“Is it always going to be like this?” Michelle asked between pants.
Jake chuckled under her. “I hope so.”
After he’d teased her with a slow removal of his costume, he gave her three explosive orgasms in the living room. They hadn’t bothered with dressing and moved to the bed, landing in a crumpled heap of blissful exhaustion.
Sometime in the early morning, Jake woke her with his kisses before pushing her over the edge once more. It seemed they still couldn’t get enough of each other.
They were incredibly compatible in, under, over, and out of the sheets. He listened and genuinely showed interest in the things she had to say. They shared similar interests and beliefs. They clicked.
“Elle?” he murmured against her skin.
“Yeah?”
“Good morning.”
Michelle giggled. “Great morning to you.”
“What time are we going to Eric and Janey’s?” he asked.
She bolted up, effectively shoving Jake to the side, and looked at her clock. The red numbers flashed ten twenty-eight in the morning. “Shit!”
Michelle threw the covers back onto Jake, but before she could stand, his arm wrapped around her waist. His short beard came to rest on the crook of her neck.
“Talk to me,” he said calmly.
“We’re late. At least I am.”
“Okay. Late for Janey’s or something else?” he asked and pulled her onto his lap.
Skin to skin with nothing in between them. She focused on slowing her heart—that now beat faster for a different reason.
“I told Janey I would come over early and help with dinner. I’m late—shit, where is my phone?” she asked. Looking at her nightstand, she didn’t find it attached to the charger.
Jake placed her on the floor by the bed. “Go shower. I’ll find your phone and bring it to the bathroom. I’ll send Eric a text letting him know we are running late. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Michelle’s feet moved to follow his commands before her brain could catch up. She never did well under this kind of pressure. It was one reason she stayed late at work. That added pressure wasn’t there, and she could get things done a little early. Her brain frazzled easily, and it seemed Jake was the calm voice of reason. She reached the door and looked over her shoulder as he slipped on his boxer briefs.
“Thanks, Jake.”
Faster than she expected, they were cleaned and dressed. They worked as a unit. One shoveled the driveway while the other moved the gifts to the car.
Michelle Harper: On our way! So sorry!
Janey McCleod: I hope it was hot, sweaty sex.
Michelle Harper: You’re awful!
Janey McCleod: No, I’m horny and can’t screw Eric blind thanks to doctors’ orders.
Michelle Harper: Visual! Stop it, gross. See you in a bit.
Janey McCleod: Chelle?
Michelle Harper: Yeah?
Janey McCleod: He’s a great catch. I’m really happy for you both.
Michelle looked over at Jake who drove her car. Her friend was correct. Jake was a fantastic catch, and she really didn’t know how she got lucky.
“Everything okay?” he asked with a nod toward the phone in her hand.
“Yeah, girl talk.”
He chuckled and kissed the back of her hand before putting it on his thigh. “Enough said.”
Eric let them in when they arrived. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” they echoed. Michelle looked up at Jake and couldn’t help the smile plastered to her face.
“Chelle?” Janey called from the kitchen.
They worked side by side, each person taking a task to deliver a tasty meal. It seemed every time she looked at her friends, she found them watching Jake and her. If not for their stupid grins, she would have felt self-conscious over it all. Not even Bobby was keeping their attention for any length of time. She knew Janey well enough to know the woman was about to burst.
Not even five minutes into their meal, her friend pointed between them with her fork. “How did you two meet anyhow?”
Michelle looked from her friend to Eric, who only smiled. She wasn’t getting out of this any longer. “Well—”
“I knocked her to the ground,” Jake said and ate another bite.
The table was silent for a moment as they all processed this little fact. Michelle followed Jake’s lead and took another bite.
“You knocked her to the ground?” Janey repeated.
“Mhmm,” Jake answered around a mouthful of food. When he didn’t elaborate, everyone stared at her.
Michelle gave them a quick rundown of how they met, leaving out how spectacular that kiss under the mistletoe was.
Eric laughed. “That’s why it took you so long to bring the sub Janey was craving.”
Jake nodded and took a sip of his drink. He then explained that the night they met, it was Eric who’d texted him while they were in the diner. Eric knew Jake had gone out for air and to grab a bite of food. It turned out that Janey was craving a sub, and Eric begged Jake to bring her one.
“Air?” Michelle asked him.
Jake’s eyes flicked from hers to their friends and back. “Being around pregnant women hasn’t been easy on me since Emily.”
Michelle put her hand on his thigh and squeezed it. “Got it.”
“Now we know why you were… different,” Janey said, looking between them.
“Yeah, Elle left me shaken up.”
“Elle?” Eric and Janey asked with a smile.
Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her head. “My Elle.”
The rest of the time with their friends was spent comfortably. They took turns cuddling Bobby. At least, they tried. It seemed Jake had a real soft spot for their godson.
The women gushed over the gifts Bobby received for Christmas. Janey squealed when she opened the one Michelle bought her. The men only sat back and chuckled at their glee.
“I want to do a toast,” Eric called out. “To our sweet Michelle. Thank you for the best Christmas gift… bringing our friend back to us.”
The simple toast packed one hell of an emotional punch. Eric and Janey’s eyes were misty with unshed tears, and Jake raised his hand to cup her face.
“I used to not want to live after Em. I was in such a dark place, a shell of the man I used to be. Michelle Harper, I’m sorry I hurt your wrist, but I’m not sorry I knocked you over.” Jake cleared the tears that fell from her eyes at his words. “I know we haven’t known each other long. I also know that I didn’t plan on loving anyone after Emily… but it seems none of that matters. Somewhere in these last couple weeks, everything changed. I love you, Elle.”
“I love you too,” Michelle said past the lump of emotion in her throat.
They sealed their declaration with a kiss. It was filled with promises and hope. Her heart thumped against her ribs and blood rushed through her ears. This man made her knees weak in the best ways possible.
Jake put his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas. Let’s go home”