Page 21 of My Ex for Christmas
A small ache settles in my chest as I look around.
“It’s not much,” he says. Is that…embarrassmentI sense? That’s new. “But Margaret lets me live here for free since I fixed it up, and I repair things around the bar when need be.”
I haven’t met Margaret, but I’ve heard plenty about the formidable bar owner. I find it hard to believe she’d possess a softspot for Brooks, but if anyone could wear someone like her down, it would be him.
“It’s perfect,” I say, and I mean it. “Very you.” There’s even a small Christmas tree sitting in the corner. I point to it. “That’s cute.”
“Mom made me set it up the first year I lived here,” he explains. “Then she brought over all my childhood ornaments. She claimed I needed the holiday cheer. I think it was just an excuse to clean out her basement.”
I smile. That sounds like Michelle.
“Do you want anything? A drink?” he asks. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looks nervous, which isn’t like him.
I shake my head. “I already had a drink.” I step closer. “Now I just want you.”
It feels good to finally say it aloud, and Brooks’s sharp intake of breath makes it even more gratifying. And then I let out my own gasp when his hand lands on my hip.
Memories from that day in the office play in my mind. Only this time, we won’t have to stop.
He looks down at me, studying something.
“What?” I ask.
He grins. “Your clothes. They’re just different from high school, is all. You dress like a librarian and a secretary had a baby.”
My eyes narrow. “Oh, no, Casanova, you are not about to She’s All That me,” I say, pressing an accusatory finger into his firm chest. “You can take me as I am or not at all.”
“You misunderstand me, Hadley. I like you all prim and proper.” His eyes trail from my head down to my feet and back up again. “Watching you come undone will be that much more satisfying.”
The way he’s looking at me makes my toes curl, but I also feel a little shy. Like I did the night we first slept together at seventeen. I’m a million times more self-assured than I was back then, but I would be lying if I said I’m not nervous.
Still, I want this. More than anything else right now. So I tug the clip from my hair and let the long strands frame my face.
“Make me,” I say. His gaze heats. “I want to come undone for you, Brooks.”
Damn, did that Fireball make me brave.
Our lips meet again, but this time, we don’t stop there. Brooks’s hands span my waist, drawing me closer. Pressing me against the strain in his jeans. I groan at the sensation.
“Bed?” he asks against my lips.
I nod.
His hands under my ass, my legs wrapped around his waist, he carries me back to his bedroom. My fingers tangle in the hair at his nape, tugging on it as our lips meld together once again.
Brooks sets me on my feet at the foot of his bed, and we break apart. I grab the hem of his shirt, tugging, and he obliges by slipping it over his head. I barely have time to appreciate the view of his chest before he’s tugging on my sweater dress, pulling it off. My leggings come next, and then I’m standing before him in my underwear and lacy bralette.
The intensity in his expression guides me backwards, the backs of my knees hitting the mattress. I lower myself, never breaking eye contact with Brooks as I lie back against the pillows.
He drinks me in slowly before he removes the rest of his clothing. Then he climbs on the bed, settling himself over me. My thighs fall apart, and he lowers into the cradle of my hips.God, I missed this. His presence, his weight on top of me… I crave it.
Brooks works his way down my body. He blazes a trail of kisses from my neck to my collarbone to my breasts. Then, through the sheer fabric of my bralette, he takes one of my nipples into his mouth. He sucks on it, swirling his tongue around the peak. Then he switches to the other side, repeating the action.
I wiggle beneath him. “Brooks,” I whine.
He chuckles, and I feel it against my skin. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had my hands on you, Hads. I need to reacquaint myself.”
“Reacquaint yourself faster, then!”
