AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I cannot begin to imagine,” he said.
“I think I want to take a nap. On this comfy-ass mattress.”
“Avoidance technique, Miss Evans?”
“Let’s say I learned it from someone in this room.”
He snorted and pulled her to her feet. “At least let me make the bed. I spent too many years in the military to sleep on bedding that’s less than crisp.”
They put the sheets on and she laughed when he neatly made the corners despite there being no actual bed to tuck anything into. They climbed in and sighed contentedly at the same time.
“This is the life,” she groaned.
“A mattress on the floor of an unpainted hotel room and a strange man’s parts rubbing against you obscenely while we cuddle?”
“I said it, and I meant it.”
Laughing, he moved closer to her back and wrapped an arm around her waist, without hesitation this time. Beneath the ugly sweater, she was soft and squishy in all the ways he liked. She shifted and her ass curved tight against him, hitting just the right spot as she moved. He gave a sharp exhalation and tightened his hold on her.
“Did you do that on purpose?” he murmured.
“No, I didn’t do it on purpose!” Then she snickered. “Mostly.”
Shaking his head, he held her as she fell asleep, her breathing relaxed and even. He pressed his face against the crook of her neck. Maybe it was weird, but he indulged in a small kiss right there, letting his lips linger for just a moment. She gave a contented sigh.
Sleep was more elusive for him, though. In his mind, he kept replaying everything she’d said about the holidays. There was a hurting, a raw wound in Talia when it came to Christmas. Despite his hesitance to talk about his own family, he felt bonded to her, lost with her in the fog of what Christmas could be and what it felt like now. He brushed his nose against the spot on her neck he’d kissed. Nothing could give him back what he’d had before, but maybe…maybe he could give her what she’d never had at all.
The idea wouldn’t let go of him as he laid there. He started making a plan and mapping out the fastest way to do everything. Once it seemed doable, he untangled himself from her. He missed her warmth immediately, but he climbed off the mattress and pocketed a key card before sneaking out the door.
First things first, he called the airport gift shop and paid for what he wanted over the phone, then he called Khalil, who was already at the airport, probably visiting Donald, and asked if he’d pick a few things up for him.
“Ho-ho-yes,” Khalil said.
Gabriel fought the heat that rushed to his cheeks, now knowing what those words meant. “I, um…okay. Thanks.”
After that, he made his way to the storage room. Luckily, it was on the same floor they were, so it wasn’t hard to dig through all the old stuff and find what he was looking for. He quietly brought it all to the room, and then rushed outside to get the rest from Khalil.
By the time Talia woke up, looking rested and a little bit more rumpled than before, he had a pile of boxes and bags in the room and a couple of hot chocolates in steaming to-go cups in his hands.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Whatcha doing?”
“Something that might annoy you.”
“Interesting.” She climbed out of the covers and crawled across the bed before sprawling out on her belly, with her legs swinging in the air like a teenager. “I am looking forward to my annoyance.”
“We’re going to have a Christmas.”
Her lip quirked and while she didn’t roll her eyes, it was everything just shy of an eye roll. “Pushy. Are you a Virgo by chance?”
“Taurus.”
“Hmph.”
“And you’re a Water sign sun. Scorpio I’m guessing, with an earth sign rising, probably Capricorn. And I suspect you’ve got a few Aquarius placements as well.”
She shot up. “How did you know that?”
He gave her a lazy grin. “My sister Yasmin puts a lot of stock in astrology. I’ve sat through many lectures.”
