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“But he said yes.” I kissed the top of her head and held her naked body pressed firmly to mine. “And I don’t think you realize just how big of a deal that is. Saying he is a behind-the-scenes kind of guy is the understatement of the century.”
Leah looped her leg around mine with a contented little sigh. “I have to admit I wasn’t prepared for about ninety-nine percent of the events of the evening, but I think it went okay.” She kissed my chest right above the heart that was beginning to utter her name with its every beat. “He didn’t seem upset that we’re together.”
Already holding back the truth behind her gifts was a nearly constant concern of mine, and I wasn’t going to add more to the guilt. “I’ll be honest. I sort of broached the topic. Not mentioning you specifically, but just that there was someone I was interested in.” I stroked my hand up and down her spine. “Although I am fairly certain there isn’t a question about that after tonight.”
She groaned and buried her face against my skin. “Yeah, except there are a lot more questions now. I never realized that your father paid that much attention to me.”
I hooked a finger under her chin and lifted until her gaze locked on mine in the dim light of her bedroom. “You’re worth paying attention to, sweetheart.” I picked up my head and stretched until I reached her perfect mouth. “Wanna talk about what turned the Mrs. Claus of Lanza broadcasting into the resident Grinch?”
She bit down on her lower lip, and I fought the urge to tug it free. “It isn’t all that dramatic, really. I was dating someone for a long time—long enough that I was certain we’d get married, have an obscene wedding and live out the rest of the fairy tale.” She wrinkled her nose. “Until he gave me a Crock-Pot for Christmas then a few days later announced that there was a new personal trainer at the gym he went to and they had an instantaneous connection.”
Leah lifted one shoulder. “My parents have been traveling for the past few years over the holidays instead of having any family events so…everything lost its luster. There just wasn’t a good reason to put forth all the effort.”
I rolled her beneath me. “He sounds like a selfish dickhead, but I can’t lie and tell you that I’m not grateful.” I linked my fingers with hers and held her hands over her head, devouring her mouth. “His stupidity means you’re mine.” I kissed her again, tempering my quickly mounting need a fraction to prove the truth in my words with the softer action.
She opened her legs beneath me, and I pressed my already hardening length against the welcoming warmth. “You can’t be ready again…”
I grinned at her and released my hold to reach over and retrieve a condom from the box I’d stocked her nightstand with. I dropped the foil packet on her chest. “How about you put this on me and tell me if you think I’m desperate to be buried deep inside you again?”
Without taking her intense stare from mine, she peeled it open and reached down to grip my shaft with one hand, the other rolling the latex over me millimeter by aching millimeter. She held the tip at her heated opening. “I stand corrected, Golden Boy. You have definitelyrisento the challenge very quickly.”
I sank into her, groaning as I moved. “Do you really think I could ever get enough of you? Because I’m going to tell you right now”—I pulled almost all the way out before thrusting farther within her again—“I am positive that is an impossibility.”
She gasped as I leaned down, pulling her nipple between my lips and sucking hard as I pumped in and out of her over and over in a determined, steady rhythm. She tangled her fingers in my hair, holding me against her chest, as if I had any intention of moving.
I hiked her leg higher over my hip to reach deeper inside her and angled to rub the spot I knew would make her eyes roll back in her head. She dropped her hands to my shoulders and dug her nails into my flesh as her soft moans grew to plaintive cries.
“That’s it, sweetheart.” I nuzzled against her ear as I spoke, nipping her lobe. “You wanna fall apart for me, don’t you?” She whimpered and I smiled against her skin. “You are so damn beautiful when you’re screaming my name.”
Like an invisible switch flipped, Leah arched her back and shouted her release. I rotated my hips as her muscles tightened around me and fireworks exploded before my eyes. I fell against her as I roared my own climax, spent in every way possible.
I barely summoned the energy to dispose of the condom and cuddle her soft dewy form before the tendrils of sleep wrapped around me and dragged me into a dreamless slumber. Just as my consciousness slipped away, I had an errant thought that I really did want to send her prick of an ex a massive gift basket for giving up the treasure I held in my arms.
* * * *
The overwhelming amount of work involved in pulling off the New Year’s Eve special sent the entire marketing department into massive amounts of overtime. And having to pull the double duty of working with Leah on getting the new—and, in my opinion, improved—program in front of as many eyes as possible and splashes across every social media platform as well as recording content with my father meant seeing her a hell of a lot less during the day than I liked.
But falling into bed with her every night never ceased to be a priceless gift.
Although working so much meant I missed my little voyeuristic moments of witnessing her reaction to the presents that still showed up on her door each night. Fortunately, the ones I’d scheduled for the three days after the dinner with my father were more on the humorous end of the spectrum than the sentimental one with the neon ‘Go Away’ sign and snarky ‘inspirational message’ calendar both showing up in our office the morning after they were delivered.
She didn’t say anything to me about the surprise packages or their mystery sender, but she hung a wreath on the door to our joined space and a very small tabletop tree appeared in her living room. Plus, I caught her running a finger along the temperature control mug that I’d nearly canceled after the Crock-Pot story, worried it was too practical and utilitarian.
But the way she seemed to enjoy the small device made me glad I hadn’t.
When a lighted garland appeared on the edges of both our desks after I returned from an early morning recorded interview with my father, I couldn’t help but smile as I took my seat. “Looks like someone found a bit of their Christmas spirit.”
She lowered her chin and the rosy color I loved seeing blossomed on her cheekbones. “I think it’s the presents. They are still coming. Every day I get a new one.”
I hid my face behind my coffee cup and focused on swallowing the room-temperature brew before I burst out laughing. “You do? How do you feel about that? Isn’t it a little creepy that some rando out there not only has your home address but sends you gifts every single day?”
Leah replaced her mug on the electric plate that kept it warm. “At first I was pretty scared, to be honest. I mean, this kind of stuff doesn’t happen outside of sappy holiday movies without some sort of ulterior motive.”
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, hoping the shooting pain would consume my focus so I didn’t give away the truth just yet. A small voice in the back of my mind told me that was exactly what I should be doing, but I’d created the perfect plan to reveal my identity, and I didn’t want to destroy the fantasy.
“In fact,” she continued without a care in the world, “I kept checking the perimeter of my house, looking for someone lurking in the shadows ready to jump out and kidnap me.” Her face took on a dreamy expression and my already healthy self-confidence went up a notch, knowing it was one hundred percent because of me. “But nothing’s happened. It’s just been one thoughtful gift after another with no big, bad wolf hiding in the bushes.”
I gave in to the twitching of my lips and let a smile break free. “Watch it. I’m going to start to get jealous of whoever this is.” And I silently thanked all that was good in the world that the Secret Santa who could make her look like that was me.
