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I’m stalling, so I tuck the lotion away, grab the box, and walk as casually as I can up the sidewalk.My finger doesn’t even reach the doorbell when it flies open to reveal Jonesy.
“Missed me already, huh?”He grins and leans against the doorway.
“Yep,” I answer honestly, drinking him in.I’ve only ever seen him in his Verdant service uniform of black pants and a white shirt, so Jonesy in sweats, a T-shirt, and a hoodie is a revelation.He looks invitingly soft.
Well.His clothes look soft.The body underneath looks intriguingly hard, and I curse that everything’s a little too baggy to get a better look.
“How are you barefoot?Aren’t you freezing?”I ask as I step into his house.If I pretend that this is completely normal, maybe we can make it through this.As it is, I’m about to hyperventilate at this glimpse of Jonesy undone.
He shuts the door behind me and glances at the box in my hands.
“Nice!Dorothy comes through again.”
I hand it over, noticing as I do that his hair is damp and curled around his neck.He smells warm and clean, like he just got out of the shower.Good god, I want to lick his neck.
“You’ve got to try one of the sugar cookies,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks through the living room to the open kitchen.“I won’t eat that many, and they shouldn’t go to waste.”
I guess that means I’m invited to stay.After a tiny hesitation, I take off my coat, kick off my heels, and follow him, taking in the surroundings as I do.
“Ha!”I point in triumph at the movie posters flanking the huge TV.Then I look more closely and realize they’re not thin paper in cheap plastic frames.Sturdy wood frames and mats surround colorful, artistic takes on famous films.I was right aboutJohn Wick, but the rest surprise me.Pitch Perfectand28 Days Laterhang alongsideAmélieandBarbarian Time Brigands: Time Flies.
“Impressive range.”I lean closer to study the tiny stylized dragons swooping around theBTBart.“These are so cool!”
“If something’s wrong with the perspective, I don’t want to know about it.”Jonesy appears at my side with a napkin-wrapped cookie.I take it and see it’s an angel with golden icing wings and hair.I accept it with a murmur of thanks and watch as Jonesy watches me bite into it, my lips closing around the cookie.Sweet, buttery, vanilla-y goodness explodes in my mouth.
“Oh mygod, Mrs.Wickenwarg!”
“Right?”he says.
A voice I really shouldn’t listen to says,I’d rather be tasting you than this cookie, so I force my attention back to the art.“These are great.Where’d you get them?”
“Etsy.They’re my favorite movies.”
“Good taste,” I murmur, not bothering to clarify if I’m talking about the cookie or the posters.
He crowds into me and presses his thumb to my lower lip, catching a stray sugar cookie crumb that he licks off.My breath hitches as his tongue swipes along his digit.
“I swear to god,” he growls, “if you’re thinking about snake-hips Santa right now…”
“I’m horrified that you know about him.I could kill CJ.”An embarrassed flush heats my cheeks, and I glance away, afraid he’ll be able to see my history with Luke in my expression.“You and Gabe and Darby must’ve laughed your heads off about it after we left.”
“Not in the least,” he says.“But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh.N-no.”I give a shaky laugh.“Santa Luke never really leaves my mind, if I’m being honest.Does he have the most perfect body I’ve ever seen?Yes.Do I think he made a deal with the devil to be able to move like that?Absolutely.Have I imagined what his face looks like under the beard?Only dozens of times.”
And do I know how his lips taste and the feel of his cock against my ass and the way he groans when he comes?Extremely yes.
Jonesy exhales softly.“Wow.Okay.”
My eyes fly wide when I realize how many of my feverish Luke thoughts I’ve just unpacked.“Why am I telling you this?”I give a horrified laugh.“I’m sure you really, really, really don’t want to hear about my Santa thing.”
I thought I was sharing silly little confessions, but Jonesy’s face is almost stricken, which makes me rush to overshare in a different, potentially even more embarrassing direction.
“I know he’s not real.I mean,he’sreal, but I know it’s all a fantasy.A fun, escapist one-time thing that’s completely removed from my life.”I meet his eyes as I say this next bit.“You, though… you make my days better.Everything that brought me to Beaucoeur was shitty, but somehow it doesn’t feel so bad because I got to meet you.”
His mouth has slowly fallen open as I rambled, and oh god, what have I done?I try to turn away, but he catches my hand before I can escape.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am that your former boss turned out to be a lowlife jagoff.If not, I’d never have met you.”His fingers curl over mine.“I’ll still punch him in the face if I ever see him, but I’ll thank him while I’m doing it.”
