Page 105 of Tinsel in Telluride

“Neither do I.”

His lips part, and he does his best to hide his shock. “Don’t fuck with me, Little Thief.”

“I’m not.” And to prove it, I turn around and toss the unopened results into the fire.

The moment they are engulfed in flames, Luca wraps me in his arms. I chuckle against his chest before pulling back and bracketing his jaw with my hand. “You knocked down all my walls with those big ass feet of yours, and I’m glad you did. I’m still terrified we’re moving too fast, but there isn’t anyone else I can imagine sharing moments like these with. Zach loves you, and he deserves the world. A paternity test won’t give him that. You will.”

Tears fall freely down his face, and I wipe them away with my thumb.

“And what about you, Leigh?” His lip quivers. “Are you saying you love me too?”

I smirk, “I’m saying if you’re a good boy, I’d be willing to tolerate you for the foreseeable future.”

“Close enough,” he chuckles and slants his lips over mine. But before he presses against me, he stops. “For the record, I love you too.”

He loves me.

And even though I didn’t say it out loud, I think I love him too.

Luca threads his fingers through my hair at the same time his hand grips my hip, pulling gently with both, so there is no part of us not touching.

It’s as if we are two lost puzzle pieces, finally figuring out how to fit together. It’s magical.

He lets out a gruff moan of relief and I part my mouth, delving into his to deepen our kiss. Slow and measured, we explore each other until I’m not sure where he ends, and I begin.

And I get the feeling maybe that’s the way we’re supposed to be.

He pulls away, only slightly, and smiles. “We should go out, so you don’t miss seeing Zach in his new whip.”

“Are you sure?” I run my hand up his chest, gently grazing the bars in his nipples. “As much as I want to see a toddler driving a Range Rover, Enzo promised me an entire hour for us to kiss and make up. And I might have a matching set of those panties you liked so much in red.”

“As enticing as that sounds,” he says, tilting his hips so his already hardening cock presses against my core, “and believe me, it’s enticing as shit, but I plan on kissing you under the mistletoe for years to come. Let’s go spend this first Christmas with our family.”

Our family.

The fear that once consumed me, that I would lose Zach and end up alone for the rest of my days, melts away under his blue-eyed gaze.

Because while people leave us—through death or of their own volition—some people stay, and that’s what I’m choosing to hold on to.

I look up at Luca and smile, content and at peace. “Thank you for bringing back the magic of Christmas.”

“Fuck,” he groans. “And then you had to go and thank me.”

“I’m just saying, I think our family can wait long enough for you to bend me over the couch real quick.”

Luca groans again and buries his face in the crook of my neck. “Are you sure you won’t marry me?”

I give a coy chuckle. “Not today.”

He pulls back and smiles, pressing his forehead to mine. “But you’re saying there’s a chance?”

God, I love this man’s unwavering hope.

“Make me come and I’ll consider it.”

Luca’s hands cup my ass, and lifts my legs locking them around his hips. In four long strides, we’re at the sofa. He tosses me down, drops to his knees, and hooks his fingers in the waistband of my pajamas.

“I’ll make you come every day for the rest of my life if it means I get to keep you.”

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