The Geek Who Saved Christmas

“It’s fun.” He grinned at me.

“Okay, you have to wear the cookie one tomorrow,” Brandon said as we neared our shared driveway. “I need to see one of these dapper outfits.”

“Please,” Elaine added with big eyes.

“I…” I stumbled over a graceful exit. Christmas Eve was one thing, but I couldn’t simply invite myself to Christmas.

“You need to feed the cat anyway, right? Grab a tie while you’re there,” Paul ordered. “Then hurry back. Brandon talked me into eggnog before bed.”

“I’m sleeping over?” Head tilting, I studied him carefully. Maybe Brandon had been right earlier and an alien had replaced his brother.

“Of course. It’s Christmas Eve.” Brandon wrinkled his nose like I was missing some obvious point. “Where else would you sleep? Don’t feel you need to sneak around on our behalf.”

Where else indeed. I blinked.

“Don’t you want to be here for Christmas morning?” Elaine made a pouty face, and yes, yes I did, and she didn’t even know the real reason why.

“I need you to make sure I don’t screw up the apple waffles you made me put on the menu.” Paul leaned in, then added in a whisper, “Say yes.”

Agreeing was only too easy, especially with Paul right there, warm and delicious-smelling with his lips still against my ear. “Yes.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Way to go, holiday volunteers! A record donation to the community center projects! Many thanks to Gideon for organizing. I, for one, think the temporary traffic hassle was worth it. ~Cheryl Bridges posted to the What’s Up Neighbor app

Gideon

Sleeping next to Paul without sex was going to do me in, especially when he was all good mood and laughter on the way to bed.

“What’s so funny?” Still buttoning my pajama shirt, I turned toward Paul, who was chuckling as he had much of the evening. His lack of grumpiness was throwing me off-kilter.

“You have Christmas pajamas.” He gestured at my plaid shirt and bottoms, both of which were a couple of years old, purchased for a group holiday vacation.

“So I do.” I channeled one of his stock responses to cover my rapidly heating cheeks. I’d felt a little silly packing the pajamas along with clothes for tomorrow after feeding the cat at my place. But Paul had all but ordered me to sleep over, and hell if I could say no. But I still wasn’t sure what to make of the laughter.

“You’re fucking adorable.”

I snorted, not sure I liked the “adorable” label. “Had I known you apparently lack pajamas of all varieties, you too would have Christmas pajamas.”

While I had changed clothes, Paul had dug through his dresser, muttering until he’d come up with a faded pair of gray sweatpants. And if I was adorable, he was criminally sexy, especially since he’d yet to put on a shirt. The sweatpants rode low, exposing more of his defined muscles, and there needed to be some sort of regulation against showing off hipbones that bitable on a night when I couldn’t do more than look.

“If you slept over more often, you’d get more say in my pajama choices,” Paul said easily as he scooped up my jeans from the floor and put them on the chair in the corner. My glasses were already on his nightstand, almost as at home in this room as I was.

“Somehow, when I sleep over, we never make it as far as the pajamas.”

“Yup. And I like that.” Wrapping me up in a hug, he nuzzled my neck.

“Hey now.” I wiggled away before he could get me hard and make my common sense flee. “We can’t be starting anything,”

“Why not?” He frowned but didn’t seem that deterred as he ran a finger along the neckline of my shirt.

“Your brother is down the hall,” I reminded him in an urgent whisper.

“Down the hall. No shared walls.” Paul made a dismissive gesture before striding over to lock the door. “And I personally made sure the bed doesn’t squeak. I think we’ve tested it enough times to make sure of that.”

“This is true.” I could feel myself starting to relent.

“It’s Christmas Eve.” He resumed kissing my neck, and this time I didn’t wiggle away. “Don’t people get Christmas Eve wishes?”