Page 36 of Christmas with My Ruthless CEO
I capture her lips in a kiss that starts gentle but quickly reignites the embers of desire. Her hands slide into my hair, body pressing closer as the kiss deepens. When we finally break apart, we're both breathing harder.
"Shower," she says firmly, though regret colors her voice. "Separately, or we'll never make it to breakfast."
"Voice of reason," I grumble, releasing her reluctantly. "Fine. You first."
She slips from the bed, gloriously naked in the morning light, and I can't help but watch appreciatively as she walks to the bathroom. At the door, she turns, catching me staring.
"See something you like?" she asks, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Everything," I answer honestly. "I like everything I see."
Her expression softens at my sincerity. "Charmer."
"Only with you," I call as she disappears into the bathroom.
While Sloane showers, I check my phone again. Marcus has confirmed breakfast delivery at eight sharp. The board update call has been pushed to eleven-thirty. Jenna has sent the daily schedule with three separate events highlighted in red, apparently, I've committed to judging a gingerbread house competition, attending a rehearsal for the children's holiday pageant, and making an appearance at the town’s tree lighting ceremony.
I should be annoyed at the packed schedule, at the demands on my time that have nothing to do with quarterly projections or shareholder value. Instead, I find myself looking forward to experiencing these small-town traditions with Sloane by my side.
When she emerges from the bathroom, wrapped in one of the lodge's plush robes with her hair damp around her shoulders, I'm momentarily distracted from my thoughts.
"Your turn," she says, gesturing to the bathroom. "I left you some hot water."
"Appreciated." I rise from the bed, unself-conscious in my nakedness. "Though a cold shower might have been more appropriate given what you do to me."
Her eyes travel over me appreciatively. "Flatterer."
I catch her around the waist as I pass, stealing a quick kiss that tastes of mint toothpaste. "Simple truth."
The bathroom is still steamy from her shower, the air scented with the lodge's pine and cedarwood products she's used. I make quick work of my morning routine, eager to rejoin her, only to find her on the phone when I return to the bedroom.
"Yes, Jenna, he'll be there," she's saying, her back to me as she gazes out the window at the snow-covered pines. "I promise. Three o'clock sharp."
She listens for a moment, then laughs. "I have my ways." Another pause. "Yes, well, those too. See you at the office."
When she turns and sees me, dressed in just a towel slung low on my hips, her voice falters slightly. "I should go. Yes. Later."
She disconnects, setting the phone aside with deliberate care. "Hi."
"Hi yourself," I reply, amused by her reaction. "Making promises on my behalf?"
"Children's pageant rehearsal," she admits, crossing to where I stand. "They need someone tall to help with the star backdrop."
"And you volunteered me?"
"You did say you were 'all in’," she reminds me, fingers tracing the droplets of water still clinging to my chest. "Besides, you'll look adorable with glitter in your hair."
I catch her wandering hand, bringing it to my lips. "The things I do for you, Parker."
Her smile is soft, intimate in a way that makes my chest tight. "I appreciate it more than you know, Morgan."
A knock at the door interrupts whatever I might have said in response. "Breakfast," I surmise, releasing her reluctantly. "Let me get dressed."
While I pull on casual clothes, jeans and a sweater that would give Marcus a heart attack if he saw me in the office, Sloane answers the door. I hear a murmured thanks, then the click of the door closing.
When I emerge from the bedroom, she's arranging a veritable feast on the small dining table beneath the window, coffee in a thermal carafe, fresh pastries, fruit, and what appears to be eggs benedict steaming gently beneath silver covers.
"Marcus outdid himself," she observes, pouring coffee into two mugs emblazoned with the lodge's logo. "Though I'm not sure we need this much food after last night's dinner."
