The rug is soft beneath my feet as I dig my heels in to push harder into her. The pressure hits me perfectly, and it must be good for her too, because she’s moaning through our kisses.
I could just pull these flimsy shorts aside and sink into her. Feel her come around my fingers or my tongue or my cock. I’m desperate for any of it.
“You have to be quiet,” I whisper against her lips. “I wanna make you feel good, but I’m going to have to cover your mouth if you’re too loud. You don’t want to wake anyone up.” I press into her again, and her head falls back to hit the wall with athud.
We both freeze at the sound, holding our breaths for a moment to see if it woke anyone.
When the house remains silent, we both snicker, fighting to contain our laughter.
“I said to be quiet,” I remind her, squeezing her hips and pulling her tightly against me.
“I will. I promise,” she says. “Just touch me. Please …” Her voice fades out as I suck at her neck and tug, brushing my fingers along the hem of her shorts to the warmth of her inner thigh.
“Yes,” she moans, kicking out her leg and—
A rustle sounds behind me, and a snap from the outlet cloaks the room in darkness. We both go perfectly still at thewhooshof a ten-foot Christmas tree, ornaments, and lights crashing to the ground behind me.
Neither of us breathes, shock and fear engulfing my body.
A snicker snorts out of Lena, but ice crawls through my veins, clearing away the lust-filled fog.
“Goddamn it,” I hiss, pulling back and setting her safely on her feet.
I immediately dive for the tree.Guilt infuses my spine as I listen as hard as I can for anyone moving in the house.
Lena crouches beside me, brushing my arm with hers.
She can’t be down here. If someone comes out, she needs to be as far away as possible.
On a different continent would be preferable.
“Go upstairs,” I blurt. “I’ll take care of this.”
“I can help.” She scoffs, reaching for the broken pieces of an ornament by the coffee table.
“Get. Upstairs.” The bite in my voice burns as it leaves my throat, but I can’t find it in myself to care right now. Someone could’ve caught us moments ago, making out like desperate teenagers who don’t have a fully developed prefrontal cortex.
In the darkness, Lena stills beside me. “I don’t mind—”
“No. Stop being stubborn and listen.”
She stands and casts me a long look before turning and jogging up the stairs.
And it’s a good thing she did, because a moment later, Bea’s voice carries around the corner. “What’s going on?”
“It’s okay.” My voice shakes, but I try to calm it. “I was unplugging the lights and lost my balance.” Shame sours my stomach.
“I’ll help you clean it up,” she mumbles, walking toward the utility room.
As I lift the tree back into place, trying to steady the already-wonky structure, I briefly consider if I should leave again. If it would be better for this entire family if I had stayed away in the first place.
Because what just happened between Lena and me has the potential to destroy everyone here.
18
LENA
“Do you mind if we run a quick errand?” Gavin asks, tension radiating from him in the back seat as we approach Bear Creek for the Christmas Eve Eve party.
