“This is unequivocally the best Christmas ever, baby girl, because I woke up beside you.” He settles on the bed beside me and leans in for a kiss.
Eyes falling shut, I smile against his mouth. “Merry Christmas.”
He pulls back, and with his blue eyes burning with passion, he pushes my hair behind my shoulder and drops a kiss to my neck. “Merry Christmas, beautiful.”
My stomach tightens in response to his attention. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I take my first sip of coffee, and when the flavor registers, I moan. “Oh, you found the cinnamon creamer.”
With a nod, he brushes another kiss to my shoulder.
“God,” I sigh. “You make it hard to think, let alone drink coffee.”
He pulls back. “We can’t have that.”
I huff into my mug, disappointment rising and dampening my joy a little.
A quiet laugh escapes him. “What?”
“Nothing, I just like it when you kiss me.”
“There’ll be plenty more of that when you’ve finished your coffee.” He tips his head toward my mug. “I’ve got to grab your present anyway.”
My heart stutters. “Present?”
“Don’t be coy, baby girl. You don’t play it well. You know damn well I got you a gift.”
When he stands, happiness pours out of me in an embarrassing squeal.
Face lit up, he drops to his knees in front of me.
The move is so startling I almost drop the coffee cup. “What are you doing?” I scramble around, setting the mug on the side table, ignoring the liquid that sloshes out of it.
He pulls a jewelry-size box out of his pocket and sets it on the bed in front of me.
I scramble back. “What is that?”
If the man proposes right now, I don’t know what I’ll do. I really like him. Might even love him a little. Not that I’m ready to dive into that emotion. But no matter how strong our connection, we can’t getengagedafter only a month.
He chuckles. “Don’t you want your present?”
I inspect it, still keeping my distance. “That depends.”
Eyes dancing, he says, “Depends on what?”
“On what it is. It’s not like a forever type of thing, right?”
He frowns, dark blond brows furrowing. “A forever type of thing?”
I huff, my heart pounding. “Don’t be coy, Camden Snow,” I say, mimicking his earlier words. “You don’t play it well.”
He coughs out a laugh loud enough to wake the Donadios. Then he grasps me by the thighs and tugs me to the edge of the bed. I’m naked and wrapped in the sheets, but my breasts hang heavy between us. My pulse races as I stare into his eyes.
“Just open the box, Savannah,” he says, voice gruff, smile gone, and holds it up between us.
Head bent, I study it. My heart is in my throat, my hands trembling. I hate myself for my next thought. Literally despise my very being, because in this moment, all I think isplease let it be what I think it is. Please let him be my forever. Looking into his blue eyes, so beautiful, waking up to him in my kitchen, loving him, would all be so easy. It could be everything I’ve ever wanted.
Holding my breath, I take the small square box from his hand and search his face, looking for answers. “I really like you,” I muster.
His expression immediately softens and his lips spread into the softest of smiles. I think he’ll always be gentle with me. I think we’d be good to one another. And suddenly, it doesn’t feel so scary. Forever with him wouldn’t be so bad. It might just be perfect.
