Page 16 of Santa Baby

“Oh, um, I…I can get back myself, Nic.”

“I wouldn’t want your feet to get cold.”

I take her back to the tub where the water is waiting on her. I gently put her down in the water and take a step back. She immediately sinks all the way up to her neck and crosses her arms over her chest.

“You want me to light a fire for you?”

“Oh, um…I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble.” She pulls her knees up to her chest to try to better hide her soft body from me.

“It’s no trouble. No trouble at all.” I go over to light the fire. “You know, you should refresh your water. Want some bubbles? I think mom has some bubbles around here somewhere.”

“Oh, I…,” before she can say anything else I step out of the room to look for bubbles in the bathroom mom uses when she stays with me.

She’s not done it in a while since she recently purchased the penthouse under me, but she used to do it all the time. I come back in to find the tub half full, and Talia curled up in a little ball in the middle. I pour the bubbles in and check the water to make sure it’s warm enough since she can’t really check herself, not and stay covered like she wants to.

I stand back up and put my hand on my back. I’m going to have to hit the gym again if bending over a tub has me feeling this damned old. Or maybe it’s the mass of my hard-on weighing me down. Talia’s eyes follow my hands and she gives me a shy grin.

“Maybe you should take a turn in here.”

A smile stretches across my face that if anyone saw they would instantly realize I am about to be up to no good. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. It is yours after all.”

“Okay.” My hands drop to my waistband and I start shucking my pants.

“Oh my God! What…what are you doing?” She quickly diverts her eyes so she doesn’t see my cock thud out right in front of her.

“Taking a turn too.”

I use the steps and lower myself into the hot water and bubbles. I make sure we are on opposite sides of the huge tub before turning the water off. She has her back turned to me facing away even though there’s no longer anything to look at. It’s all underneath the bubbles.

“I…that’s not…I meant…”

“It was very kind of you to offer to share, Angel.”

“I, um…uh, you know what? You would probably be more comfortable if nobody was here with you. I’ll step out and let you have the…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We have to be close, have to be friends, right?”

“Um, I guess.”

“Friends share.”

Her face finally turns my way, her eyes narrowed in a scowl, “You share baths with all your friends?”

Do I hear a hint of jealousy in her voice?

“No. But I don’t marry them either.” She chances another glance behind her, finding that the bubbles cover almost everything. “I guess you are a little more than just a friend, huh?”

She slowly turns and when she realizes neither of us can see anything she settles back.

“Tell me about your day. What have you and Noelle been up to?”

She tells me all about lunch and by the end of her story, both of us are laughing so hard it’s hard to not want to come closer to her, to lean back with her by my side instead of on the other side of the tub.

“I’ve not had a chance to share things like that with someone else in…months. Thank you for listening to me ramble on.”

“I don’t think it’s rambling at all, angel. I like hearing about what I missed.”

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