He shook his head as he twisted toward me. “I never wanted to.”
Our eyes met again, and I wouldn’t have been able to look away if Santa had run through the room with a rifle. “Never?”
Leaning back, he planted a hand behind me. “Never,” he said, his voice low. Tipping his head down, he pressed a kiss against my bare shoulder, and then rested his chin there.
I was afraid I was going to spill the coffee everywhere. He didn’t regret last night. That much was obvious. Relief was like a sweet drug clawing at me, but I still didn’t know how to act, and I was petrified of saying the wrong thing.
Luckily, Kyler had way more experience than me at all of this. “The snow isn’t falling as heavy now. The plows should be able to get out here at some point.”
A twinge of disappointment hit me and I hid it with a smile. Funny how, a day ago, all I’d wanted was to go home. “Do you think they’ll get to us today?”
“I’d be really surprised. Probably tomorrow,” he replied. “It’s like the North Pole out there right now.”
“Sounds good for Santa.”
His eyes glimmered. “I think even he’d get lost in that mess.”
I finished off the coffee, and Kyler took the cup from me. Gathering the blanket around me, I mumbled something about the bathroom, and he told me to use the one downstairs. I shuffled out of the room, hitching the blanket close as I hit the chilly temps in the rest of the house. Probably would’ve been smart to pick up my clothes—wherever they were—so I could change, but I rushed to the bathroom, my bare feet slapping against the cold wood floors.
I discovered that Kyler had gathered up some personal items and placed them in the bathroom so I wouldn’t have to go upstairs. Due to the thoughtful gesture, I smiled as I went through my morning routine. Butterflies had nested in my stomach and were about to take full flight. Using what I had, I washed up the best I could without killing myself with the frigid water.
Those damn butterflies were fluttering around, bouncing off my insides as I left the bathroom. My cheeks were warm in spite of the cold. I stopped by the Christmas tree—only for a few seconds, because of the windows and the danger they presented. My gaze dropped to the two presents under the tree, the ones with our names on them. A smile fluttered across my lips as I dragged my eyes up to the shiny star perched atop the tree. We hadn’t even thought to turn the lights on.
If I had my days right, Christmas was a week and a few days away. I knew what I wanted for Christmas, and it seemed like I’d gotten it. I hoped the holiday had come early for me, and this wasn’t some wild fluke.
When I returned to the living room, Kyler had spread out a buffet of breakfast food across the dark oak coffee table. The non-cooked kind—bananas, breakfast bars, dry cereal, and whatnot.
I stopped just inside the room, my heart in my throat, or maybe in my mouth at this point.
He glanced up and grinned. “This is the best I can do for breakfast.”
“It’s perfect.” My words sounded thick and I realized I was close to tears. The good kind, but really, bawling like a baby wouldn’t be attractive. Ducking my head, I went over to the side and sat on an unoccupied pillow, keeping the blanket close.
“Looks like chips and raw vegetables for lunch and dinner,” he said, sliding another cup of fresh coffee my way. “We’re eating healthy today.”
I laughed. “Like I eat differently any other day.”
He scoffed. “You’re such a red meat kind of girl. Don’t lie.”
That part was true. “Thank you for putting this together.”
“My pleasure.” He elbowed me gently. “Eat up. I have a big day planned for you.”
My brows rose. “You do? Planning on getting me outside to shovel the driveway?”
“No.” Picking up an apple, he leaned back in an arrogant sprawl. “Doesn’t involve the outside, but it does center around some physical activity.”
Heat zinged through my blood. “Really?”
He regarded me with a wicked glint. “Look around the room, Syd. There’s something you’re missing.”
Scanning the room, it took me a couple of moments to catch on. “My clothes? Where are my clothes?”
His answering grin was pure sin. “You’re not going to need any clothes today, baby.”
Chapter 16
Sydney
Oh my, my, my…
My eyes widened to what was probably seriously unattractive. Under the blanket, my body warmed deliciously. “So all I have is this blanket?”
“Most of the time.”
A thrill went through me. “Okay. And you get to wear clothes?”
Kyler winked as he took a bite of the apple. “Most of the time.”
“Doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
Heat simmered in his gaze. “Oh, it will be equally fair.”
Was it possible to turn into goo? I believed so. His deep chuckle caused me to flush and I turned back to our little buffet, busying myself with eating. So many questions rose to the tip of my tongue. I wanted—no, I needed—some sort of confirmation of what was happening between us, but to be honest, I was too afraid of saying something that would bring all of this crashing down on me, shattering like a fragile snow globe.
It was weak, probably even a little wrong, but I kept my mouth shut.
After a few moments, we started talking…talking like normal. About the next semester and what classes we had left. How he planned to talk to his mom about veterinary school during the break, and I really hoped it would go better than what he dreaded. Kyler needed to do what would make him happy, not what his mother expected.
Hours passed. Every so often, he’d check the window and return to my side. We talked about Andrea and Tanner, about how I imagined he had to be bummed about not getting to snowboard.
We just talked like we always did, but there was something more to it. Kyler would touch me at the most random moments, and I came to anticipate those seconds. He’d brushed his fingers over my cheek as he spoke about his mom attempting to cook turkey again this year. I’d been an unwilling participant in many of his mom’s cooking adventures, so I didn’t envy him. When I admitted that I still nibbled on raw stuffing, he tucked my hair back behind my ear. And as he talked about wanting to make a gingerbread house when we got home—and he’d said we—he slid his fingers over my bare shoulder, eliciting a series of shivers from me.
Kyler stood, extending a hand. I had no idea how much time had passed when he did this. “It’s time for some of that physical activity I promised.”
For a while I’d completely forgotten that I was naked under the blanket. Not so much now. I swallowed hard. I had a pretty good idea of what that physical activity was. Nerves unraveled suddenly and frayed at the edges, and I couldn’t find enough air to breathe. I locked up. I wanted him so badly. I’d always wanted him, but I had no idea what to do. What if I did something wrong? What if he felt the same way Nate had afterward?
But I trusted Kyler, and that made a huge difference.
Holding the blanket to my chest, I gave him my free hand. His fingers threaded through mine and he pulled me to my feet with astonishing ease. He slipped an arm around my waist. With a soft smile, he bent down and pressed his forehead against mine.
“Do you remember our senior prom?” he asked. His hand tightened around mine, but he didn’t pull me any closer.
I blinked at the unexpected question. “Yes.”
“I promised you a dance.” His eyes drifted shut and his fingers splayed across my back. “I didn’t keep that promise.”
Shaking my head slightly, I stared up at him. “Kyler…”
His eyes opened. “We never danced. I was a douche.”
My heart started thumping at the memory. I’d gone to prom with Nate, but Kyler had promised me a dance. As wrong as it was, I’d spent most of that prom looking forward to that one dance instead of paying attention to Nate, but Kyler had left with Betty Holland. They had a hotel room. I’d overheard her talking to her friends in the bathroom.