Page 18 of Home for Christmas
She gives me a nod and I let her go. It’s what I have to do if I want to keep her. She needs time to figure out if what she wants is me because once I put my mouth on her…I won’t ever be letting her go. Once I sink deep into her tight little pussy, she’s as good as married to me. And that will be happening as well if she agrees to this bargain.
We spend the day playing games with the moms and getting ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas. It’s still snowing off and on but not as bad as yesterday or last night. I bring in more wood for all the fireplaces before coming in and finding Marley. I catch her in the kitchen laughing while helping the moms make dinner. I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her causing her to yelp and try to jolt out of my grasp.
I don’t think so little runner. Not this time. I’ve let her grow and have time, but now her time has run out. She’s mine. I run my hands up under the bottom of her sweater and place my cold hands on her warm skin.
“Sweet heavens, your hands are freezing, Tannen.”
I bury my face in her neck and take in her sweet scent. “You look tired, sweetheart.”
She turns her head so she can stare into my eyes. It brings our mouths very close to one another.
“You… think I look tired, like bags-under-my-eyes-I-look-like-shit tired?”
“No, baby, like you’ve had a couple of long nights and need a nap. You look amazing as fuck. And you smell fucking delicious.” I bury my face back in her neck and drag in her scent before meeting her eyes again.
“The moms are going to realize something is up with all this whispering and…stuff.”
We both turn to look at the moms but they are on the other side of the room with their heads together…whispering like we are.
“How do you know they just won’t think we’ve reconnected and are friends again?”
“Because, um, well…friends don’t hug like this?” It comes out as more of a question than an absolute. Her eyes turn up to me asking for confirmation.
“Yes, they do, especially when one of them is taller than the other one.” I feel compelled to tell her it’s alright. Whatever we do is always going to be alright.
We both turn to check on the moms who are still whispering, still up to something. “See. Totally normal.”
After supper and clean up, we all go to the living room to hang out by the fire and read or play more games. I pull Marley overonto me with her head in my lap and play with her strawberry blonde hair while she reads one of her romance books on her Kindle. At first, she is stiff and noticeably uncomfortable but she slowly starts to relax and eventually drifts off.
“Bless her heart, did she not sleep well last night, Tannen?” My mom asks me, momentarily halting my fingers.
“Our fire got low late in the night and woke us both up.”
“Oh, I hate that! I can never go back to sleep after I wake up like that - early in the morning. Do you remember that one hotel we stayed at in New Orleans, Kate?”
As the two moms start to reminisce with one another, I go back to rubbing Marley’s shoulder and playing with her silky hair. After thirty more minutes, her mom looks over at me.
“Do you want me to wake her and take her upstairs, Tannen, so you don’t have to sit with her on top of you?”
“I don’t mind her resting on me at all, Ruby. She’s fine and when we’re ready to go to bed, I’ll carry her upstairs.”
“Aww, you are such a sweet boy, Tannen.”
“He’s going to make some lucky lady very happy, Ruby.” Kate winks at Ruby and Ruby returns the wink before they go back to what they were doing.
Eventually, I carry Marley up to bed just like I said I would. She wakes up halfway up the stairs.
“What…?”
“Bedtime, baby.”
Chapter Fifteen
Marley
“I fell asleep, didn’t I?”
He gives me a nod and keeps carrying me even though I am mostly awake now.