“You trying to impress me?” I asked.
She shrugged, wearing a cheeky grin. “Is it working?”
Always yes.
My dad appeared, wearing slippers and his Christmas pajamas, silently cradling a snowball as if it were a sacred offering. He handed it off to Ellie. She didn’t say a word, just turned.
“Thanks, David!” she chirped.
And she nailed me in the sternum with the kind of force that made me question my entire athletic career.
“You traitor!” I gasped, staggering backward.
“Oh, you better run,” I said to Ellie before running after her.
She took off for the trees, boots crunching through the snow. That wild laugh of hers spilled from in front of me. I took off after her, cold air burning my chest as we dodged trees. She was fast but not fast enough.
I caught her at the edge of the trees and grabbed her around the waist. We went down together, crashing into the snow. I ended up on top of her, and we laughed, cackling like idiots.The laughter slowly died into breathless pants before a stretch of silence passed.
Her chest rose and fell beneath mine. Those cheeks flushed red, hair tangled and powdered in snow, lips parted slightly. Our eyes locked—and something unspoken pulled taut between us.
I could feel her heartbeat under my hands. Or maybe it was mine. Hell if I knew. Her gaze dipped to my mouth then back to my eyes, and I swore the temperature dropped and spiked all at once. Her hips bucked under me, and my body reacted before my brain could catch up. A jolt of lust, of fucking need for this woman, slammed through me.
I barely bit back a groan as she bucked her hips. “Fuck,” I muttered.
“I think there’s a rock under my ass,” she said, breathless. “Sorry.”
“Are you?”
Her smile was nothing short of wicked. Then, she did it again. “Maybe I like having something hard pressed against me.”
“Ellie baby.” Her name slipped out, half warning, half promise. One more shift beneath me, and I’d forget it was Christmas morning. I’d toss her over my shoulder, drag her back to my place, and pin her down for real.
“Sorry,Sawyer love,” she murmured, eyes sparkling.
Her gloved hand hovered near my face. I wanted her touch on my jaw, my cheek, maybe my mouth. I didn’t care. The distance was setting me on fire, and I needed her hands on me.
The world shrank to that fragile inch between us. Every muscle tensed, aching for her to touch. If she leaned in, I knew I’d break.
And then—thwack.
A fistful of snow slammed into my temple, thrown by her other hand.
Ellie busted out laughing, rolling out from under me.
“You play dirty, Ellie,” I said, shaking the snow from my face.
Her grin? Pure sin. “So do you.”
“Get her, Uncle Sawyer,” Gracie shouted from behind a tree.
“I got him,” Caleb hollered, throwing another one that exploded next to my hip.
“Nice shot, buddy,” Lilah shouted across the yard.
“Hey,” I yelled. “We’re on the same team!”
Caleb grinned. “Oopsie.”
