He circles around the island, setting his very-expensive-looking bottle of champagne down in the process then comes straight to me and cups my face. So infuriatingly sexy. “It’s Valentine’s Day, baby.” I stare at him, unresponsive, and it only causes him to smirk in satisfaction. “Oh yeah, Miss Cheery December Holidays hates Valentine’s Day.”
“It’s not that I hate it.”
“You do,” he reminds me firmly. “Hence, why going over the top and adding confetti to piss you off came so easily to me.”
I feign shock. “Wanting to piss off your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day with actual valentines, huh. At least you didn’t get me a teddy bear, because then you will have really gone the extra step to piss me off.”
He gives me an overdone smile. “Might want to check your bed later. I just couldn’t lead the rose petals there in case Enzo came home early.” He makes a funny face. “Gotta keep the kid innocent for as long as we can.”
I nod in agreement, but my brows are raised and my face sours. “Come on, really? All of this?”
That devilish chuckle under his breath nearlymelts me. He taps my lips with the pad of his thumb. “Don’t be grumpy. You have a reason to enjoy this holiday now.”
“With a boyfriend who gets his thrills by planting my equivalent of creepy clowns in my home.”
He ignores my dry humor and instead begins to work on the cork of the bottle. “Of course I’m going to take pleasure in this day. You gave me hell for not being bright and chipper for every holiday from October to January first. So yeah, karma is not your friend today.”
His confidence right now and my own ridiculousness causes a tiny smile to seep through me. “Better be some damn good champagne.”
“I was kind of hoping you would tell me to save the champagne for later and we could go straight to your room since we have a window of opportunity.”
That breaks me.
I giggle once, and my cheeks already hurt from my smile. “Is that my cue? Because I didn’t know we were doing this Valentine’s thing, so I haven’t done any special shopping.” A lie. My lingerie receipt was beyond average.
Tyler gives up on the bottle and opts to grab my wrists. “I leave no Valentine’s stone unturned. I took care of that. You have a box waiting for you next time we have a sleepover.”
“Well, didn’t you think of everything.” I pinch him playfully.
Enzo understands that Tyler sometimes stays over after we watch a movie. But with Tyler’s schedule, it hasn’t happened much. When it does, absolutely no toys and special lingerie come out. I much rather opt for pajamas in case Enzo needs something during the night.
“Well, I’m going to enjoy every moment of today. Teasing you and punishing you are two of my favorite pastimes, you know.”
He tugs me along straight to my bedroom where we collapse on my bed, and I fall onto a white teddy bear. I grab it and throw it to the floor. Tyler takes the opportunity to hover over me, and it feels electrifying.
All smiles and laughs aside, we sink into a moment of quiet, lost in each other’s eyes. I tip my mouth up to capture a kiss from him.
And it’s everything I want and then some.
“This isn’t so bad, is it? Over-the-top hearts. You can add this day to your calendar and get all excited.”
I roll my eyes. “Perhaps…” The feeling of him near and my strained cheeks from my joy is what I always imagined this day would be like. “You are right,” I reply quietly.
His fingers begin to tickle my side. “What was that? Did you say I’m right?”
I shove him off and roll us so I can straddle him. “Yes. Now you can drop the act. I know you hate this holiday.”
He brings his hands behind his head and gets comfortable as he stares up at me. “Meh. It’s kind of fun, to be honest.”
My eyes bug out, and my mouth parts open. “You just said that?” And he was serious.
He shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, it’s kind of fun taking a moment to celebrate the one you love.”
I circle my hips around his middle and throw my arms up. “Ah yes, and you love me.” I love being reminded of that part.
“And you love me, so here we are. Now will you kiss me, spank me, or go down on me? Because I’m losing it here.” He lifts his hips, and I feel his hard bulge.
I give him a sultry smirk. “I guess flowers and chocolates can be rewarded,” I rasp. My eyes sink down to watch my fingers crawl up his abs, dragging the fabric of his shirt with them. I’m going slow to antagonizehim a tad.
