He takes my hand, towering over me, and it’s all I can do to keep from leaning in and inhaling a whiff of his cologne-scented skin. The man is temptation personified. I do my best to look unaffected, but all I want to do is release the string on his sweats. Somewhere between hating him and trying to forgive him, he’s unleashed the dormant hussy that dwells inside of me.
“So, you miss me?” He teases, and I roll my eyes. “Want to demonstrate how much?”
“Don’t push your luck, Jenner.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” It’s then I see some of the light I’ve been missing return in his eyes. “I’ve got a few notes to go over, and then I’ll come by.” I let my eyes drift down a little more before glancing at his open books.
“What’s your major?”
“Electrical engineering.”
I couldn’t be more shocked if he’d shot me.
He chuckles. “That look you’re giving me isn’t insulting at all.”
“Sorry,” I sputter. “It’s just…you failed sixth grade.”
He shakes his head. “Keep underestimating me, Ms. A. I like surprising you.”
“No issue there. It seems to be working in my favor.”
“Nothing better than a challenge.” He runs his tongue along his plump bottom lip, his eyes doing a full sweep as my pulse kicks up between my thighs.
“Easy, tiger. It’s a dinner invite. And please put a shirt on, or there’s a good chance Parker will lick you.”
r /> The corner of his mouth lifts. “Wouldn’t want her to beat you to it.”
“Dream on, stud. And stop looking at me like that.”
“Thought you missed my attention?”
“Oh, shut up.”
Troy
It’s the smallest things. The way she worries her lip when she concentrates. The way she tucks the hair behind her ears before pushing up the sleeves on her sweater. A sweater that’s way too big. No matter how hard I try, when I’m around her, I can’t stop feasting. The four of us gather in the living room with mountains of decorations surrounding us. Parker hooks the ornaments handing them to Dante, who strategically places them on the tree. Clarissa bought a little electric fireplace to sit in the corner of the living room which warms the space. Soulful Christmas music is playing, the atmosphere relaxed. From behind my door to the inside of hers, it feels like a different world. And for the first time in weeks, I breathe a little easier.
It’s a different home in comparison to the one I live in. Our tree is a sad ass Charlie Brown number Theo bought and decorated with exactly four Grand ornaments. It’s a far cry from the lush Fraser Fir my boy is decorating. I love the light in his eyes, which I have decided are his mothers’. The minute I entered the house, and Dante greeted me with open arms, my mood shifted.
This was precisely what I needed to suck up the loss.
And the fact that Clarissa admitted she missed me, well that’s a different league of feelings. Feelings I’m not ready to act on just yet. With her, it’s a curved line to walk. I could tell the other night I’d let her down. I haven’t backed up a word I’ve said when it comes to her because of our lingering issues, but she doesn’t seem to hold it against me, which is surprising.
“Hey, you, lazybones. Quit acting like you played four quarters today and open a box,” she jokes, pushing a large tub my way. “We’ve got work to do.”
“If I’m going to work, I’m going to need more of this.” I lift my empty mug of eggnog, and Parker does the same.
“Me too. What’s in this? It’s like magic on my tongue.”
“Agreed,” I say, warming from the slight buzz of rum.
“It’s an old recipe, y’all like it?” Clarissa beams with pride.
“Which girlfriend was this?” Parker asks.