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Besides which, after spending last night apart, I genuinely missed the man. After just one night in my bed, Miller had left his mark on my space. The place felt a little bit colder without him curled up on my sofa or smiling at me across the kitchen.
When Tiller opened the front door to welcome me inside, I followed the noise to the sunroom down a hallway to the right. Everyone seemed to be gathered around a Christmas tree weighed down with homemade ornaments mixed with store-bought baubles. Strands of cranberries and popcorn wrapped around it, and lights flickered in an unpredictable cadence. It was very representative of the varied group who’d decorated it, and it seemed the perfect tree for the occasion.
“You must be happy to see the lodge filled with so much holiday cheer,” I said to Tiller, who’d come into the room after me.
“Mikey is thrilled, which is all I need to be happy. It’ll be easier to leave tomorrow night knowing he’s in such good company, too.”
“You have to get back to Houston for a game?”
I didn’t pay close attention to his response when my brain registered Miller wasn’t among all the Marians and Wildes in the room.
“I think he went back to his room to find a sweater,” one of the cousins said when she saw me craning my neck to look for him. Tiller offered to show me the way to Miller’s room and left me standing outside the closed door at the end of a long hallway.
Suddenly, I was unsure.
I knocked lightly. “Miller? It’s me. Darius.” This was one of those awkward moments when I couldn’t help but remember we didn’t know each other all that well. Would he want me in his personal space?
I remembered being inside his body two nights ago and realized maybe he’d be okay with me entering his bedroom.
“Come in,” he called. I let out a breath and opened the door.
Miller was leaning over the bed to straighten the sheets and comforter. His ass was right in front of me like a tempting slice of cake.
“That’s a nice welcome,” I murmured, moving closer.
He turned to greet me with a smile. “I was trying to clean up a little in case… in case I had guests over tonight.”
“Guests, plural?” I teased, pulling him around and wrapping my arms around him. “My, my, what a naughty boy you are. Does Santa know to bring you a lump of coal tonight?”
Miller leaned in and kissed me. He tasted like my granny’s ginger pound cake, which only made me lose yet another piece of my heart to him.
He laughed against my lips. “I was referring to Santa and his reindeer,” he informed me. “We usually have a nice cup of tea and a long chat before his final push to Hawaii. I wouldn’t want to have a messy room for our visit.”
“What if you’re not alone when your Christmas friends arrive?” I teased.
He mock frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be alone? Although, now that you mention it, I did get a funny feeling from Mikey and Tiller’s friend Lorenzo…” He blinked at me. “Maybe you’re right. You think Lorenzo might want to sleep over? I could ask him. His muscles might be a little too big to fit in this bed, but hngh!” I shut him up with a hard kiss to his mouth and clenched his hair in my fist as I held his head and devoured him.
The little breathy whimper sounds only encouraged me to deepen the kiss until we were both half-dressed and all the pristine bedding was in a heap on the floor.
When we finally came to our senses after a quick, humping frot, Miller eyed me sheepishly. “Jealousy looks good on you.”
I snorted. I’d never considered myself a jealous person before, but it seemed all bets were off when it came to Miller Hobbs. “Duly noted.”
We made our way to the public area of the lodge just as Tiller was leading everyone outside into a clear path cut through the snowy backyard. A large event tent was set up at the end of the lantern-lit path, and inside were enough gas heaters to make the place surprisingly comfortable.
Everyone gasped as we took in the gorgeous setup. Half of the tent was a long dining table set with gorgeous evergreen floral arrangements and sparkling crystal. The other half sported a small stage and wooden dance floor. A cluster of musicians was set up on the stage, warming up their instruments, and several uniformed servers were already passing around trays of champagne glasses.
I lifted an eyebrow at Miller. “Did you know…?” He shook his head aggressively.
“No. I had no idea. Tilly must have arranged it.”
Sure enough, Miller’s grandmother looked happily satisfied with the results as she leaned her head in to murmur something to Tiller. Tiller nodded and led Tilly over to the stage, where he gestured to a microphone. Harry stepped up next to her in silent support.
