“Perfect.”
His eyes gleam, dimple denting his left cheek. “Old.”
A warm bubble of laughter spreads through my chest. “If you had pursued me, you would have found out sooner how much I don’t care about that.”
He tucks a strand of my short hair behind my ear before dropping it back to my thigh and squeezing.
“And what about Holly?” I ask the question quietly, yet the weight of it is loud. My friendship with her is important. But he’s her dad, her family, and that will always trump me.
Cole doesn’t react like I would have expected him to. He doesn’t frown or tense, he rubs my thigh back and forth, the look on his features turning fond.
“Holly will be shocked, and maybe push back a little at first, but I raised her right. She wants me to be happy, and I know she wants you to be happy. That will be enough for her.”
“You sound so sure.”
“I know my daughter. Us being together will not be the end of our relationship, or yours with her. The love she has for us, and us for her, is stronger than that.”
Butterflies build in my stomach, banging wildly as if they’re trying to get out and burst free.
“Cole,” I look down at my lap, staring at where the green fabric has bunched. I don’t know what to say, this is all so much, my Christmas wish coming true and more.
He lifts my chin to meet his eyes. Mine are sparking with tears again, and he smiles sweetly at me, gripping my chin tighter.
“Do you want me, Vixen?”
“Yes,” I confess. “But—”
“Then I’m yours. Let me take care of you. Let me cherish you. Make every wish you have come true. Not just for Christmas, but every day of the year. I’ll be so good to you, baby,” he strokes my cheek. “If you’ll let me.”
A happy sob breaks free from my chest. I lunge at him, my mouth sealing over his in a kiss. He laughs against my lips and I join him. He pulls back to pepper my face with kisses, and I shift in his lap so I’m bracketing his thighs like before. I thread my fingers through his hair and stare into his joyful eyes.
“Is that a yes?” He asks.
“It’s a yes, Santa.”
“Call me, Cole.”
Love and hope for the future bloom in my chest, and I kiss him again. I know there’s more to worry about, hard conversations with Holly to come, and hurdles that every new couple will face. Call it Christmas magic, or my Christmas miracle, but in my bones I know it’s all going to work out.
Cole’s hips lift as I grind down, his cock fully hard again. I reach for his belt buckle, and pull back with a grin.
“Already ready for me?”
He barks a series of laughs, belly shaking like a bowl full of jelly. “Already making old man jokes, naughty girl?”
I nip at his lips. “I’m not complaining. As long as you can perform?”
I squeal as he stands from the chair, taking me with him with strength I would think only a magical being would possess. He places my feet on the ground then spins me around, my front facing the chair and his back to me.
“Bend over, Vixen,” he whispers huskily in my ear. “It’s time to earn your way back on to the nice list.”
Warmth pools in my belly and I do as he says, rucking my dress up and presenting my bare ass to him as his Christmas gift.
“As you wish, Cole.”
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
