And when they were finally too tired to do more than lie heavy in each other’s arms, Lula fetched tea and cookies from downstairs, and they spent the evening in bed watching old movies, cuddling close until they fell asleep to Christmas carols and the warm glow of the Yule Log station.

Carter woke up the morning of December twenty-fourth holding everything he would ever need in his arms. Lula’s cheek was warm on his chest and her long, graceful arm was wrapped around his ribs, holding on tight, even in her sleep. She felt like a miracle, like all the dreams he’d been holding close for the past few years coming true, and he couldn’t wait to get started on forever.

As soon as he could sneak away, he was going to go pick out a ring and hopefully, by the end of the evening, it would be sitting on Lula’s ring finger.

They could take as much time as Lula needed to set a date and plan the wedding—years if she needed them. He was willing to wait however long it took for her to be sure she was ready, but he wanted her to know where he stood. He wanted Lula to have a symbol of his commitment to her, and he was prepared to put the last of his dwindling savings where his heart was.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, smiling down at her when she made a sleepy sound and stretched. “How’d you sleep?”

“Wonderfully, perfectly,” she said, looking up at him with a grin. “I had the most amazing dreams. We were camping in the desert, and the sky was full of stars, and it felt like there was no one on earth but you and me.”

“Was I kissing you in this dream?” he asked, turning his head to press a kiss to her bare shoulder as his hand crept beneath the tank top she’d worn to bed with her flannel pajama pants.

Lula arched into his touch with a happy sigh. “You were. Just like that.” She moaned as his fingertips found her nipple and began to tease it in circles. “That feels amazing, but I have to open the shop in half an hour. I can’t stay closed up again today.”

“That’s why quickies were invented, L.J.,” Carter said as he disappeared under the covers, not coming up for air until Lula was naked and begging for more.

“Yes,” she cried out, her arms locking around his neck as he drove to the end of her.

He groaned as her tight, slick heat surrounded him. She felt so good, so perfect, and every time they made love was better than the last. “I love you,” he murmured into her hair as he rocked in and out, pausing at the end of each thrust to circle his hips, making her breath come faster. Moments later she shattered, calling his name as her body pulsed around him, sending him over the edge seconds behind her.

“So good,” she panted, arms wrapping around his ribs and holding tight. “Don’t ever leave. Stay here forever.”

“Yes ma’am,” he drawled. “Though we might get some funny looks if we go down to serve customers naked and tangled up.”

Lula giggled. “True.” She kissed him on the cheek before patting his bare ass. “I’ve got to jump in the shower, but feel free to go back to sleep and come down whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m getting up, too,” Carter said. “I’m going job hunting. Sawyer thinks he might have an opening on the ghost town reconstruction crew. Going to start there and then swing by the hardware store and talk to Bear. He said the community bulletin board is still a good place to look for handyman work.”

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Lula said with a stunned smile. “I can’t believe you’re here to stay.”

“Believe it, baby,” Carter said, hoping the ring he was going to splurge on today would make it clear that he meant business. “You’re going to have to kick me out of town wearing spurs if you want to get rid of me.”

“Not a chance, cowboy.” With one last kiss, Lula was out of bed and on the move, bustling around the apartment while he dressed and made coffee.

Just getting ready for the day together was a mini-miracle to him. He treasured every moment, from the sound of Lula’s heels clicking on the hardwood as she walked back and forth in the bedroom, to the smell of her perfume as she hugged him goodbye and told him she’d have lunch ready when he came home.

Every moment with her was a balm that soothed the ragged places in his soul. He was happier than he’d been in years and the future was only going to get brighter.

He passed the day in a haze, every “Merry Christmas” he heard, as he walked down the street, an affirmation that the hard times were behind him. It felt like the entire world was celebrating his redemption. It might be a chilly, overcast December day with snow in the forecast for the first time in years, but to Carter the world was filled with light, love, and hope.

Tags: Lili Valente Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net