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Chapter thirty-four

Best Christmas Eve, ever

Charlie

T he night air is cold, the kind that bites at your skin and turns your breath to mist, but the hot tub is warm and inviting, steam curling up into the dark sky. Snow falls lightly, dusting everything in white, and the cabin’s twinkling lights cast a soft glow over the deck.

The kids are finally asleep, and it’s just Jake and me now. I pull my robe a little tighter around me as I step outside, my bare feet darting over the frosty decking until I reach the hot tub. Jake’s already in, leaning back, his strong arms stretched along the sides as he watches me approach. His gaze is smoldering, tracking every move I make.

He doesn’t speak, just lets his eyes travel over me as I drop my robe. The ridiculous bikini I packed for this exact moment has his lips curling into a slow grin, his stare hot and possessive.

“Stop staring,” I say, stepping up to the edge. The steam swirls around me, warm and soft against my skin.

“Can’t help it,” he murmurs. “Get in here.”

I smirk, taking my time as I slip into the water, feeling the heat slide up my body. His eyes never leave me, dark with desire, as I sink down until the water bubbles around my shoulders.

“Tease,” he mutters, reaching for me and pulling me against his chest.

“Maybe a little.” I lean back into him, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my spine. His quiet laugh vibrates through me, making me feel more at home than I ever have before.

We sit with the quiet night wrapping around us, the only sounds the occasional crackle of the fire inside and the soft hiss of snow falling around us. I close my eyes, letting the tension of the past few months melt away.

Jake shifts behind me, and I hear the soft click of his phone as he starts a playlist. Music drifts into the air, the kind of background noise that lets the quiet feel even more intimate. I’m about to say something when the first few notes of a familiar song play, and my eyes fly open.

Iris .

I freeze, instantly transported back to a different time. My cheeks heat as a flood of memories rush back—singing this very song in the camp kitchen, scrubbing pots and thinking I was alone. Of course, I wasn’t. Jake had been watching.

“Oh God,” I groan, sliding deeper into the water. “You remember this?”

Jake chuckles, his mouth brushing my ear. “How could I forget? You were giving the performance of a lifetime, scrubbing those pots like a rockstar.”

“I was so off-key,” I mutter, but he squeezes my hips.

“You were perfect,” he says, pulling me closer. “You got so caught up in it, like nothing else existed. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

I laugh despite myself, the warmth in his words melting away my embarrassment. “I just really loved that song. It always got to me, you know?”

Jake’s fingers trail up my arm, his touch steady and reverent. “You told me that you loved it because the lyrics meant something real to you. About loving someone so much you’d let them see you, flaws and all.”

I swallow, feeling the weight of his gaze on me, the playful tension shifting into something deeper.

“Yeah,” I say. “I guess I did.”

He leans closer, his voice a low murmur in my ear. “Charlie, you’re the only one who’s ever seen me like that. You saw past the bravado, that hockey swagger and all the crap I hid behind. You just saw me—the kid who didn’t have a damn clue who he was.”

My throat tightens, and I turn in his arms, wanting to see his face. The look in his eyes is unguarded. H e’s not just saying this, he means every word.

“I should’ve kissed you that summer,” he says softly. “I should’ve told you how I felt under those stars.”

“We were just kids,” I whisper, fingers trailing along his jaw. “We didn’t know what we were doing.”

“I did.” His hands cup my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks. “I knew even back then that you were it for me. I thought time and distance would make it easier, but seeing you again has just made me more sure of what I lost. And this time, I’m not letting you go.”

A fierce protectiveness blooms in his eyes, and my heart pounds in my chest as I realize he’s been waiting for me. Waiting for me to understand what we’ve been dancing around for months, maybe even years.

“Do you remember karaoke the other night?” he asks suddenly.

I cringe, recalling my drunken attempt to pry out his feelings. “I was out of my mind, Jake. Don’t make me relive that.”

He chuckles, eyes twinkling. “You were trying to get me to say something.”

“Yeah… I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“I was,” he says, voice dropping. “I wanted to tell you then, but I didn’t want it to be like that. Couldn’t risk that you might not remember every word.”

My eyes move to his and I try to respond, but no words come out. It’s hard to believe someone could love me like this, so wholly and completely. I’m frozen, overwhelmed by the weight of this moment as he speaks.

"Twelve years, Lady Lightning. That's 4,514 sunsets since the last one we had on that hill. Countless games… A lifetime of moments without you." His voice catches, head shaking slightly like he still can’t quite believe how much time has passed.

And all I can do is stare back.

“I love you, Charlie. I think I’ve loved you all along, even before I knew how to say it. You’re the reason nothing else ever felt right, the reason I waited without realizing I was even waiting. And I swear to you," his voice pauses, wavering slightly, "you’ll never doubt this. You’ll never wonder how much I love you, because I’ll make sure you feel it. Every damn day.”

I’m speechless as his words wrap around me, floating up between us in the steam and sinking deep into the spaces within me. He doesn’t just love me now—he loves every part of me, every version of who I’ve been and who I am.

For the first time in so long, I feel whole in a way I never thought was possible. My heart pounds as I meet his gaze, his emotions wide open, waiting.

“I love you, too,” I whisper, the words trembling but certain. “So much, Jake. More tha n I ever thought I could.”

A slow, breathtaking smile breaks across his face, his hands cradling my cheeks as he pulls me into a tender kiss.

“Say it again,” he whispers against my lips.

I laugh softly, feeling the emotion bubbling inside me. “I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you.”

His kiss deepens, consuming me, and the last of the tension between us dissolves. There’s nothing left but us, wrapped in the quiet of falling snow and the overwhelming sense of rightness.

“God, I love hearing you say that.”

“Well, get used to it. I plan on saying it a lot.”

“You better.” He pulls me onto his lap, the water sloshing around us. His lips skim along my neck, breath warm against my skin. “I never thought it’d feel this good, knowing you love me too.”

My hands slide up to cup his face, capturing his mouth in another deep, needy kiss. I feel him press up towards me, and we move together, the water lapping around us as the kiss intensifies.

“Show me how much you love me,” I murmur, gripping his shoulders.

His hands glide down my back, unclipping my bikini top in one fluid motion. With equal ease, he slips off my bottoms and his shorts, leaving nothing between us.

A wicked grin spreads across his face as he hooks his hands under my thighs and lifts me to the edge of the hot tub, the cold air biting my skin. His possessive gaze roves over me, as if I’m the only thing in his world.

Maybe I am. Maybe I always have been.

“You’re stunning,” he rasps, reverence in his voice. “Mine. Every single part of you.”

“Jake,” I whisper, trying to reach for him.

“Spread your legs,” he orders. I can feel the intensity dripping beneath his words as I let my legs fall open.

Kissing a trail up my inner thigh, he reaches my center and takes a long, languid stroke with his tongue. I let out a soft moan, gripping the edge of the tub as my body arches toward him.

“I love you,” he mutters against me, lips teasing my clit. “And I love this fucking pussy.” He latches on again, his tongue moving in tandem with his fingers like I’m some kind of sacred ritual he’s unwilling to rush. “I’m gonna worship you every day for the rest of my life.”

Pulling back again, he floats over to rest against the other side of the tub. His eyes lock on mine, and his lips curl. “Now come sit.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Come sit. Right here.” He taps his lips with his fingers, making damn sure I know exactly what he means.

I stare at him, my thoughts scattering.

“Charlie, I said come sit on my face. I want you on my tongue— now. ”

I hesitate, letting out a nervous laugh. “I can’t—”

“Yes, you can.” His hands slide up to my thighs, tugging me gently. “Don’t be a brat. Sit. I wanna taste you.”

I scoff. “I’m not killing you on Christmas Eve.”

“If that’s how I go, it’ll be the best damn Christmas present I’ve ever received.” His tone softens, a trace of humor in it. “Now, get over here.”

I take a deep breath, then move toward him. He guides me into place, and I hover, nerves alight. But his hands grip my thighs, pulling me down toward him with no hesitation.

“You’re gonna tell me how much you love me while you ride my face.”

Before I can respond, he’s on me, his tongue finding its rhythm, dragging desperate, unfiltered sounds from my lips.

“Holy shit,” I moan, fingers tangling in his hair. His tongue darts in and out, swirling around my clit as my eyes roll back.

“You’re mine,” he mumbles between each stroke. “Every. Single. Part of you. Now, tell me.”

My body rocks against him, the waves of pleasure mounting. “I love you.”

“That’s right, baby,” he rasps. “Tell me again.”

“I love you,” I pant, my voice breaking on the last word. His grip tightens as he devours me, his ton gue relentless.

But before I can come undone, he pulls back, lips glistening and eyes dark with desire. His hands wrap around my waist as he lifts me back into the water, straddling me over his lap.

“Jake,” I whisper, capturing his mouth in a searing kiss, tasting myself on his lips. His cock nudges against me, and I sink down onto him, his low groan echoing into my mouth.

“Fuck, Charlie, I love you so much.” His voice is wrecked, rough with restraint. “You’re so tight, so perfect… made for me.”

A needy noise escapes me, feeling him fill me completely, the warmth of the water bubbling around us, the cold night air licking at my skin.

His mouth finds my nipple, teeth grazing as he sucks it into his mouth, his tongue flicking against it. I arch against him, helpless to do anything but cling to him.

“Don’t fucking stop—oh, god …”

My head tilts back toward the sky, snowflakes melting on my flushed skin as steam rises around us. Every sensation blurs together, every sensation but him. The grip of his hands tightens, one sliding up to fist in my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat.

“You’re making me fucking feral, Charlie,” he husks against my throat, tongue dragging a slow path up the column of my neck where a snowflake melts on my skin. “Say it. Tell me again while I make you come.”

“I love you,” I whimper. “You’re it for me, Jake.”

The tension inside me coils tighter, every thrust pushing me closer to the edge. His hands slide back to my ass, squeezing and spreading me, controlling the rhythm as his cock hits every spot that makes me gasp.

“That’s it,” he growls, voice dark and filthy. “Feel how deep I am? You’re mine, baby. Every inch of you to fuck, every sound of you to claim, every damn heartbeat to love. I’m never letting you go.”

“Jake,” I gasp. “I’m gonna—”

“Not yet,” he rasps, his thumb sliding between my cheeks, pressing lightly and teasing as his cock drives deeper. “You’re gonna come when I say. You trust me?”

“Yes,” I pant, every nerve on fire. “I trust you.”

“Good girl,” he praises, breath heavy.

His thumb presses more firmly, and the new sensation sends a jolt of pleasure through me. I cry out, clenching tighter around him, and his groan is primal as his control frays.

“Now, baby,” he orders, circling my clit with his free hand. “Come for me. Come all over my cock.”

The coil inside me snaps, and I cry out as the orgasm tears through me, my body shuddering around him. His hand tightens on my ass, pulling me down hard as he buries himself deep one last time, moaning my name like a vow as he comes.

For a long moment, we’re motionless, the water sloshing softly around us as the world comes back into focus. His lips find mine, pressing soft, slow kisses along my jaw, my temple, my cheek.

“I love you,” I whisper again, letting the words settle in the quiet around us.

Jake’s smile is slow and content, arms wrapping tighter around me as if he’ll never let go.

“Goddamn, Charlie girl,” he murmurs. “You’re my everything.”

“Best Christmas Eve ever.”