He shakes his head. “Don’t get involved.” He clamps his hand on my shoulder. “You two look good together. Don’t fuck it up.”
I grab him into a hug. “Love you, little brother.”
“Fuck off. We were still born on the same day.”
My grin is off the charts. “I still entered the world first.”
He shoves his middle finger up at me, and I’m laughing as I walk off to meet my girl.
“Hey there, beautiful.” I lean down and kiss her.
“Hey, that’s my line!” she quips.
I nip her earlobe before she pulls a wooly hat down on her head. I cover up in a warm coat and scarf, and I remember gloves this time. We leave the house and set out on the walking trail, hand in hand. The air is brisk, lifting strands of Gia’s hair, but it’s not unpleasant. A warming heat filters through my veins that is all Gia’s doing.
“Are you having a good day?” I ask, lifting our conjoined hands to my lips and kissing her knuckles through her gloves.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve enjoyed in a long time.”
“Me too.”
“Please tell me you’re feeling this. That I’m not alone in it.”
“I’m feeling it all over, honey. All over.” I waggle my brows, and she giggles as she snuggles into my side. My arm encircles her shoulders, like it was made to fit there.
“I want to spend the night with you.” She looks up at me with a look that is a mix of vulnerability and confidence.
“I would love that.”
A gorgeous smile ghosts over her lips, and I can’t help swooping in and claiming them.
“Oh, Joshua,” she rasps when we finally break apart. Her hands land on my chest. “I could kiss you all day and all night and never grow tired of it.”
“I plan to keep kissing you for a long time, Gia. You won’t get a chance to grow tired of it.”
Her eyes probe mine. “You mean that.”
“I do. I told you I’m all in, and I’m serious.”
“So, we’re like…” She swallows audibly and worries her lower lip between her teeth.
“Boyfriend and girlfriend doesn’t quite seem enough, but it’ll do for now if that’s what you want.”
“It is,” she rushes to reassure me.
Our lips meet again, like two magnets drawn together.
“We better stop,” she says in a breathy voice. “Before I push you into the woods and have my wicked way with you.”
“I’m not opposed to outdoor fucking, but I’d rather my dick didn’t shrivel from frostbite.”
She giggles, taking my hand and dragging me to the bench. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Cristian,” I surmise, circling my arm around her and keeping her tucked in close.
She nods. “I would always have told you before we slept together, so don’t think this is because Cristian said I needed to tell you. I would not have kept it from you.”
“Yet you did when I asked before.”
