Page 44 of This Christmas

He shifted and kissed her. “I get it.” He smiled down at her. “Next time, we’ll need to use your bedroom instead of this one.”

She chuckled. “Next time?”

He trailed his mouth over her collarbone. “Mmmm.” His hands started moving over her again. “Okay, so, next next time.” He chuckled as she felt herself building up again. “Tomorrow night,” he said as he slid into her again, “we will spend the whole night together.” He kissed her and she felt the whole world stop as he took her over the edge again.

Tiptoeing up the stairs and trying not to make any of the old floor boards creak as she snuck back into her bedroom reminded her of when she’d been a kid and would sneak downstairs to steal a snack from the kitchen without waking her mother.

Her body was totally sated and yet still vibrating from the feeling of his hands on her skin.

She couldn’t stop smiling as she fell into her bed and slowly drifted off, dreaming of him.

The smell of coffee hit her before she even opened her eyes. For a few blissful seconds, she didn’t move. The sheets were warm and the morning was quiet except for the faint sound of the waves outside her window. Her body still tingled from memories of Joe’s hands, his voice, the way he’d whispered her name when he came.

Then reality sank in. She’d actually done it. She’d gone downstairs. To his room. Had sex with someone other than Ted.

A blush crept up her cheeks as she rolled over, groaning softly. “Oh God,” she muttered into her pillow, half mortified, half giddy.

By the time she got dressed and went downstairs, Joe was sitting at the television with Charlotte, watching cartoons. They both had hot mugs on the coffee table.

Charlotte’s hot chocolate, piled high with whipped cream and sprinkles, was half empty. Joe’s coffee was gone.

“Morning,” Joe said, glancing over from the cartoons. He looked freshly showered, clean-shaven, and unfairly handsome in a dark Henley and jeans. His eyes ran over her slowly, and the smile he gave her turned her knees to jelly.

“Morning,” she echoed, hoping she didn’t sound as flustered as she felt.

Charlotte grinned. “Joe made me hot chocolate with sprinkles.”

She met Joe’s eyes over her daughter’s head. “Of course he did,” she said softly.

He smiled back, that quiet, knowing smile that sent her heart into a tailspin.

“We were thinking of heading in and grabbing breakfast. Since it’s a perfectly snowy morning, we figured we needed cinnamon rolls and donuts.”

“That sounds…” She laughed when her daughter gave her a pouty face. “Perfect. We can take Juliette’s SUV. My tires are too bald to drive in this snow, and I’d feel safer in a bigger car.” She glanced out the window. “Charlotte, you’d better head upstairs and change.” Her daughter was still in her pajamas. “Put on your snow pants and a sweater. And a thick pair of socks.” Charlotte jumped up and raced toward the stairs.

Joe stood up, turned off the television, and wrapped his arms around her.

“Good morning,” he said after a slow deep kiss.

“Hmm,” she purred back.

His hands felt so good on her hips that she didn’t want to move.

“Mom! I can’t find them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hold that thought.” She sighed and rested her forehead against his chest. “I have to go get her dressed.”

He chuckled. “Want some help?”

She shook her head and sighed. “No, you warm up the car. We’ll be right out. The keys are on the hook by the back door.”

By the time they were heading into town, the snow had thickened, falling in big clumps, white sheets outside the SUV’s windows. Despite the chill, they were having a fun outing and were all in a cheerful mood.

Sara’s Nook was warm and cozy, the windows fogged up from the baked goods and the dozen or so people inside. The smell of sugar and dough wrapped around them like a hug.

They sat at a corner booth, and for a while, everything felt perfect. There was warm coffee, sprinkle-covered Christmas donuts, laughter, and the simple rhythm of being together as they ate. Charlotte told them a long story about the snowman she wanted to build that afternoon, and Joe gave her his full attention.

Then, out of nowhere, a screech of tires broke the calm. Everyone inside turned to the windows just in time to see two cars slide into each other outside the window. It wasn’t a high-speed crash, but there was significant damage to the cars.