by A. K. Evans
“No,” he said.
My body froze. “No?” I repeated.
“Stay on your belly,” he insisted.
I slid back down until I was lying flat on the bed. Then, I felt Holden’s knees press into the bed on either side of my legs. A hand went to the bed at my side while the fingertips of the other traced gently down the skin of my back.
Holden’s fingers made it to my lower back, but they didn’t stop there. They moved down over the curve of my ass where he squeezed one cheek and then the other. When his hand moved to my hip and lifted it just a touch, he shifted his body forward and slid right into me.
I moaned at the sensation. “Holden,” I cried, arching my back.
The moment I did that, Holden growled and went deeper. Initially, he moved slow, draping his torso over my back and kissing my shoulders. But each thrust of his hips into my backside sent me over the moon.
It was utter bliss.
My legs were pressed tight together, making the intrusion of his cock all the more delightful. Holden shoved a hand between my body and the mattress and slipped it down until he found my clit. I arched my back a bit more, sending my ass back into Holden.
He pulled his torso back, brought his free hand to my hip, and picked up his pace. Thrusting relentlessly while he continued to work my clit, Holden had me struggling to catch my breath.
“Babe,” I gasped, feeling myself on the verge.
“Are you close, Leni?” he grunted.
“Yes, Holden. Please. Come with me,” I begged.
A few thrusts later, we both cried out and came together. It was beautiful.
Holden collapsed on my body but kept the weight in his legs and his arms so he wouldn’t crush me. He pressed a few gentle kisses to the heated skin on my shoulder before he said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” I sighed, feeling happy and sated.
Then, I felt the loss of him between my legs as he pulled out and moved to the bathroom.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” Holden whispered when he returned to the bedroom.
“Merry Christmas,” I returned. “Is it time for presents?”
He laughed as he fell to his back. “We can do presents,” he agreed. “Let me give you one of yours first.”
I perked up at the mention of more than one present and said, “Works for me.”
Holden pulled on a pair of sweats as I watched. After, he grinned at me and pointed across the room. My eyes shifted away from him to the opposite side of the room. There was a big red bow on a piece of furniture I hadn’t seen before in Holden’s bedroom.
I sat up in the bed, looked back at Holden, and asked, “What is that?”
Confusion washed over his face. “You don’t know?”
“It looks like some kind of fancy chair,” I replied.
His brows pulled together as he hit me with the oddest response. “But you do yoga.”
I cocked an eyebrow in question because that didn’t tell me anything. “What does yoga have to do with anything?” I wondered looking back at the chair.
It looked like a rather luxurious chaise that curved like the letter ‘S’ tipped over. I stood and walked over to it. Then, I took a seat. It was even more comfortable than it looked, and the fabric was super soft.
When I looked up at Holden, he looked completely confused.
“What?”
“This isn’t a special yoga chair?” he asked.
I raised my brows and shook my head. “No.”
“That’s what it was labeled as,” he insisted. “I saw it and realized you didn’t have one at your house or the studio. I thought it was something you’d like.”
“I do like it,” I assured him. “But it doesn’t have anything to do with yoga.”
“Are you sure?”
I let out a laugh. “I’ve been doing this for quite a few years, Holden. I’m sure. Did it come with any paperwork?”
He shrugged. “I never looked at anything else in the box. Hang on.”
I watched as Holden left the room. He was clearly upset about this, and I didn’t think there was any reason to be. It was a gorgeous piece and it was super comfortable. I loved it.
Holden returned a few minutes later and had a look of horror on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my body tensing as I swung my legs to the side and stood up to walk toward him.
He instantly curled his arm around my naked body, pulling me to his side. “Leni, sweetheart, I swear to you this was marketed as a yoga chair. I thought it was something new and different.”
“Okay. I believe you. Why do you look so upset? I really love it,” I assured him again.
He closed his eyes and held them shut tight as he took in a deep breath. When he opened them up and looked at me, he admitted, “It’s a sex chair.”
My eyes widened. “What?!”
“I swear I had no idea,” he insisted. “I promise you.”
I burst out laughing, burying my face in his chest. My body shook with the force of my laughter. When I managed to get it under control, I asked, “Are you serious?”
Still looking horrified, he held up a booklet and said, “There’s a whole book filled with positions you can try.”
I snatched the book out of his hands and started flipping through it. “Wow,” I marveled as I walked back toward the chair. “This is amazing.”
Draping my still naked body over it, resting on my front, I said, “I think this one looks fun.”
“Leni?” Holden called my name, snapping me out of it.
I dropped the booklet from in front of my face. “Yeah?”
“You’re not upset about it?”
My poor guy. He looked completely terrified. “No, Holden, I’m not. I liked it before we even knew what it was really designed for. Now, I love it even more.”
Moving toward me slowly, he confirmed, “You’re sure? I feel awful.”
“Don’t. This is great for the both of us. Look,” I said, holding up the pamphlet. “Some of these positions are supposed to increase the intensity of my orgasm. Why would I be mad about that?”
Holden gave me a squeeze and mumbled, “I’m glad I have another gift for you. I can’t believe I did this.”
“Stop,” I ordered, leaning toward him. After pressing a kiss to his lips, I promised, “I love this, Holden. And I can’t wait for us to use it.”
“Can I give you your other gift?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not until I give you yours.”
He sighed. “Fine.”
“Kiss me first,” I demanded.
Holden kissed me.
It lasted a long time. When we separated, I asked, “Feeling better?”
He gave me a nod and a smile.
“Okay, my turn,” I declared. I walked over to the bed and pulled an envelope out of the nightstand beside it. Once I handed it to him, he did not hesitate to tear into it. I loved that his enthusiasm matched my own. Inside was a heartfelt Christmas card that had a smaller envelope inside of it. After he read the card and expressed how much the words moved him by kissing me again, he picked up the smaller envelope and opened it. Inside was a small card, about the size of a postcard, that was a voucher for a year of dance lessons.
His eyes came to mine.
“It says these are for me and a partner,” he noted. “Are you going as my dance partner?”
“If you want me to be,” I replied. “And I’ll just say that I really hope that’s what you want.”
He smiled, and I instantly knew just how much he liked the gift. Given that I really didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him about his dancing when I first learned how good he was at it, I asked, “Why do you hide the fact that you enjoy dancing?”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I hide it,” he debated.
“Tyson and Pierce were shocked to find out that not only do you do it, but that you also do it well,” I pointed out. “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t say anything about
it. You aren’t embarrassed by it, are you?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s just not the kind of thing that comes up when I’m at work. And, quite frankly, I really haven’t done it much in the last ten years or so. It was something special I had with Eva. I guess I had gotten to a point there, probably in my early twenties, when I would have been embarrassed if the guys knew. But it doesn’t bother me now. I like what I like, and I do what makes me happy.”
“I love that you love it,” I assured him. “The first time I saw you dance, I was mesmerized. I’d never seen you look like that before. So happy and carefree. And when you took me out on the dancefloor with you, I remember feeling exactly the way you looked. I want to have that between us. Plus, I figured that by getting you the year, you’d have to stick around for at least that long.”
His features softened. He promised, “I’m not going anywhere.”
I didn’t reply. I simply leaned forward and kissed him.
When our mouths parted, he declared, “Alright, the second part of your gift should at least give you an indication that I’m serious and have no plans to go anywhere.”
“Okay?”
“I want us to move in together, Leni,” he started. “I don’t know if you’re attached to your house, but if you’re not, I thought we could move into my place for the short-term. When we’re ready to take the next step, we can get a new place.”
“Do you not like my place?” I asked.
“I do. Honestly, it really wouldn’t matter to me if we stayed at your place. But since mine has the extra space, I thought it would be better.”
“Why? Do you think that if we live together you’ll suddenly realize I’m crazy and you’ll need to sneak off to your finished basement or guest bedroom to get away from me?” I teased.
He shook his head and got serious. “Not at all. But I think the extra space would be nice for your grandmother.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Leni, sweetheart, you love her. And it’s clear you’re the light of her life. Why would you want to limit yourselves to a visit with one another to a couple hours a few days out of the month. That woman has so much to offer the world, and she’s stuck there.”
“You… you would… you want me and my grandmother to move into your house?”
“Yeah. If that’s what you want.”
I knew it. I knew long before I ever shared it with him that Holden was a special man. I already thanked my lucky stars every day that we managed to work through our differences. Because not having a man like Holden in my life would have been an absolute shame.
Overcome with emotion, I launched myself into his arms and burst into tears. “You are the best man I’ve ever met,” I cried.
Holden kept his arms around me and just gave me a gentle squeeze in response. He held me a long time until I finally got myself together.
When I did, he asked, “Is that a yes?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s a yes.”
He grinned. “Good. How about we get moving this morning so we can go pick her up and give her the news?”
“I love you, Holden.”
“Not as much as I love you, Leni.”
I decided not to fight him on it. I figured I’d just have to find other ways to prove how much he meant to me.
So, I leaned in, gave him another kiss, and promised him many rewards for later that evening.
Then, we got ourselves ready and went to get my grandma.
And that night, Holden and I celebrated the end of our first Christmas together by breaking in my gift. It had been the best Christmas I’d had in a really long time.
8 Months Later
“Where is she?”
I looked down at Leni’s grandmother and waited for an answer to my question.
“I want to see it first,” she demanded.
I let out a laugh. I should have known she’d figure it out and demand to see it. It wasn’t like she hadn’t warned me when I asked her about this a few months ago.
My legs moved and carried me the few feet from where I was standing in the doorway to the living room to where Audrey was sitting on the couch watching her favorite show.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulled out the velvet-covered box, and handed it over to her.
There was no stopping the smile that spread across her face. She took the box, opened it up, and gave me a nod of approval.
“It’s perfect for her,” she declared.
“Thank you,” I returned. “And thank you for giving me your approval to do this. You mean the world to her, and I think she’ll appreciate the fact that I came to you first to ask.”
Audrey handed the box back to me, but her face grew somber.
“It devastated me when my son turned his back on his daughter,” she began. “She’s my only grandchild, and I love her more than I could ever tell you. When her parents took a stand to no longer be in her life, I made it my responsibility to always be there for her. Of course, I would have always been there for her regardless. But the fact that she had nobody else troubled me. I’m honored to welcome you to the family, and I can breathe a sigh of relief that she’s going to have someone here who loves her at least as much as I do long after I’m gone.”
“You’ve got a lot of years left in you,” I assured her.
She huffed. “I know that. But I was still worried about Leni. I didn’t want to leave this Earth without knowing she was going to be taken care of. I know she can handle herself, but I don’t want her to be alone. You’re taking on a huge responsibility, Holden. I expect you’ll give her the world.”
“Without a doubt,” I promised.
Audrey held my eyes for several long moments. Finally, she said, “She’s out in the pool.”
I gave her a dip of my chin and stood.
“Good luck,” she wished as I walked toward the French doors that led out to the deck of our home.
Leni and I started looking for places a few months ago. When we found this one and I saw the look on her face, I knew it was the one for us. We moved ourselves and her grandmother from my townhouse to our home only a month ago.
But it had been the best month of my life.
And I was grateful that I finally figured out how to get out of my own way. Because Leni made my life so much better. I often recalled the words she said to me about my father when things were turning sour between us.
I bet it was the love of a good woman who helped heal him.
That’s precisely what it had been for me.
Her love.
I’d never known anyone like her, and that’s precisely why I was now doing this. I wanted to make this official between us.
Surprisingly, despite my bad experience with an engagement before, I had no concerns about doing this with Leni. I knew she was the one for me. What I felt for her was unlike anything I ever felt for anyone else.
I made it to the doors, looked back at Audrey, and said, “Thanks.”
Then, I walked outside onto the deck.
I stood there for a brief moment looking out at Leni in the pool. After her ordeal with her former co-worker trying to drown her, I worried how she’d handle being in a pool again. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have any lingering anxiety about it because she’d been swimming in our pool every day since we moved.
As I walked down the steps and toward the woman of my dreams, I watched her swim to the edge of the pool. She pressed her palms flat to the edge of it and hoisted herself up; however, she didn’t exit the pool as I expected.
Instead, the next thing I knew, she was upside down right on the edge of the pool. She held the posture for a few moments before her legs began to move slowly. I watched in awe as she created multiple shapes with her gorgeous body.
Never.
I’d never get tired of watching her move.
And the control she had over her body was beyond impressive.
Leni lowered her feet down, essentially folding her body in half, but held her fee
t just a few inches off the ground. The strength and flexibility she had always amazed me. When she finally put her feet on the ground, she still hadn’t noticed me.
She moved her arms and legs around, almost as though she were dancing in slow motion. And not even a minute later, she folded herself in half again, put her palms on the ground, and pressed up into another handstand. This time, she took her legs out wide before pulling her feet together above her head. She stayed like that for a few moments before lowering herself back down and into the pool.
Fuck.
I loved her.
I could watch her do this all day, every day.
And I’d never tire of it.
Leni resurfaced, pushed her hair back, and wiped the water from her face. That’s when she finally noticed me.
Her face lit up, and that one look pierced me right through the heart. I don’t know how I ever thought I could live without her. I had been a fool.
A lucky one considering she allowed me back into her life.
But a fool, nonetheless.
“Hey, you,” she greeted me.
“Hey sweetheart,” I returned, smiling down at her. “Are you planning to swim for a while yet?”
She shook her head.
“No, I just wanted to get some time in the water today,” she began as she came to the edge of the pool again. “I figured the best time to do it would be when my grandma was watching her ridiculous show.”
Leni lifted herself out of the water and walked over to me. Then, she gave me a kiss. When she pulled back, I decided not to wait.
“I love you,” I blurted.
Beaming at me, she returned, “I love you, too.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Leni.”
Instantly, her body froze. “What?” she rasped.
Keeping one of my hands on hers, I reached the other one into my pocket before I dropped down to one knee.
“I love you more than I know what to do with,” I started. “And I want to make things official between us, sweetheart. Will you marry me?”
Tears fell from her eyes as she bobbed her head up and down. “Yes, Holden. I’ll marry you.”
I took the ring from the box, slid it on her finger, and stood. Still wet from her swim, Leni jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist.