Shit.

  This is gonna be bad.

  “Gimme a minute then I’ll show you.” When I pulled my cell from my pocket, she tried to move away to give me privacy, but I tightened my hold. Seeing my cousin’s name on the screen, I connected the call. “Hey.”

  “Bad news,” Hutch said by way of greeting. “We’ve gotta postpone the wedding. Everyone is snowed in. Caterers. Staff. Hell, even the priest.”

  “Babe,” Kelsey sniffled in the background, “don’t say hell when you’re talking about the priest. We don’t need more bad luck.” That was all I could understand before she began sobbing.

  Posey tried again to move, and I shifted my hold to her sexy as hell ass. She rolled her eyes at me, but the heat in them betrayed her real feelings. When she mouthed something about her socks, I gave her ass one last squeeze before releasing her so she could deal with the wet fabric.

  “I tried calling your room but didn’t get an answer,” Hutch said. “Take it that means you found who you were looking for.”

  “Yeah, I’m at Posey’s right now.” I watched her gorgeous face go soft, a sweet little smile curling her fuckable lips.

  “Good for you,” he said without a trace of anything but pure fuckin’ happiness on my behalf. “I’ll touch base when I’ve got an update on what’s happening.”

  “Wait, where is—” Kelsey started before the call ended.

  Thank Christ.

  “Want me to cook us some breakfast?” I tossed my phone down on a little table and reached for Posey, but she dodged my hold.

  “You know what’s unfair?” Taking a few steps down the hall, she turned and continued backward. “Your Christmas wish came true, but I didn’t even get to make one.” She whipped off her sweater and shoved down her sleep shorts, leaving her completely naked. “How about I sit on your lap and tell you what I want?”

  I was already stalking toward her before she finished her sentence, throwing off my clothes as I went.

  Like promised, Posey rode my dick while her sexy voice whispered all sorts of filthy things in my ear.

  By the end, I was left with a long list of my own Christmas wishes I was determined to make come true.

  “We’ve gotta get out of bed eventually.”

  I cupped between Posey’s legs, feeling her drenched pussy in my palm. She could probably use a break, but until she told me so, I wasn’t volunteering to give it to her.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “To shower. Eat breakfast. Or maybe lunch. Dinner? I have no clue what time it is.”

  After getting off the phone with Hutch, we’d fucked before crashing, waking up, and fucking again. Somewhere in that second round, we’d knocked over her alarm, a glass of water, and whatever else she had on her bedside table. It was a wonder the table was still standing.

  I teased a finger along her slit. “Got everything I wanna eat right here.”

  “That might be, but if I don’t drink something soon, I’m gonna get dehydrated.”

  “Can’t have that happen. Go shower, and I’ll cook.”

  “Sounds good.” She tried to stand, but I tugged her back to kiss her before finally letting her go.

  I sat up and watched her sexy ass sway until she closed herself into the bathroom. Pulling on my boxers, I went into the kitchen to see it was almost two in the afternoon.

  Shit, I need to feed my girl.

  My girl?

  Fuck, I sound like Jake. Or Kase or Lars or Nox.

  That didn’t stop me from smiling as I pulled out the stuff to make caprese BLTs. I was plating them up with chips when Posey came out dressed in leggings and a sweater that hung off her shoulder. As soon as she was within reach, I hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  Even when we weren’t fucking, I was touching her. I had to.

  I couldn’t get enough.

  She grabbed her plate. “This smells amazing.”

  Pressing my lips to her exposed shoulder, I breathed in. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  “I thought you were going to join me in the shower,” she admitted, more than a hint of disappointment in her sexy voice.

  “Wanted to.” I dragged her hand down to the front of my boxers so she could feel how badly. “Really fuckin’ wanted to. But if I did that, we wouldn’t eat anytime soon.”

  I let out a hiss as she grabbed my cock through the fabric and batted her pretty eyes at me. “I don’t see the problem.”

  It took all my control, but I encircled her wrist and pulled her hand away. Not before pressing it harder against me, of course. I wasn’t a fuckin’ saint.

  “Food first,” I muttered.

  “Let’s watch a movie while we eat.” Not waiting for my response, Posey headed for the living room, assuming I’d follow.

  She assumed correctly.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  TO LUSTFUL CUPCAKES

  POSEY

  “I’m gonna throw that fuckin’ thing into the snow.”

  Damn.

  Things were just getting good.

  Not the movie. I had no clue what was happening with that.

  After we’d finished eating the delicious sandwiches Eli had whipped up, neither of us had paid the movie any attention. Even before that, my focus had been split between the food, the TV, and the ever-present tension that crackled between us.

  It was our make out session that was getting good. Eli had pulled me to straddle him, and his hard-on had just forced itself out of the waistband of his boxers.

  Fabric and elastic were only capable of containing so much, and his dick was definitely an unconfinable beast.

  I dropped to the side, falling to the couch with a bounce so he could grab his ringing phone from where he’d left it on my entryway table. “Hurry and get it so you can come get this.”

  Eli didn’t offer a witty comeback or return my flirting. He just hurried.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “Brother,” a low, gruff voice came through loudly, like the man was right in my house.

  He must have put it on speaker.

  “Merry Christmas,” whoever said. “Harlow got word at the station about a storm heading your way fast.”

  The door opened before Eli shot back, “You mean this one?”

  “Leave it to meteorologists to fuck up the timeline. Wish I could be wrong all the time and still have a job.”

  “How long did they say it would last?”

  I took advantage of the break, heading for the bathroom. My eyes met his at the other end of the hallway, and he shot me a wide smile and a wink.

  I was ninety percent sure I orgasmed on the spot.

  I made a mental note to refill my water while I was up. I may have been kidding about dehydration, but I was beginning to suspect it was no longer a joke.

  Between my arousal and my orgasms, it was a distinct possibility.

  When I returned to the living room, Eli was sitting on the couch, still talking to whoever. His eyes ran down me before reaching out and yanking me onto his lap. I let out a little yelp and glanced at his phone before doing a double take.

  For one, he wasn’t on a speakerphone call—he was on FaceTime video one.

  And second, the man he was talking to looked like Jason Momoa, but with dreads and pretty blue eyes. It seemed wrong to describe a badass’ eyes like that, but whatever. They were pretty.

  “Stop checking out Kase, my pretty Posey,” Eli teasingly whispered in my ear—although the way he tightened his possessive hold said it wasn’t exactly a joke.

  “I’m not,” I hissed. I was noticing, in a scientific way, that he was attractive. Not as hot as Eli, but still.

  Eli made introductions, and at my awkward little wave, Kase’s grin grew. “Here I was, worried you were trapped alone for the holidays. Looks like you found a good present under your tree.”

  “Wait, he’s not alone?” a woman said in the background. The camera jostled and then there was a gorgeous redhead in Kase’s lap. She leaned closer to the camera and grinned like she was genuinely thrilled to see me. “Hi, I’m Harlow.”

  “I know,” I said before cringing. “Eli talked about you all. I’m Posey.”

  “I love that name.” Her eyes went to the top of the screen like she was looking over our head. “Are you at the hotel?”

  “Uh, no,” I said as Eli tilted the camera to give her a better look at my living room. “My house.”

  Harlow and Kase both laughed at the funky deer décor. “This is too good. Hold on.”

  The view jostled again, giving me motion sickness.

  “Where you going with my phone, ipo?” Kase called.

  “Be back.”

  There was more jumping around and rustling. Eli was unconcerned, softly chuckling as his lips pressed to my shoulder.

  The image steadied, but rather than showing a pretty redhead or a hot dreadlocked guy, it was aimed at an unbelievably decadent looking tray of cupcakes.

  And Eli was worried about me checking out Kase.

  It’s those cupcakes that are really filling me with lust.

  “Eli has a woman,” Harlow said.

  “Is she on the phone?” another woman asked.

  “Don’t worry, I muted it.”

  She had not, in fact, muted it.

  For the first time since Eli had pulled me into his lap, I found myself bracing. Actually, I found myself wanting to pole vault over the back of the couch to hide.

  There were a lot of reasons people put calls on mute. But a big one?

  To talk shit.

  I didn’t care if Harlow thought the worst about me. I cared what Eli thought, and he’d shown he was into me.

  And he’d done that by literally being in me as often as he could be.

  I may have been confident in myself and Eli’s feelings toward me, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear nasty insults.

  Before I could speak up to let her know we could hear, Harlow continued talking. “He’s snowed in with her and looks damn happy about it.”

  “At the hotel?”

  “No. Her house. How romantic, right? And, for once, we’re not the last ones to know,” Harlow said with a squeal. “Yay us. I mean, also yay Eli because Posey is gorgeous—a total smoke show. And he’s so sweet, so yay Posey. I guess yay all around.”

  I nearly melted into a puddle of relieved goo. Flattered and relieved goo.

  “I wanna meet her,” the other woman said.

  “Let me unmu… shit.”

  “Lemme guess, you didn’t mute.”

  “I did not.”

  The screen blurred again, and then it was Harlow standing next to an equally gorgeous, curvy woman.

  She wiped her hands on a pink apron that was totally at odds with her rocker look.

  This must be Piper.

  Now I really want those cupcakes.

  “Hey, I’m Piper,” she confirmed, raising a tattooed arm to wave.

  “Posey,” I said back even though she clearly knew.

  “Sorry, Posey.” Harlow blushed nearly as red as her hair. “The guys gossip worse than a book club. I was just excited to have the scoop first for once.”

  “No worries.” I smiled so big, my cheeks hurt. “I’m always happy to accidentally overhear compliments.”

  “Wow.” Piper’s gaze went to Eli, and she gave him a thumbs up. “Good pull, dude.”

  “I’m hanging up,” Eli said.

  “Hold on, Jake is gonna wanna say hey.” She pulled the phone away before calling, “Baby!”

  A few seconds later, a gruff voice came across the line. “You ready to kick everyone out and let me have the sweetness—”

  “We’re on FaceTime,” she rushed out, but her cheeks were instantly flushed and her voice was breathy.

  “Next time, lead with that, sweets.”

  Jake—Eli’s boss and friend—appeared on screen.

  “Is it something in the water there?” I blurted before wanting to choke on the words.

  Eli gave a jealous growl, Jake smirked, and Piper tossed her free hand out as she dramatically drawled, “I knoooow. Trust me, we’ve already suggested they change the name to Hot Dude Garage, but they won’t go for it.”

  “They should reconsider. The brand would build itself.”

  “Think of the merch opportunities.”

  Jake gave his wife an amused smile that was filled with so much love, I felt like a voyeur witnessing it. After a moment, he dragged his attention to Eli. “You good?”

  “Storm blew in early, so I’ll likely be here another few days.” In the little rectangle at the bottom that showed us, I saw his gaze dart to me then back. “Maybe longer.”

  If he was waiting for me to protest, he’d be waiting a while. I hoped the mountain roads were the last to be plowed.

  Maybe sometime the following winter.

  “No worries, Key and Xavier knocked out the Rover yesterday, so everyone is off ‘til the new year. Stay safe, yeah?”

  Eli gave him a chin lift. “Merry Christmas, boss.”

  “Don’t kiss up to me, Piper already said she froze some cookies for you.”

  “That’s ‘cause she likes me more than you.”

  Jake flipped off the camera before Piper shifted it onto herself again. “It was nice to meet you, Posey. I hope you come to visit. Soon. Like, super soon.”

  I couldn’t stop the way my body unconsciously tightened. With my ass parked in Eli’s lap, there was no way he hadn’t felt it.

  “Piper,” he warned.

  “What? I’m just saying, she’d make the perfect vacation keepsake.” Dropping that loaded bomb, she rushed out, “Okay, be safe, stay warm, conserve body heat, bye-bye.”

  The screen went blank.

  “Sorry about them,” Eli said. “They mean well, but they’re nosy as fuck.”

  “From what they said, the men are the worst,” I shot back playfully.

  “Yeah, we really are a gossipy group of fucks.” He grabbed the remote. “Ready?”

  I nodded and settled in as he pressed play. That time, it wasn’t the sexual electricity or Eli’s mouth that distracted me from enjoying Tom Hardy and his inner monster.

  It was the giant, neon countdown clock that hung over our heads.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  TO FINDING OUT WHERE TACOS ROAM FREE

  POSEY

  I could get used to this.

  Wait. No, I can’t. Not at all. It’s like a vacation.

  Fun for a few days, but then it will get exhausting. Boring. More hassle than it’s worth.

  Standing in my kitchen, I stirred chowder while my thoughts bounced around. It’d been a day since Piper had unintentionally cast a cloud over our happy little holiday fling.

  Eli and I had watched movies. We’d talked. We’d fucked, snuggled, and slept wrapped up in each other. But still, that cloud had been there. Hanging over us. Lurking like an elephant in the room.

  Or like the unsaid words incessantly on the tips of our tongues.

  At least in my case. I wasn’t sure if Eli felt the same. For all I knew, I was projecting my emotions onto him.

  As if I’d conjured him with my angsty thoughts, he came into the room to cop a feel of me and steal a bite of the soup. I was surprised it’d taken him so long to do either.

  “Still coming down?” I asked about the snow as I grabbed bowls.

  “Hard and fast.”

  “That’s what she said.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Not that I could blame him, it was an outdated and overdone joke, but I’d use it until the day I died.

  I handed him some soup. “You okay?”

  His face softened, and he cupped my cheek. “Never better. Wanna finish our movie?”

  “Yeah.”

  We sat on the couch with our dinner, but as soon as we got the movie going, the TV went out.

  Followed quickly by the rest of the power.

  “Shit.” I turned my phone’s flashlight on. “I was hoping we got lucky.”

  “I’m surprised it took this long.” Eli gestured to the fireplace. “Does that work?”

  “Yeah, it was just serviced this month. But we might not need it. Hold on.” I went to my closet and grabbed the stack of heavy blankets.

  When Eli saw what I had, he quirked a brow. “Don’t think those are gonna cut it against this weather.”

  “Just wait.”

  Eli grabbed the heavy load from me while I carried our dinner into the kitchen. I paused for a second to grab my key from the hook and check the fridge. The shining light showed the backup generator had kicked on.

  Good. At least I won’t have to go out and hunt for our next meal.

  I don’t even know where tacos roam in the wild.

  Closing it, we continued toward the backdoor.

  “Not quite picnic weather, either,” Eli joked.

  “But there won’t be any ants.”

  “True. There also won’t be any soup. It’ll be a popsicle.”

  “So will we.” I opened the door and stepped into the small foyer before unlocking another to reveal my recording studio.

  Eli gave a low whistle. “Sweet setup, pretty Posey.”

  When my parents died, I could’ve moved into their nice house in town. Instead, I’d set it up as a vacation rental and used the profits to redo the cabin. The back was expanded into a soundproof office with all the best upgrades and features, including a recording booth, small fridge, an en suite, and one of those big modular couches that could be rearranged into different shapes.

  “Since the generator can only do so much, it’s just hooked to the kitchen and my office,” I explained.

  “And I thought I was a workaholic.” He walked into my booth, making the already tiny space look microscopic. It was a wonder he even fit. Rounding my microphone, he studied it with a technical eye, looking at the specific features, not just the shininess.

  While also, blessedly, not touching it—another show of respect for tools.

  “Ha, ha,” I deadpanned, though he had a point.

  When I’d gotten snowed in in the past, I’d used the time to work. There hadn’t been much else to do since I wasn’t in the habit of getting stranded with a gorgeous man who put my mind and body to much better use.

 

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