Hometown Christmas

by A. M. Williams

  They both stood there for several moments and Kat tried to calm the racing of her heart.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, staring at the dark fabric of Ford’s jacket.

  “No prob.” He didn’t make a move to release her, and she didn’t make a move to pull away.

  He helped her to stand up fully, and he still didn’t release her. She took a chance and looked up at Ford.

  Her breath caught as their gazes met. She always thought it was cliché when she read a romance book and it claimed that the world melted away, but that was exactly what happened with her. The world around her disappeared, and it felt like she and Ford were the only two people on the planet.

  His eyes flicked down before meeting her gaze again and she licked her lips, hoping that maybe this was it. She’d felt drawn to him in her kitchen on Thanksgiving, but her brother coming inside ruined that moment.

  There was no one that could ruin it here though, unless someone skated into them or a meteor hit where they were.

  Both seemed unlikely, and she tilted her head up slightly to see if Ford would take the bait.

  She held her breath as time seemed to stop and she worried that Ford wouldn’t go to for it, leaving her high and dry.

  But he didn’t. He lowered his head and paused with almost no distance between their lips. She could feel his breath fanning across her lips and she couldn’t wait any longer.

  She closed the distance between the two of them, pressing her lips against his.

  She sighed as their lips touched and pressed herself closer to him. Ford’s arms tightened around her waist and she lost herself in the kiss.

  It started out slow, both of them getting a feel for the other person, their lips moving against the other’s in an exploratory fashion.

  It quickly became more heated when Ford groaned low in his throat and nibbled on her bottom lip, making her open her mouth to gasp.

  He slipped his tongue inside and caressed her own, kissing her so thoroughly that she was certain she could orgasm from that alone.

  She pulled her lips away from his and sucked in a ragged breath. “Wow. Okay.”

  She cleared her throat and tried to get control of herself. Her heart was beating wildly, and she felt overheated.

  She looked at Ford and saw that he was flushed. He loosened his grip on her waist and she moved back slightly, but didn’t leave the circle of his arms as she continued to stare up at him.

  She wasn’t sure what to say, but she felt like she needed to say something. She needed to know if that was as good for him as it was for her, but she didn’t want to make it weird or say something completely inappropriate.

  Ford blew out a breath. “I hope you don’t mind if I stop you a few times to do that again.”

  Her eyes widened. “Nope,” she said, her voice coming out a little higher pitched than normal. “You can do whatever you want.”

  “Watch what you say. I just might take you up on it,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her on the cheek lightly before skating off.

  She stared after him in shock. Cheeky bastard.

  She quickly pulled herself together and skated after him, happy that she’d found her legs. She was determined to catch up to him.

  She quickly discovered that he was too fast for her, so she slowed down to a more moderate pace and enjoyed the thrill of skating. The wind was cold, however, and her face was stinging from it, so she skated over to the gate and carefully stepped off the ice.

  She went over to the bench where their shoes were stashed and worked on switching her shoes out while Ford continued to skate.

  She’d just finished lacing her regular boots up when Ford left the ice and joined her, pressing a cold kiss to her lips before she could react.

  “Have fun?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’m glad we came.”

  He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but grin back.

  Once Ford’s skates were off, he quickly returned them before coming back to her and helping her stand. “I’m cold. How about you?” he asked.

  “I could go for something to warm me up.”

  “How about some hot chocolate then?”

  “Sure.”

  She turned to walk toward the small drink hut, but Ford grabbed her hand and tugged her back. “What?” she asked, facing him.

  “This.”

  He pressed his lips to hers again, but this kiss was harder than the first and even the second one. His lips demanded that she open, and he quickly plundered her mouth. She went up on her tiptoes, pressing herself closer to him and wishing that there weren’t so many layers between them.

  It was Ford that ripped himself away this time and he pressed his forehead against hers. “As much as I want to continue, I don’t want to get carried away.”

  She nodded, understanding where he was coming from. “I understand. How about that hot chocolate?”

  He tugged her behind him and she fell into step, suddenly filled with joy about their date. Even though it had started so weird, it had quickly morphed into the best date she’d been on and she could only see it continuing to get better.

  She couldn’t wait.

  Twenty

  Ford

  Slow and steady. That was the name of the game with Kat. After their date to the Christmas village, they hadn’t seen each other for several days, though Ford tried to text her each day if possible.

  It was killing him to not see her. Yeah, they’d only been on the one date and he was still getting to know her, but he wanted to be around her all the time. He couldn’t help it. He thought he’d been in love with Alexis, but he was quickly discovering that what he felt for Kat was so much more.

  He wouldn’t call it love just yet, but he knew he was working toward that.

  “You heading to the parade tonight?” David asked, pulling Ford from his thoughts.

  Ford glanced up from the file he was updating to look at his partner who was leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Yeah. Your sister should be here soon, actually. We’re going together.”

  Ford waited for David to react. Considering what David said before Ford asked Kat to go to the holiday dinner with him, he was expecting some kind of macho display to scare him. He hadn’t gotten it so far and it didn’t look like he was going to get it soon because David just nodded.

  “I heard you went on a date this past weekend.”

  Ford nodded. “Yeah, we did.”

  “I also heard it went well.”

  “Yeah, it did.” Ford watched David to see if there was a point to what he was saying.

  “You’re serious about her?”

  Ford arched a brow. “I mean, yeah. We’re still getting to know each other, so I can’t say that this is it for me or her. But I’m not going into this with the plan to fuck around.”

  David nodded and straightened. “Guess I can’t ask for anything else.”

  Before Ford could try to think of something to say, David was gone. Ford shook his head. He really hoped him dating Kat wouldn’t cause issues between him and David because they were both partners in the vet clinic and any animosity might make things awkward.

  His phone dinged, and he glanced down to see Kat had messaged him. He read the preview and cursed before checking the time. She was already on her way to him and he still needed to finish up.

  He quickly finished filling in his notes and closed the file. He grabbed the ones that were done and all but sprinted to the front desk to put them up, trying to quickly get them put away.

  When he returned to his office, he stashed the ones he hadn’t finished in his bottom desk drawer and locked it, thankful he hadn’t gotten around to getting rid of the old wooden desk just yet.

  He checked the time again and shook his head. Kat would get there at any time. He’d told her to come in the back door and they would walk to Main Street together. But he still needed to change out of his work scrubs and into his regular clothing.

  He quickly stripped down, tugging
his jeans on and buttoning them.

  “Ford?” Kat called out, making him drop his shirt. He was in such a rush to get dressed and be ready that he hadn’t heard her come in.

  “In my office!”

  He stooped over and swiped at his shirt, just straightening when he heard his door creak. He froze and looked over his shoulder, meeting Kat’s wide eyes.

  “Hi,” she said as she raked her gaze over him, her voice a little higher than normal.

  “Hi, sorry, I lost track of time.”

  He quickly tugged his shirt on and smoothed a hand over it. “Just let me pull my boots on and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Kat nodded and disappeared from the door without saying anything else.

  He looked at the space she’d been occupying, wondering if something was wrong before forcing himself to pull his boots on and retrieve his outerwear.

  “Ready!” he said, pulling his coat on and zipping it up.

  He stepped into the hall and saw her leaning against the wall outside his door.

  He walked over to her and leaned down to press a light kiss to her cheek. “Ready?” he asked.

  She nodded, but when he went to take a step back, she reached out and grasped him by the front of his jacket, pulling him back to her.

  His breathing hitched when she pressed her lips against his for a forceful kiss. It surprised him at first and didn’t react, but then he realized that the woman he liked was kissing him and he was standing there like a bump on a log. He stepped back toward her, pressing his front against her and bringing his hands up to cradle her face.

  She sighed, and he took advantage of her mouth opening to slip his tongue inside, caressing hers with his own. He groaned low in his throat when Kat rubbed her hands against his chest, wishing that he wasn’t wearing his shirt and that she’d kissed him when she found him earlier.

  Skin-to-skin contact would be great right about then.

  As she continued to rub his chest, his own hands mapped what he could touch of her body. She hadn’t buttoned her jacket, so he slipped his hands underneath and rubbed along her side, grazing the sides of her breasts before sliding them around to her ass and squeezing.

  His dick pressed against the zipper of his jeans almost painfully and he moaned as he thrust his hips forward trying to get some friction. Kat answered with her own moan before pressing more firmly against him.

  By this point, he was devouring her mouth and was seriously considering skipping the Christmas parade all together so he could take her into his office and officially consumate it. But then a memory of the excitement Kat had for the parade penetrated the fog of his mind and he forced himself to slow their kiss down and remove his hands from her ass.

  He finally pulled back and realized that his heart was beating like he’d just run a marathon. He thought it was going to beat out of his chest.

  Kat didn’t look like she was faring much better. Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were red and puffy from their kissing. He wanted to swoop down and kiss her again, but he wanted to make this memory with her even more.

  “What do you say we hit the parade and get something to eat before we pick this up again later?”

  Kat sucked in a breath and nodded. She cleared her throat and dropped her hands from his chest. He took a step back and tried to get himself under control.

  “After you,” he said, smiling.

  She grinned at him and started toward the backdoor. When she wasn’t facing him anymore, he gripped himself through his jeans and tried to adjust his dick so it wasn’t so obvious how turned on he was.

  He didn’t mind Kat feeling it, but the townspeople were another thing entirely.

  Of course, as soon as he stepped outside, his dick deflated faster than a popped balloon because of the cold.

  “Jesus,” he said as he shivered. He pulled his beanie from his pocket and jammed it on his head before sliding his gloves on. “It wasn’t this cold earlier.”

  He sped up to catch up to Kat and caught her left hand with his right. She looked at him and laughed. “It’s not that bad!”

  “Says you. You were probably outside all day and are numb to it,” he muttered, zipping his jacket up a little more.

  “Okay, yeah, it’s a little cold. But they’re saying we might get our first snow tonight, so…” she trailed off, smiling the entire time.

  He knew that she was ready for the first snowfall because she said that it meant Christmas was really almost there.

  He could live without it, but he wanted Kat happy. Maybe it would snow and promptly melt.

  “Come on,” she said, tugging on his hand. “We want a good spot for the parade.”

  He couldn’t help thinking that he’d follow her wherever she wanted to go just to make her happy. And he didn’t even care if it made him sound like a sap.

  Twenty-One

  Ford

  The good spot that Kat wanted turned out to be right in front of Over Easy Diner. According to her, it was far enough along in the parade route that they wouldn’t have to wait too long to see everything, but not so far that they were away from the action.

  They planned to eat at the diner after the parade ended before hitting up the high school carnival. She said being in front of the diner made sense since they were guaranteed a good table inside.

  He just followed along, happy to spend the time with her.

  She smiled the entire time they stood on the side of the road, singing along and dancing as the floats went by with their Christmas music playing. He smiled several times throughout too, enjoying himself more than he thought he would.

  Once the high school marching band went by, she turned to look at him. “You ready to eat?”

  He nodded and led her into the warm interior of the diner, snagging a booth by one window. The parade was now winding down, and the crowd was dispersing, many of them coming to the diner or to the coffee shop next door.

  A waitress came by to get their food and drink orders before moving to another table and repeating.

  “I now understand why you wanted to be by the diner and why Denise extended her hours,” he said, watching the crowds of people walking by.

  Kat laughed. “Yeah, it’s a big night. Just think, if we hadn’t gotten that spot, we’d be waiting for a table…”

  Ford glanced around and saw that she was right. Every table was filled, as were all the bar stools. Several people were leaning against the wall, probably waiting for to-go orders, but there were a lot of people by the front door waiting to be seated.

  “I’ve never seen it this busy,” he said as their dinner was placed in front of them.

  “The Christmas parade brings most people out,” she said, grabbing the ketchup from the metal holder to the side of the table. “Most businesses notice an uptick in people stopping in to shop or eat. It’s a great time of year for everyone.”

  Ford nodded before taking a bite of his burger. Part of him wanted to continue to sit there with Kat, slowly eating dinner. But the other part of him saw all the people waiting for a table so they could eat and he felt bad. It was for that reason that he quickly ate, as did Kat, and he paid the bill.

  “Ready for the high school carnival?” Kat asked as she pulled her hat back on.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  They walked toward the door and he held it open for Kat to precede him outside. The high school was a quick walk from where they were—like most things in Haven Falls—so he zipped his jacket up again and grabbed Kat’s hand before they started walking again.

  “So, what’s so special about this carnival?” he asked after a few minutes of them walking in silence.

  “Honestly, not that much.” Kat laughed. “I know that sounds terrible, but it’s the truth. It’s been put on by the high school year after year, so it’s just kinda one of those things that you do. They usually have some games set up, maybe some food booths. I think they usually have a craft fair as well. It vari
es. But most of the student clubs have something there and it’s a major fundraiser for them. So most people go if for no other reason than to help the kids out.”

  As they neared the school, Ford pepped himself up to deal with something small and dinky in the school gym. Instead, he was dazzled by the entire football field being covered with things.

  “Uhhh…” he said, taking in the flashing lights and people everywhere. “I was expecting something a little smaller,” he finally said.

  Kat laughed. “Never underestimate Haven Falls.”

  “I’m seeing that.”

  He followed her through the entrance to the field and immediately was assaulted with a variety of smells and sounds.

  “Looks like NHS is doing funnel cakes this year. We’ll come back for one of those.”

  Ford looked at where Kat was pointing and saw that she was right. They were doing funnel cakes, and they smelled delicious.

  “Want to do a circuit to see what there is before we decide?”

  He nodded. “Lead the way.”

  He tightened his grip on her hand and followed her as she wound her way through the controlled chaos. As they walked, Kat was stopped every few feet by someone that wanted to chat with her or ask her something.

  It took them thirty minutes just to get through the first row of activities and Ford couldn’t imagine they’d get through the others any quicker. When they reached the end of the line, Kat looked at him sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn’t realize we’d see so many people I know.”

  He shrugged. “Not a big deal. Ready for the next line?”

  “How about you lead this time? Maybe it’ll get people to stop trying to stop us.”

  Ford shrugged. He didn’t care either way so long as he got to spend time with Kat. That was all he cared about.

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer to him as he started down the next row, taking in the activities the clubs were offering. He’d seen a dunking booth where a teen was dressed as Santa over a tank filled with balls.