Page 30 of Emma and the Elf Next Door

His rich laughter cuts through the plaster between us and I only just stop myself from swooning.

“Will do.”

I make a face at my friend, one that says, “Can you believe this guy?” and wave at her. “I’ll call you later.”

Her eyebrows waggle at me, while her eyes shine with approval. “You’d better. Bye Noah,” she yells with a cheeky grin.

We disconnect the call and I glance at the wall, amazed that he’d been living right there all this time without me knowing him. It seems almost unfathomable, now.

“I’ll be over soon,” he tells me softly and I nod.

“OK,” I say when I remember he can’t see me.

With this settled and a quick text from Carly telling me she loves, loves, LOVES him (he really got her with that whole chocolate cake thing), I jump up to get changed, opting for something a little more comfortable and a little less restrictive around the waist. If Noah’s bread is as good as his cookies, I’ll be indulging a lot more tonight.

“Emma?”

There’s that voice again, this time at my front door, and I run a brush through my hair before rushing to the door.

“Hi!”

He grins at me, his eyes drinking me in like it’s been days, not minutes, since we last saw each other.

“Come in.” I stand aside to let him in, but this time he doesn’t enter straight away. This time, he leans over, his hand around my waist, and kisses me. Like we’ve been kissing like this all our lives.

“Hmmm,” he murmurs against my lips.

“Yes,” I whisper back.

We stare at each other until I blink myself back to my senses, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside.

“I’m hungry.” The smell of his freshly baked bread is making my tummy juices flow.

“Really?” He gapes at me and I shrug.Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Eating until you burst?

“Yup.”

I pull him further into the kitchen where we get to work, me heating up the leftover turkey, him slicing the bread and preparing the cranberry sauce. I hadn’t thought to include it with lunch, but it will make a perfect addition to our dinner sandwiches.

“There!” He smiles proudly at the tray of assembled, monstrous-looking sandwiches. “Are you ready?”

We sit at the table and I lick my lips. “Ready.”

A silence, broken only by my moans and groans, fills the room as we devour the sandwiches, the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten, and once they’re done and we are lounging on the couch, I’m ready to admit it.

“This has been the best Christmas ever.”

He grins at me, scootching closer to my side, his hand holding mine again. “I agree.”

“So, what now?”

He presses a kiss to my temple, breathing me in and I melt into his side. Everything with him feels so easy, so natural, so much like we’ve been doing this together forever.

“Do you have any time off work?” he asks, his lips near my ear causing all sorts of shivers to dance up my spine.

“I have the next week off,” I tell him. The week off work that just a few days ago I’d been dreading. Now it is filled with endless possibilities.

“Me, too,” he grins. “Do you want to maybe…hang out?”

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