Page 23 of Our Bright Christmas Town
I swallowed my chuckle. “Ah, no. Matter of fact, it was your modesty that won me over.”
“Dom will be so disappointed.”
“Dom?”
“Said I should throw you down and have my—and I quote—‘sexy way’ with you. He seemed sure that’d do it.”
Yeah, that sounded like Dom. I smiled against the corner of Kieran’s mouth. “Not quite how this went down, is it? More the other way around.”
“No complaints.” He caught my mouth for a gentle kiss, and for a long, lazy moment, we stood like that—pressed together from head to toe, naked, the golden light of my, ofourChristmas tree twinkling through the open door.
“Fair warning, though,” I said once our kisses slowed. “Pretty sure it’ll take more than your smile and a couple of tugs to get me off next time.”
“Good.” Kieran’s eyes were bright. “I’m willing to work for it.”
His tone made it clear he meant much more than just between the sheets, and I knew him, knew he meant it. “Goes both ways,” I told him even though right now, it seemed hard to believe that this, us, could ever be anything but easy.
“I know.” He rubbed a thumb along the nape of my neck, attention dropping to my mouth only briefly. “Hey. How do you feel about adopting a dog together?”
Typical. I shook my head with a laugh—not a no, just a way to handle the warm swell of affection. “Finish your time in London, okay? Come home.Thenwe’ll talk.”
“Deal.” He sounded utterly happy. “Let’s find the sweetest, saddest dog in the shelter and give it a great home.”
God. No wonder I’d fallen for him all those years ago—how could I not? And now... Now, nothing stopped me from kissing him again and again.
So I did.
Epilogue
KIERAN
October 12
The flat was silent when I eased the front door shut with my elbow. Hmm. Usually, Ashby woke at the crack of dawn for a run or some early-morning design inspiration but apparently, not today. So—late night, then.
Note to self: get him to bed early tonight, use sexy means if necessary. Actually, use sexy means regardless.
I stepped around a stack of moving boxes we had yet to unpack and kicked off my battered trainers—GP rotation wasn’t quite as bad as my F2 had been, but it sure kept me on my feet. First stop: kitchen, because tea. I found a cup already prepared for me, holding down a note from Ashby that said,‘Just add water.’It was signed with a heart, and I stood there smiling like an idiot before I flicked on the kettle.
Essentials done, I padded down the short hallway to our bedroom. He’d left the door open, and I peeked inside to find him sprawled in a messy tumble of blankets, much like a content cat in a patch of sunlight that filtered in from the garden. Aww. Dina, curled up by his feet, roused enough for a sleepy tail wag before she closed her eyes again.
Oh no, you don’t. I was awake, and misery loves company.
“Come on, girl,” I called softly, too low to wake Ashby, who slept like a log. “Morning run.”
She opened one eye, then the other, all floppy ears and indecision. I beckoned her over, and she stretched with a small huff before hopping off the bed as quietly as a dog her size could manage. No hesitation as she pressed up against me, vastly different to the day we’d met her at the shelter. She’d had it rough with a previous owner, scars on her belly and a fear of loud voices. It took three visits before she even dared to sniff our hands.
Now? Every day was her favourite day ever.
I changed clothes and inhaled some tea, Dina tailing me as if to say,Any time now, mate.So we slipped out into the quiet morning, jogged half a mile until we reached open fields. I’d done enough night shifts to appreciate these hushed hours—the hiss of someone’s sprinkler, the faint hum of an occasional car.
By the time we returned, my lids felt heavier but my mind was calm, no longer reviewing every single decision I’d made during my A&E shift. Ashby was still in the same spot, although the sun had moved on. I stood in the doorway for a minute just to watch him, a bright tug in my belly as I thought of the ring I’d hidden in my sock drawer.
Yeah, we’d been together for less than a year. But I’d known him for most of my life, knew there was no one else I wanted to spend the rest with, knew he’d say yes. I still had to come up with a mind-blowing proposal, though—ideally not blurting it out over take-away pizza and a Netflix movie.
All right. Shower time.
When I emerged, tired but clean, Ashby was awake. Well—upright, anyway, perched on a kitchen chair and clutching a cup of coffee like it promised salvation. I hugged him from behind and pressed a smile into his messy hair. “Late one, huh?”
