Page 30 of Merry Little Christmas
“Give me a color, Peyton.”
“Yellow,” I muttered, almostashamed.
Cole sat on the bed, demeanor instantly changing from Dom to Daddy. “Do you want me to remove it so we can talk?”
I shook my head vehemently. “No! No…” I moaned, shifting my stance again. The toy rubbed just the right places. “It feels really good.”
“Then what makes you unsure?”
Heat flooded my face, and I felt the sudden urge to cover myself. “You know what happens when I…” I gulped. “That can’t happen in public.”
Cole grabbed my hand and pulled me close. “Then make sure it doesn’t happen, little one.” His fingers stroked over the toy, putting pressure on my spot. “If you get too in your head, or misbehave, I turn it on. But you can use your safeword at any time. Understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.” I knocked his hand away and took a step back. If he expected me to hold out until after dinner, then the touching had to stop, and he knew that too. He sauntered into the bathroom, shoulders shaking with laughter.
Asshole.
Now, in the passenger seat of his truck, I squirmed. The toy sat heavy between my legs and each time I moved, it served as a silent reminder of who I belonged to.
Cole was going to get me through this dinner, one way or the other. The vibrator provided the perfect distraction. If I focused on not coming in my pants, then I wasn’t so worried about our families’ reactions.
But that didn’t stop the butterflies in my stomach from stirring the second the truck was in park. The sprawling farmhouse sat far off the road, a hidden treasure in the surrounding forest. Twinkling lights decorated the outside, and a set of Santa’s reindeer danced across the roof. The glass storm door allowed me to see inside from where we sat: Cole’s father sat in his recliner by the Christmas Tree, beer in hand. Cole’s mom bustled between the kitchen and the living room, topping off drinksin between finishing the food. My mom sat on the sofa next to Jesse, only the backs of their heads visible through the window. I could almost hear the Christmas music they were listening to. My heart began to race…
“Oh, fuck!”
And the vibrator hummed to life and I shot out of my seat, biting down on my fist to keep from making more noise.
Cole brushed my thigh, and I squeezed my legs together, trapping his hand there, high enough to feel his fingers along with the toy. “Get out of your head, little one.”
Uh-oh…“Turn it off,” I begged as pressure built and my spine began to tingle.
To my relief, Cole listened. I took in a deep, heaving breath. “Are you going to do that every time I zone out?”
Cole arched a brow at me. “What’s the fun in telling you?”
Turning the ignition off, the lights caught the attention of everyone inside. Four heads peered out the glass door and right at us. Panic threatened to spike in my chest, but I tamped it down. I wouldn’t be able to take much of that toy before making an embarrassment of myself.
Not that I had much time to worry anyway. Cole opened my door and wrapped his strong arms around me, helping me to the ground. He held on tight, even after I was steady on my feet. When my eyes met his deep forest green ones, the world around me faded away. I no longer cared what our families thought. If this night went to hell, then I’d at least know I had Cole in my corner.
He locked the truck, feathering down my arm to lace his fingers through mine, a small, plastic device pressed between our palms: the remote. As we walked, my T-shirt rode up to expose the thinnest strip of skin, and my flannel did little to ward off the chill.
Though that wasn’t what had me shivering.
The small device served as a hidden reminder of what would happen if I started to get nervous. Excitement fluttered in my belly.
We climbed the three steps to the wraparound porch and Colestealthily tucked the remote away. With my hand in his again, he opened the storm door and allowed me to enter the house ahead of him.
And we entered into complete silence.
Around us, our families had their varying ways of trying to remain inconspicuous: Jesse bit his lip, Mom sipped at an empty glass of wine. Cole’s dad excused himself to grab another beer, and his mother stood with a casserole dish in her hand, stifling a smile. Cole dropped my hand in favor of wrapping that arm around my waist. He pulled me into his side, letting me feel the remote in his pocket pressing into my hip.
“Alright,” I said. “Let us have it.”
The floodgates opened, a round of “I knew it” and “it’s about time” filling the quiet space. Face on fire, I hid in Cole’s chest. Then as if we’d never been there, things went back to normal. I let out a sigh of relief. Cole offered to help his mom in the kitchen, but not before shooting me a warning look, sliding his hand into the pocket that contained the remote. Jesse followed, returning with a cup in his hand and offering it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, giving the drink a suspicious sniff.
“Does it matter?”
