“I'm sure,” she whispers.
I kiss her then—but not the way my body is screaming at me to. I make sure I'm gentle. Slow when I want to go fast.
My lips brush hers softly, tasting the wine on her, loving the way she melts into me. Her tongue meets mine, tightening every muscle in my body.
Yes. This.
We both moan, but I force the pace, keeping it slow. A taste done with extreme control.
Everything about the kiss is tattooed on my mind and body.
When I pull back, she's flushed and breathless, her fingers clutching my shirt. I’m dizzy and jacked on adrenaline.
“Arrrrgh!” she growls.
I know.
A laugh rumbles from my chest, it’s the only sound I can safely make without sounding like a beast.
“For now,” I say firmly, stepping back before I change my mind. “We're going to decorate that massive naked tree sitting in the great room.”
She stares at me like I've lost my mind. “You just said all that and did that, and now you want todecorate?”
“Yep, together.”
She shakes her head, laughing softly. “Are you serious right now?”
I adjust myself, repositioning my erection with zero shame, and head toward the great room. “Dead serious. Come on, we've got work to do.”
“Spencer, you are the most confusing man I've ever met!”
“Add it to my list of charms,” I call back, grinning when I hear her frustrated groan.
The great room glows with firelight from the fire I made before dinner. The lights cast dancing shadows across the stone walls.
“Music,” I say to the security system. “Christmas playlist.”
The sound system responds immediately, and Nat King Cole's voice fills the space, smooth as aged whiskey.
Liberty appears behind me, arms crossed, still looking adorably indignant. “This is torture.”
“Anticipation,” I correct, kneeling beside the first box of ornaments.
The cardboard releases a puff of stored air when I open it.
“Waiting makes everything better,” I declare as I pull the flaps of another box open.
“I might actually kill you.”
“You can try.” I lift a tangled mess of lights that reminds me of wrangling an octopus when I was diving once. “But first, you're going to help me with these.”
She narrows her eyes at me, then snatches the lights from my hands.
“Fine. But I'm going on record saying this is cruel and unusual punishment.”
“Noted. Would you really have it any other way?”
She hides a small grin. “I'm not sure, although it feels like we've been waiting for months.”
