By the time the fire has died down it's late, and we’re cuddled together on the couch, wrapped in blankets, both of us slightly tipsy from all the red wine. Case stretches underneath me, yawning, and I raise my head to look at him sleepily.
“I think this body of mine needs to hit the sack,” he smiles. “Not that snuggling with you on this couch isn’t delightful, but if I spend all night out here I’ll regret it tomorrow.”
I yawn and shimmy up his body to plant a soft kiss on his mouth.
“I’m ready for bed, too. But it’s awfully cold in here.” I snuggle deeper into him. “I think it’s only sensible if we share a bed, don’t you think? So we can share body heat?”
He grins at me, his eyes twinkling in the firelight. “I absolutely agree. Anything else would be irresponsible. Your place or mine.”
“Mine,” I say confidently. “I’ve got the bigger bed and the nicer bathroom.” I roll off him and take a minute to blow out a couple of the candles scattered around before grabbing his hand and pulling him up.
“Well, lead the way to your private lair, then.” His grin is wolfish as he smiles down at me.
Chapter 15
CASE
Wakingupinbedwith Matt on Christmas Eve feels surreal. It’s still snowing like crazy outside and it’s cold as fuck in the bedroom, but with both of us cuddled under the quilt, it’s cozy and comfortable in bed. I scootch closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing my chest to his back. He gives a little sigh and snuggles back into me, pressing his perfect ass into my morning wood. I plant a soft kiss on his shoulder and let myself drift, enjoying my dreamy, half-awake state. How wonderful would it be to wake up like this every morning?
A couple of hours later, I’m wide awake and Matt’s still sawing logs beside me. I decide to get up and make sure the living area of the house is nice and toasty before he wakes up. Throwing on a heavy sweatshirt and flannel sleep pants, I pad out to the living room, where I can see in the gray light of dawn that the snow is still coming down hard.
“Brr.” I mutter to myself as I set about starting the fire. A few minutes later, I hear the soft shuffling of slippers on the hardwood and Matt appears from down the hallway. He’s so adorable in the mornings. His hair is all mussed up, and he rubs his eyes like a little kid. I want to wrap my arms around him, cover him in kisses and take him back to the bedroom.
“Coffee should be ready. It’s on the counter,” I say.
He smiles at me sleepily. “Man, you are awfully convenient to have around. If you keep this up, I’m never going to want to take another vacation without you.”
I know he’s just joking, but my stomach lurches anyway. Vacations together. Visions of a tropical beach, maybe with one of those over-the-water-cabanas float through my mind. Then I remember this morning’s half-awake dream about sleeping in the same bed with him every night and waking up together every morning.What am I doing? I don’t want a relationship. This whole thing with Matt has gone much further than a hookup. And I don’t know what to think about that. Shaking my head, I push the complicated feelings down and follow Matt into the kitchen.
We drink our first coffees in companionable silence, and when I’m done I get up and stretch. “I’m going to pop outside and make sure there’s enough gas in the generator,” I say.
"Okay," Matt says. "I’ll start breakfast while you do that." He gets up and reaches out to grab my empty mug while at the same time leaning over and planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. I freeze, feeling my heart stutter in my chest as he carries on with what he's doing, grabbing a sponge to wipe up the drops from the French press. He’s humming under his breath, and the routine domesticity of the scene hits me square in the chest. But I’m not freaking out about how domestic it feels. I’m freaking out because of how much I love it. It just feels right, and that’s the terrifying part.
As I trudge around the corner of the house in the biting wind and snow to get to the generator, I decide to put everything aside for now. Whatever it is I’m feeling for Matt, I can figure out in a day or two. Today is Christmas Eve, and I want to enjoy the day with him. Regardless of what happens between us in the future, this will be a Christmas we’ll both remember, and I want the memory to be a good one.
When I get back inside, Matt's standing at the stove working on breakfast. I catch him by surprise when I sneak up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Merry Christmas Eve, by the way,” I whisper in his ear, which earns me a sweet giggle. “I was thinking we should do a little decorating today.” I grin at him when he gives me a confused look.
“Merry Christmas Eve to you too, but what do you have in mind for decorating? I’m not sure I’m up for digging up one of those big trees in the yard and setting it up in the living room, all Clark Griswold,Christmas Vacationstyle.”
I snort. “As much fun as that wouldobviouslybe, that’s not what I was thinking. Have you ever made paper snowflakes? And what about popcorn garlands?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I know about paper snowflakes, but what did you say about popcorn?”
I laugh. “My mom used to have us do it as kids. She would give each of us a big sewing needle and a long piece of thick thread. We would poke the needles through the pieces of popcorn and string them along, so they looked like garlands.” I laugh as the memories of Christmases long past wash over me. “It’s a brilliant idea, actually. The kid who made the longest popcorn string would get a prize, so we would all sit there for ages with our bowls of popcorn and needle and thread. It was probably the longest quiet stretch she’d get for two solid weeks while we were out of school.”
Matthew laughs. “That sounds super cute, and no, we never did anything like that. But I’m in. Let’s see what we can find around here to make this place a little more Christmassy.”
Chapter 16
CASE
Therestoftheday seems to pass in the blink of an eye. Matt finds a bunch of Christmas lights, and a tabletop Christmas tree. Since the power is still out, the lights aren't of much use to us, but we set up the little tree, and make paper snowflakes. He also tracks down a sewing kit, so we pop some corn the old-fashioned way, on the stovetop, and then compete to see who can make the longer popcorn string in an hour. Matt wins easily, but I maintain that my loss was only because he kept distracting me by looking adorable.
Almost before I realize it, the sun has set, and it’s dark again. The snow has picked up, but according to the local radio station we’re listening to, since both our phones have died, this band of weather is one of the last to pass through. Christmas day looks like it will be bright and sunny. Road crews will work 24/7, to get the roads and highways back open as soon as possible, which means our time together is coming to an end quickly.
Ignoring the way my stomach clenches when I think about leaving, I press my lips to his temple as he leans against my chest on the couch. "How do you feel about an extra-special Christmas Eve dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese?”
