Western Waves (Compass 3)

Before he could finish, I was standing in front of him, placing my lips against his, kissing him hard, trying to fight the emotions sitting behind my eyes. “This is the sweetest gift ever.”

He laughed. “It’s just scones.”

“No. It’s definitely more than that.”

I kissed him again, seeing if it was more. More than friends. More than an arranged marriage. More than…

He kissed me back, wrapping his arms around my lower back. His fingers massaged my skin, and my hands fell against his chest as we stayed interlocked.

“How bad would it be if I took you back to bed for a little while?” he asked.

I smiled. “I could rest a little,” I replied, coy.

“Trust me, Cinderstella. We aren’t about to rest in there.”

He took my hand into his and led me in the direction of our room.

Our room? Was it ours?

Were we an ‘our’?

Be here now, Stella. Don’t overthink.

He was right. We didn’t rest. We fell together, making love in the most passionate way as the white Christmas lights against the window glistened in the darkened room. Every time Damian touched me, it felt romantic, it felt peaceful, it felt right.

Afterward, we lay there completely out of breath, dripping in sweat and breathing heavily. I flopped off from on top of him—because I was no longer afraid of being on top—and panted from my exhaustion.

“That was…” I released a weighted exhalation.

“Yeah,” he replied, complete with his own sigh of pleasure.

We lay there in the darkness, feeling nothing but the light within ourselves, in complete silence for a few moments. Then he looked over at me with a wicked smile resting against his lips. “Do you know what sounds great?” he asked.

I smiled bigger as if I could read his mind. “Blueberry scones.”

We headed to the kitchen naked and grabbed the fresh scones. Damian made a pot of coffee, and then we moved to the dining room. I sat on his lap, and he fed me scones as we cuddled and looked at the beautiful Christmas tree sparkling down the hallway.

“These scones might be better than Jerry’s,” I said, taking another bite.

He laughed. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

“No, really. I need this every Christmas morning now.”

“We can make that happen,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t mind.”

My overthinking mind came into play, and I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself as I leaned into him and rested my head against his shoulder. “Can I be vulnerable with you for a second and ask you a question?” I murmured.

“Always.”

“What are we?” I grazed my teeth against my bottom lip. “I mean, I know we are husband and wife by paper. And I know we are friends. But are we just friends with benefits, or are we… more than that?”

I lowered my head, feeling a bit embarrassed by the question.

“Stella...” He placed his finger beneath my chin and raised my head. “You have no clue how long I’ve wanted to be more than with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I just assumed I shouldn’t bring it up since you had your situation with Jeff that just ended. But… that’s all I want. All I want is you. All of you. Your body and your soul.”

My cheeks hurt as I smiled so hard. “Me too.” So much me too.

“It’s always nice when it’s a mutual thing,” he joked.

“Makes it a bit easier,” I agreed.

He grew a bit bashful and shifted us in the chair. “I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Well, lucky for you, you’ve had a wife, and rumor has it you’ve been the best husband ever.”

He laughed, and I loved the sound. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Your wife told me.”

“She’s pretty amazing.”

I shrugged. “You should wait to see what she got you for Christmas. You’ll probably really adore her.”

He kissed me.

I loved it.

“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” he swore, holding me close to his body. I turned so I was facing him, straddling him in the chair. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I held him close. “Is that so?”

“It is. I can’t even think of what you could’ve gotten me as a gift that’s better than you.”

I laughed. “You’re starting to sound like a romantic comedy, sir.”

“The Stella effect.” He chuckled, giving me more ocean kisses. “I’ve been hanging around you too much.”

“Do you want your gift now? I have to have Grams bring it over from the guesthouse but knowing Grams, I’m certain she’s up already awake.”

“That’s great. Then I can give her the gift I got her,” he mentioned.

My heart swooned. He bought Grams a gift, too?

Did he know it? Did he know he was such a good person?

After getting dressed, we called Grams over, and she came carrying gifts for both Damian and me.

“Merry Christmas!” she remarked, coming in wearing a grin from ear to ear. We all exchanged hugs and greetings before heading to the living room to open Grams’s gifts to us, and she opened ours.