Auggie woke slowly to find herself spooned up against Josh’s body. His arms were wrapped around her, his fingers combed her hair idly. One of his legs covered hers -- her foot pressed against his shin -- and the erection he sported pressed firmly against her backside.
“Merry Christmas, Mo Cuishle.”
In response, she yawned, stretching her body like a cat against his. Behind her, she felt his erection jerk, his body tense. He made no move to caress her, though. Instead, he loosened the arms which had clenched around her, stilled the fingers which teased her hair.
It made her smile. Her movement had not been a deliberate tease. Nor an invitation. She was simply warm and content under the covers with him and had still been half asleep when she flexed. The fact that he’d respected her enough to share his bed without attempting a seduction, had respected whatever it was she’d been feeling last night, only reinforced the love she knew she felt for him.
He might want her -- that was hardly a secret considering the rod of his shaft behind her -- but he wasn’t making an issue of it. Auggie had never before realized what a turn on that could be. Now that she did, she also recognized that she was going to have to be the one to make the first move here.
“Merry Christmas, Josh,” she murmured back, and this time when she shifted her ass against his erection, her actions were deliberate. Stroking her hand down the tensed muscles of his thigh, she ground herself backwards against him again. It made her smile when she heard him groan.
“Trying to respect your wishes here, Auggie. You’re not making it any easier.”
In response, she prodded his leg off her, then sat, turned to face him, and pushed him down so he was lying flat on his back on the bed. She straddled his body, her gaze locked on his, and one by one she began to unbutton the fasteners of her sleep shirt. Josh’s eyes went hot, his gaze following her fingers as they wrestled with the buttons.
“I thought you didn’t want to,” he said, his voice sandpaper rough.
“Over it,” Auggie said in a chirp. Freeing the last of the buttons, she let the shirt fall open around her. She took Josh’s hand in hers and placed it on her exposed breast. He cupped her automatically, his fingers finding her nipple and rolling it immediately. Sucking in a breath, she looked down so she could watch him toy with her nipple. The picture of her breast swallowed in his big hand only stirred the sensations inside her more. He pinched her nipple slightly, making her gasp and arch with pleasure. “And I want to.”
“Oh, thank you merciful heavens,” Josh breathed.
Needing no other encouragement, he flipped her onto her back and reared up above her with a look of such intense need on his face that his expression was both savage and careful. He had to be inside her now. And damn the consequences, he needed her to know this was more than just sex. He loved her. He needed her to know.
“There’s more between us than just this.”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t sound thrilled about it. Most likely she wasn’t going to be any too happy about the rest of it.
Settling his face between her breasts, Josh rubbed the stubble of his cheeks against her skin and smiled when she arched up. Unable to resist, he sucked her nipple into his mouth, and laved it with his tongue. He filled his hand with her other breast and circled the nipple with his thumb. Loving it, her head thrashed from side to side, her fingers clutched at the sheets as her hands turned into fists.
“I’m falling for you, fine thing,” Josh said, moving so he could fill his mouth with her other nipple. His hand smoothed a path down her flat stomach and tangled in the curls at the apex of her thighs. “Started,” he said as he followed the path his hand made with his lips kissing a trail down her belly, “Watching you pace your way around the airport.”
He dipped a finger inside her, watched her back bow up, her taut stomach muscles quivering as his finger stroked her. “Got worse with you in the slinky dress, and,” his mouth hovered just above his stroking fingers, “watching you skate circles around everyone at the ice rink.”
His tongue flicked out, the tip of it intimately seeking her taste then laving her when she hissed out a breath and cried out his name. He stopped his declaration long enough to have her hips rearing us, her hands holding his face in place as he feasted.
“But,” his voice was hoarse as he crawled up her body until his tip was poised at her entrance, “I really knew, though,” he rubbed himself against her, the friction burning into them both as he gritted his teeth for control, “when you sent me away last night. And I couldn’t sleep. Not one fucking wink.”
His thrusts punctuated the words, and he watched her eyes widen as he filled her inch by aching inch.
“I think I just might love you, Augusta,” Josh grated out, holding her gaze with his own. Like the words were some kind of starting pistol, he let loose, and started to move. Never looking away or breaking eye contact with her, he thrust in and slid out, glided in, pulled out.
She rocked her hips into him, matching his rhythm, little whimpers tearing from her throat. His words had scored into her heart, touching her with their sweetness, their vulnerability.
I think I just might love you, too, Josh.
She wanted to give them back to him, she honestly did, but somehow, the words wouldn’t leave her lips. And then the sensations he was pulling from her body became too strong, and she couldn’t have spoken if she’d wanted to.
Instead, she held his gaze, hoping he could see everything she was feeling shining from her eyes. Eventually, though, her sight blurred, and her head fell back as Josh’s body moving inside her was the only thing in the world that mattered.
The bedsprings creaked underneath them, and their pants grew harsh as Josh pumped into her. Her breasts bounced but she didn’t even notice as the climax which had been growing rushed up to meet her with dizzying speed. She cried out, her world exploding as her internal walls clenched him, and together they free-fell over the finish line.
He collapsed on top of her, the orgasm still shuddering through his system. Giving himself a moment to catch his breath, he balanced himself on his forearms before rolling to his back on the bed beside her.
They lay there together, panting, sweat cooling against their skin. Josh found he’d never felt more exposed in his entire life. Needing the point of contact, he found her hand and linked their fingers.
“Josh,” Auggie said, but Josh stopped her by laying a finger across her lips.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he told her, “I just needed you to know.”
Shaking her head, Auggie captured the silencing finger with her free hand and lowered it until that hand rested on her breastbone.
“I’m falling, too,” she said.
“You don’t have to say it.”
“Josh, I say what I mean,” Auggie said, her voice filling with impatience. “I mean what I say. I think I love you. I know I could love you, anyway.”
“Yeah?” The smile on his face was brilliant as he leaned on an elbow and peered down into her face. “You love me?”
Rolling her eyes, Auggie looked up at him. Then she sighed, and tenderness filled her expression.
“Yes,” she said. “I figured it out watching your kindness when we served Christmas dinner. I mean, I already suspected. But that was the moment that truly did me in.”
“Well,” Josh said softly, “Merry Christmas to me.”
“Merry Christmas to us,” Auggie corrected, “Though for the life of me, I’ve no idea how we’d make this work.”
“I’ve some thoughts on that,” Josh said. He was smiling when he rolled out of the bed and offered his hand to pull her up after him. “Why don’t you take a shower, and we’ll talk about it over breakfast.”
“Does this talk involve me accompanying you to Ireland?”
“It might at that.”
She nodded slowly before rubbing her chin with her fingers as she thought. Finally, she nodded one more time, and when she met his gaze, she smiled.
“We will talk,” she said, “After I shower, and after you sign the contracts.”
He figured he could live with that.
“Deal.” He gave her naked tush a gentle pat. “Now get on with it woman. I’m starved and if you’re not downstairs in fifteen minutes I won’t be guaranteeing there will be breakfast left.”