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She laid her hands on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Among other things, sweets.”
We swayed back and forth, just enjoying the slow tempo of the song and the feel of Stevie in my arms.
“What are we doing, Claus?” she asked as the song faded out andHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmasstarted.
My eyes connected with hers. “Something I’ve wanted to do for a while but never had the balls to do it.” I leaned in, my lips a breath away from hers. “You deserve so much more than I can give you, Stevie, but I can’t seem to stay away from you. I managed to for years, but now I can’t.”
Her eyes darted down to my lips and then back to my eyes. “Are you going to kiss me?” she asked softly. “Because I thought about kissing you a lot when I was younger.”
My world rocked on his axis, knowing Stevie had thought about kissing me before. The summer she turned eighteen, I started wondering what it would be like to kiss Stevie. Before then, she had caught my eye with her blossoming looks, but that summer, I wondered what it would be like to make Stevie mine. “You still want that?” I asked. Now I was going to get my chance.
Her breath hitched, and she slid her hands up my chest. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, please.”
I didn’t hesitate.
I didn’t give her a chance to change her mind.
Stevie was going to be mine.
I closed the distance between us, and my lips touched hers.
The world around us seemed to fade away as the gentle pressure of her lips on mine sent a thrill through my entire body. It was a delicate dance, a hesitant exploration that spoke volumes without a single word. She delved her fingers into my hair, and her lips melded against mine. A moan rumbled from my chest, and I held her tight against me.
“Claus,” she gasped against my lips. “More,” she pleaded.
Our lips met again, and time seemed to slow. It was a gentle and tender kiss that was a dance of vulnerability and curiosity as we both tried to wrap our heads around being in this moment. The soft pressure of her lips on mine sent a shiver down my spine.
She pulled back slightly. “Wow.”
“Yeah, wow,” I agreed.
“Have you really wanted, I, uh, mean… You really want to kiss me and not just because you feel sorry for me?” she blurted.
I brushed my thumb across her bottom lip. “Ever since you turned eighteen, Stevie. That summer, we went to the lake for a swim because it was so hot, and you in that black bikini has been burned in my brain ever since. I dream of that day. I dream of you, Stevie.”
“But that was years ago,” she whispered. “You’ve wanted me for years and never told me?”
“You deserve so much more than I can give you, sweets. I’m a selfish man, but I knew I couldn’t make you mine. Not back then.”
“And now?” she asked.
“I tried to give you up. Paul was supposed to be your forever, the guy who could give you what I couldn’t, but thank god he fucked it up.” I shook my head. “I never liked that asshole.”
She slapped my chest. “Claus,” she scolded. “You’ve wanted to kiss me this whole time, but instead, you were going to let me marry someone else?”
“You were happy, and I didn’t want to ruin it.”
She rolled her eyes. “If I hear you say I was so happy and you didn’t want to ruin it one more time, I am going to scream. You can see where that supposed happiness got me. Left at the altar with no explanation.”
I cringed. “Uh, well, I know Paul didn’t give you an explanation, but I did do some digging into him.”
“What?”
Right after our first kiss was probably not the best time to have this discussion. “He wasn’t a good guy, Stevie.”
“You better tell me exactly what you’re talking about, or I swear to god I will never kiss you again, Claus.”
That was a threat I was not willing to test. “He had another girl… or two.”
