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Chapter Eighteen

Nick

C hristmas morning was already different from what I was used to.

I thought I’d regret the change this year, having to travel to visit family. Instead, I was waking up next to Jordan after we spent the night fucking each other’s brains out. His chest rose and fell in slumber, his long black lashes so damn pretty, and his hair a tangled mess. My fingers itched to run through it. God, he was wicked perfection, and he was all mine.

Best Christmas gift I could’ve hoped for.

I’d given him his present early, so I didn’t need to worry about an exchange, but I could get breakfast going. We had a busy-as-fuck day ahead of us. Between the family brunch with my folks, Amanda, and Brian, and the big Ellis family dinner at Gramps’s house at night, we were going to be ridiculously busy. I fucking loved it.

The temptation to ask Jordan to move in with me was strong, especially with how well he fit in my space. He’d crashed at my house every night since the Christmas Bash, so my guess was he wouldn’t be too opposed to the shift. Like everything with Jordan, when he was in, he was all in .

From the moment he’d kissed me in front of the Christmas tree in the town hall, Jordan hadn’t shied away from PDA or I love yous, and I was happier than I’d been in years. This was the relationship, the connection I’d been searching my whole life for, and now that I had it, I wasn’t letting go.

I pushed up to try to escape the clutches of the comfy bed and mattress, but Jordan grabbed my arm.

“Don go,” he murmured, the words slurred with sleep.

“How am I going to make Christmas coffee if I’m chained to the bed?”

A grin lit his lips, and he sleepily opened his eyes. “Damn, that sounds hot. Can I chain you to the bed?”

“Maybe later,” I said, leaning down to press my lips to his. “You fucked me so hard last night I’m still feeling it.”

“Good,” Jordan said. “It’s my job to make sure your hole is well fucked.”

I shook my head, a rueful grin on my lips. “You’re excelling at that.” I slipped off the bed and extended my hand. “You could always join me in making coffee.”

“I’ll meet you there in a second.” He rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes. Goddamn, he was so gorgeous. My heart slammed hard. I walked to the kitchen without a stitch on. The heat was pumping in my house, just the way I liked it, so it was comfortable sans clothes. My coffeemaker sat waiting for me in the kitchen, and I got to work, the tasks automatic as I set it up. Moments later, the liquid was percolating, and I leaned against the cool counter.

“Merry Christmas.” Jordan padded in on quiet footsteps, clutching a wrapped rectangle in his hand. “This is for you.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said, even though my chest squeezed tight .

“Neither did you,” he reminded me. “Now, open the gift.”

I ripped the wrapping off to find a framed picture. It was of Jordan and me when we were eight, and I remembered the day well. We’d gotten into so much trouble. He’d heard about a secret waterfall, and we’d snuck out to go find it—not telling our parents, of course. Then we’d taken a picture in front of the little waterfall we found. His arm was around my shoulders, and we both had the biggest fucking grins on our faces. That was of course before we’d returned home and our folks were furious for sneaking off like that. I’d been grounded for ages.

“You’ve been my partner in crime since we were kids,” he murmured, looking up at me. Love poured from his gaze, a tenderness that settled over me like a blanket. “The picture reminded me of that.”

“You might stir up a little trouble, but your ideas are always worth it in the end.” I said, tracing the picture of us with my fingertips. I leaned in and kissed him again. “And this one? You and me? Best idea yet.”

“You get just as much credit.” Jordan placed a hand on my hip. I rested the picture on the counter and closed the distance between us for another kiss, this one with our bodies pressed skin to skin. We kissed with the languidness of early morning, soft rays filtering through the windows. I hadn’t decorated for the holidays, but warmth and cheer filled my house by having Jordan in my space. And we’d be diving into all the holiday chaos soon.

I’d been searching for a plus-one, not just for Amanda’s wedding, but in life for far too long.

Little had I known it’d be the guy I’d skinned knees with as a kid. The one I’d broken curfew with as a teen. The man I’d gotten rip-roaring drunk with as an adult.

The one who’d always had a little piece of my heart.

From an early age, we’d painted Collier’s Creek red, and it was fitting we’d stay. That we’d build our future here, in this home, together.