“I would, which is why I asked,” he says.
I open the door and cup my ear. “You’d better go. I think I hear Mom calling for you.”
He makes a scoffing sound and walks past me, grumbling, “You used to be my favorite grandson.”
I grin. “Yeah, I’m sure.” I close the door and return to the kitchen.
Ginger smiles. “He’s sweet.”
“He’s nosy,” I correct. “But, yeah, he’s sweet too.”
We clean up the kitchen together, moving around each other easily. Honestly, it feels like we’ve been doing this for years. I like the way she hums softly as she loads the dishwasher, and the way her shoulder brushes mine when she reaches for the towel.
I glance up at the clock on the wall. It’s after eight-thirty, and her bedtime is approaching quicker than I’d like.
“I guess I'd better get you home since you need to be up so early,” I tell her.
She pouts. “I wish I could stay longer.”
“Me too,” I agree. “How about this weekend? Can you spend the night?”
“I’ll think about it,” she teases, picking up the snowman sign. “I still can’t believe you did this for me.”
I come up behind her, slipping my arms around her waist. “You worked hard on it. Plus, it’s a reminder of our first date. Is it selfish of me to like the idea of you seeing it all the time?”
“Not at all.” She leans back into me. “If you keep doing things like this, I’m going to start expecting it.”
“Good.” I brush my lips over her temple. “I plan on keeping it up.”
She tilts her head, looking over her shoulder at me. “Do you mean the sandwich making or being sweet?”
“Both,” I whisper against her mouth as I kiss her. The softness of her lips sends a now-familiar flutter through my chest.
She arches back into me as our tongues tangle together. My fingers trace a slow path up her sides and move back down to grip her hips. I fight the urge to grind my hard cock into her ass. If I do that, the only place I’ll be taking her is my bedroom.
When we finally break apart, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright.
“I should make you sandwiches more often,” I say.
“Maybe you should.” She turns to face me, placing her hands on my shoulders before her palms slide down to my chest. “Though, I think your real skill lies with the sweet part.”
I catch her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
CHAPTER 21
GINGER
Ialmost turn around twice on the way to Jordan’s house. The back seat of my vehicle is covered by a large box that holds a fake Christmas tree. The front passenger seat and floorboard are filled with multiple bags overflowing with ornaments and decorations I couldn’t resist buying this afternoon.
We were already planning to spend the evening together, but he texted earlier to ask if I minded a quiet movie night at his place instead of going out. I told him that sounded perfect. But I didn’t mention the tree or the decorations. Or the fact that I’d spent half the afternoon trying to decide if this was a sweet surprise or a wildly presumptuous one.
He doesn’t have a tree up, and it’s less than two weeks until Christmas. I can picture how amazing one would look tucked in the corner of his living room, and I can add some decorations to his built-ins. Nothing much, just a little Christmas magic sprinkled about.
But… what if he hates my idea?
The thought hits as I pull into his driveway, headlights sweeping across his truck. For a second, my stomach flips. What if this is too much? What if he thinks I’m trying to domesticate him? Oh well, it’s too late now. I’m sure he knows I’m here.
I take a deep breath, grab one of the bags of ornaments, and climb out of the car. The soles of my boots scuff against the pavement as I head toward the porch. The front door opens before I knock. Jordan steps out, hair still damp from a shower, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants that make him look ridiculously sexy. Then again, he could wear a paper bag, and he’d still make my pulse react.
