I’d bought caramel popcorn balls from the lodge store, and we ate those sitting on the floor on the rug in front of the fire.
It was Aspen who made the first move. He leaned in, palms on the rug, and gave me a peck on the lips, then sat back looking at me.
My hand went to my mouth to keep the feeling from dissipating. My eyes warmed. Hell, my entire body grew hot.
“That’s a thank you for our date. I loved it.”
“It’s still going on,” I reminded him.
His brown reindeer eyes sparkled.
I read that look. It was hard to realize we would be sleeping in the same bed, again tonight, and not anticipate other sorts of things.
Later, I took care getting ready for bed, making sure everything about me was fresh and clean and groomed. I noted that Aspen also took his time when it was his turn.
I pulled back the bedcovers and neatened everything up. Then hid the clean towel and lube I’d brought under the bed. I placed a condom like a mint on top. Just in case I got lucky.
It had been a long time. With no serious relationships under my belt, I didn’t want to start this one off too fast. I didn’t want to be that alpha who puffed up and thought he deserved everything just because an omega looked at him with starry eyes.
Yet, it seemed like that was exactly what I was doing.
I punched up the pillows. I pressed the wrinkles from the sheets. I laid out the fleece blanket so it would be easy to grab.
The fire happily popped and crackled with enough logs to keep it lively for a couple of hours.
I turned the lighting low but not off.
I couldn’t help but look up when Aspen came out of the bathroom. The tiny garland lights around the windows glitteredbehind him. He didn’t have on his usual heavy flannel pajamas. Instead, he wore blue boxers, and a thin, short college sweatshirt cut off at the sleeves. He was beautiful.
He came to his side of the bed and slid in, still sitting up. The shirt rode up, revealing his flat stomach.
I’d placed a pillow in the middle, one of our usual dividers. He stared at it, then picked it up and waved it about.
“Won’t this be in our way?”
“Will it? You have your side. I have mine.”
“Oh yeah?” His finger drew an invisible line from the pillows to about halfway down the mattress. “What happens if one of us crosses this line?”
“I don’t know.”
“Better to not find out, then,” he said.
“Oh, really?” I looked down and saw the indentation on the sheet still showed where his finger had drawn it. “Like, if I did this?” I tapped my own finger over the line.
“Hey! First warning.”
“How many warnings do I get?”
“Three.”
Again, I popped my finger over the line.
“That’s your second warning, mister.” He met my gaze, brows narrowed.
I made a face. “I’m sooo scared.”
“You should be. You’re right on the cliff now. You know that.”
