Page 115 of All for Love

“Sure did. Was I not supposed to?”

“Nah, I’m just surprised. It looked like you and your dad were having an emotional moment of your own.”

“I just thanked him for getting on board and convincing your mom to give us a chance. Is she really going to do that, or was today a show?”

I thought it over, knowing that the answer really meant something to both of us. “I think she’s really going to do it, but she still wants to have coffee to talk to me about it alone. I’m not sure she trusts you, to be honest. I’m also not sure she believes that we’re going to last.”

Kody tightened his grip on my thigh. “We’ll prove her wrong. I’ll come with you to coffee if you want me to.”

“No, that’s okay. She asked me to sit down and talk to her about it, and I’ll do it. We’re still the ones who screwed up. I can’t expect her to be okay with that just because we made a big splash on Christmas Eve.”

“Okay, well, if you change your mind, let me know. In the meantime, do we need to swing by your place to pick up some stuff for you?”

“I packed a few extra outfits just in case. I wasn’t sure how formal or casual it was going to be, and I might’ve just packed more stuff to extend the time I spent packing. I really, really wasn’t looking forward to it.”

Kody’s blues flashed to mine before he looked back at the road. “You won’t be needing any clothes anyway.”

I giggled, but heat sped through my insides as I looked at the amazing man next to me. In profile like this, he was so damn beautiful that it was impossible to believe he was mine. All chiseled jaw and golden, neatly styled hair. The down jacket he wore fit him like a glove, accentuating those broad shoulders.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re going to have to pull over.”

A flush spread across my cheeks. “I can’t help it. You’re pretty.”

“Pretty?” He scoffed. “I’m gorgeous and you’re beautiful, but you don’t see me staring.”

“Probably because you’ve already totaled one car this week. Let’s not make it two.”

He groaned. “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“Nope.”

When we got to his place, he carried our stuff to his bedroom and then gently unwrapped the ornament I’d gotten him, placing it in a position of pride on top of his mantel. “My first Christmas decoration. How does it look?”

“Perfect,” I said, staring at him instead. “Come on, boyfriend. What was all that talk about taking me straight to bed and keeping me there all day?”

He grabbed my hand and dragged me to his bedroom, marveling out loud as we rushed down the hall. “This relationship thing is really working for me so far.”

I giggled and used his grip on my hand to tug him back to me, sliding my arms around his neck and pushing up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Let’s just hope you don’t get bored of it.”

“Never going to happen,” he said confidently, kissing me. He walked us back the rest of the way down the hall and didn’t bother shutting the door when we reached his room.

He stood me in front of his bed, then undressed me slowly—reverently—his eyes on mine and his fingertips never losing contact with my skin. When I was naked in front of him, I gave him the same treatment, removing every item of his clothing slowly and still not quite grasping the fact that he really was mine.

This unattainable man I’d once hated more than almost anybody else. The same man I’d fallen deeper in love with than I’d ever been with anybody else. Funny how things change.

Kody stepped into me once he was naked, his lids heavy and flames dancing in the blue of his eyes as he lowered his head and sealed his lips over mine. We tumbled onto his bed in a pile of limbs, and I didn’t know where he ended and I began, but I didn’t care.

The gas fireplace in his bedroom was lit and the heat was on, so we didn’t bother wasting time getting under the covers. We also didn’t switch any lights on.

In the bluish orange glow of the flames flickering in the fireplace, he made love to me over and over again, ever the alpha but also loving and intimate. He teased me endlessly but made up for it every single time, getting me into positions I’d never thought possible but somehow managing to bring me pleasure in every single one.

I couldn’t get enough of him, but thankfully, it turned out he felt the same way. Hours later, when he pulled me into his arms and my eyelids started getting heavy, I wondered if we’d still be together by next Christmas. Or the one after that.

As I drifted off to sleep, I resolved to talk to him about it sooner rather than later. We’d made our stand, but now, it was time to get to work on our relationship.