Page 16 of All He Wants

“Okay,” I said slowly, thinking it over. “For now.” The two of them nodded and I stretched. “Oh, hey. What time is it?”

“Nearly midnight.”

I grinned. “Present time.” I made gimme hands and Nick passed the silver box over and chuckled when I tried and failed to get past the ribbon. At last, the knot gave way and I tore into the paper before gasping. “Oh my god.”

“I told you I’d get you new ones,” he said, unrepentant as I looked over the vibrator he’d bought me. It was bright red and came with— “Yep, a remote control. We’re going to have so much fun, sweetheart.” There was nothing but mischief on his face when he looked at me and a hot flush worked across my skin as I imagined exactly what all that fun could entail.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyhead,” a warm voice whispered in my ear and I snuggled backwards into the arms wrapped around me.

Nick chuckled and pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head as I tried to open my eyes and winced at the bright light coming in through the curtains. I’d wanted to watch the snow in bed last night and must have fallen asleep before I could close them again.

The duvet was thick and I pulled it up under my chin as a small sprinkle of snow started to fall. It was already a perfect white blanket outside, the world quiet and still like everything had paused for a brief moment in time.

“What’s the plan today?” I kept the words soft, not wanting to disturb the peace.

Nick kissed my temple. “We usually have a lazy morning and then early dinner in our new Christmas pajamas.”

Christmas pajamas? Was that another thing I was supposed to have packed but didn’t know about?

As if sensing my rising irritation, Nick chuckled. “They’re on the end of the bed. I brought them up for us last night. My mom gets them for everyone every year so that we all match.”

I relaxed. “That’s cute.” A knock came at the door and I rolled over to raise a brow at Nick. “Tell me your staff aren’t working on Christmas Day.”

He swung his legs out of bed and padded over to the door, opening it to show Oakley waiting with three mugs in his hands. Nick grabbed one and nodded his thanks, closing the door behind Oakley as they walked back toward the bed.

A bolt of nerves hit me and I sat up abruptly, smoothing a hand over my hair and hoping I didn’t have morning breath. “Happy Christmas,” I squeaked and Oakley smiled, eyes soft as he passed me a mug of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows on top.

“Merry Christmas, Ember.” He sipped from his own mug and licked a dot of whipped cream from the corner of his mouth. “Mind if I join you?”

I shook my head and then scrambled to clarify. “No, I don’t mind.” I lifted the covers for him and shivered when he climbed inside, his clothes cool against the warmth of my skin. Nick settled in on my other side and quiet reigned as we watched the snow fall and drank our hot drinks.

When we were done, Oakley took my mug from me and placed it on the bedside table with his before he turned back to look at me. I fidgeted, messing with my hair until he caught my hand in his. “You’re beautiful.”

My cheeks heated but I gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Em,” he said and then hesitated. “Can I kiss you?” His voice was low, husky, and I shivered in response. A quick glance at Nick showed him nodding his head, so I nodded too. “Thank fuck,” Oakley breathed and then leaned in oh-so slowly. His mouth met mine in a deep kiss, tasting me like he was savouring the moment, and when he coaxed my mouth open and our tongues met, a moan slipped free from my throat.

When we broke apart, his cheeks were pink and he was smiling so sweetly that my mouth automatically curved in response.

“You two are adorable,” Nick drawled and I smacked his chest lightly without looking away from his brother. His tone turned serious a moment later when he took my hand. “How are you feeling about this? Be honest, sweetheart.”

I instinctively opened my mouth to reassure him but then stopped and actually thought about it for a second before nodding. “Good. But…” I bit my lip, wondering if this was stupid. “I want to get to know you better,” I said to Oakley. “Nick and I have been together for nearly a year, but you and I… We lost a lot of time when you were avoiding us.”

Oakley ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sorry about that. It was just hard to be around you when the more time I spent with you, the more I wanted you.”

“I understand.” And I did, but it didn’t change that there was a familiarity between Nick and me that I didn’t have with Oakley yet. Though, we had always got on well — we’d clicked instantly and when he’d stopped coming around as often it had hurt.

“What do you want to know?” he asked, squeezing the hand not held by Nick and kissing the back of it.

“What’s your favorite color?” I blurted and tried not to cringe. Why had that been the first thing to pop into my mind? “Who’s your work nemesis? Do you have a comfort food?”

Nick kissed my hand. “Maybe take a breath so he can answer, baby.”

Oakley chuckled. “Blue,” he began, giving me a knowing look as he brushed a finger under my eye. “Lizzy, because she’s a biter. And pancakes are my comfort food, but they have to be dripping with syrup.” I was still stuck on someone biting him at work and he laughed, reading the confusion on my face. “Lizzy is a pomeranian that really hates her dental check-ups.”

Of course. He was a vet — why had I thought he was in marketing? “Cute. Do you have any pets?”

He shrugged. “Not right now, I’m too busy at work. But I do want one eventually. I cat-sit sometimes for my neighbor.”