“Oh, fuck. What now?”
“Can we keep this between us for now?”
“Like I can’t tell Nathan? I don’t know about that, Lex.” The concerned look on her face had me almost regretting asking her, but Brandon and I wanted to keep our relationship to ourselves for now. I told him I was going to tell Daphne, but he wanted to give us a little more time before his whole family started harassing us.
“Just until after the holidays. We are really trying to give it a go, but if I fuck it up again, I don’t want his whole family to hate me.” That was the truth. I wanted to minimize the number of people who knew so that I wouldn’t be a total pariah if shit went south again.
“I’m sure everyone would be so happy for you guys. And you won’t fuck it up, but if things don’t work out between you two, no one will hate you either.”
“You’re probably right, but we aren’t ready. We aren’t even having S. E. X. yet.”
Daphne’s eyes were wide. “Wow, you must really like him.”
I slapped her arm. “Jesus, like I’m such a slut. Okay, okay. Iwas. But I’m really trying to be better.”
“Okay. I’m going to keep my yap shut to Nathan about it for now, but I can’t keep your secret forever. That’s not how I roll with him.”
“You’re the best, and I promise it won’t be too long. Just let us get through the holidays, and then we’ll tell everyone.”
34
BRANDON
Christmas Eve
The drive to Nathan’s cabin was a blur. Dylan and my dad yapped about work most of the way, while I was distracted. This was the first time since last year that I’d see Lexi with our families present. I wondered if I’d be able to keep it together or if we’d be outed. Lexi had already come clean to Daphne, and Dylan knew about us, but they both agreed to let us keep our secret for now. Lexi wanted to get through the holidays without the added pressure of our relationship going public—a relationship that was going surprisingly well.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been nervous to start things back up with her, but since agreeing to this whole dating and no sex thing, we’ve had a lot of fun and gotten much closer. In the few short weeks since we started back up, I saw so many positive changes inLexi that I was sure we were well on our way to taking things to the next level. I didn’t want to rush things, but the sexual tension between us was becoming almost unbearable.
Snow blanketed the driveway of the cabin, the perfect backdrop for our Christmas celebration. Nathan even put up some Christmas lights and decorations. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was Daphne’s idea, seeing as how Nathan wasn’t usually big into Christmas like Mom and I were.
We were kicking the snow off our boots on the porch when Nathan opened the door to greet us. “Hey guys! Glad you could make it. Come on in.”
Dad wrapped Nathan in a hug. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, son.”
“Yeah, thanks for the invite. I’m excited to see the place.” Dylan was next and greeted him with a fist bump.
I hugged Nathan, giving his back a slap. “Feels like we haven’t seen much of you lately. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done to the place.”
We made our way into the living area, where Daphne was waiting to greet us each with a hug of her own. She had really become an integral part of our family over the last year, and we all loved her. It was so great to see how well she and Nathan were getting on. I’d never seen Nathan happier.
“Can I get you guys something to drink?” Nathan asked as a knock sounded at the door. We each muttered our responses while Daphne went to get the door.
“Hey bitch! Merry fucking Christmas!” Lexi’s voice rang out through the space, and I instantly tensed. We’dtalked about how this would go down, but as the moment approached, the thought of seeing her here was suddenly overwhelming.
“I think it’s wine o’clock!” Lexi called as she breezed past me without even a sideways glance and went to grab a glass.
I bit my lip to keep myself from reacting, but she looked so fucking good, I was having a hard time sticking to our plan. Dressed in leggings and a cropped sweater, I had to tear my eyes away from her plump ass. All I wanted to do was bury my face there.
Gathered by the kitchen island, we spent a few minutes catching up and making small talk. Not long after that Daphne’s parents arrived, and we all sat down for dinner. I didn’t try to sit next to Lexi, but that’s just how things worked out. I kept my eyes and hands to myself mostly, only stealing a look when she was talking so as not to seem like I was being rude. She seemed unfazed by our proximity, though, causing me to second-guess her feelings towards me yet again.
After dinner and dessert, Dad and Daphne’s parents took off to a cabin down the road where they were staying, and the rest of us went to get into our comfy clothes,per Daphne’s request. After changing into sweatpants and a long-sleeved tee, someone pulled me by the arm to the side of the stairs while I was coming down from the loft.
“What the—” I was cut off as Lexi pulled me to her by the collar and kissed me. This was not like the tentativekisses we’d shared over the last few weeks. This kiss was full of passion and longing.Fucking finally.
I returned her kiss, delving deeper into her mouth, exploring every inch. She moaned quietly into me, causing my cock to grow hard. I pressed into her, and she lifted a leg and wrapped it around me, drawing me closer still.
“I want you,” she whispered. “This whole pretending we don’t know each other thing is so fucking hot, Brando.”
