“I missed you,” he murmured. “I thought… I thought I’d never get to kiss you again.”
Cassidy said nothing, just wound her arms around his neck and pulled him back in.
Where he was hesitant, she leaned in, deepening the kiss. When she sucked his tongue, he groaned into her mouth. The sound sent a ripple through her, right to her toes.
He broke away a breath later, forehead pressed to hers, eyes closed. “Alright,” he said roughly, “that’s not fair. I’m trying to be respectful here, take things slow like you said, and you’re driving me absolutely wild.”
Cassidy smiled, her hands still looped around his neck. “I don’t want to take things slow anymore,” she said, letting the words linger as she gathered her thoughts.
She took a breath, her voice steady. “I want you, Liam. Emotionally. Physically. All of it. I don’t want anything else in the way.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life, except… maybe my undying, slightly OTT love for Christmas,” she teased.
Liam didn’t hesitate. He lifted her up. Cassidy wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her, deep and slow.
She didn’t know exactly what she’d expected—maybe for him to lose control and take her right there on the chocolate shop’s counter. Honestly, the image of him lifting her onto the marble surface in her kitchen with melted chocolate nearby was more than a little tempting.
But Liam surprised her.
He took his time.
“Does this mean… you’d be okay if we went upstairs?” he asked, voice low and rough.
“Is that where you’d like to go?”
“Truthfully? I’ve been fantasizing about you in your bedroom since the tree lighting ceremony.”
Cassidy’s smile was slow and sure. “Then let’s go upstairs.”
FORTY-ONE
CASSIDY
Tuesday, December 16th
Cassidy had never wanted anyone the way she wanted Liam.
She loved the way he looked at her, like she was a gift to be slowly unwrapped. The way he never rushed her or made her feel like she had to be anyone but herself.
She was still learning how to let go. That had always been the hard part.
But she had a feeling Liam wouldn’t mind the work.
She could feel his patience in every glance, every touch, like he already knew that her body needed more, that her mind had to be coaxed. Her senses lit up one by one. He didn’t ask her to switch off the world. He helped her sink into it.
The bedroom was warm and still, faintly scented with cinnamon and chocolate from downstairs. It felt like stepping into a dream she hadn’t let herself hope for.
Liam kissed her again. It was slow and unhurried. Her hands slid beneath his hoodie, beneath his shirt, seeking skin. Heat. The thud of his heart beneath her palms.
More. She wanted more.
She lifted the hoodie over his head, then lifted his shirt, needing him closer. He let her undress him piece by piece, her breath catching as more of him was revealed.
When she reached for the button of his jeans, he stilled.
“Are you sure?” he asked, voice low and steady.
