“You better not regret that kiss, Sunshine. It was damn good.” He repositions me in his lap, holding me tight as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear. “Fuck, all I want is to take you to bed, spread you out, and taste you everywhere.” My thighs clench, betraying my body’s overwhelming longing.
I want that more than anything. But as he speaks, I sense him withdrawing. His shoulders stiffen, his hands falling to his side as he lowers his gaze.
“But?” I ask softly, encouraging him to finish.
With a heavy sigh, he presses his forehead against mine, eyes closed as he breathes me in. “You’ll be gone in a few days, and odds are I’ll never see you again.”
The possibility that this might be the only time our paths will ever cross makes my stomach twist. He’d never visit New York, and I don’t have any plans to return to the Southwest anytime soon.
“People have casual hookups all the time…” I say, letting my words trail off.
He leans back to look at me. “Have you ever had one?”
“No,” I confess.
I prefer an authentic connection before getting physical with someone. In the past, the path was plagued with uncertainty and second-guessing, and I ultimately walked away after trusting the wrong men. With Shep, things have moved at breakneck speed, but no warning bells go off when I picture a night in his bed where we’re doing anything but sleeping. Our bodies a tangle of limbs, unable to be discerned one from the other.
I’m tired of playing it safe and not taking what I want when the opportunity presents itself. Right now, all I want is Shep, even if our time is limited.
“I’ve never had a one-night stand either.” He rubs my back in soothing circles. “Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a commitment kind of guy. And I’m not strong enough to sleep with you only to have to pretend that it doesn’t mean anything when you walk away.”
“Oh,” is all I can manage in response, taken aback at his declaration.
“You’re the kind of woman I’d never want to let go of. Just being near you makes me want more,” he says, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “One night and I’d be hooked.”
What he doesn’t say out loud is that he’s afraid of getting hurt. I’m just another city girl leaving him behind in a few shortdays. I value his honesty, and above all, I want to make the most of the time we have left getting to know each other. With mutual attraction simmering between us and being in such close quarters, keeping things platonic will be a tall order.
“I guess that means we shouldn’t kiss again, huh?”
His gaze drops to my mouth. “I wouldn’t be able to stop if we did.”
“It was a good kiss,” I say softly.
“The best damn kiss, Sunshine.” He leans forward to kiss the tip of my nose. “Had to sneak in one more before my next dry spell.”
“I’m glad you did,” I say softly.
Shep gives me a soft smile before lifting me off his lap and setting me on the couch cushion. He leans over to prop my foot on the pillows before putting his hat back on and standing.
“Noelle.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad you’re staying for Christmas.”
I brush my fingers across my mouth, giving him a wistful smile. “Me too, cowboy.”
“I’m going to go check to make sure I didn’t burn the casserole, and then we’re going to watchElflike I said we would,” he says, smoothing down his mustache.
“Can’t wait.” As much as I want to kiss him again, I’m excited to make a holiday memory together.
Shep makes it easy to let my guard down and to be myself, which is why I have a hunch one of us will eventually give in completely. How can our relationship remain strictly platonic while staying under the same roof after that scorching kiss?
Dirty Dreams And A Blue Ball Christmas
Sharing a bed with a gorgeous woman, knowing what she tastes like, is pure fucking torture. Anyone who says otherwise is already getting laid.
Being this close to Noelle is testing every ounce of my self-control, especially after our mind-melting kiss earlier this evening. I had hoped that giving in to a moment of weakness would quiet my desire for her, but it has only fanned the flames. I’m transfixed by the memory of her fingers tangled in my hair and her soft lips pressed against mine.
