Page 380 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
"Let's not talk about it at all." He snorted and moved toward the car after grabbing her hand. "We're not spending Christmas apart. I don't care if it was just the two of us here. You're the only person in the world I refuse to not see on Christmas."
"Oh yeah?" Her tone was cheeky.
"You need a spanking. Obviously it's been too long." He reached the car as his cock twitched in his jeans. Kari was anything but a bad girl, but there was a side of her that he'd yet to explore. They'd been too caught up in love to let lust drag them into depravity.
"I like spankings." She shrugged, looking too cute as he turned and lifted his eyebrow. Her innocence was precious, but something shimmered just underneath it.
Something he wanted to explore - thoroughly.
CHAPTER 4
KARI
"I love how beautiful everything is when it's covered in snow." Kari snuggled up in her seat and kept her eyes on the road passing them by outside of her window.
"It reminds me of the holidays." Jake reached out and rubbed his hand down her arm. "I'm so excited for you to meet my folks. My brothers, not so much, but my mom and dad are really good people. They have a relationship like I hope we have."
"How so?" She turned her face toward him, letting herself dive into the dreaminess of their relationship. His dark hair was a little wet from his shower, and he was freshly shaved. She'd never seen a more handsome man in her life, and having him belong to her was a bit overwhelming at times.
He smiled over at her and the world seemed right. "They just love each other. A lot. They were junior high sweethearts and it's funny, after all these years, they're still as giggly and playful as they were back then."
"How do you know how they were back then?" Kari smiled and lifted his hand to her mouth as she laid a few kisses along his fingers.
"I've heard the stories and seen the pictures." He licked at his lips and seemed to be trying hard to keep his eyes on the road. "Be careful with those lips of yours. You're liable to wake someone up."
She laughed and reached over to brush her fingers down his thigh. "I like the idea of waking you up."
"Good." He pulled his hand from hers and shifted in his seat. "Keep it up, and I'll pull over and make you put him back to bed too."
"Make me? I like it." She reached farther and scratched her nails down his budding erection. "My mother's heater doesn't work really well, so you're going to have to stay really close throughout the night."
"Not a problem." He glanced over, his face a slight shade of pink and the vein on the side of his sexy neck pulsing fast. "You gonna let me make love to you in your childhood bed?"
She pulled her hand back and laughed. "You've been hanging out with Lisa and Marc too long."
"No. I'm just completely in love with you." He reached back out for her hand. "We need to talk about moving in together. You promised me we would figure it out around Christmas. It's here."
"Tell me about your brothers." She intertwined her fingers with his and rested against her seat, ignoring the conversation. It was a difficult one. They were staying together all the time as it were, but leaving the comfort of her friends and taking the next steps with Jake were terrifying. Why, she had no clue. He'd been everything anyone could possibly want over the last eight months, but it felt rushed.
Was it?
He laughed and shook his head. "All right. But we're not done with this conversation. I'm ready for the next steps, Kari."
"I know, baby. We'll move in together after Christmas. We can talk about it more in Texas."
"All right." He turned back to the road. "I have three brothers. My older brother, Kade, is in the military. He's overseas like I told you, so you won't get to meet him this Christmas, but maybe in the spring. I need to go back for my grandfather's hundredth birthday, so I'm sure my brother will be back for that."
"That and not Christmas?" Seemed weird.
"Yeah." Jake released her hand and reached up to turn the heat down a little. "He and my grandfather are close. All of us are close."
"And you haven't been home for the last four years outside of going for the funeral this spring?" She didn't want to bring up the fact that it was Jake's ex-girlfriend’s mother's funeral. It was a subject she didn't really want to dive into. The idea of Jake dating anyone left her ill.
"No." He took a deep breath. "I didn't want to run into Bethany. It was too much to consider, honestly."
"You loved her a lot." Kari cringed internally. It was going to be brought up. It was inevitable. The beautiful blond who'd taken up most of Jake's past would always be part of the conversation.
"I did, but I wasn't in love with her anymore. Her cheating on me tore me in half, but I think I clung to the idea of love far more than clinging to Bethany." He shrugged. "I stayed away from home because the idea of going back hurt like a bitch."
