Page 5 of Her Secret Santa

She stirs, and those warm brown eyes find mine. With a sleepy, sheepish smile, she whispers, “Hi,” in her morning voice. “Fancy meeting you here, champ. Aren’t you some kind of World Series legend?”

I can’t help grinning as I drag her closer, tucking her tight against me. “Morning, gorgeous. I took the liberty of ordering breakfast. It should be here in twenty minutes.” I press a gentle kiss into her hair.

“Thanks.” She scans the room, taking in all the festive decorations. “Wow, it’s pretty in here. They really went all out. You even have your own Christmas tree in the bedroom. Wonder why I didn’t notice it last night?” she teases, nuzzling into thehollow of my throat, and damn if my dick doesn’t respond instantly. I’m already half-hard just from having her naked and soft in my arms again. I trace lazy circles on her bare shoulder with my fingers, as my unspoken words hang over me like a cloud.

“Kayla … are you awake enough for me to tell you something important?”

She stiffens for a heartbeat, then props herself up on an elbow. My God, she’s beautiful. She blows out a breath that lifts the hair from her forehead, as if she’s afraid of what’s coming.

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

I cup her face and run my thumb along her lower lip, looking directly into her eyes. “I’m so damn sorry I lost my mind. That fight was one hundred percent on me.” Her surprised stare glistens with tears. “You were with Josh for years. Then you met me.” I hold her gaze. “Keyword:Met. As in no promises, no rings, no rules. You didn’t know I was already a goner for you the second you stepped out of your truck in that cowboy hat and Rodeo Sweetheart buckle. You were only trying to do the right thing, by making sure the relationship was over before you moved on to someone else. I was a jealous asshole who couldn’t handle thinking of you with another man, for even a minute.”

A tear slips down her cheek. “Billy…”

“I mean it, baby. I was wrong.” My voice cracks as I brush her tears away. “And the truth is, the day I hired you to train Cleo, I stopped looking at every other woman on the planet. I still remember exactly what you had on. You were wearing a light blue denim shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, dark jeans hugging your sweet ass, boots scuffed from real work, and a belt that told me you could ride anything put in front of you.” I grin. “Including me.”

She laughs through her tears, poking my chest. “You’re making that up.”

“Swear on my horse.” I catch her hand and kiss her fingertips. “One look at you and I was done. Game over. I just didn’t know how to tell you in a way that wouldn’t scare you off.”

Her bottom lip trembles as she crawls up my body, straddling my hips. The morning lights her smooth skin in that golden hour hue. “I tried to live without you,” her voice breaks. “I really did. And I was miserable. Seriously. I love you so much it was impossible to feel normal. You’re my everything, Billy. Please, let’s not ever break up again.”

“Never.” The words rip out of me, raw and fierce. I grip her hips and flip us so fast she gasps. I settle between her thighs while I kiss the tears from her cheeks. “I’m so sorry I made you cry, baby. I was too stupid to say I love you before I exploded.”

“I love you so much it hurts.” She reaches up to kiss me. “And I was jealous too. The thought of you touching another woman, and booking that riding lesson, killed me.”

I bend, and run my tongue along her bottom lip. “Then it’s settled. We’re never fighting again.”

She grins through the tears still stuck to her lashes. “So does this mean I get my very own Santa this year?”

I rock against her slowly and deliberately, letting her know exactly how I feel about her. “This year, next year, every damn year after if you’ll let me keep you.”

Her eyes go soft and mischievous all at once. “What if I want my Santa forever?”

I glide my hand down her silky skin, cupping her breast, rolling her nipple between my fingers until she moans. “Then I’m yours, baby. Forever.” I lean down, dropping my voice to a rough whisper she loves. “As long as you’ll be my ho. Ho, ho.”

It takes her half a second, then she bursts out laughing, swatting my shoulder. “You’re terrible.”

“Awful at letting you go,” I murmur, kissing a path down her throat, tasting the faint trace of last night’s bubble bathclinging to her skin. “You sliding onto my lap in that little skirt, whispering you weren’t wearing panties, begging me to take you hard, was incredible.”

She shivers, threading her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. “I’m still begging, Mr. Magic Fingers. Take me again. Slow this time. Love me until breakfast gets cold.”

I press inside of her in one long, possessive stroke, groaning at how perfectly she fits me and sighs my name. “I’m going to love you every morning, every night, for the rest of my life, Kayla. You’re my one and only.”

“And you’re mine,” she says softly, hugging me tightly.

I kiss her tenderly, pouring my love against her lips. “The happiest I’ve ever been is when I’m wrapped around you.”