His mouth retreats from mine, his tongue skimming my bottom lip as he pulls away. “I’m sorry, did you want to keep talking? I—”
“No, I want this. I want you.”
And for the rest of Christmas morning and into the afternoon, I show him the depth of my love.
29
Zach
The smell of deliciousbaking coaxes me awake.
My hand reaches across the bed, seeking Finley, but lands on cool sheets. I bolt up, needing to put my eyes on her, to confirm last night happened and she didn’t run away. My feet hit the floor at the same moment Finley nudges the bedroom door open with her ass because she’s carrying a tray with two mugs and a plate full of brownies.
“You ruined the surprise,” she says when her gaze lands on me. I’m beside her, reaching for the tray when she pulls it away. Some liquid from the mugs splashes with the movement. “Uh, no, I don’t think so, Zach. You’re going to have to get back in my good graces first.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, leaning into her back and pressing my lips to the crook of her neck. “That can be arranged.”
She sighs, and fuck, I can’t get enough of the sound. My arms tighten around her while my lips roam her neck.
“You’re going to make me drop this.” She says the words through a shaky breath.
And that’s all it takes for me to harden against her, dick pressing into her back. There won’t ever be a moment when I won’t want Finley, but with an hour until we head to Kennedy and Volk’s house for Christmas dinner, we need to talk. She eases the tray onto the bed, turning until she faces me.
I slip an envelope out of a dresser drawer and hold it out to her. “Merry Christmas, High-flyer.”
Her eyes go soft. “You got me a present?”
“It shouldn’t be surprising. I mean, obviously, it’s fine if you didn’t buy me anything since we never talked about it. I won’t hold it against you… at least not for long.”
Finley grins, snatching the envelope out of my hands. “Of course I got you a gift, O ye of little faith. It’s at the house since I didn’t know I’d be spending most of the day here.”
I tilt my head. “Didn’tyou?” She shoves me playfully, but I grip her hand, holding it above my heart. “Finley, you own this. You know that, right? No matter what happens between us, it won’t change.”
She collapses against me, enveloping me in a tight hug. “I love you, Zach. God, I want to keep saying it to you, over and over. You’re going to get sick of it.”
“Trust me, I don’t mind.”
“I love you,” Finley says again, and there’s a desperate quality to her voice.
She spins in my arms again, her unbelievable ass connecting with my hardness, ripping a groan from deep in my throat.
“Someone’shappy to see me.”
“Fucking always,” I whisper, my chin resting on top of her head.
Finley tears open the envelope to reveal the card I painstakingly searched for. After reading no fewer than thirtycards, I ultimately landed on a winter wonderland picture on the front with a blank inside to write words no other card could sufficiently convey.
Finley clears her throat. “Finley, I’m shit with words,” she reads aloud. “I always say the wrong thing or say too much. So I’m going to keep this simple. The best thing to ever happen to me was stumbling into that closet and finding you.”
Her eyes quickly dart to mine, and the force knocks me sideways.
“Thank you for giving me the privilege of being around you, for loving me and my wild mind. I love you more than I know how to say. I hope this is the first Christmas together of many. Yours, Zach.”
I don’t know how singers can stand hearing their intimate private words out loud, being stripped bare, hoping for acceptance. Each second that ticks by without a word is excruciating.
“For loving you,” she paraphrases as she turns to face me again. She cocks an eyebrow, trying to joke, but I recognize the shakiness in her voice. “A bit presumptuous writing that before I said it, don’t you think?”
A finger taps my chin. “I think it’s what we callmanifesting.”
