Page 41 of The Best Christmas Choir Ever

A moan bled between her lips.

“That’s it,” he whispered.

She trembled in anticipation, imagining all the ways in which he might make her come undone. She wanted him so badly he might not even need to touch her, but she wanted him to. His fingers. His tongue. She wanted everything.

His hands inched beneath her shirt, counting her ribs with his fingertips, grazing the underside of her bra. Charlie’s head grew fuzzy. The haze was pleasantly warm.

But then there were voices in the hall, muttering about popcorn and the beeping microwave.

“Shit,” Charlie said, her eyes flying open. “We didn’t finish.”

Julian smirked at her.

“I meant the popcorn,” she muttered, almost breathless.

“I think they’ve already figured that out.”

“We should stop,” she said.

“We should.”

He dropped his hands, and she stilled her hips, feeling wholly unsatisfied. She grumbled, climbing out of his lap.

“Wait,” he said, dragging her back down. “Do you want to come?”

Her breath escaped her. She nodded, so close to him she could feel the stubble on his cheek.

“Okay,” he said simply, sliding his hand down the front of her pants, inching his fingers past her underwear and the wet heat that gathered there.

Charlie cried out as he dragged his fingers against her clit.

“Shh,” he whispered against her lips. “Hush.”

She nodded, biting down on her lip as he found a rhythm that worked, pressing his fingers against her. It was fast and frenzied, and Charlie came, shuddering in his arms.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she hissed.

“Good,” he said as her hips jumped. “Gentle now. I remember how sensitive you are after.” He pulled his hand out of her pants slowly.

Charlie came back to her senses, holding him close. She could feel his eyelashes against her cheek.

“We should probably get back out there before Maggie and Harriet send the patrols,” Julian whispered.

Charlie nodded, climbing out of his lap and gesturing to the door. “I’m gonna…”

“Yeah,” he said, leaning his head back on the couch. “I’ll be there in a second. Once everything is behaving.”

Charlie fought off a tiny smile as she slipped through the door and smoothed her hands down her shirt, making her way back to the auditorium. It felt like everyone knew what they’d just done, but that was impossible. Right? She tucked her hair behind her ears.

The projector was on, the big screen filled with an error message.

She spotted Gram sitting front and center with Maggie and Harriet. She hurried over and did her best not to acknowledge the moment Julian entered the room.

“Are you feeling okay?” Gram asked her, reaching for Charlie’s forehead. “You’re still looking a little flushed. You’re sure you aren’t coming down with a fever or something? It’s flu season.”

Charlie batted her hand away, sinking down in her seat. “I’m fine.”

She glanced up as Heather hurried across the stage. “Hi, folks. Looks like we’re having some technical difficulties,” she said. “I’ve put our more tech-savvy volunteers on the job, so things should be fixed in no time.” She laughed uncertainly. “Until then, has anyone got any stand-up they want to run by an already gathered crowd?”