Page 105 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

My skin warmed, the ghost of his lips all over my body. “No, it was kind of…passionate?” I said. “Detailed.If that makes sense? I finished every single time.”

“You fuckedmultipletimes?”

I shrugged, embarrassed again. “Like four times.”

Nat walked around the circular table, setting it with silver-lined dishes and cloth napkins as I put all the rest of the food out in the middle. “I’m horny again,” she groaned.

“This is the horniest Christmas vacation of my life. I need to be spayed after this,” I joked. “The men in Pine Ridge are never going to satisfy me again anyway.”

Nat stopped walking around the table and her playfulness sobered. Talking about Pine Ridge was like a puncture wound. Too many mentions of home and I’d bleed out. Colorado was calling and answering the phone was less and less appealing as the days dwindled.

“Tell me if you need me to pull you out of it.” Natalia insisted, the meaning behind her offer not lost on me. But admitting I might need her to bring me back to a reality where Frankie and I weren’t playing a game anymore was a weakness that I was too proud to show. Sure, I was deeper than I should have been with him, but I didn’t need someone to babysit those emotions. I could handle it. I needed to prove to myself that I could handle it.

“No it’s perfect,” I assured her, stepping back to admire the dinner table in all its delicious, aromatic glory. “It’s just what I needed, honestly. Frankie is agoodman, he’s gentle with me, a staggeringly solid listener. I think we’re both really great for each other right now, a big part of that is knowing we’re on borrowed time. No holding back.”

“Okay.” She said, rubbing her palms together. “You know you best. But I’m still here.”

“I know, and I love you.” I held up a knife and a carving fork. “Now let’s eat this pig.”

Frankiebrushedhisfingersthrough my hair as I lay in his lap, rendering me motionless, soft touches coaxing me into a food coma. I could barely keep my eyes open, the house so warm from hours of the oven being on we might as well be in a cocoon.

Full, exhausted, comfortable—the perfect storm of festive ambiance catering our unforgettably peaceful afternoon.

He adjusted himself beneath me and unbuttoned his fly, alleviation sighing out of him. “Sweatpants would have been a better choice.”

I snapped the band of my leggings. “Fashionableandfunctional.”

“And your ass looks great in them, don’t forget that part.”

Natalia twirled into the room and plopped down on the opposite end of the sofa.

“Where’s Mateo?” Frankie looked over his shoulder toward the hallway.

“On the phone with Sam Swan,” Natalia trilled. “Ironing out the details for next week. They’re flying out of Salt Lake on Thursday.”

“It’s been fucking forever since we’ve seen them.” Frankie reached down and twisted the chain of my necklace between his fingers impassively. “Since we all got out.”

“You’ve never met them before?” I asked Nat.

“Nope.” She shook her head. “But I feel like I’ve known them forever between you and Matty.” She gestured to Frankie. “Sam is a sweetheart, and Tyler is a brutish, womanizing whore.”

“That about covers it.” Frankie smiled impishly. “Hope you two are ready to drink your tits off next weekend. We’re gonna be celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” I raised my eyebrow just as Mateo marched into the living room and stole our attention away.

“Swan boys’ flight lands on the thirtieth at three.” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them down his thighs. The neck of his sweater looked to be choking him as he stood in front of us awkwardly instead of sitting on the couch.

The nervous energy from early in the day returned like a smog over the room. Nat and I were perplexed while Frankie remained placid. He nodded subtly to his friend and Mateo took a deep, exaggerated breath.

“Are you okay, babe?” Nat stood and touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “Sick or something? You feel warm.”

Frankie sat me upright gently, tugging me into his side. His honey brown eyes glimmered with excitement.

“What is it?” she pressed.

“I think it’s about time I did this.” Mateo wrapped both his girlfriend’s wrists delicately in one hand, reaching around to his back pocket with the other. “Natalia Russo…”

Nat staggered back as Mateo dropped ceremoniously onto one knee in front of her, holding a black velvet box between them and popping it open.

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