“How do you know I have a color-coded budget?”
“I mean you’re meticulous, so it was a lucky guess.”
I gave a fake laugh at his lame joke before softening my stance. “Kris, I love you. If you had nothing, I’d still be here.”
“Even if I didn’t have a car and I borrowed yours while you were at work all day?”
I cringed. “You know your dick is top tier so you might get away with that.” Honestly, I’d done stupider shit for lesser men. “I don’t care about the money. All I want is you.” I gently shoulder checked him, brushing past to grab plates for our steamed rice and saucy chicken. Dishing out a hearty serving of food, I tried my best not to jump his bones as he rubbed my shoulders from behind, planting a kiss on my neck.
“So you forgive me?”
I spun around and tugged on his beard. “Of course I do. It’s kind of hard to stay mad at this face.”
“Wait, was this our first fight? Because if that was a fight, I think we are obligated to have make-up sex.”
“That is not how it works.”
“Baby, I don’t make the rules. But I am a law-abiding citizen.”
Kris found my lips and nothing else mattered. Not the restless rumble from my empty belly or the story of his life now scattered across the concrete floors. All I wanted was this, the way he closed his eyes as his hands moved over my curves. The rich timbre of his voice as he told me how much he needed me.
Placing my hand in his shorts, I stroked him. His warm appendage grew and stiffened in my hand. Kris backed away quickly, stripping away his clothes. I followed his lead, dropping my garments in a pile next to our feet. His hard body leaned in, closing the space between us until he had me backed up against the fridge.
He claimed my mouth once again, his long tongue searching for mine. His touch sent chills down my spine whilesimultaneously heating my core like lava. Hooking my leg up around his waist, he slid himself in place. The force of him driving into me again and again caused the contents of the fridge to jiggle and clink inside.
Cupping his face in my hands, I angled his head until we were eye to eye. “No more secrets, okay,” I whispered against his mouth.
“Yeah, mm-hmm … no more secrets.”
When the RideXpulled up to Kris’s parent’s house on Christmas Eve, my heart kicked up like a wild horse. Kris was upfront with the driver and Celeste and I were in the back seat. The entire ride Celeste oohed and ahhed at the most mundane things, pointing out street signs and waving flags.
Being in Ottawa was a Christmas wonder in and of itself. I’d gone back and forth dozens of times in the last week about making the trip. Was it weird to travel to another country to meet a man’s family who you’d known for a little over a month? Especially when you and that man only started dating a few weeks ago. If it was any other man, I would have kept my ass home. But this was Kris. When we met at the Christmas tree, he claims he knew. I didn’t know but I did wonder.
Maybe I wasn’t smitten on our initial meeting. But it was clear the love bug snuck up and tagged me multiple times. Kris was exactly what I needed even though he wasn’t at all the type I would normally date. He was spontaneous where I was a planner. He lived life seeking adventure while I lived my life trying my best to avoid anything that could cause me emotional or physical harm.
Collecting our bags, Kris set them near the front door. Celeste and I hung behind at the foot of the stairs. His childhood home was one of many on the snowcapped street. The two-story brick house was framed by large trees weighed down from the accumulated snow. It was like something out of a picture book. This space in time felt like Christmas in a way Minnesota didn’t.
Sprinting back down, Kris squeezed my hand. “You ready?”
I looked toward the house with uncertainty in my eyes. “Maybe this was a mistake. The last thing I want to be is the fifth wheel at a family only event.”
“Don’t be silly, Belen. Friends can be family too,” Celeste said.
Kris wrapped his arm around both Celeste and me. “Cici’s right.” He planted a kiss on my cheek before propelling us both forward.
When the front door swung open, the initial reception was lukewarm. A young woman who favored Kris but was ten times prettier stood in the doorway. “Oh, it’s you,” she said.
“Don’t sound so disappointed, Rayna.”
“I was just hoping it was Unc with the gumbo.” Rayna’s eyes traveled past Kris to where Celeste and I stood. I had a death grip on his hand as I peeked out over his shoulder. His sister’s face turned into a crooked smile, looking back toward the members inside the house she called out, “Kris brought a girlfriend.”
The chatter inside died down and was followed by clambering footsteps as people made their way to the door. It was like we were an art installation the way Kris’s family gawked.
“Okay guys, let’s not act like you didn’t know I was bringing friends.” They continued to stare and whisper. “Can we at least get out the cold before the foolishness starts?” Kris asked, ushering Celeste and I into the house, which was several degrees warmer. The scent of simmering meats, herbs, andcinnamon clung to the air, confirming a morning filled with food preparation. It was a modest house, but it was well loved with family photographs everywhere I turned. The inside matched the picturesque exterior. I’d always found the concept of home hard to explain, but standing in the foyer, a sense of comfort and security washed over me.
The family which consisted of at least ten people, continued to stare as Kris went back to the porch to fetch our bags. “Hello, I’m Belen and this is my sister Celeste.” I hated being the center of attention, but it was clear from the way the family gawked, at least for the next few hours, it would be unavoidable. “Say hello, Celeste.”
“Hello,” Celeste said, as instructed. “It’s rude to stare,” she added matter-of-factly.
