Page 38 of Everything Christmas

“Yes, of course. Didn’t I say yes? Yes! Yes! Yes!” Bursting with happiness, she framed his face with her hands and punctuated each word with enthusiastic kisses, concentrating on his lips that were now upturned in a wide, satisfied grin.

Little pecks weren’t enough for him, however. His mouth found hers in a long, thorough, smoldering kiss—their first as an engaged couple.

Afterward, he whispered words of love and devotion. “I am the luckiest man on earth to have found you. Every day, for the rest of my life, I’ll get to enjoy my very own Merry Christmas.”

Epilogue

July, the followingyear...

Lying on a blanket of snow looking up at the twinkling white lights, Merry sighed in utter contentment. This had turned into her favorite spot in the entire shop. It brought back memories of their first real date, their first time, and Reese’s beyond-sweet proposal. With a groan of frustration, Reese flopped down next to her.

“That was work. I reminded them I am officially on my honeymoon and at your beck and call, not theirs. I then hung up and turned off my phone for the next ten days. Now, where was I?” He rolled onto his side, and his passion-filled gaze swept over her body. “Was I still nibbling on your delectable throat, or had I already reached heaven and your scrumptious nipples?”

Her hand rose to his cheek, and she looked at him through a mist of tears.

Reese immediately reacted, his smile fading. “Hey, what’s this? Don’t cry, elf. They can beat the door down for all I care. We’ll be on that flight in the morning no matter what. I promise.”

Shaking her head, she laughed. “These are happy tears. I was lying here in the snow, looking up at the lights and decorations, remembering the first time we made love under this tree.”

“That’s one of my all-time favorite memories, out of many.”

He dipped his head and trailed his lips down her throat and over the tops of her breasts. Finding the ties of her thin summer top, with a firm tug, the material virtually melted away beneath his hands. The tips peaking in the cool, air-conditioned shop seemed to fascinate him. With a long finger, he traced a circle around her nipple, making it stand up even more. He leaned down, taking it into his mouth as he traced a line to her other breast and teased it the same way.

Long minutes later, with her aroused and restless beneath him, he kissed his way up to her mouth, tracing the tan lines on her chest and shoulders with his tongue along the way.

“I’m sorry, honey. We were talking about something. But I can’t concentrate with you naked in the snow, and you lost me after happy tears.”

Deliriously happy that he got so wrapped up in their lovemaking, she cupped his cheek and reminded him. “I was just reminiscing. Reliving our engagement once a month was a wonderfully romantic idea, and it’s the perfect place for our wedding night.”

He smiled down at her. “It wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t leave the tree up year-round. But I made reservations at a hotel for later. I didn’t think we’d want to spend our wedding night on the floor. But it’s up to you.” He scowled at her suddenly with mock severity—she hoped. “By the way, it was very naughty of you to hide my punishment stick. I looked all over for that snowman when I was packing last week.”

“It’s a shame that we’re out of stock, too.”

“That’s because I swung by the shop one day last week and bought the lot, just in case. Now I’m prepared and have them hidden in places you’ll never find, my naughty little wife. I think I even stashed one around here somewhere.” He pretended to look for his hidden implement.

Merry suppressed a laugh at his antics and aimed for a saucy tone when she replied, “Hopefully, you hid them so well, even you won’t be able to find them.”

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