I drag my thumb along the underside of her breast, grazing the sensitive peak, and she moans into the touch. The sound goes straight to my cock.
“Eth—”
Her voice is a broken whisper, but she doesn’t stop me. Doesn’t push me away. Instead, her fingers tighten in my shirt, her breath hitching as I trace the hardened bud through her sweater, circling, teasing.
She’s so responsive—always was. A flick of my thumb, and she’s melting against me, her hips rolling restlessly, seeking friction.
I want to push her back onto the floor, to lift this damn T-shirt and take her nipple into my mouth, to remind her body of mine. I want to lose myself in her until we both forget everything but us, together, the way it should have been all along.
She makes a soft sound against my mouth, halfway between a sigh and a whimper, and it nearly undoes me completely.
A small, distressed murmur comes from Axel’s mattress. We freeze, lips still touching, before we both pull back quickly, our eyes darting to the boy. He shifts restlessly, his face scrunching up before relaxing again as he settles deeper into sleep.
The spell breaks. Reality crashes back.
Then she jerks back, gasping for air. Her nipples are still tight and straining against the fabric.
“I’m sorry,” she breathes. “I didn’t mean to—I came down to ask if your offer to bring the mattress down was still on the table. It’s freezing up there.”
The explanation tumbles out like she’s trying to convince herself the kiss was another mistake. But her hands are still fisted in my shirt, and she hasn’t moved away.
“Yeah.” My voice is gravelly. “I can help with that.”
She nods quickly and finally releases me. “Thank you.”
As I follow her toward the stairs, I wonder if some broken things can ever really be fixed.
Attic Treasure
Cassidy
Iwake up to the smell of coffee and… pancakes? The events of yesterday flood back immediately. The storm. Being trapped. The kiss.
Oh God, the kisses.
Shame burns through me as I remember the desperate way I grabbed Ethan’s shirt, the taste of him, and how right it felt after years of nothing feeling right at all. Unlike our kiss in the kitchen, last night I’d let him touch me, craved it even.
And worse, I started it. Both times.
Heat pools low in my belly just thinking about it, and I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the memory away. What is wrong with me?
Two kisses in one day after eight years of hating him. Two kisses I initiated. Two kisses I can’t seem to regret, no matter how hard I try.
From the kitchen comes the low rumble of Ethan’s voice and Axel’s higher one responding. I strain to hear what they’re saying.
“... mix it like this, see? You don’t want to overmix or—”
“It’s getting fluffy!”
“That’s perfect, buddy. You’re a natural.”
I move to the window, pulling back the curtain to assess our situation. The storm shows no sign of stopping. If anything, the wind has picked up overnight, creating drifts that reach the eaves of the house. Even if the snow stopped right now, it would take days for the roads to be passable again.
I check my phone for weather updates. The forecast shows snow continuing through Christmas Eve, with road closures expected to last through the holiday weekend.
December23rd stares back at me from the screen.
We’re definitely stuck here through Christmas. Axel is going to wake up on Christmas morning in this broken-down house with nothing. No tree, no presents, no magic. No family Christmas morning with excited squeals and wrapping paper scattered across the floor.
