Kiss Me, Baby: A Christmas Novella

by Nikki Paris

  The tightness that had been spreading through my chest all evening began to unwind. I let out a sigh of relief and flung my arms around Aiden’s neck. “I’ll always fight for you, babe. I promise.”

  “Me too. And, hey, if we start to lose it again, now we know that we just need a ski trip and some lingerie.”

  I laughed and kissed his nose. “That seems like a pretty easy fix.”

  “That’s because we were never really broken.” Aiden squeezed me in one of his crazy tight bear hugs—the ones that made me feel completely adored. Then he grinned at me. “Can you wear that red thing one more time, baby?”

  I nodded. “Do we need the red lipstick again, too?”

  “Always. Maybe that should be like our code. You put on red lipstick. I know you’re DTF.”

  I burst out laughing as I walked down the hall. “You got it. I might have to buy more red lipstick then.”

  “Oh, fuck. I’ll order it right now. What kind do you like? Personally, I’m a fan of the kind that doesn’t come off all over my cock when you suck it, but I’m not that picky.” Aiden was following me down the hall with his phone out. “What’s the makeup place called? Sephora?”

  I laughed and pulled the lingerie from my suitcase when we reached our room. “Yeah, Sephora works. Matte liquid lipsticks stay on better.” Then I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I slid into the lacey red thing again and applied lipstick, then I let my hair down and ran my fingers through the roots to give it some more volume. Aiden liked my hair all messy and in his face while we fucked.

  When I made my way back out to the bedroom, Aiden was already naked and waiting for me on the bed. He had his phone in his hand but dropped it the second I walked out. “Damn, girl.” He grinned at me and scanned my body. This time I didn’t shy away. I believed he found me attractive, mom bod and all. “Get that sexy ass over here.”

  I bit my lip and slowly crawled toward him on the bed. I felt sexy, so I took charge and shoved him down. Next, I straddled him and pressed slow, sensual kisses down his chest and abdomen, leaving a trail of red lip marks. I didn’t have the long-lasting lipstick yet, but Aiden didn’t seem to mind. He gripped my hips with his eyes closed. “Damn, baby,” he whispered when I took him in my mouth.

  When he was hard, I slid my panties off and guided his cock into me. He ran his hands up and down my back while I rocked my hips, and he gazed into my eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Soph.”

  I loved hearing him say those words, but even more than that, I loved believing them.

  After we made love, Aiden and I spooned and talked about life. We were pretty sure we’d solved all of the world’s problems in twenty minutes flat, but that was how you felt when you were in love, wasn’t it? Like you could face anything and solve any problem.

  I rolled over to face my husband and gave him a soft smile. “I’m so damn glad I’m doing this life thing with you. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  When Aiden fell asleep, I rolled over and gazed at his face in the dark, like a creeper. If he were awake, he’d smile at me and call me just that.

  His thick, black eyelashes rested against his cheeks, and I grinned to myself as a fifteen-year-old memory filled my head. We were at my apartment and all snuggled up in my bed while a winter storm raged outside. We’d already had sex twice but couldn’t seem to untangle our bodies from each other.

  Aiden and I had only been on three dates at that point, and I’d already told him at least a thousand times how I was jealous of his ridiculous eyelashes. “God.” I stared right into his eyes. “Those lashes would look fantastic with some mascara.” I brushed the hair from his forehead and gave him puppy eyes. “Can I? Please?”

  Aiden rolled his pretty gray eyes. “Hell no.”

  I laughed and snuggled closer. “Please!” I kissed him softly.

  After a long pause, Aiden sighed and said, “Fine. If you really want to. Just because I’m crazy about you and hate telling you no.”

  I laughed out loud and unwrapped my legs from his waist. I grabbed my mascara from the bathroom and then straddled him in bed. “You ready?” I unscrewed the lid and pumped the wand.

  Aiden let out a long, irritated sigh and didn’t answer. I took that as a yes and started applying mascara to his full, thick lashes. “Oh. My. God.” I screwed the lid back on and tossed my mascara on the floor. “Why are the best lashes wasted on men?” Then I bit my lip and teased. “You know, it’s actually kind of sexy.” I kissed him.

  Aiden gave me a very serious, half-angry look and said, “Tell no one. This never happened, Soph.”

  I loved that he already called me Soph. I threw my head back and laughed.

  Aiden tried to keep a serious look on his face, but he cracked a smile. “Get it off. Get it off of me right now. This is so emasculating.”

  I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes, but I made it to the bathroom to grab my makeup remover wipes. As soon as I got Aiden’s lashes free of mascara, I kissed him again and again. “I’m sorry I made you feel less manly. I’ll make it up to you.” I slid down his body and took him in my mouth until he was groaning and pulling my hair.

  Now, I reached out and ran my fingers through Aiden’s beard while he slept. Wow, I loved this man. He’d put up with so much of my shit over the years, and nothing I’d thrown at him—from mascara to marriage counseling— had made him leave.

  I knew at that moment that nothing would make me leave either. We had the forever kind of love.

  Sophie

  “Mommy!” Mia screamed at the top of her lungs and dove into my arms the second Aiden and I walked through the door.

  “Mmm! Hi, baby. I missed you!” I squeezed her little body and breathed in the scent of her watermelon shampoo.

  “Come see what I made! Grammy made gingerbread ornaments, and I decorated them with glitter and buttons and those long fuzzy bendy things.” Mia had a hold of my hand and dragged me with her to the kitchen.

  Max bounded down the stairs, followed by Aiden’s mom. She looked exhausted, and I felt a pang of guilt. Max flung himself around my legs and grinned up at me. “Momma!”

  “Hey, big boy! Were you good for Grammy and Grampy?” I smiled and reached down to run my fingers through Max’s hair with my free hand.

  “Mom! Mom! Mommy!” Mia still tugged on my other hand.

  Aiden came up behind me with our bags. He set them down at the base of the stairs and bent to scoop Max up in his arms. He covered our son’s little face in kisses, and Max squealed, “Daddy! Your beard tickles!”

  I caught Aiden’s eye and grinned before Mia dragged me away to the table. My husband was such a sexy daddy.

  “Look, mommy. This one has hair like you!” Mia held up one of her gingerbread ornaments with a proud toothless grin. It had a wavy yellow pipe cleaner glued to its head. Honestly, it looked exactly like me when I woke up in the morning.

  “I love it, sweetie! You worked hard on these, didn’t you?”

  Mia grinned and nodded.

  Lucy made her way down the stairs and stood beside me at the table. I pulled her in for a hug and said, “Thank you so much! I know these kids are a handful.”

  My mother-in-law smiled and shook her head. “Oh, they were wonderful. And I’m just glad that you two finally got to spend some time alone together. That’s important for a marriage, you know?”

  I smiled. “It is. Thank you.”

  After Aiden’s parents left, we collapsed on the couch and turned on a movie for the kids. Mia and Max climbed up between us and begged for every second of our attention. I could feel my fears coming true. Uptight mommy was on her way back, and relaxed, sexy Sophie was melting away. Then Aiden reached out, over the kids’ heads, and rested his hand on my shoulder. He played with my hair while Mia chatted his ear off, and Max bounced onto his lap.

  God, I loved this man. I caught his eye with a grateful smile. He wasn’t going to let us drift oceans apart again. That’s what he was
telling me with this tiny gesture in the middle of our chaos.

  Mia turned her attention to me. “Mommy, are we going to Braylee’s house tonight? You said we were going for New Year’s, and Grammy said today was New Year’s, so we’re going, right?”

  I’d almost forgotten that Tiff and Mike had invited us over for a little New Year’s Eve party tonight. Of course, I’d written it on the schedule. I shouldn’t have forgotten. I was supposed to bring cookies, and I’d already planned to make perfect little snowflake-shaped butter cookies.

  But I didn’t want to make the stupid cookies. I nodded at Mia. “Yep, we’re going in about two hours. Do you want to go to the store with me to pick out some cookies for the party?”

  “Yay!” Mia jumped up to find her shoes and coat. I could always count on my little girlfriend to run errands with me.

  Aiden raised both eyebrows at me, and his mouth dropped open in mock surprise. “Store-bought? Sophie Wells…” He grinned at me and shook his head.

  “Shut up.” I smacked his arm and stood to find the car keys.

  ◆◆◆

  When we arrived at Tiff and Mike’s house a few hours later, Tiff pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Did he like the red thing?”

  I burst out laughing as Aiden herded the kids into the house and wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Mike. I glanced over at my husband and thought about his reaction to the “red thing.” I turned back to my best friend and said, “He was speechless, Tiff.”

  “Yes, girl!” Tiff laughed and tossed her long dirty-blonde braid over her shoulder. “So how was the trip? Did you guys ‘reconnect?’” Tiff did air quotes and gave me an exaggerated wink.

  I glanced around her living room to make sure the kids were out of earshot. Mia and Braylee were curled up by the Christmas tree with Braylee’s new iPad, giggling their heads off. Max was in the kitchen with Aiden and Mike, stuffing his face with potato chips. I leaned in closer to my best friend of twenty years. “Oh my god, Tiff. We reconnected on literally every level!”

  Tiff laughed. “Oh, Soph, I can tell. You’re walking like he screwed you cross-eyed, and you have more color in your cheeks.”

  I burst out laughing. “That’s not even a thing! Shut up!”

  “I will not!” Tiff laughed out loud. “Aiden!” she yelled over to the kitchen. “Soph is over here bragging about your d-i-c—“

  I clamped my hand over Tiff’s mouth. “Mia can spell, genius!”

  “Oh, damn-it! Mike! What are we going to do when Braylee starts reading?”

  Mike laughed and ran his hands through his sandy blonde hair. “Oh, there’s no hope for Bray. She’s going to be scarred for life by an early age if she isn’t already.”

  Tiff and I joined our husbands around the kitchen island, and Aiden slid his arm around my waist. Max had abandoned his chips and spread a trail of crumbs all the way over to the Christmas tree, where he plopped down next to Braylee to look at her iPad. Aiden pinched my ass and said, “What were you saying about my dick? Just like talking about how big it is?”

  Mike snorted into his beer, and Tiff chimed in. “Yep. Your big dick rocked her world, Aiden. I mean, look at her! I haven’t seen her smile this much since you told her you loved her after like two weeks of dating.”

  Aiden burst out laughing. “It was three weeks, thank you very much.”

  I leaned into my husband. “He couldn’t help it. I was so damn cute.”

  “Aw, you’re still cute, baby.” Aiden kissed my cheek.

  Tiff was right. I was a smiling idiot for weeks after Aiden told me he loved me fifteen years ago. I still remembered the look in his eyes and the way his lips were swollen from kissing me. We were standing outside a little coffee shop, in the snow, when he took my face in both hands and said, “Holy shit, Soph. I think I’m in love with you.”

  Now, I loved him a thousand times more. I turned to kiss his lips and said, “Thank you, babe. I love you.”

  Mike cocked an eyebrow. “Wow, you guys are goddamned adorable. Do you need to use the guest room?”

  “Can we? That would be awesome. It’s been over twelve hours since our last—“

  “Mommy, can I have a cookie?” Mia tugged on my arm.

  “Sure, sweetie.” I handed her one of the cookies with bright red frosting that she’d picked out. She hadn’t eaten dinner yet, but screw it. I would give myself and my entire family heart attacks if I didn’t relax the rules a little more often.

  “Yay!” Mia snatched the cookie from my hand, and seconds later, Braylee and Max were reaching for cookies, too.

  Once the kids ran back into the living room, Tiff blurted out. “God, I’m so glad you guys aren’t getting divorced! We literally don’t like any other couples or any other people’s kids!”

  I laughed and shook my head. Tiff always said dumb shit. She’d had that problem since we were in college. “Um, thanks?” I furrowed my brow at her. “I’m glad you guys aren’t getting divorced, either?”

  “Oh, I’m super pissed at Mike. He sat on his ass all day while I got everything ready! I feel like that’s divorce-worthy.” Tiff shrugged and popped an olive in her mouth. “I mean, he’s still going to get laid tonight because I’m super horny, but tomorrow, he’s going to pay.” Tiff laughed and shot a fake glare at her husband.

  Mike made eye contact with his wife, then raised both eyebrows and glanced over his shoulder to see who Tiff was glaring at.

  “Yeah, you know what you did, dumbass.” Tiff laughed and rolled her big brown eyes. “Marriage is the best, right, guys? Let’s have a toast to not getting divorced.”

  Aiden

  The kids passed out in the car on the way home from Tiff and Mike’s party. I carried Mia, with her cute little face smooshed into my shoulder and her shiny blonde hair all tangled from her night of noisy fun with Bray. I was able to change our little deep sleeper into her princess pj’s without waking her.

  Sophie had no such luck with Max. He started crying the second that she lifted him out of the car. By the time I had Mia all tucked in, Sophie was still at the bottom of the stairs begging Max to come with her. I scooped up our son and flung him over my shoulder. I thought it might make him laugh, but it only made him cry harder.

  Sophie and I exchanged a glance and wordlessly continued with Max’s bedtime battle. Soph grabbed clean pj’s from his dresser while I wrestled him out of his clothes. With me pinning his arms down, Sophie was able to slide his pj’s on. The poor little guy passed out again the second his head hit the pillow.

  As Sophie and I headed down the stairs, she groaned and whispered, “They didn’t brush their teeth, and they had so much sugar tonight!”

  “It’ll be okay,” I whispered back. “One night won’t give them cavities.”

  Much to my surprise, Sophie sighed and nodded. “You’re right. It’ll be fine.”

  We headed downstairs and collapsed on the couch. It was 10:45 pm. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to stay awake until midnight, and Sophie looked like she was only going to last another five minutes. Her eyelids drooped, and her shoulders sagged.

  Yes, we’d just spent the last five days fucking. Yes, my dick would survive if we just went upstairs and passed out. But that was what the old Sophie and Aiden would do. I didn’t want to be that couple ever again. I didn’t want to lose the closeness I felt with my beautiful wife.

  I looked over at Sophie while she yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Hey,” I said. “How would you feel if we celebrated early and then went to bed?”

  Sophie smiled. “I love that idea.”

  I grinned and pulled Sophie onto my lap. I kissed her lips, followed by her neck. “Happy New Year, baby.”

  She smiled and sighed. “Happy New Year, baby.” Then she pressed her lips back into mine, burying her hands in my hair. Soph pulled away for a second and looked thoughtful. “Quick fuck on the kitchen counter?”

  My dick stood straight up, and chills ran down my spine. Suddenly I was wide awake. We hadn
’t fucked in the kitchen since we moved into this house three years ago, and the kitchen was one of my top five favorite places to have sex. Food and pussy—a man’s two biggest needs. If that wasn’t hot, I didn’t know the meaning of the word. I gripped Sophie’s hips. “What if the kids come down?”

  Sophie bit her lip. “I mean, they were passed out cold, but you’re right. That would probably scar them for life.”

  I shook my head and nipped at her neck. “We’ll be fast. They won’t come down.”

  Sophie gave me a flirty smile and stood to slide out of her jeans. I followed her sexy ass to the kitchen while unbuttoning my pants. Sophie stopped in front of the island, and I lifted her to sit on it.

  “Well, shit, I think these countertops are the perfect height, baby. Why the hell haven’t we done this yet?” I slid into Sophie, neither of us bothering to take our shirts off. If we kept our shirts on, there would be less for our kids to see if they came downstairs.

  Sophie let out a soft moan and then laughed. “Kids, babe.”

  “Those little shits are bad for romance, aren’t they?” I thrust into her and kissed her neck and collarbone.

  “So bad.” Sophie sighed and dug her nails into my back.

  I was probably thirty seconds away from orgasm when we heard a bedroom door open. “Shit!” Sophie slid off the counter and hid behind it. I yanked up my pants as Max’s little face appeared at the top of the stairs.

  “I’m thirsty, daddy,” he said. Max started to run down the stairs, and Sophie’s eyes filled with panic.

  “Go get back in bed, dude. I’ll bring you some water.”

  To my great surprise and relief, Max nodded and bounced back to his bedroom. Sophie let out a slow deep breath as I grabbed a green plastic cup and filled it with water. I pointed at her. “I will be right back. Don’t move.”

  I carried the cup of water up the stairs and set it on Max’s nightstand. As I turned to leave, I caught sight of the rocking chair by his window and remembered New Year’s Eve three years ago, when Max was only a few months old.