Every December [Soon to be Self Published]

Chapter 21

Austin

Ashley puts off our visit for one more night while they get the house ready for Christmas. As much as I want to see Lydia around her friends, I'm not going to lie, that means another night alone with her, preferably naked in front of the Christmas tree, or wherever in this house, making use of the many rooms. I shake my head, grinning, already needing to turn down the effects those images are having on my sensitive parts. I need to check myself. The taste of her is still on my mouth, her body taking in my orgasm forces me to shift the arousal forming.

Going from hot to cold isn't hard. Not with our upcoming evening. I'm giving into something far less in my wheelhouse. The town is hosting an amateur ice skating show-God help me. The tree lighting ceremony was painful enough, but I'm committed to making Lydia's memories enough to carry over to the new year, when we both go home and that timeline is suddenly speeding towards Christmas Eve.

Going anywhere in public is a risk I avoid, but if we do it right, if we hang back, there's a chance people won't pay attention to me, and by extension she'll go unnoticed. The decision made, I go downstairs and meet her in the kitchen, looking forward to seeing her.

I catch her fiddling with a gumdrop on my gingerbread house. "Don't touch that," I startle her, causing a wave of laughter. "No wonder you ran from the wind. You scare easy."

Her face is scornful as she fixes a loose cinnamon bear. "Is this where I remind you why I was alone in the house up the road?"

"You seem to have a lot of anger about that." I give her a casual, heavy glance and let her see my gaze slide over her mouth and down her chest. "You need any help working that out?"

She turns her attention back to the gingerbread house. "First a mini lesson in golf, now an offer for me to deal with anger." She flashes her eyes at me, full of deep-seated desire, as if I'm seeing her inner most wishes. "Sounds like you're in the mood to teach."

A snort of laughter escapes my mouth, followed by a jerk reaction in my lower half. "Is there something specific you need help with?" I fold my arms over my chest, grinning from ear-to-ear.

She flashes a seductive side-eyed glance and bites her lower lip. "The list is really long...and you look like you just got out of the shower."

"Screw the shower." She laughs and turns her attention to the gingerbread house. I remind myself that I don't want her to miss out on the season she loves so much. As much as it pains me, I shove thoughts of my mouth all over her to the side and get my priorities straight. "Instead of me working on that long list of yours, I'm going to suggest something radical. Instead of living off cheese and crackers, we need an actual dinner. If you can go without my mouth on you for a couple of hours, we should get something to eat."

"We could just order in." She flashes a look full of energy, unaware that it's me who wants to be taught by her, but her cheeks flushed with pink at my not-so-subtle suggestion.

I lean against the counter casually, deciding how to use that energy, my gaze drifting over her mouth once more, heat flooding overwhelming me as I tear my gaze away. "I could also take you out tonight. People won't respect our privacy. We'll be interrupted, we'll be followed, and your photo will be taken."

She catches my gaze. "That's the kindest rejection I've ever gotten." Lydia takes a moment to consider the consequences of an evening out. "I don't want my personal life to be torn apart."

The setback in her eyes isn't lost on me. "A restaurant keeps us locked in one place, but there's an an ice skating show. We can go and try to blend in."

Lydia takes a moment to weigh the consequences. "I would love to go on a date with you, but I don't want to make your situation worse."

"You couldn't possibly do that. So? What do you say?" It's probably a bad idea, even still I want to do something normal. "Ice skating in the freezing cold?"