Hesitantly, I make my way to the door, opening it a crack. Felix stands on my porch.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, pausing for a moment before moving to let him in out of the cold.
Taking a few steps back, I give him room to close the door. As he does, I turn around, glancing into my living room.
Things are clean…but not as showroom-ready as I normally have them. Is he going to notice?
Why do I care so much?
“Well, you texted me ‘it’s been fun,’ and haven’t been answering any of my calls or messages since, so I thought I’d come check on you,” Felix says, his usual smile nowhere to be seen.
He…wasworryingabout me?
My stomach twists, a storm of feelings crashing about, one that’s brewed from the guilt of stressing him out. All for what? Because I’m…scared?
I shake my head slightly. “Well, I’m fine, as you can see. So…you should probably go.”
Even though I tell him to leave, he stays put. His eyebrows furrow as he stares at me, and even his snakes look confused. Sad, even. For the first time, I avert my eyes.
I can’t bear the look on his face right now.
His hands trail down my arms tenderly, sending shivers through me. “Spend Christmas Eve with me, and I guarantee you that Santa Claus won’t be theonlyone coming.”
He uses his head to nudge mine to the side, trailing kisses down the side of my neck. A small gasp leaves me as he grips my waist, pulling my back against him.
Our clothes do little to suppress the boners I can feel against my ass.
“I told you I don’tdothe holidays, Felix.” It’s hard to be convincing as he and his snakes pepper me with kisses. “The holidays are here, so this fling is over.”
“Are you Christmas? Because I can’twaitfor you to come.” His tone is irresistible. “I can keep going, dollface.”
While the Christmas punsstillbring a slight boil to my blood, they’re much more tolerable for some reason.
Maybe it’s because of the way he touches me, gentle but still dominant, with a neediness that I reciprocate—unwillingly.
Or maybe it’s because Felix is the one saying them.
Oh God, all of this is because of Felix. My tolerance for the holiday season, the flutter in my chest when he’s around, even the decorations in my living room.
They’re all because of him.
And yet…I don’t hate it. I don’t hate any of it.
The things that used to make me want to push carolers into the road now don’t even make me bat an eye. He’s changing my view of the season, the holidays.
No, he’schangedmy views already.
And I don’t like the way that he seems to see right through every wall I’ve put up. I don’t like the way he’s slipped through the barricades I placed around my heart.
The thought of loving and losing…again…it’s too frightening.
I need to end this now, before I fall further than I can catch myself.
CHAPTER 14
FELIX
She pushes away from me, my hands falling from her waist. An emptiness rushes in where she stood, the air feeling heavy around me.
