?” I ask, licking up her neck, tasting the pool water.

  She nods, and that’s when I know I can’t go through with this. I can’t take that from her. My hands slow on her body and her eyes open, locking with mine.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t do this,” I say, shaking my head and trying to convince myself of what I’m saying.

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” she says, her voice sure and steady. “You make me feel good. It feels like every nerve ending is on fire right now. Nobody else has made me feel that way, Carson. Just you.”

  I rest my forehead against hers and breathe heavy. “It’ll never work out. I’m in Chicago. You’re going to South Carolina. It’s too far. We’ll never make it.”

  She places her hand on my jaw and tilts my head back. “I’m not asking for forever. I’m just asking for tonight.”

  I shake my head. “I can’t do that. I can’t use you.”

  “Then let me use you,” she tries.

  “Not when you’re the one that will be hurt in the long run.”

  Her eyes fall from mine now, hiding behind her spiky black wet lashes. She bites down on her lower lip and I see the pain I’ve already caused just by denying her. Does she think it will feel any different when I roll off of her and walk away, not to see her again for God knows how long? I can’t do that to her. I won’t.

  “I’m sorry. I’m doing this for you. You’ll see that one day.” I try to release her, but she tightens her hold on me. I stop and turn back to face her.

  “You won’t have sex with me. I get it. But there’s something else I want.”

  “Name it,” I breathe out, relieved.

  “It’s just that… I haven’t had one yet and all my friends keep talking about it. I want my first one to be from you,” she says, her cheeks turning pink.

  First what? I wonder. Then I see the look she’s giving me, and it all makes sense. First orgasm?

  “You…you want me to…”

  She nods.

  “You. Want me. To…make you…come?” I practically whisper the last word.

  She nods, not looking at me.

  I take her chin in my hand and force her eyes to mine. “You mean, you haven’
t…done it yourself yet?”

  Her cheeks burn hotter, but she shakes her head. “I didn’t know what I was doing and I’ve kind of always had it in my head that you’d be the one, you know. I saved it for you, if you will.” Her eyes meet mine now and they’re bloodshot from drinking and from the pool water but they’re as clear as day. She’s sure. And this isn’t much, right? This I can do. This, I was born to do.

  I move my mouth back to hers. Our kiss starts slow but builds quickly. My hand is on her thigh that’s still wrapped around my hips and I glide it slowly upward under the water. When I get to the junction between her legs, I dip my fingers down the front of her panties and she gasps into my mouth. That pushes me forward. This, I want to give her this. I will give her anything she wants, but never take. I move my fingers back and forth over her clit before slipping inside. She lets out a soft moan and I can feel how tight she is around me. It kills me to know that I’m the first man to touch her like this. Technically, I’m still the first man to be inside her and that seems fitting given we’ve spent our entire lives together.

  As I push her closer and closer to the edge, her nails dig into my back and her fist pulls at my hair. Our kiss is sloppy now, our teeth bumping together the closer she gets. Finally, I feel her tighten around me and I pull back, desperately needing to watch her as she comes for me. Her lips part and her eyes close as she leans her head back against the edge of the pool. Her brows knit together and she bites on her lower lip as more whimpers and cries fall from her mouth. When she loosens around me, I remove my hand and place her on her feet again. She looks into my eyes and she blushes crimson and I chuckle.

  “Is that what you needed from me, sweetheart?”

  She smiles and her eyes close. “Thank you? I feel like that’s a bad term, but thank you.”

  I laugh and wrap my arm around her, dragging her back to the middle of the pool where we splash around like a bunch of kids.