Page 25 of The Grinch and His Curvy Christmas Miracle

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We move together, slick with sweat, breaths tangled, moans and gasps filling the cabin.

I look down at her.

This girl who somehow cracked me open.

Who made me feel again.

And I know I’m a goner. And I don’t care.

I kiss her like I’ll never get enough. Because I won’t.

My movements grow frantic. Ragged.

The tension coils tight in my spine.

"Nikki," I gasp. "I’m close."

"Me too," she breathes. "Ryder… I’m—"

She breaks apart beneath me again. Her body clenching around mine. Pulling me under with her.

I follow with a groan. Release ripping through me, hot and overwhelming.

I collapse on top of her, shaking, heart thudding.

We stay like this. Wrapped around each other. Breath to breath.

Still joined. Still hers. Still real.

Eventually I shift, rolling us gently so she’s tucked against my side, her head on my chest, her arm across my waist.

The fire crackles. Snow falls outside.

And inside this cabin, for the first time in years, I feel peace.

Real peace.

I press a kiss to the top of her head. Stroke her hair.

"You okay?"

She nods against me. "More than okay."

I hold her tighter, like she might vanish.

But she doesn’t. She stays.

Warm. Soft. Mine.

Chapter 6

Nikki

MyheadrestsonRyder's chest, the steady rise and fall of his breathing soothing the last tremble in my limbs.

The fire still crackles softly in the hearth, casting a warm, golden glow across the cabin walls. Snow whispers against the windows, soft and rhythmic, like the world is holding its breath.

And for the first time in a long time, I feel safe.

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