You belong here.
Have I ever belonged anywhere?
“Hey, it’s okay, shh.” Reid’s hands cup my jaw, his lips peppering kisses all over my face, as I stand broken and put back together all at once before him. “Don’t cry; I want you to stay,” he says without stopping. “I want you to call me Christmas and I want to fall asleep in your arms and I want you to pretend you’re not a morning person when you totally are.”
“You made me fall in love with you,” I rasp, making him pull back and narrow his eyes.
“Made you, huh? That’s what every guy wants to hear.”
“You did,” I say, my voice stronger. “Because you wanted me when I didn’t want myself. When I’d given up hope on finding happiness—of allowing myself to indulge in more than just a physical release.” Reid scrunches up his nose and I grin, pressing my mouth to his until he melts into me, and I can kiss him like I want to—with tongue and teeth and all the things that I never thought I’d have again.
“No more talking about orgasms with other people,” he pants. “Those are mine.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, Reid, I’m sure.”
“But how?—”
I crush my mouth to his, if only to get him to stop talking. “Because I love you. And you made every moment of my past worth it because I get to be here now. With you.”
“I don’t know if I like this non-grumpy version of you,” he muses, but I can only smile and pull him close because even though it’s only been hours since we were in bed, an entire lifetime has passed where I didn’t know if I’d ever have this again.
“I can still be grumpy if you want.” Sliding my hands down to cup his ass, I squeeze, and he whimpers.
“Only sometimes.”
“Anything you want.”
“I think being loved by you is more than enough.”
“And the dirty talk,” I add, making him blush. “Can’t forget that.”
“I do love that,” he says coyly before threading his fingers in my hair and pulling me down for a sweet kiss. “But I love you the most.”
“That’s the best present I’ve ever gotten, Christmas.”
“Me too, Mr. Frost, me too.”
EPILOGUE
HARLAN
“Itold you we were going to be late,” Reid grouses in the passenger seat as I park my truck in a side lot and turn in my seat to look at him.
“May I remind you that our bedroom is covered with every sweater you own becauseyou had nothing to wear.”
He sniffs, tilting his chin up in defiance as he crosses his arms over the jacket covering the current winner of the sweater games.
“I just wanted to look nice.”
“You always look nice, Christmas,” I murmur, grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him toward me. “You look sexy and delicious and so damn handsome all I want to do is take you back home and fuck you the way we both like.”
His pupils dilate and he licks his lips, and I can see him debating if weactuallyneed to be here today as his gaze drops to my mouth.
But we do.
