The Christmas Olympics

Marshmallow World

I hadn't made any moves to get out of bed, neither had Arden. We'd whiled away most of the morning, engrossed in one another's bodies, exploring the undiscovered with our mouths. When we moved together, I'd never felt more connected to another person, like Arden knew exactly what I wanted just by sensing the movement of my body, the timing of my sighs and gasps.

Now, we laid facing one another, our bodies bare and faces flushed, legs together, smiling. I laid on my side, looking into her eyes, losing myself in the intense color, while Arden ran a lazy trail up and down my side with her fingers.

"I could stay here all day," I murmured, my eyes sliding closed.

"Mmm," Arden hummed. "So could I."

"Why did we wait so long?"

"Because you're stubborn." When I opened my eyes, Arden was smiling. A small chuckle escaped my lips. "What?"

"Nothing. I just—I can't believe this happened." I grinned. "Several times."

"Is your disbelief a good thing?" Arden asked, her hand stilling. Her eyes flashed and I saw her confidence waiver. I leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her mouth.

"Of course it's a good thing. The best disbelief I've ever had." I stroked my thumb along her jaw. "I don't love being wrong, but if this is what being wrong means, then I'll gladly be wrong for the rest of my life."

Arden smiled. "Is the great Morgan Whitley finally admitting she was wrong?"

"Hey, I've admitted it before."

Arden kissed me. "I know. I just like hearing you say it."

"You're the worst." Arden grinned. "Honestly, I thought you were flirting with me to mess with me."

"I was."

"You were?"

"I wasn't lying when I said you're gorgeous; when I first saw you after fifteen years you took my breath away. I couldn't believe how beautiful you'd become—and I'd already thought you were stunning in high school." Arden paused, a smile curling on her lips. "Then you spoke, and I realized you hadn't changed at all. You were always so angry—" Arden tapped her finger to my brow—"and always frowning, but I couldn't help the subtle flirting—I was attracted to you. But then I realized how much it got under your skin and how much it made you blush, and then, well, I couldn't help it. It was so much fun to annoy you. It always has been."

"So you were only flirting with me to annoy me?" I asked, feigning indignance.

"I was flirting with you because it was fun and I thought you were cute. But then, yes, I was more flirting with you because you got so angry and that frown was adorable." Arden laughed. "Yes, that exact face you're making now. But your face at the polar plunge was absolutely priceless. I knew I couldn't not say something about it. You were checking me out that day, weren't you?"

I felt the blush tinge my cheeks at being caught, despite us being in bed together. "Yeah—it was hard not to stare. You're—" I propped myself up on one elbow and gestured to Arden's body, seemingly carved in the image of a goddess—"gorgeous. Like, unbelievably so. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you wanted to sleep with me. You're out of my league by leaps and bounds."

Arden leaned in and gave me a long, deep kiss. She rolled me over onto my back and pressed me into the bed. When she pulled away, she whispered. "I was checking you out too. I'm not even ashamed."

"You're so manipulative," I teased. "I can't believe you used your body to get the advantage in that competition."

"It's all part of the game." Arden leaned over and kissed my neck. I sighed. "And you're irresistible, Whitley."