“Perfect,” we said together.
I dipped back down to kiss him, then collapsed at his side, catching my breath.
“I feel,” I said, a short time later, as I ran my finger through the pool of cum cooling on his chest, “that there’s a joke to be made here about mountains of frosting.”
“But you won’t make it,” he said sounding very severe and also slightly drunk. “Because that would bebad.”
“Or maybe it would beexcellent,” I mused. I ran my nose into the sweaty hair at his temple. “Maybe I’ll look back on this moment and regret losing the opportunity.”
“Remember those revenge plans you worked out against Parker and Jamie?” he said lazily, rolling toward me just slightly and insinuating his leg between mine. “Erection-melting Christmas displays?”
“Yeah.” I held him tighter and buried my face in his hair. “Why? You threatening to set up decorations on my lawn? Because honestly? I don’t care if you have every milkmaid in O’Leary out there—”
He laughed. “Arethere milkmaids in O’Leary?”
“Liam, I have no idea what Henry Lattimer gets up to in the privacy of his own home, okay?”
He laughed harder.
“But it doesn’t matter how many people camp out on the lawn or what kind of carols they sing, I can’t imagine not wanting you, so don’t even bother.” I swiped a finger across his chest again and smiled smugly. “And apparently the feeling’s kind of mutual, considering howmountainousthis level of fros—”
“I know where the dancing Santa is,” Liam whispered.
“What?” I laughed weakly. “Please.”
“And all the dancing reindeer too.”
“You wouldn’t—”
“No! Of course I wouldn’t!” he laughed, waving a dismissive hand. “Gosh, no, Gideon! Imagine reindeer bells shaking on your dashboard every time you start the engine? Imagine Santa Claus shoutingho ho hofrom the shower every time you use the toilet? That would be… It would be…cruel, really. Wouldn’t it?” He paused and pulled back just slightly, enough for his green eyes to meet mine. “Or maybe… maybe it would beexcellent. Maybe I’d look back and regret missing the opportunity.”
I pressed my lips together for a second, fighting laughter. “You’re a devious man, Liam McKnight.”
“I know.”
And I was in love with him. I was pretty sure I’d never stopped.
I ran a hand down his flank, and he trembled against me, which made me want to kiss him. And the beautiful, beautiful thing about this moment right here was thatI could.
SoI did.
Chapter Twelve
Gideon
“Hmm. It’salook,”Hazel said, pursing her lips and tilting her head as she considered one of the many, many Christmas trees Ross Landscaping had set up on the empty baseball field behind the elementary school. “But it isthelook?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Hazel Grace, how many other trees have we looked at?”
“Fourteen.”
“And you’ve rejected…”
“Fourteen.”
“Because they were too big or too full or too naked or too smug.” I shook my head. “Still don’t know how a fu—fa la la-ing tree can be smug.”
“Look at it,” she commanded, pointing at the tree behind me, which looked a little lopsided, like it was standing with its hip cocked out. “Smug.”
