by Piper Rayne
Surprisingly he stops, picking up one of the words I’ve cut out of paper. “Beautiful,” he says. “You’re beautiful.” His warm lips press to my cheek.
He drops that one and picks up another one. “Strong.” And then another. “Fierce.”
“This one is for Briana.”
“Sounds about right.”
I hold the ornament open for him. “Drop them in.”
He does and then snags a fourth word from beside us.
“Priceless?” I ask.
“Briana is definitely one of a kind, but in a good way.”
I lean back, allowing him to sprinkle kisses along my neck. “I love that you see her like I do.”
He mumbles something against my neck, his hands sliding up my ribcage, and one hand pulls down the side of my V-neck t-shirt.
“Oh, I think I found something.” Without wasting any time, he pulls the cup of my bra down and massages my breast in his big palm. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. I mean, I’d rather be laying on them like pillows but this will do.” A long, contented sigh slips from his lips and he rests his head on my shoulder.
“You’re horrible, I’m trying to make ornaments for a bunch of kids and you’re doing that.”
Of course, I judge, but I don’t actually remove his hand especially now that his thumb and forefinger are tweaking my nipple. I mean, what girl can really say no to that?
The ornament falls to the floor, thankfully staying in one piece, and Luca manages to get me on my back.
“Only a quickie because I’m taking you out tonight,” he says as he’s already trying to pull my leggings down.
“Where?” I ask, lifting my butt up off the cushion so he can make some headway.
“It’s a surprise.” His lips descend on my neck like he’s a vampire and the bulge in his pants heats up my core.
I hate to tell him, I’m not sure quickie is a term either one of us knows the meaning of.
“Where are we going? We’re walking?” I ask, my arm through Luca’s, my head leaning on his arm.
Yep, we’re the lovesick couple people either love or hate.
“We’re not walking. And I’m not sure it will be a surprise in a minute.”
He guides us around the corner.
“Public transportation?” I ask, spotting the train station up ahead.
“You’re too smart for me to ever surprise you.”
His newly showered scent intoxicates me and I feel like a koala bear to a tree, never wanting to release my grip.
“You surprised me with that candy delivery at work. And again, with the fact that you were hiding these intense feelings for me in high school.”
He glances down at me while we wait to cross at the light. “I’m not sure I should’ve ever told you that information.”
“Why? I love it.”
“Because it makes me weak for never laying it all out on the table for you. I mean, why wait all those years? Not to mention some of the things I said to you over the years.”
We cross the street and walk through the entrance, paying and climbing the stairs to wait for the train. Luca’s hand stays on the small of my back the whole time. My body hums with a giddiness I find hard to describe because it’s new to me. I’ve never felt so hopeful or happy as I have lately. I’m in so deep with him, if we don’t work out, I’ll never free myself from the memories of us together.
“Don’t tell anyone this.” I rise to my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I kind of like the fact your feelings were so intense for me that you didn’t know how to handle them.” I laugh.
Luca’s arms wrap around my waist, his head in the crook of my neck.
“Intense, huh?”
I tilt my head up to look up at him. “Don’t be embarrassed. My feelings are pretty intense right now, too.”
His lips fall to mine and his tongue slides into the opening of my mouth. Twisting in his arms, my fingers weave through his hair. The platform shakes with the rumble of the approaching train barreling down the track. The wheels squeaking to a slow stop behind me and even as I hear the doors of the train slide open, I’m not ready to leave his arms for even the small amount of time it would take me to get onto the train. I’m so over my head in this rush of emotions for Luca that he steals away my attention from everything else.
“Come on,” he mumbles, grabbing my hand, pulling me onto the train right before the doors shut. As we round a silver pole, our lips find one another’s again and he steadily supports me with one hand on my hip and the other gripping the pole behind his back while leans against it. My hero.
The train ride goes by in a blur and although I have my suspicions where he’s taking me, I could be wrong, so when the train stops on State Street and he leads me off, I smile as we head up the stairs. Then it’s me pulling him to go faster, the buzz of a Saturday night during Christmas on State Street bleeding into my veins.
We reach the top of the stairs and it’s like we’ve transcended into our own Christmas snow globe. Busy shoppers crowd the sidewalks with armfuls of bags. A pair of little girls dressed in black velvet dresses with red bows in their hair run past. A crowd of people are enamored with the display in Macy’s windows. The bells for the Salvation Army sound and the Santa’s Ho Ho Ho’s ring through the air. As if it’s a Hallmark set of its own in this two-block section of downtown, a white dusting of snow falls all around from the dark sky. All of this is my favorite part of the season, but when I look up at Luca staring on at me instead of everything going on around us, it’s evident that he makes it even more special.
“You’ve been here, right?” I ask, his hand in mine ready to pull him farther into Christkindlmarket, my mouth watering for the big pretzels.
“Yeah. But watching it through your eyes is so much better.”
“I never knew you were such a romantic.” I lean my head on his chest.
“Me either.” His lips press to the top of my head, but we’re pulled from our moment when horns honk and bodies behind us start moving around us.
For the entire night, our bodies were like magnets. If one of us strayed too far, we were drawn back to the other. We walk along the red and white striped tents, white string lights hanging above us as we enjoy eating pretzels and sausages. We browse the vendor tents, me buying some candles for my co-workers, while he weighs in with his opinion on which scent smells the best.
We stop with my back to his front, listening to the live German bands, drinking German beer.
As the vendors start closing up for the night, Luca buys a bag of cinnamon roasted almonds and we leave the feel of a small German village and head into metropolitan Chicago again where people hurry from place to place, ignoring what’s around them.
“Up for some ice skating?” Luca holds a nut in front of my mouth and I open. The sweetness bursting inside my mouth.
“I’d rather put up a Christmas tree…” I say, a little unsure.
I have no idea why I’m worried to bring this up to Luca, but a tree feels like true coupledom. Like we bought a tree and decorated it together even though we’ve been together for months.
My thumb runs to the band on my left hand. Sometimes I forget that the ring doesn’t really mean what it does to other people and I wonder if I should return it to him. In some ways, it feels more wrong to wear it now that we’re actually a thing than it did when we were just pretending to play house.
As doubts plague my mind, Luca pulls something out of his shopping bag. He snuck off earlier to buy something and wouldn’t tell me what it was.
“Partly naked?” he asks, showing me a cute yet revealing Santa-inspired teddy.
I push him lightly, but he doesn’t budge. “Okay, I’ll settle for skimpy lingerie.”
“Looks like you have just the thing then.”
He leads us back to the train. “Be careful. I have some very kinky taste. I played it safe this time.”
“I figured, but just remember there is men’s lingerie, too.”
&nb
sp; “I’m game.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Luca
Christmas is next week and I’ve yet to buy Lauren’s gift. Truth is I have no fucking clue what to get her. We haven’t discussed the fact that everyone thinks we’re engaged and now we’ve embarked on a real relationship. How the heck do you unengage the girl you’re dating so that one day you can ask her again…probably, maybe? None of these thoughts occurred to me when I fell down on bended knee the first time.
As I sit in the ER for the fourth time today, thankful that my partner is handling the paperwork, my vision shifts to Lauren’s Physical therapy office which I can spot through the windows. She’s in there and I wish I was, too. I think back to weeks ago and how I thought she was a safe bet because she’d never want to actually date me. And here I am literally convincing myself not to walk over there and kiss her in the middle of her session with a patient. How did I get here?
My head falls into my hands.
“You’re thinking hard over here,” a woman’s voice pulls me from my mini-anxiety attack.
Sitting up, I notice Keri. We didn’t just bring in her patient in did we? Damn, my mind is only on that spunky brunette nowadays.
“Hey, Keri.” I lean back, glancing over to Keith to see how far along he is with the paperwork.
“I stopped by your mom’s room that night, but the lights were off and only an older gentleman was there.”
She appears disappointed, but there’s nothing between Keri and I that wasn’t professional.
“Probably my dad. They have to do another ablation in a few months.”
Her hand touches my thigh. I stare down at her manicured pink nails. Her fingers are longer than Lauren’s, her palm bigger.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know much about that other than people can live with A-fib.”
“Yeah, she’s in good spirits and the doctor is hopeful.”
My eyes won’t stop staring at her hand on my leg. Why is it still there?
I shift in my seat, but she still doesn’t move her hand.
I’ve had plenty of women touch me in more private areas than my leg, but nothing has ever felt this wrong. If anything, I welcomed the casual affection. Now, her hand feels like it’s burning a hole through my uniform, but I have no idea how to get her to remove it. My vision shoots over to Keith once more, but he’s busy chatting up the new young nurse.
“That’s great. So, I was thinking…” Her hand slides farther up my thigh.
Fuck, do something idiot.
You’d think I swallowed acid the way my throat is burning as I watch her, but still, I sit there working out the puzzle in my head. Am I really ready for one woman to be the only one to touch me? My short time with Lauren flies through my mind like I’m flipping channels on the television. Us in the shower this morning, last night on the couch, two days ago when we were laughing so hard we ended up on the stairs. Her dark hair that lay like a veil over my face when we kiss. The slight squirm she does when I kiss the inside of her thigh right before I go down on her. It’s not even all the sex, it’s the Hallmark movie day when I fed her cookie dough well before I had a chance to taste the chocolate from her tongue. Her jumping in the end zone at a spontaneous game of touch football with my family. My mom showing her how to form tortellini.
A cool breeze from the sliding doors pulls me from my trip down memory lane of my short time with Lauren Hunt. My hand covers Keri’s with one intent—to set her straight.
“Listen, Keri, I’m—”
“Luca?”
I twist my head in the direction of my voice and find Lauren standing there, her eyes not on my face and when I follow her line of vision, I know what she sees.
Fuck.
“Nope.” I stand leaving Keri’s hand to fall off my leg. “It’s not what this looks like.”
Lauren surprises me by staying in place and not fleeing. I would’ve been long gone and not waited for an explanation.
“Then tell me what this is.” She crosses her arms.
“Let’s go outside.”
“Is she joining us?” She looks past me to Keri.
Circling back around, Keri’s perfectly styled eyebrows are raised so high you might think she just got Botox. “Sorry, Keri, that’s what I was about to tell you. I have a girlfriend.”
“Fiancée actually.” Lauren raises her hand and the overhead lights glint off her diamond.
I bite my bottom lip praying like hell I don't smile over her staking her claim. Jealousy means she likes me. Jealousy means this isn’t some fling to her. Jealousy means she’s invested in a future with me. That thought alone elates me.
“Oh, I didn’t know…” Color flushes Keri’s cheeks and she shifts her weight from one high heel to another. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Lauren lowers her hand.
“See you around, Keri,” I say, but she’s already turned around and disappearing down the hallway.
“I’ll be outside, Keith,” I holler.
He gives me a quick wave, never turning around because he could give a shit about me until we’re back in the truck.
“You’re with me.” I link hands with Lauren and take her outside, but it’s fucking freezing. Like snot in your nose dries immediately cold. Shrugging out of my jacket, I put it over Lauren’s shoulders.
“So…” She shrugs, putting her arms through my jacket.
I pull out my phone and snap a picture.
“What are you doing?”
“I really wanted a picture of you with my jacket on.”
“Like it’s high school?”
“Well, you wore Cody’s jacket all the fucking time.”
She steps forward, her fingers digging under my belt loop. “Stop talking about Cody. I’m with you and if you want to dig up your letterman jacket, I’ll gladly wear it.” She rises on her tiptoes and kisses my jaw. A whimpering moan falling from her lips.
“So, what are you doing here?” I ask.
“Besides beating away all your admirers?” She raises a brow, but I don’t respond. “I’m on lunch and I took a chance that you might be here.”
“Can’t get enough of me.” Before she can protest, I slip my arms around her, capturing her mouth and sliding my tongue inside. Suddenly it’s not so cold outside.
Stopping the kiss, she pulls back, staring up at me. “Is there anyone else I need to remind you’re taken?”
“Nope but you can’t expect me to put a sign around my neck that says I belong to Lauren Hunt.”
“I don’t know, I think I could.”
Pulling her closer, I kiss the top of her head.
“So…” Her voice is muffled in my chest, but I know what’s she’s getting at just from the tone of her voice.
“I guess when you’re the girl I’m with it’s pretty fucking easy to say no to another woman’s advance.”
She lightly punches me in the stomach. “Still have all those worries about being a horrible boyfriend?” She stares back at me again.
I place my hands on either side of her face, our eyes only on one another. “I can’t speak for all my faults, but I feel pretty damn confident right now.”
She laughs rising on her toes one more time, pressing her lips to mine.
“Want to go make out in my truck?” I ask.
Taking my hand, she leads me to the open rig. “I have twenty minutes until my lunch is up.”
“What about food?”
“I think there’s a big meat sandwich that will fill me up at least until I get home tonight.” She winks and rounds the rear of our truck, climbing up the bumper and into the bench seat.
“You really are the perfect girl.”
I shut the truck doors, and her fingers fiddle with my pants. “Come on Romeo, let your Juliet give you one hell of a lunch break.”
She takes me out and as I watch my cock disappear between her lips. I want to hammer down a gavel and yell SOLD! because I’m praying I’ll never be on the market again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lauren
Boxing up the ornaments for my clients while watching the Blackhawks has made it a tad dangerous with them not on their A game tonight. I’ve wanted to toss one across the room a few times. Hopefully, Luca and I can get to a game soon, but this is their last one before their holiday break.
The doorbell rings and I roll my eyes, standing up to answer. Maddie’s the owner of the house, so I’m not sure why she doesn’t use her key.
“Hey.” I spring open the door to a smiling Maddie and Vanessa.
“What’s going on?” Maddie says as they enter.
I sit back down on the couch, tying the ribbons on the boxes and placing them in a bag.
Maddie sets down her coffee and helps me out without any direction. She’s been doing this with me for years.
Vanessa sits down and searches for the remote.
“I’ve had about enough of sports. Cristian watches it all the time. Yesterday I found him watching a fencing competition.” She sips her coffee and makes herself comfortable in Luca’s ugly chair. I have a plan to have that reupholstered. “This is surprisingly comfortable.”
“It’s ugly and when I put this house on the market, it’s going back to whatever dark hole it crawled out of.” Maddie’s fingers make quick work of the ribbons. She’s always had a knack for the girly stuff like crafts and decorating.
“Cute tree. Why doesn’t it have ornaments? Is that some trend I missed out on as a result of my life slowly being overtaken by all things man?” Vanessa looks at our big tree strung with colored lights. Luca insisted that white lights are classic and there’s nothing classic about us. I tried to argue since the outside lights are white, but I lost. I think I’m losing my edge.
“No, it’s just my family trees were always hung with homemade ornaments or ones that had meaning. I didn’t want picture perfect high fashion tree, I want a homey one.”
“So you’ll have an empty tree until you and Luca have kids?” Vanessa asks with a groove in between her eyes.
