As they got out of the car, Zach scanned the area, looking for the reflection of a camera lens of a hiding paparazzi.It was a habit he still hadn’t been able to shake, even though he’d been in Marietta for a while now.Like always, there was no glint of glass, and he followed closely behind Tilly, making sure she didn’t slip on the sidewalk.
The air was frigid and the clouds looked heavy.Snow was in the forecast, but they didn’t predict it would be substantial.It would be fun and different to have a white Christmas.A little snow falling while Mary and Joseph walked from place to place seeking shelter would add to the specialness of the story—even though snow hadn’t been falling, according to the story of the birth of Christ.
Warm air greeted them when they walked into Tilly’s house, and they both shed their scarves, beanies, gloves, and jackets on the hooks and bench that were just inside her front door.The scent of cinnamon hung in the air.
“Have you been baking, or do you have cinnamon sticks hanging everywhere?”he asked.
Tilly chuckled.“Both.I baked some apple and cinnamon muffins earlier, and Chrissy came over with a floral arrangement that had been used at an event the farm supplied the flowers for.I believe it’s got some cinnamon sticks in it.”
“Any chance I can sample one?”
“A cinnamon stick?I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Zach tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her, resting his forehead against hers.“No, silly, I meant a muffin.I’m sure they’re going to taste as delicious as they smell.”
Tilly inched her hands up the front of his shirt, and desire slammed into him, pushing all thoughts of eating a muffin from his mind.“Trust me, they are.”
“I think I know something else that will taste delicious.”
“Really?What’s that?”
Zach hadn’t missed the way she’d shuffled closer to him so that their chests were pressed tightly together.He also hadn’t misread the signals.Tilly wanted him as much as he wanted her.“You.”
Immediately her mouth opened beneath his, and Zach was lost.Lost in the moment of having Tilly all to himself with no one around.Lost to the moment of knowing that what he wanted was mutual.Lost in the moment that the trajectory of their relationship was changing, and he was there for it.
Tonight at the skating rink, they’d had an open and honest conversation about Tilly’s past.He hadn’t judged her when she’d shown her vulnerabilities as she’d shared what she’d been through when she’d tried to follow her dream.He’d encouraged her to try again.Without a doubt, if the roles were reversed, she would do the same for him.Encourage him to take a risk because the reward would be worthwhile.
And this was his risk—asking Tilly if she wanted to take the next step with him.
He pulled away, their breaths sawing in and out, but they still kept ahold of each other.“I like you, a lot.I want you, Tulip Bloom.”
Was it ridiculous saying her full name, particularly since she preferred Tilly?But her given name slipped off his tongue, and she’d told him she liked it when he called her that.It was their thing.
It washisthing with her.
“I like you too, a lot.I want you too, Zachary Langley.”Her impish smile had his heart turning over in his chest.He wanted to tell her how she made him feel.How she gave him hope when he didn’t think he’d ever have any.
He wanted to scoop her up and run to her bedroom, but just because she said she wanted him didn’t mean she wanted him right now.Not like he wanted her.
She pulled away from him and he let her go.He wasn’t going to keep her close if she needed to take this slowly.When she took his hand and headed down the hallway, he got the answer he’d been hoping to get.
They reached her bedroom, but before they entered, he tugged on her hand.Everything she’d done suggested she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but he needed to hear the words.Because if they took this chance to be together for the first time, there was no going back.“Yes?”he asked, not saying anymore.
“Most definitely, yes,” Tilly responded.
Zach groaned and hauled her close again, his lips crashing down on hers.They pulled at each other’s clothes, desperation in every movement, then broke apart so they could remove their sweaters.Tilly didn’t stop there though, stripping everything off and standing before him, gloriously naked.
His breath caught at the beauty before him, and all the urgency that had consumed him only seconds ago disappeared.He wanted to take his time with the vision in front of him.He wanted to learn all the places that made her sigh.Made her squirm.Made her cry out with delight.
Most of all he wanted to show her how special she was to him.“You are stunning,” he whispered, reaching out to brush the back of his knuckles between her breasts, her nipples hardening at the light caress.
Keeping his gaze on her, he removed the rest of his clothes.If she was going to put herself in such a vulnerable position in front of him, he was going to do the same for her.Show her that they were equal partners.That there was no power imbalance between them.She could take from him what she wanted, and he would give her everything.He knew she would do the same for him.
He startled at her touch on his stomach.Her fingers ran over his abs, and his cock twitched, eager for its turn.
“You are the one who is stunning,” she murmured.“So strong.So brave.”She traced the scar on his hand from one of the times he’d been burned by a hot coal as he’d dug furiously to beat a fire back.
Zach couldn’t wait any longer.He needed to have her.He closed the distance and lifted her, placing her on the bed, her legs hanging over the edge.“We’re about to get started, Tulip.”He traced the inside of her thigh with his finger.Her arousal was a heady scent, even better than the cinnamon he’d smelled when he first walked in.
