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Then we come around the curve of the driveway, and I see the house.
And this time I really can’t breathe.
“Cash—”
The car stops, and all I can do is stare. “Do you like it?”
The house is coveredwith lights. Thousands and thousands of them, lining the windows and doors and even the roof edges. More lights decorate all the bushes and shrubs, and the path to the house is edged with flickering luminaries.
Wreaths trimmed with red ribbons and twinkling lights are hung on each window, dozens of them. There’s a small herd of deer to the side of the front door, each one with its own red bow.
And then there’s one more thing, something I remember from when I was in high school. Right by the entrance to the house, the Santa blow mold that Cash’s grandmother insisted on putting out every year.
“I don’t care if it’s not fancy,” she told me the first time I came over and saw it. “It’s tradition to have Santa, and tradition is something worth holding on to.”
“Oh Cash.” Tears spring free without warning. “Everything. It’s so beautiful. And Santa…”
Cash turns to me, his eyes damp. “I haven’t taken it out of storage since she died. But now… it seemed right. With you here, I think she’d be so happy to see us and her Santa.”
More tears are falling even as I brush them away. “It’s amazing. But how? I know it wasn’t like this when we left…”
“Everyone helped.” He takes my hand, kissing my palm. “The guys at the station. Cole and Maya. Georgia, too. Finn and Leo helped bring everything over before they met us at the courthouse. Once I said what I wanted to do, everyone wanted to help.”
Leaning forward, he kisses the tears from my cheeks. “I hope these are happy tears?”
I never knew it was possible to love someone this much.
I climb over into Cash’s seat, straddling him, and pepper his face with kisses. “They’re happy tears. I promise.”
Chapter 24
CASH
Merry Christmas to me.
The first thing I see when I open my eyes is an almost-naked Ari laying beside me.
The covers are drawn back to reveal an expanse of creamy skin and perfect curves, just the tiniest pieces of red lace covering her breasts and stretched across her hips.
She’s propped up on one elbow, watching me with a mischievous smile and her pale green eyes sparkling. One hand lazily draws trails across my stomach, dipping below my waist and stroking the part of me that’s rapidly awakening.
“Good morning.” Her hand moves faster, soft fingers gliding across my heated skin. She brushes her thumb through the increasing dampness, smoothing it from root to tip.
A restless ache builds as I get even harder. I’m throbbing in her hand, her delicate fingers caressing and drawing out my arousal.
Sleep makes my voice rough as I say, “I’ve never been woken up on Christmas morning likethisbefore.”
Ari leans close and brushes her mouth across mine. “I thought you might like it.”
Turning on my side to face her, I palm one of her breasts, feeling the plump softness filling my hand. The lace bra is nearly see-through, showing off her rosy nipples. As I gently flick at one, then the other, they tighten, flushing a deeper pink, straining through the thin fabric toward me.
Ari sucks in her breath when I dip my head to her breast, sucking her taut nipple into my mouth.
I reach down to the apex of her thighs and slide my fingers under the lace, finding her velvety folds already opening for me. She’s wet and hot and when I slide one finger inside, her inner muscles clutch at me.
Her hand tightens around me, rhythm stumbling as her hips jerk toward my hand. I plunge one finger, then two, inside her welcoming heat, curving them to hit that special spot deep inside. I flick at her swollen nub and Ari makes a low, keening sound—a primal sound of need.
“Cash—” Her hips jolt up as I press my thumb against her sensitive bud. She covers my hand with hers, stilling it. “I want to feel you insideme.”
