{"id":33128,"date":"2014-03-14T10:07:37","date_gmt":"2014-03-14T14:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shilohwalker.com\/website\/?page_id=33128"},"modified":"2014-03-14T10:09:12","modified_gmt":"2014-03-14T14:09:12","slug":"a-present-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.shilohwalker.com\/website\/about\/free-shiloh-walker-books\/a-present-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"A Present for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/address>\n
Copyright Shiloh Walker 2008<\/address>\n
Revised 2011 \u00a0<\/address>\n
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. \u00a0All rights reserved. This ebook is free. \u00a0<\/address>\n

 <\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t coming.<\/p>\n

David resisted the urge to check at his watch.\u00a0 He doubted three minutes had passed since the last time he looked.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need to watch the second hand of his Rolex tick away the few precious seconds he had left before he had to board his plane.<\/p>\n

Come with me, Cris.<\/i><\/p>\n

David\u2026I\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t.<\/i><\/p>\n

He\u2019d been replaying their talk from Sunday over and over.\u00a0 Hell, for the past three days, that brief exchange had pretty much dominated his thoughts.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t have rushed.\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t have pushed.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t have sprung it on her like that.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like he couldn\u2019t have flown back here a few times a month, spent the weekends with her\u2026maybe invited her to come visit his home for the holiday, instead of asking her to move to Ohio to be with him.<\/p>\n

I can think of another thing you shouldn\u2019t do\u2014keep standing here and brooding.\u00a0 It\u2019s over.\u00a0 It\u2019s done.\u00a0 She isn\u2019t coming.<\/i><\/p>\n

That was the voice of common sense, of reason.<\/p>\n

But there was another voice in his head that wouldn\u2019t shut up, a voice that kept whispering, The one thing you shouldn\u2019t do is get on that plane.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a choice.\u201d\u00a0 The consulting job in Anchorage had been temporary, and he\u2019d only agreed to do it as a favor to his dad.\u00a0 He had a life in Cincinnati and he needed to get back to it.<\/p>\n

Yeah, and that life is going to be a lot of fun without Cris.<\/i><\/p>\n

Shit.\u00a0 A life without Cris\u2014he didn\u2019t even want to think about it.<\/p>\n

He swore and turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose.\u00a0 He\u2019d pushed too hard and when she\u2019d pulled back, he had panicked.\u00a0 Not very well done of him, but now he didn\u2019t know how to undo it.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d pushed.\u00a0 Too hard.<\/p>\n

A voice came over the intercom.\u00a0 His flight\u2014time to board. He looked at his boarding pass and then lifted his gaze once more to study the terminal.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t here.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t coming.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have a holly, jolly Christmas<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the best time of the year<\/i><\/p>\n

Cris could have happily grabbed the radio off the shelf and stomped on it until it was nothing but busted plastic and useless wires.\u00a0 Holly.\u00a0 Jolly.\u00a0 Ho, ho, frickin\u2019 ho.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t her radio.\u00a0 It belonged to her best friend and sooner or later, Sara would want it back and Cris wasn\u2019t about to explain the radio\u2019s destruction.<\/p>\n

So instead of smashing it, she turned it off and plunged her hands back into the sink, washing cup after cup.\u00a0 Glass after glass.\u00a0 Plate after plate.\u00a0 Even though there was a dishwasher not two feet away, she washed the entire load of dishes by hand, because it kept her mind occupied.<\/p>\n

Unless she turned around, she couldn\u2019t see the clock.<\/p>\n

Right now, not seeing the clock was good.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to watch the seconds between now and 11:15 tick away.\u00a0 At 11:15, David would be on a plane, heading back down to the Lower Forty-Eight, back to his life.<\/p>\n

Away from Alaska.<\/p>\n

Away from her.<\/p>\n

Come with me, Cris.<\/i><\/p>\n

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about the past Sunday.\u00a0 If she thought about it too much, she\u2019d change her mind.\u00a0 Call him-tell him that she\u2019d come with him.<\/p>\n

And she wasn\u2019t going to do that.\u00a0 This was home.\u00a0 Even as much as she loved him, leaving here felt wrong.\u00a0 Even the thought of it was enough to make her recoil.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re thinking about it again,\u201d she muttered, shaking her head.\u00a0 The mundane task of washing all the dishes left over from last night\u2019s \u2018little\u2019 get-together had yet to prove as mind-numbing as she\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n

She finished in a hurry. \u00a0\u00a0The dishes that wouldn\u2019t fit in the rack by the sink, she went ahead and loaded them into the dishwasher.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t keeping her distracted enough, so she had to do something else.\u00a0 Something to keep her mind occupied for the next day or two.\u00a0 On Saturday, her brother and his family were flying in from Fairbanks and once they were here, she\u2019d have enough going on to keep her from thinking about the huge gaping hole in her heart.\u00a0 So she just had to hold out until then.<\/p>\n

But not here.<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t walk through the apartment without finding vivid reminders of David in every fricking room.<\/p>\n

The kitchen table\u2014she remembered how they\u2019d been setting it for the Thanksgiving dinner she\u2019d cooked, just for the two of them, and as she\u2019d leaned over the table to fiddle with the centerpiece, he\u2019d leaned over her, slid a hand up her skirt, toying with her black cotton thong.<\/p>\n

In the living room, she found herself thinking about how they\u2019d spent an entire weekend watching B movies, eating pizza, munching on popcorn.\u00a0 Every time something scary had happened on the screen, Cris had squealed and buried her face against his chest.<\/p>\n

Then there was her bathroom-they\u2019d gone skiing a few weeks earlier and after they\u2019d gotten home, she\u2019d taken a hot shower to warm up and he\u2019d slipped in behind her.\u00a0 The floor had ended up almost as wet as they were by the time they were done.<\/p>\n

And her bedroom\u2014damn it.<\/p>\n

Considering they\u2019d only known each other for five months, he\u2019d sure as hell made an impact on her life.\u00a0\u00a0 Setting her jaw, she strode into her bedroom and grabbed a small suitcase from the closet.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t staying here for the next two days.<\/p>\n

She grabbed the phone and punched in a number.\u00a0 Beth Sanders, her best friend, answered, her voice bright and so damned happy, it made Cris wince.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Cris\u2026did you change your mind about coming over?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth sighed.\u00a0 Cris could picture her, running a hand through short, spiked hair, her bright blue eyes darkening with concern.\u00a0 \u201cHoney, you don\u2019t want to spend the day alone.\u00a0 I mean\u2026it\u2019s Christmas.\u00a0 And it\u2019s your birthday\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Cris rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI know what day it is, Beth.\u00a0 And no, I don\u2019t really want to spend it alone\u2014\u201d\u00a0 I want to spend it with David<\/i>\u2014\u201cbut trust me, I\u2019m not up to dealing with your family for the day either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she winced, realizing how it sounded.\u00a0 \u201cCrap.\u00a0 That sounds terrible, it\u2019s just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand,\u201d Beth said gently.<\/p>\n

Cris had no doubt her friend did understand. She huffed out a breath.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHell, so am I.\u00a0\u00a0 That jerk\u2014I should have known he was too good to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe isn\u2019t a jerk,\u201d Cris said.\u00a0 She meant it.\u00a0 If David had been a jerk, it would have been so much easier.\u00a0 If he\u2019d made demands, given her an ultimatum\u2026anything other than being as perfect as he always was, this would be so much easier.\u00a0 She could have spent last night getting drunk with her friends and complaining about men.\u00a0 Instead, she\u2019d let Beth talk her into that last minute get-together that had ended up consisting of upwards of thirty people, lasting until one in the morning.\u00a0 Cris had spent most of the time playing hostess and trying not to notice how so many of her friends had ended up in pairs.\u00a0 Most of them weren\u2019t going to be spending the day alone.\u00a0 Even those that weren\u2019t married had made plans, some with lovers, some with friends, and some with family.<\/p>\n

Christmas was one damn lousy time to be alone.<\/p>\n

Silence stretched out between them.\u00a0 Normally, the two of them always had plenty to talk about, but Cris wasn\u2019t in the mood to talk. She wasn\u2019t in the mood to do anything but sit and brood.\u00a0 Or think about the ticket and the business card that was tucked inside her desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an open-ended ticket.\u00a0 If you change your mind\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d <\/i>At least, she didn\u2019t plan on changing her mind, and she didn\u2019t plan on letting herself follow through even if she did.<\/p>\n

Cris would be miserable away from here, so completely miserable\u2026<\/p>\n

Kind of like you are now?<\/i> a sarcastic voice demanded inside her head.<\/p>\n

Ignoring the voice, she said to Beth, \u201cI was wondering if I could use the cabin for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth and her brothers had a fishing cabin an hour north of Anchorage.\u00a0 Their parents had given it to them after they\u2019d decided they wanted travel after they\u2019d retired.\u00a0 Complete with a Jacuzzi tub, satellite TV, a fully-stocked bar and enough food to last her through a blizzard, it was the perfect place to spend the next few days.\u00a0 Far away from any reminders of David, and far enough away that she\u2019d have time to talk sense into herself if she even tried to change her mind about the ticket tucked inside her desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you can use it.\u00a0 But are you sure that\u2019s how you want to spend Christmas?\u00a0\u00a0 What about us going out shopping and for dinner on Friday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can do it next week,\u201d Cris said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd yes, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 I\u2019m already packing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is insane,\u201d David muttered.<\/p>\n

He shoved a hand through his hair and flicked another glance at his watch.\u00a0 Already past one\u2014the woman had said she\u2019d meet him here at 12:45 at the latest.\u00a0 Of course, they normally didn\u2019t do business on Christmas Eve\u2026<\/p>\n

The sound of a powerful engine had him looking up.\u00a0 The bright red pick-up slowed to a halt and David made himself quit pacing.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t let himself look at his watch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was nearly five by the time Cris made it to the cabin.\u00a0 She\u2019d stopped at Carr\u2019s to pick up some comfort food.\u00a0 The cabin had plenty of staples, but when she was depressed, she needed ice cream, French fries and buffalo wings and she wasn\u2019t taking a chance on those things not being there.<\/p>\n

Fat, fluffy flakes were gently falling as she parked in front of the cabin.\u00a0 Her phone rang as she made her way up to the porch, but she didn\u2019t bother answering.\u00a0 It was Beth again\u2014God love her, but the woman was going to drive Cris nuts if she didn\u2019t stop hovering.<\/p>\n

Her best friend had called four times since she\u2019d hung up the phone, the last time only thirty minutes earlier.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0She had \u2018a great idea\u2019\u2014after the kids opened their presents, maybe they could all come up to the cabin on Christmas.\u00a0 In the afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking off for a few days to be alone doesn\u2019t do much good if I can\u2019t be<\/i> alone,\u201d Cris had said pointedly.<\/p>\n

She thought that Beth had finally decided to stop worrying and just listen.<\/p>\n

But no such luck.\u00a0 Instead of answering, she sent a text message.\u00a0 Got to the cabin fine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you when I get home\u2014think I\u2019m going to lie down for a while and get some sleep.<\/i><\/p>\n

When Beth responded less than three minutes later with a reply, Cris didn\u2019t bother reading the message.\u00a0 She could read it later.<\/p>\n

After she gorged on buffalo wings and fries and a glass or two of her favorite wine.\u00a0 Or maybe the whole bottle.\u00a0 If she ended up with a hangover, she could just sleep it off tomorrow.\u00a0 Not like she had anywhere to go.\u00a0 Anybody to see.<\/p>\n

David\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n

His image flashed through her mind.\u00a0 Her heart clenched.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 No place to go.\u00a0 Nobody to see.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

David glanced at the GPS and then back at the road, squinting to see through the snow.\u00a0 Seven o\u2019clock on Christmas Eve, and the road was pretty much empty.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d left Highway 1 behind nearly forty-five minutes earlier and he was driving along at a crawl.\u00a0 The snow had started out with just a few flakes earlier in the afternoon, but in the past hour, it had gotten heavier and he didn\u2019t do enough driving in snow to trust himself.\u00a0 The last damn thing he needed was send his rented Hummer flying off the road when he lost control.<\/p>\n

Conquer the road\u2014<\/i>he snorted.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to conquer the road.\u00a0 He just wanted to make it to the cabin before midnight.<\/p>\n

He wondered if Beth had lost patience yet and called Cris, letting her know he was coming.\u00a0 After he\u2019d gone to Cris and used the key he hadn\u2019t yet returned, he\u2019d figured out real quick she wasn\u2019t home\u2014nor was she going to be for a day or two.\u00a0 The mess in her bedroom had clued him in real quick, and when he went look for her overnight suitcase, it had been missing.<\/p>\n

Beth had confirmed his suspicions\u2014grudgingly, at first.\u00a0 She\u2019d wanted to know he was asking.\u00a0 And she wasn\u2019t going to tell him until he gave her something\u2014<\/p>\n

I just realized I couldn\u2019t leave, Beth.\u00a0 I\u2026I\u2026<\/i>love her.\u00a0 But he hadn\u2019t told Beth that.\u00a0 Cris should hear first.\u00a0 I need her.<\/i><\/p>\n

Need as in for a while?<\/i><\/p>\n

Need as in forever.\u00a0 If she\u2019ll have me.<\/i><\/p>\n

She\u2019d given in then, grinning the entire time.<\/p>\n

So here he was, after rushing around and doing the best he could in the few short hours he had before everything shut down for the weekend.\u00a0 It had taken him a lot longer than he\u2019d liked, but since he hadn\u2019t gotten to Beth\u2019s until three, he\u2019d done well enough.<\/p>\n

Next to him, he had a picket basket, and damn, that<\/i> hadn\u2019t been easy to find in December, especially on Christmas Eve.\u00a0 It was filled with a gourmet meal that was probably cold now despite the chef\u2019s assurances that it would stay warm enough for the next few hours.\u00a0\u00a0 A couple bottles of wine.\u00a0 Roses.\u00a0 And a couple of presents.\u00a0 One of them, he\u2019d bought weeks ago and had planned on giving to Cris when she met him at the airport\u2014he\u2019d been so sure she\u2019d change her mind\u2026<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 And she wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 That was fine.<\/p>\n

He<\/i> could change his mind.<\/p>\n

His hands were sweating.\u00a0 Damn it, what if\u2026what if she\u2019d said no because she just wasn\u2019t that interested?\u00a0 What if he was rearranging\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn left in five hundred feet.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Swearing, David slowed the big SUV down even more and peered through the darkness.\u00a0 His headlights reflected off the snow back at him and he squinted.\u00a0 There\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Half-way through her bottle of wine and already down to the dregs of her Moosetracks ice cream, Cris heard the rumble of an engine before it was even half way down the road.<\/p>\n

Swearing, she shoved to her feet and went into the kitchen, grabbing her phone from the counter.\u00a0 She flipped it open.<\/p>\n

You have five unread messages.\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n

You have five missed calls.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, Beth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She gritted her teeth and started to tidy up the kitchen, dumping the ice cream in the trash, pouring her unfinished wine down the sink.\u00a0 Beth wouldn\u2019t have driven this far, this late, on Christmas Eve without her family.<\/p>\n

Which meant whether Cris liked it or not, she wasn\u2019t going to be spending Christmas, her birthday, alone and wallowing in her misery.<\/p>\n

Within a few minutes, Cris had finished cleaning up the small mess she\u2019d made, but she didn\u2019t have time to go change when she heard the engine cut off in front of the cabin.\u00a0 Instead of messing with it, she grabbed a hoodie off the hook hanging by the front door and tugged it on before opening the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeth, girl, you really need to learn\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The words froze in her throat as sea-green eyes met hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She looked dazed.\u00a0 David took advantage of her surprise by dropping the stuff he held and grabbing her.\u00a0 Hauling her against him, he slanted his mouth over her.\u00a0 She opened for him and he groaned into her mouth.\u00a0 Her taste flooded him, her arms twined around his neck and her sleek, soft curves molded to his body\u2014a perfect fit.<\/p>\n

Tearing his mouth away, he stared down at her, watching as tears welled in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDavid, what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He brushed a tear away from her cheek and smiled, trying not to let her see how damned nervous he was.\u00a0 All the what-ifs and maybes that had danced through his mind, he was about to find out the answers.<\/p>\n

Either she\u2019d been letting him down gently when she refused to come with him to Cincinnati, or she\u2019d felt the same way he had when he realized she wasn\u2019t coming\u2014like his heart had been ripped out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here because you\u2019re here,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

She shivered in his arms as a wind kicked up.\u00a0\u00a0 Even under the covered porch, the snow was piling up.\u00a0 He nudged her inside and then bent down, collecting the stuff he\u2019d dropped.<\/p>\n

She closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, watching him as he put the picnic basket down, the roses, the tote that held wine, wineglasses and a corkscrew.\u00a0 The presents he\u2019d tucked inside his coat pocket when he\u2019d gotten out of the SUV.<\/p>\n

Nervous, he tucked a hand inside his pocket, touching the two small boxes.<\/p>\n

What if\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 Not thinking about what-ifs.\u00a0 At least not those<\/i> what-ifs.<\/p>\n

Five feet away, Cris watched him with unreadable eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, you\u2019re here because I\u2019m here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you didn\u2019t show up at the airport, I figured something out.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d been reading the paper, trying to keep his mind occupied while the rest of the passengers boarded the flight.\u00a0 The picture of the house he just leased just outside Chugiak State Park had leaped out at him\u2014sunlight sparkling on windows, gleaming wooden planks.\u00a0 Beautiful\u2014<\/p>\n

She licked her lips and asked, \u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can work anywhere.\u201d\u00a0 He crossed the small foyer and braced his hands on the wall by her shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just as easy to do consulting from here as it is from Cincinnati.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Something flashed through her eyes\u2014quick and bright, but gone so fast, he wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d read it right.\u00a0 Dipping his head, he kissed her neck.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 It is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026ah\u2026what, you think you\u2019re going to stay a few more months?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t his plan at all.\u00a0 A few months wouldn\u2019t work.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t leave Alaska\u2014or maybe she couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Whichever one it was, it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t leave, and he realized he wasn\u2019t going to leave without her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not going to stay a few more months?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh,\u201d he murmured, reaching between them and tugging on the zipper of her fleece hoodie.\u00a0 It parted down the middle, revealing a plain white cotton tank top that glowed against golden skin.\u00a0 \u201cFew months isn\u2019t going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gasped as he cupped her breast through her shirt.\u00a0 Her eyes glazed over as he gently pinched her nipple.\u00a0 \u201cAhh\u2026uh, why won\u2019t a few months work?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sank to his knees in front of her and pushed her shirt up, baring her belly and her breasts.\u00a0 He started at her navel, licking it and then moving upward, tracing his tongue along the slope of her breast, then around her nipple before taking the erect flesh into his mouth, sucking on it, using the edge of his teeth just so.\u00a0 She cried out, bracing her hands on his shoulders.\u00a0 He cupped her hips in his hands and eased her down until she was straddling his lap.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few months won\u2019t work because you\u2019re not going to change your mind in a few days, a few weeks, a few months…are you?\u201d He lifted his head and smoothed her shirt down, staring into her eyes.<\/p>\n

A soft flush rose to her cheeks, turned them a dusky pink.\u00a0 She pushed lightly against his shoulders.\u00a0 It damn near killed him, but he let her go, watched as she rose and started to pace, watching him from under her lashes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid, I\u2026I can\u2019t.\u00a0 This is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHome,\u201d he finished as her voice trailed off.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s your home.\u00a0 Which means I\u2019m going to have to find a way to make it mine, too.\u00a0 That\u2019s why a few months won\u2019t work, Cris.\u201d<\/p>\n

That look\u2014it was back in her eyes, and this time he realized what it was.\u00a0 Hope.\u00a0 Wonder.\u00a0 Need.\u00a0 She blinked and caught her lower lip between her teeth.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean\u2026you mean, you want to stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re here, I\u2019m here,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

She launched herself at him, her mouth coming down on his, her giddy laugh muffled against his lips as he kissed her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hands flew.\u00a0 Clothing was tugged, jerked and thrown away\u2014David thought he even heard something rip.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Ripped clothes, a gourmet dinner going cold, the near-blizzard that was going on just outside, none if it mattered as he wrestled with Cris\u2019 pajama pants, stripping them down her legs and settling between her slender thighs.<\/p>\n

He paused only long enough to snag his jeans and dig a condom out of his pocket.\u00a0 Foil tore and he fumbled the latex down over his length then he was on her\u2014in her\u2014losing himself\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid,\u201d she moaned as he filled her.<\/p>\n

\u201cCris\u2026\u201d\u00a0 he buried his face in her hair and lost himself.<\/p>\n

Sweat gleamed on flesh.\u00a0 Moans rose and fell in the air.\u00a0 Her hands slid down his back and cupped his ass, her torso arching as she rubbed herself against him.\u00a0 She tightened around, hot, so hot, burning him through the thin barrier of the condom.\u00a0 Sweet and sleek, soft and hot, she melted around him.<\/p>\n

The desperate need, the hunger, the love that had haunted him over the past few days took over.\u00a0 Gentleness was lost.\u00a0 He raked his teeth over her neck.\u00a0 Her nails dug into his flesh.\u00a0 \u201cHarder,\u201d she pleaded.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome for me,\u201d he ordered, working a hand between them and circling his thumb around her clit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck me harder,\u201d she begged.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome for me,\u201d he rasped, biting her lower lip.<\/p>\n

She came.\u00a0 He swore and slammed into her, harder, harder, loving the way she went so tight as she climaxed, loving the way her voice broke as she cried out his name, loving the way her nipples stabbed into his chest and the way his heart clenched as she said his name again, softer\u2026on a sigh.<\/p>\n

Loving her\u2026<\/p>\n

Lost in her\u2026<\/p>\n

He buried his face against her neck as his own climax swept up and took him.\u00a0 His cock jerked, pulsed, inside the snug sheath of her sex.\u00a0 Her arms came up, twining around his neck, one hand cupping the back of his neck while the other stroked his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Cris,\u201d he muttered, finally giving voice to something he\u2019d known for weeks.<\/p>\n

Longer.<\/p>\n

She was quiet.<\/p>\n

Summoning up strength from somewhere, he managed to push up onto his elbows and stare down at her.<\/p>\n

She stared at him, her face flushed and damp, her eyes wide and stunned.<\/p>\n

A smile curled her lips.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dipping his head, he kissed her chin.\u00a0 \u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shoved against his chest,\u00a0 squirming around until he lifted up again.\u00a0 She licked her hips and said it again.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

The look on her face\u2026it did more to soothe all those worries and what-ifs that still danced through his head than anything else could.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was sitting on the plane.\u00a0 They were getting ready to close the doors.\u00a0 And I got up, got off the plane.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t leave\u2026because you weren\u2019t with me.\u00a0 Yes\u2026really.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sniffled.\u00a0 Tears escaped.\u00a0 So did laughter.\u00a0 She threw her arms around him and squeezed.\u00a0 \u201cDavid, I love you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The food in the picnic basket was cold by the time they got around to eating it.<\/p>\n

But they didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

Sitting in front of the fire place, wearing nothing but his shirt, Cris chowed down on the best cold lasagna she\u2019d ever had in her life.\u00a0 David wore just his jeans, although he had his coat nearby.\u00a0 \u201cYou cold?\u201d she asked as she popped one more bite of lasagna into her mouth\u2014she was starving.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced at his coat.\u00a0 \u201cThen why is your coat over here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n

As he grabbed the jacket, she took a sip of wine.\u00a0 Damn good wine\u2014better than she usually had, because the shit cost about fifty bucks a bottle up here.<\/p>\n

She choked on her next drink though as David pulled something out of the coat pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want your Christmas present first, or your birthday present?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cris blinked at him and then stared at the two velvet boxes he held.\u00a0 \u201cAhhh\u2026which one will I like the most?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019m kind of hoping you\u2019ll like your birthday present the most.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of last minute, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the Christmas present first.\u201d<\/p>\n

The firelight danced off the diamond earrings as she opened the box.\u00a0 \u201cOh, wow.\u201d\u00a0 Sparkly stuff\u2026man, she loved sparkly stuff.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure this is the Christmas present?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I\u2026well, I\u2019ve had them for a few weeks.\u00a0 After Sunday, I kept debating about whether to bring them by, or maybe mail them, although I kept hoping I\u2019d see you at the airport, could give them to you then.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lowered the box.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t apologize,\u201d he said, leaning in and kissing her, quick and hard.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sorry you didn\u2019t show up.\u00a0 I\u2019m just sorry it took me that long to figure out what I needed to do.\u00a0 What I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her hands shook as she took the earrings out of the box and put them on.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m almost afraid to see the other present.\u201d With a forced playfulness, she asked gestured towards the other box.\u00a0 Another small, velvet box.\u00a0 Wrapped with a\u00a0 bow.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is that one\u2026a ring?\u201d<\/p>\n

He tucked it into her hands.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Not yet\u2026maybe for Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tearing the box off, she opened the box. \u00a0Firelight glinted off metal.\u00a0\u00a0 She lifted her eyes and stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a key.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI signed a lease today on a house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lease?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I want you to have a copy regardless, but I was wondering\u2026ahh\u2026well, I don\u2019t want to rush this or anything.\u00a0 But\u2026well, I dunno\u2026maybe you could move in with me.\u201d\u00a0 He studied the fire like it had him mesmerized.<\/p>\n

But then he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cOoomph.\u201d\u00a0 His breath gusted out of him as she dove for him.\u00a0 She held the key clutched in her hand, hardly able to believe this was happening.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Cris\u2026really?\u201d<\/p>\n

She lowered her mouth to his.\u00a0 As their lips touched, the old grandfather clock began to toll.\u00a0 Midnight.<\/p>\n

Christmas.<\/p>\n

And her birthday.<\/p>\n

Lifting her head, she smiled at him.\u00a0 \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy Birthday, Christmas,\u201d he whispered back.<\/p>\n

She grinned at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt is now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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