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“Shut up.”
“One of us needs to be the bad cop.”
“With the most inventive punishments.”
“What are you going to give Ray? Cleaning the toilets with a toothbrush?”
“Possibly. I was going to give that to Greyson after his stunt locking us in the office but—”
“That didn’t turn out so bad,” I finished, closing the distance between us. She hummed a yes as she set her coffee aside and reached for me.
I lifted her back onto the counter, my hips once again fitting between her knees, hands gliding into her hair. I relished the cool silk of it between my fingers. Hers curled into the front of my shirt as our tongues met and caressed. I could lose hours, days—hell,months—with Chase’s mouth on mine. We weren’t just good, we were a perfect balance, harmony. We worked.
Did she feel it too? The synchronicity? Our chests came flush and her drumming heart matched mine. I had to believe she felt it, too, and that was what had scared her. I got it. I was scared out of my fucking brain as well, but I also knew that everything was better with her. Everything was better when we were together.
Her thighs squeezed me closer, but I was very aware that this was not glacial, not even when we were still fully clothed and all hands remained in PG zones. Not that I could make myself pull away.
Chase flattened her palms on my chest, the slightest push was enough for me to break our kiss and put a half step of space between us. .
“Not glacial,” I said.
“No,” she agreed.
“Sorry.” I shot her a grin as I ducked my head, hoping I looked somewhat apologetic. She reached for her, likely now tepid, coffee and held the cup between us like a shield.
We needed a change of subject or I was going to throw that coffee in the trash and kiss her again. I had just the thing. “So… I know that it’s still a few days until Christmas, but I have really outdone myself on your present this year and the waiting is killing me.”
Some of the tension in her shoulders loosened as a smile lifted the corners of her lips. “Is that right?”
“Oh yeah … you wanna see it?” I wagged my eyebrows and her smile grew a little wider.
“Yes, obviously.” She scoffed. “But we can’t exchange gifts if I don’t have yours here.”
“It’s fine if you don’t have anything.”
She shoved at my chest. “Oh I have something alright. And you’ll find that I have also outdone myself.’
“Really?”
“Really, really.” So smug and sure of herself. I loved it.
Ten minutes later Chase was finally leaving to go and retrieve her gift for me and bring it right back. I’d considered going with her, the emotional hangover from last night was making me seriously clingy, but I managed to stay where I was as she disappeared onto the street and promised to be back in thirty minutes.
Twenty eight minutes.
31
CHASE
Time passed differentlywhen Mack’s mouth was on mine. Everything else—the world around me, my valid concerns about our relationship, all common sense—seemed to fade away until there was nothing left but the press of his lips and the sweep of his tongue. I was lost, adrift, with only the feel of him to ground me.
It was dangerous. Even more so when the only thought that looped through my head was that I wanted to do this forever. That I would die happy kissing him.
I wasn't entirely sure what I thought was going to happen when I turned up at his place with coffees and cinnamon buns. The fact I went all the way to Cream and Sugar hadserious apologywritten all over it. Serious apology andplease don’t hate me when I say we need to pump the brakes.
But then he’d gone and opened the door and stood there, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed and looking all gruff and broody and, frankly, edible. No other man I’d met wore a pair of low slung jeans and a plaid shirt like this one. My brain stopped functioning properly and just threw up a tiny movie montage of me pulling that shirt off and tackling him to the floor. It was not in the least bit helpful.
Nor was it taking things slow.
