“Oh! I just realized. I have gifts we could give Axel,” I say, pushing myself up.
Ethan’s eyebrows raise. “You do?”
“In my luggage. I packed a few things for my trip to Jamaica. I’ve made friends with some of the locals over the past few years, especially this family with children around Axel’s age. I was going to give them to the children there, but...”
“But now they can be for Axel,” Ethan finishes.
“They’re probably not what he wants,” I admit. “But they’re new, and they’re something. He shouldn’t wake up with nothing on Christmas morning.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy, Cass.”
I feel a sudden urgency to prepare for morning, to make sure everything is perfect for Axel’s first real Christmas with us. “We should probably get those gifts wrapped and under the tree before he wakes up.”
“We will,” Ethan promises. “But first, let me hold you a little longer.”
“Oh! I should probably let Desiree know we’re okay,” I say, suddenly remembering my best friend trapped across town.
“Now?” Ethan glances at the clock. “Baby, it’s three in the morning. She’s probably asleep.”
“But she’s been my person through everything. She needs to know we’re engaged.”
Ethan reaches for my hand, bringing it to his lips. “She does need to know. But maybe let’s wait until morning? Give her a proper call when we can both think straight and she’s not wondering if someone died when her phone rings at this hour.”
I pause, realizing he’s right. “The last thing she needs is a 3 AM emotional phone call.”
“Exactly. Besides,” he says, pulling me closer, “this gives us a few more hours to ourselves before we have to share our news with the world.”
I snuggle back into his arms. My body is still wrapped around his thick cock, and it’s swelling with every beat of his heart.
The physical connection between us is too precious to break just yet; this reconnection after years apart is too meaningful to rush. I lift my hips until only his tip remains inside me, then sink back down.
He groans before his fingers dig into my skin. I repeat the motion, savoring the friction. There’s no rush, just the slow, deep glide of him inside me.
“Fuck, Cass.”
His mouth crashes back to mine, his tongue tangling with mine as our bodies move together. His hips lift to meet mine, driving himself deeper.
“You feel so good,” he growls, gripping my hips to guide me. “Just like that, baby. Take what you need.”
I do.
Epilogue
Ethan
Something tickles my face, and I crack one eye open to find Axel standing above our mattress, his hair sticking up in every direction, staring down at us with wide eyes.
“There are presents under the tree,” he whispers.
I blink fully awake, remembering how Cassidy and I had crept downstairs in the early morning hours after wrapping the gifts with faded paper we’d found in the attic. We’d arranged them carefully under the tree, then collapsed onto the mattress beside Axel’s, exhausted from our sleepless night of lovemaking.
Cassidy stirs beside me. She’s wearing my T-shirt and nothing else, and I pull the blanket higher to cover her before Axel notices.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” she murmurs, sitting up and smoothing down her hair.
Axel’s gaze darts between us and the tree. “Are those... for me?”
“They have your name on them, don’t they?” I ask, untangling myself from the blankets and standing.
