Page 36 of You Make It Feel like Christmas

M AISIE HAD NO CONCEPT of time but she knew it wasn’t early. She’d felt Nick get out of the bed a while ago but the scent of him on her sheets, the warmth cocooning her, and the contentment of knowing he’d be there when she awoke lulled her back into a deep slumber.

She didn’t wake again until the bed dipped and gravity, along with Nick’s hands, had her sliding against him, her back to his front, one arm going under her head to cushion it, the other going around her waist, his hand covering hers before linking their fingers.

Her body felt boneless but her mind and heart raced.

It wasn’t a dream. He was here. They hadn’t spent a ton of time talking the night before and she knew they needed to, but feeling him surround her, his lips nuzzling her neck, it didn’t feel real.

He wanted to spend the week with her; they had time to talk. And time to fall harder.

When she had left Christmas afternoon, getting out of there had been her primary concern.

The entire drive home, a montage of the week ran through her head, from her mother’s words and her feelings of inadequacy to her time with Nick and the realization that she wanted so much more.

Not in the way her mom envisioned, but with Nick.

She’d allowed herself the slim hope that he’d do just as he had and show up. If he hadn’t, it would have hurt like hell, but it would have given her the clean break and answer she needed.

Now, she still didn’t know the end game, but he was here and her heart was full to bursting. Overflowing.

He shifted, snuggled up next to her like he didn’t want to let her go.

And she wanted the promise of them so much it felt like she was holding her breath.

Maisie had never been a pessimist. It went against her nature.

Even as a kid, she saw beauty in the plain, potential in the broken, and magic in the mundane.

She pushed down her parents’ varying disappointments and lost herself in the things that brought her joy.

Nick brought her a kind of joy she’d never imagined.

“I can feel you overthinking. Maybe I didn’t wear you out as well as I should have last night,” he whispered against her ear, tracing his lips along the outer shell, his whiskers rasping and tickling.

She squeezed his hand. “I have absolutely zero complaints. I’m not much of a hostess. Sorry I fell back asleep.”

His arm tightened. “Don’t be. I’m glad you got some rest. I went for a light run, found a bakery, brought back some coffee, did some yoga, took a shower.”

She turned and faced him, resettling herself on her side. “You do yoga?”

Something they had in common. She liked that.

“Stretching is important.”

Maisie released his hand, turned so she was on her other side facing him and snuggled up again, this time putting her hands on his bare chest. Nick slid one heavy thigh between hers and Maisie enjoyed the weight and feel of it.

“You’ve done enough for a full day. Is this you going back to bed now?”

He laughed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s more important than ever that I stay in shape right now.”

Maisie watched her fingers move along his skin, making figure eights as a little thrill raced through her. “Again, zero complaints.”

Nick leaned in, brushed his lips to hers, and before she could worry about morning breath, he was sliding his hand into her hair, leaning into her until she lay flat on her back, her arms going around him.

He lifted his head slowly and Maisie’s gaze blinked back into focus. She stared up at him, one hand curled around the side of his neck, the other wrapped around his shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered.

He kissed her forehead, trailed his lips along her hairline to her ear.

“When Ellie told me you’d left, I didn’t know what to do. The need to see you made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.”

Guilt cut into her like a sharpened blade. “I didn’t think of that, Nick. Did you have a panic attack?”

He frowned. “I started to. Colt was there. It helped.” He stroked his finger along her cheek before looking at her again. “I hate them. I hate that you’ve seen them, that he’s seen them. That I can’t control them.”

Maisie shifted her arms so she could cup his cheeks, his beard soft against her palms. “I hate that you have them and they make you feel bad, but I’m not sorry I’ve seen them and I know Colt isn’t either.

Everyone has anxiety on some level. You’ve had a lot of hard knocks in the last several months.

I’m guessing big, tough hockey players don’t often give themselves time to recover from so many things hitting them at once.

This is probably your body’s way of saying, hey, deal with me. ”

Nick stared at her like he was trying to figure something out. “Big, tough hockey players?”

Maisie nodded, running her hands over his skin, loving the shudder that ran through him, that she felt against her own body. “Yeah. Your mom dying, Ellie’s divorce. Those impacted you. Did you talk to anyone? Or did you wait until your first panic attack to finally get some stuff off your chest?”

Leaning in, Nick kissed the underside of her jaw, moved up to her ear, and nipped the lobe, making her twist beneath him. He lifted his head, a soft, serious smile gracing his perfect lips. “You know a lot about anxiety?”

Maisie shrugged. “Enough to know there’s nothing to be embarrassed about and that if people care about you on any level, they won’t hold it against you or see you differently, so why would you hold it against yourself?”

The emotions that filled Nick’s gaze sucked the air out of Maisie’s lungs. As he moved one of his hands to her hair, his thumb drifted back and forth across Maisie’s cheek. “You really do like me. All of me. Even the bad parts.”

Nudging him, she knew he let her roll him to his back. Putting her legs on either side of his hips, she rested her palms on his chest. His gaze wandered down and then his hands followed but she grabbed them, sat up fully, linking her fingers with his.

“There’s a lot to like,” she whispered.

Nick’s abs tightened deliciously as he arched up to sit, pulling his hands from Maisie’s so he could wrap them around her.

Nick kissed her as if she was the oxygen he used to breathe, and Maisie was completely on board. Until her stomach growled loudly and Nick laughed against her lips.

He pulled back, fingers tangled in her hair. “Seems like you’re hungry for something else. Good thing I’m a big, tough hockey player so my feelings don’t get hurt easily.”

Since she couldn’t magically disappear, no matter how awkward she felt, she owned it. “Being happy makes me hungry.”

Hands going to her waist, he lifted her off his lap and set her on the floor.

Her legs weren’t entirely steady. Especially with him sitting in the bed, looking sexily disheveled.

Swinging his legs off the side of the bed, he stood, bringing their bodies back together and Maisie’s thoughts scrambled. She didn’t need food.

Nick read her expression perfectly. “Nuh-uh. Food first.”

He laughed at her pout so she grabbed his T-shirt and tugged it on. He could just stay shirtless if he was going to tease her. Unbothered, he pulled on his athletic shorts and nudged her toward the door.

“What did you get at the bakery?”

“One of everything.”

Laughing, Maisie looked back over her shoulder. “You did not.”

He reached out and snagged her around the waist, kissing the crook of her neck, his beard tickling the sensitive skin. “I did. Wanted to make sure you had a reason to smile when you woke up.”

“Nick,” she whispered, her hands covering his at her waist, emotion seeping into her tone. “I woke up smiling because of you.”

“Same,” he whispered back.

Unable to resist, she turned in his arms, her pulse racing as they fell into another heated kiss that stole her ability to do anything more than feel. It was too late to stop herself from falling for him. That ship had sailed into the horizon.

His lips trailed down along her jaw, her neck, sending delightful shivers over her heated skin.

“I like waking up next to you,” he whispered against her mouth.

All the air whooshed out of her lungs. “When you say things like that while you’re touching me, while you’re looking at me the way you are right now, you make it impossible to keep my guard up. To stop myself from falling.”

Nick held her gaze and Maisie held her breath.

“I’m pretty good at getting behind the guard,” he teased. Then he touched his mouth to hers again. “You’re not falling alone, Maisie.”

She arched up into the next kiss, tightening her hold. His hands slid under his own shirt, moving the fabric up along her sensitive skin.

“I like my shirt on you,” he said, his breath warm in her ear.

“Funny, I like it off you,” she told him.

Food would have been happily forgotten if her phone hadn’t rang, the shrill interruption startling them apart.

“That’s my Lexi ringtone,” she said, her breath coming in bursts.

Nick arched his brows. “Do I get my own ringtone?”

Laughing, she pulled out of his arms. “If I don’t answer, she’ll show up.”

Placing a hard kiss on her lips, he stepped around her. “I’ll grab your coffee.”

She watched him walk out of her bedroom and tried to calm herself. It felt like she had a whole cheering squad living in her chest. Rooting for Nick. Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she said hello to her friend.

“Let me up. I brought scones.” With that, Lexi hung up and Maisie rushed to grab some pants of her own but not didn’t bother to change the shirt.

Nick was walking out of the kitchen—her place wasn’t very big and with his size, he made it seem even smaller—with a to-go cup of coffee, holding it out to her with a sweet look on his face.

She took it, had a sip then set it on the table. “Lexi is coming up.”

“What?” He looked behind him which made her laugh and then asked, “She’s here now?”