Page 41 of Christmas in Quincy (The Edens 0.50)

That was tomorrow’s worry. I wasn’t letting it wreck what we had today, so I cleaned myself up and returned to the bedroom.

Austin was beneath the covers, one strong arm behind his head. The other open and waiting.

I didn’t speak as I slipped beneath the covers and curled into his side. His free arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Then I closed my eyes and let the rhythm of his heartbeat seep into my soul. “Merry Christmas.”

He kissed my hair and pulled me tighter into his embrace. “Merry Christmas.”

Chapter 9

Austin

“Where are you going?” I tightened my hold on Cleo before she could escape the bed.

“I didn’t think you were awake.”

My eyes were closed, but I’d been awake for hours, savoring the feel of her in my arms and the caress of her hair as it draped across my skin. “I’m not.”

“Go back to sleep.” Her giggle tickled my chest. “I’m going to find us some lunch.”

“Don’t go.” I wrapped both arms around her, holding her close. “Not yet.”

“We’ll have to leave this bed at some point.”

She was right. Eventually we’d have to face reality. But at the moment, I didn’t give a damn about anything except her naked breasts against my ribs and her legs tangled with mine. “Let’s just order room service. In ten minutes.”

“Okay.” She nodded and snuggled deeper.

Being with Cleo . . . there weren’t words to describe how well two people fit together. Never in my life had there been a woman like her and never would there be another. She’d destroyed me. She’d changed the path of my life. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do but giving her up wasn’t an option.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, plucking the thought from my head.

“We’ll figure it out. Just know this. Now that I’ve had you in my arms, I’m not letting you go.”

Cleo shifted and propped up on an elbow. “Austin, what’s happening here?”

I lifted a hand to tuck a lock of her hair away from her eye. “Damn, you are beautiful.”

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled in the light streaming through the window. Her skin was so smooth and creamy. I bent to kiss the freckle on her collarbone.

She tapped me on the shoulder. “Are you going to answer my question?”

I chuckled, leaning back. There was a crease between her eyebrows, her face etched in worry. “Do you think there are any of your muffins from yesterday in the kitchen? I’d kill for one right now. Or a scone. Or anything that you made yesterday.”

She blinked, worry morphing to confusion. “But you hate my food.”

“I love your food.”

“No, you don’t.” She frowned. “Don’t pretend to like it just because you’ve seen me naked.”

I laughed again, thinking of all the times I’d swallowed a chuckle when she was around. Cleo was one of the funniest, wittiest people in the world, but like her food, I hadn’t let myself enjoy her humor.

Shifting, I sat up and leaned against the headboard, my legs stretched down the length of the bed as she sat up to look at me, bringing the sheet with her.

“My favorite is your chocolate cupcakes,” I said. “The plain ones, not the ones with the peanut butter filling. Though those are amazing too, the simple chocolate is my favorite. You gave Blake a box for his birthday and I’ve never been more jealous.”

“Is this a joke?”

“No. I want them for my birthday this year.”