AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Um.” What the hell am I supposed to do now? I’m still holding Jessie’s gaze and smothering the delirious laugh that’s fighting to escape. “Thank you.”
“Jump!” Someone shouts from below.
Timothy laughs. “Fontana?”
“Shit no.”
The crowd is silent, staring at Timothy as he climbs down the ladder. When he reaches the ground, he turns to everyone and takes a bow. They cheer him. For using a ladder.
Honestly, I’m impressed he didn’t jump. But because he’s Timothy, he does a backflip in the snow anyway.
I climb down next, and everything feels different. There’s a warmth in my chest I’m not comfortable with and it’s at odds with the feel of spinning out of control.
Celia gives me a quick hug, patting me on the chest. “We’re happy for you, sweetie. It’s about time.” Then she’s gone, heading with the crowd toward the warmth of the house.
Jessie waits for the guests to stream past her before stepping forward and nailing me in the chest with a snowball. “We could’ve denied it.”
“Maybe, but now we don’t have to sneak around.” I brush the snow from my chest and frown. “Are you mad?”
“No, but…” Jessie bites her lip as she rubs her hands together for warmth. “What if they read too much into it?”
“We’re adults. We can have our holiday fling, go our separate ways, and they’ll move on.” I bend and scoop up a handful of snow. “Just like you.”
“And you,” she says, wary as she watches me pack the snow into a loose ball.
I don’t want to think about that, so I launch my attack. Jessie doesn’t move fast enough. I’m on her in seconds, dumping my handful down the back of her dress. With a growl, she tackles me into the snow. The scramble to throw the cold stuff at each other ends with us laughing so hard we can only cling together.
The distant voices of the party are muffled by the front door shutting. Suddenly we’re alone, the struggle of catching our breath the only sound in the cold night air.
Jessie shivers and I pull her to her feet. Her bare legs are red from the snow, her shoes destroyed, and her cats in Santa hats hanging limp on her damp skirt. I crouch down. “Up on my back, Jessie. I want you out of that fugly dress and into a hot shower. And put that abomination in the bottom of the hamper so Mittens can’t see what I’m going to do to you.”
She laughs and smacks my arm, but climbs on my back.
The snow on our clothes melts between our bodies and she nestles against my shoulder. “I was afraid if they found out, you’d want to stop.”
“I don’t.” I give her ass another squeeze before opening the door and carrying her up the stairs. I don’t ever want to stop, but I’m not going to worry about the implications of that tonight.
Chapter twenty-six
Jessie
December Twenty-fifth
Thehouseisdarkbut verging on dawn when I wake tangled in Nic. We’re in my bed for a change, my head on his bare shoulder, and I’m happy. I want to stay like this forever. There’s a bittersweet edge to my happiness though. Every hour that passes brings us closer to an end.
I don’t know how my family’s going to take it. Nic was pretty clear on the roof last night that this is only a fling. Best-case scenario, everyone believes him and no one reads more into this. Life goes on as it always has.
Worst-case scenario, no one in my family believes this is just a fling. They see through to my feelings and turn a cold shoulder to Nic when he breaks my heart. Or, more likely, a cold shoulder to me when they impart feelings on him he doesn’t have and decide I broke his heart.
Whatever happens next, I’m going to make the most out of not having to sneak around. It’ll be nice to cuddle him on the couch and kiss him under the mistletoe.
Does he even want that? Do little public displays of affection have a place in a sex-only relationship? There’s affection between us, but will it complicate things? Will it make it harder for me to let him go?
Maybe he won’t break my heart. Maybe the week will end, but we won’t. I have no idea how we’d make it work with me in New York and him in LA, but…maybe he’ll want more. He had a crush on me in high school, maybe…
This, right here, is how my heart gets smashed into pieces. Why would Nic do a long-distance relationship with me? He can do better. Date someone more exciting, more interesting. Prettier, sexier, everything. Whatever. Boredom, horniness, and a long history of sexual tension brought us together, but that’s it. His teenage crush doesn’t mean anything now.
Nic’s warm and naked, and I need to focus on living in this moment with him. I spend another five minutes listening to his heartbeat and the soft way he breathes, trying to soak up how it feels to lie next to him. To be unguarded with him. I love him so much I want to wake him and show him, but I have a job to do. A job I’m late for.
