“Even so. We can swing from the chandeliers when we’re alone.”
“Chandeliers…” I giggle, warmed through by his words. “So you’re anticipating doing this again?”
“I’d never presume.” He kisses my mouth, probing with his tongue and making me moan. “But it would be a crime if it ended here.”
“Mmm… I agree…” I’m having trouble keeping quiet. “Ohhh that feels amazing…” I bite my lip again. It’s no good, I can’t hold the pleasure in any longer. “Ahhh, I think I’m going to…”
“Oh, sweetheart.” He kisses me as I come, stifling the moans I can’t control, and I clench around him, unable to think about anything except the blissful pulses that feel so fantastic. All orgasms are good, but those with another person are on a different level altogether. It’s been so long since I’ve shared myself in this way, and I love how he kisses me, and how helooks at me, as if watching me experience pleasure like this is the best thing in the world.
My body finally releases me, and I breathe with ragged gasps, but he doesn’t stop moving, with those small, slow thrusts, as if he has all the time in the world, and he’s determined to make it last.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, sliding a hand into my hair and holding the back of my head as he kisses me. “I’m so glad I met you.”
“Mmm… me too…”
“Are you sure I can come inside you?”
I nod, thrilled at the thought. I wait for him to speed up, maybe even lift up, and to thrust hard, but he actually slows down, and the only sign that he’s close is the slight groan that accompanies each exhalation, his breath whispering across my lips.
And then he stops moving, his brow creases, and he holds his breath, and I stroke his back as I feel each and every pulse and twitch as he comes inside me. Oh it’s so beautiful to watch, and tears prick my eyes at the thought that I’ve given him such pleasure. I’d forgotten how simple the act can be when you don’t have years of problems and resentment and frustration to overcome.
“Mmm.” He opens his eyes and smiles at me. “I’d forgotten how amazing sex was.”
“I was just thinking the same. You made it so easy.”
He chuckles and kisses me. He looks into my eyes for a moment, smoothing a few strands of hair away from my face. Then he kisses me again, longer this time. I lie there feeling relaxed and warm and loved and content, and I know most of it is after-sex hormones flooding my system, but it’s also the way he’s holding me, the look of admiration and affection on his face, and his tender, gentle touch.
“I must be squishing you,” he murmurs eventually. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized.”
“Me neither. I was blissfully unaware that I can’t feel my feet.”
He laughs, then carefully withdraws. It takes a moment for us to disentangle my hair, clothes, and limbs, but eventually we manage to separate.
We both rise, and I pull on my underwear and shorts. Then he gives me a long hug.
“Thank you for that,” he murmurs in my ear. “It was the best Christmas present I could ever have.”
“Me too.” I kiss his neck.
“I haven’t felt this happy for… I don’t know. Maybe years.”
“I’m glad.” He rubs my back. “And we didn’t even wake Max.”
I laugh. “No. Like I said, he could sleep through an earthquake.”
“You have to remember to eat the mince pie and drink the whisky.”
“Oh, good point. Come on, let’s get that done.”
He has the whisky, and I eat the mince pie, making sure to leave some crumbs on the plate. Cullen bites off the top of the carrot, and we leave that next to the crumbs.
“I’d forgotten how magical Christmas feels as a child,” he says. “I feel as if I’ve recovered some of it today.”
“I know what you mean. Watching Max getting excited makes me feel excited too.” I wander over to the glass sliding doors, and Cullen joins me and stands behind me, his arms around me. It’s stopped raining, and the clouds are beginning to clear. The moon comes out as we watch, shining her silvery light on the lagoon.
“Santa’s up there somewhere,” I whisper. “Bringing children presents to all four corners of the Earth.”
“Well, the Earth doesn’t have corners. But at least he visits us first in New Zealand.”
