They’d watched a few movies yesterday with a couple of interludes. It seemed neither of them could keep their hands off the other.
Movies, sex, and food. What better way to spend a day? Michelle really couldn’t remember a time when she was so relaxed.
Jake made her comfortable. He took care of her needs in and out of the sack. He was sweet, funny, and sarcastic. They seemed to match each other in so many ways.
A nagging little voice wanted to say it couldn’t be that great all the time. Another voice punched it in the throat, and the bugger hadn’t said a peep in hours.
Michelle giggled at the thought as she dried off her legs. Looking up, she focused on Jake’s ass before he turned toward her.
“What?”
“Huh? Nothing,” she said. Her brows creased between her eyes.
“I don’t know, I think if you found me laughing at the same time I was staring at your ass, you’d probably throw that hair dryer at me,” he said, nodding at the dryer on the counter.
“True.” She giggled.
Michelle wasn’t a giggling female. Jake seemed to bring out a side of her she didn’t know existed. He made her laugh constantly, and she had to admit, being a giggling female wasn’t so bad.
“Good thing dinner smells delicious from in here, or else I’d have to give you a little spanking for being so mean.”
Her cheeks warmed at the image he painted. She also wasn’t the pull-my-hair or spank-me kind of girl. Jake seemed to bring out a whole new layer to her.
“I’m going to walk away now before I do something that we will both love.” He tossed his towel over his shoulder and walked away naked.
Michelle couldn’t help but admire his body as it disappeared through the door. Once she couldn’t see him, she moved to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She caught her reflection and noticed a glow that hadn’t been there before Jake plowed into her life.
It’d been over thirty-six hours together now, and it didn’t seem to be enough. Sure, some of that time was spent making each other come. The rest was spent cuddling and getting to know each other even more. Every minute together filled her heart with joy.
A few hours later, the Christmas ham and mashed potatoes were put away, and the kitchen was once again in order, thanks to Jake’s active involvement in the process. He even cut some ham into bite-size pieces and placed them on a platter next to the cheese slices and olives that were already there.
“Take this to the side table, and I’ll pour us some wine,” he said before shooing her out of her own kitchen.
Michelle slapped him on the ass. “Quit being so bossy!”
He chuckled at her as he grabbed the bottle of wine. “If you want my surprise you’ll listen, beautiful.”
She froze and stared at him. “Surprise?”
“Mhmm.”
Unlike some people, she loved surprises. Michelle carried the platter over and picked an olive off the side. Excitement filled her as she plopped down on her couch.
Jake handed her a glass and set his next to the food. “Memo to self, she really likes surprises.”
Michelle bobbed her head up and down with a huge smile. “Yes!”
She listened to some rustling followed by a few muffled curses that came from her room. Michelle had no idea what he was doing, but she did start questioning whether an ER visit was in order. “You okay?”
“Yeah!” he called back, his voice a little closer this time.
Michelle grabbed a piece of ham, cheese, and an olive and popped them into her mouth, giving the flavors her full attention. Only it seemed her timing was off.
She took a gulp of wine to push the food down after Jake appeared in the doorway.
“Merry Christmas, beautiful.”
Her eyes moved from top to bottom. He wore a Santa hat, no shirt, and red boxers with gold trim. Slung over his shoulder was a red velvet sack. She rose an eyebrow at his costume, then her lips tipped up in a smirk.
“Hellooo, Santa,” she said before giving him a cat call.
Jake chuckled. “I heard someone’s been a good, naughty girl this year.”
“I have!” she said excitedly and crossed her legs under her. She didn’t know where Jake was going with any of this, but she was A-okay with that fact.
“I’m glad, because I have a present for you.”
Michelle’s eyes dropped down to his red boxers, the image of what lay just behind the fabric coming to mind. She licked her lips and watched the fabric move.
“You know, there’s more to me than just my body,” Jake said and crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
“Oh, I’m quite aware of that. Now what’s this surprise you have, so I can make sure I use my manners and thank you properly.”
Jake’s eyes darkened with interest. “Elle,” he groaned.
He shut his eyes tight for a minute. She assumed he was summoning his control. As far as she was concerned, he didn’t need to. She was already considering the many ways she hoped to have her way with him.
Jake opened the sack and dug for the bottom. When his arm came back out, he held a small square box. It was neatly wrapped with a simple gold bow on it.
“Merry Christmas,” he said and handed her the box.
She smiled at him and squealed. “Thank you!” she managed to say before shaking the box next to her ear. When no sound gave her a clue, she ripped off the paper and opened it.
“Oh!” she whispered. Inside the box was the most beautiful engraved locket. On it was simply, “Elle” in a pretty script. The delicate chain matched the locket in white gold. “Wow,” she said, looking up at him.
“Do you like it?” the normally confident man asked. He worried his bottom lip as his eyes watched her nervously.
“It’s beautiful!” she said and hugged him. All the teasing and humor from before were gone. “Will you put it on me?”
Jake’s large fingers fumbled with the tiny clasp before he finally got it on her. Michelle grabbed the locket and admired it. She pried the two halves open and found it empty.
“You can put a picture in there…” Jake whispered with a shaky voice.
“It’s gorgeous, Jake!” After rolling to her toes, she kissed his lips briefly. “Thank you.”
“When I saw it, I thought of you. I’m glad you like it.”
Her heart tumbled a little at his words as her eyes returned to the pretty locket between her fingers. “I love it. I want to put a picture of us in here,” she whispered and looked up with a smile.
Jake’s smile was brilliant and reminded her of a child on Christmas morning. It made her less nervous knowing she wasn’t the only one traveling these unsure waters.
He reached into the bag once more and she silently questioned him. “There’s something else—”
“Oh, Jake, you didn’t have to! This is more than enough!”
“Well, too bad, I like spoiling you.” He handed her another small box that made her wonder if there would be more jewelry. She really hoped there wasn’t.
The real stuff made her nervous. She wore a pretty set of diamond studs in one set of holes in her ears and pretty but cheaper stuff in the other hole. As it was, she had very bad luck with necklaces, but she would wear Jake’s.
Unwrapping the box, she glanced at him quickly and opened it. Inside there were two cubes.
“For when you drink your Glenfiddich,” Jake said as he handed her a new bottle. “This way you don’t water it down.”
She laughed. “Wow, this is really thoughtful. I have seen these before online, but have never been able to find them. Thank you, honey!”
Michelle put the gifts down after kissing his lips, this one a little longer than the last. She nipped her overactive libido in the bud so she could focus. She moved to the tree and grabbed the two items she wrapped earlier.
“Merry Christmas,” she said, giving him the larger gift.
“Wow, what’s in here?” After placing it on the table, Jake tore at the paper. The box only mentioned The Hoppy Place Company. Jake rushed to grab something to open it. “What is this?” he asked with a raised brow before pulling out a large glass container.
“A starter homebrew kit,” she said, beginning to wonder if she’d picked a bad gift.
“What?” he asked with a large smile. He reached in and grabbed more odds and ends inside the box and placed them next to the glass container.
“The guy at Hoppy’s said it was their smallest and most basic kit. He suggested it in case you decided you preferred to just drink rather than brew it,” she spouted off nervously.
Jake stepped toward her and pulled her into an embrace. “This is an awesome gift. Thank you!”
“Really?”
Jake pushed her hair back and cradled her face in his hands. “Yes! I’ve been toying with the idea of brewing, but never pulled the trigger on it. It’s like you read my mind.”
“He said there was a local place in town that sold the hops and malt you’d need. I guess it’s a pretty popular place. I didn’t realize how big homebrewing was until I bought the kit.”
Jake stepped back and examined the different parts he pulled out. “Yeah. I know a few friends who have gotten into it.”
As she watched him, her heart bubbled over with happiness. Seeing him so excited made her wonder what a morning of gifts would be like with kids.
Kids.
Whoa.
Michelle shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She didn’t want to put the cart in front of the horse after all. With the movement, she caught the other gift that sat unwrapped on the table.
“Oh, hey, I forgot!” she told him as she handed him the smaller box. “Careful, make sure you don’t drop it,” she added when it wobbled in his hands.
Jake unwrapped it and pulled out a pint glass. His thumb slid across the etching in the glass that read, my brew’s better than yours.
“You can use it to drink whatever beer you make,” she said. She was proud of herself for thinking of this gift. Originally, she considered something cheesy like, Jake and Michelle established 2017. The only problem she had with that was the worry that she would jinx it all.
“It’s great. Thanks, Elle. These are the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me.” His eyes shimmered for a moment before going dark with desire.
Michelle cleared her throat. “You still have one more gift to give me.”
His brows knit together with confusion. “Huh?”
She sat on the couch and looked up at him. The fire’s light glowed over his body. “Since Santa arrived a little early, I think he should take off his suit before anyone learns the truth.”
Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “You’re right. Only…”
“Only what?” she asked, hearing the breathlessness in her voice.
Jake put the glass in its box followed by the hoses into their box, building the anticipation between them. “On whether you’re on the nice list or the naughty list.”
Movement caught her eyes, and she watched as the loose Santa boxers tented. “I guess you should come over here and check.”