Willow stands up and puts on her coat. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I have to be at my parents’ house in the morning, and I haven’t wrapped a single present.”
“Please tell your family Merry Christmas from me,” I say as we hug.
“I will. And tell Pop as well.”
I nod. “Of course.”
Willow’s leaving sets off a chain reaction, and soon it’s only Jordan and me remaining. I close the door and lean back against it with a sigh.
“Alone at last,” Jordan says, taking hold of my hand.
“That was fun but exhausting.”
He leads me over to the table and gestures for me to sit. “Yeah, the Thorne brothers can be overwhelming when we’re all together.”
“In the best way, though. I’m surprised your mom had more kids after Reed. I bet he was a handful when he was little.”
“He’s still a lot to deal with,” Jordan points out.
I nod. “True.”
He starts clearing the tables.
“You don’t have to clean up. I’ll take care of it.”
“Let me do this for you.”
When was the last time I had a man who wanted to do things for me, and for unselfish reasons?I can’t even remember a time when that’s happened.
“Okay,” I agree. He balances empty cups on the platter and carries them out back. When he returns, he wipes down the tablecloth and strips it away.
“What would you like to do with this?” he asks as he folds it up neatly.
“It can go in the kitchen closet.”
“Gotcha,” he says, racing off to put it away. When he comes back, he starts moving the tables and chairs back into place.
I’m not used to sitting on the sidelines and observing, so I quickly stand to help him.
“I can do this,” he tells me.
“I know, but it’ll go faster with both of us.”
We make short work of returning everything to its former place. Jordan sweeps the floor while I wash the platter and put it away in a cabinet. I power everything off and then meet him at the door. He helps me get my jacket on before we step outside. I lock up, and he takes my hand, walking me to my car.
His arms loop around my waist. “I wish you were spending the night at my house. I want to wake up with you on Christmas morning.”
“I want that too, but I don’t want to leave Pops alone.” My hands slip between us, palms resting on his chest.
“I understand, but I’ll still miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but at least I’m staying over tomorrow night. We can have a Christmas morning do-over.”
He grins. “You’re on.”
I shiver as the ocean breeze whips around us, and raise my hands to his shoulders. “Now, kiss me and warm me up.”
His grin widens before he swoops down and takes my lips in a kiss that’s everything I hoped for. It starts soft and then deepens, turning more forceful as our tongues duel. By the time we part, I’m breathless and longing for more.
