Chapter Eighteen

Snow

The warmth of Bones’ arms felt like the perfect cocoon as I slowly woke up. My body was tucked against his chest, and we were a tangled mess of limbs, but I didn’t mind. Being close to him felt too damn good. After pizza, the urge to be with him had been too overwhelming, and we didn’t make it to my bedroom. We had ended up on the couch again, our bodies tangled together, as both of us lost ourselves in each other. Afterward, we fell asleep in each other’s arms as exhaustion pulled us under in the early morning hours.

Bones stirred beside me, and I felt the soft press of his lips against the side of my head. His voice was deep and gravelly from sleep. “Good morning, Sugar.”

I smiled softly at the sound of his voice, and the roughness of it made my heart flutter in ways I couldn’t explain. “Good morning,” I whispered back.

We were both naked with only a blanket draped over us. I could feel his skin against mine, and I couldn’t help but sigh in contentment. There was something about being close to him like this, something that felt so... right.

“What time is it?” I asked, my voice still a little thick with sleep.

Before either of us could try to figure it out, there was a loud knock on the kitchen door. The sound cut through the air like a bucket of cold water.

“Oh my god,” I gasped, and my eyes widened with panic.

Bones chuckled lowly beside me while his arm tightened around me as he leaned in and kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to assume it’s around eight o’clock,” he said, his voice still rough with sleep.

“Open up!” Wick called from the other side of the door, and his voice was full of gruff impatience.

I froze for a moment, and my heart hammered in my chest. Bones and I were naked on the couch and tangled up in each other with only a blanket over us. And, of course, Wick, Nut, and Bonnie were outside ready to get to work and oblivious to the fact that Bones and I were currently in an entirely different kind of situation.

I jumped up from the couch, and my eyes darted around the room for my clothes. Everything seemed to be scattered around us, and I didn’t even know where to start.

Bones shifted and got up a little slower, clearly in no rush to leave the warmth of our shared moment. “Just get dressed, Sugar. They can wait a couple of minutes,” he said, with a hint of teasing in his voice.

I quickly spotted my pants and underwear by the tree and grabbed them. I slipped them on as quickly as I could. My gaze drifted back to Bones, who was stretching with his arms raised high above his head. His body was a perfect sight—muscles stretching, his chest broad, and his tattoos seemed to come alive with the movement. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“Would you please put your clothes on? You’re distracting me,” I said, finally breaking my gaze to finish getting dressed. I turned my back to him and tried to focus.

Bones chuckled from behind me, and the sound was deep and rich in the quiet room. I heard him move, and before I knew it, his strong arms were around me. He pulled me back against his chest, and his breath fanned over my ear as he spoke. “I’m going to need a better good morning before I put my clothes on.”

I turned in his arms and felt my heart race at his words. “One kiss, and then you put your clothes on,” I bargained, as my lips half-curled into a smile.

Bones shook his head slowly, and his lips tugged into that dangerous grin. “Two kisses,” he demanded, his eyes lighting up with desire.

I rolled my eyes. Seriously? Was I really going to argue with this hot-as-hell man who wanted two kisses from me instead of one? No, I wasn’t that stupid.

I leaned into him and kissed him deeply. My hands roamed over the strong lines of his chest as I pulled him closer. His mouth moved against mine, demanding more, and our kiss deepened. Both of us were lost in the sensation of it. I felt like I could kiss him forever, as if time didn’t exist.

When we finally pulled back, we were both breathless, and our lips were swollen. I giggled softly, and my voice was breathless as I teased, “I think that was more than two kisses.”

Bones chuckled, and his lips brushed over mine one last time. His hand gently cupped the back of my head. “Yeah, but who’s counting?” he murmured.

Before I could respond, a voice called from the kitchen door again. “Are you going to answer the damn door?” Wick asked, his voice impatient.

Bones muttered a curse under his breath, and I pulled out of his arms. I quickly finished pulling on my pants. I could feel the heat of his gaze on me as I moved, and his eyes tracked my every movement.

Bones found his pants, and I watched him slip them on, though it seemed like he wasn’t in any hurry to finish getting dressed. As I grabbed my bra and shirt, I moved faster than him, already feeling the urgency to get to the door before Wick and the others decided to break it down.

I fastened my bra, tugged my shirt on over my head, and glanced over at Bones, who still only had his pants on.

Bones strutted into the kitchen, his steps slow and confident. He was clearly unbothered by his state of half-dress. I moved to the doorway of the kitchen and watched him unlock the door.

When he swung it open, Wick’s voice rang out, full of amusement. “Well, hot damn,” he hooted. “Looks like your Christmas tree surprise plan worked.”

I felt my cheeks burn at the sound of Wick’s laughter from the living room, knowing full well what he was laughing about. Bones wasn’t exactly subtle, and now it looked like the whole crew was going to get an idea of just what kind of night we’d had.

Wick, Nut, and Bonnie sauntered into the kitchen, and all three looked a little too amused for my liking. Wick and Nut made a beeline for Bones, each giving him a fist bump with wide grins.

“Way to go, brother,” Wick said with a smirk and shot me a glance that was full of mischief. “Glad to see you finally got around to unwrapping a little something extra this holiday.”

Nut laughed and nudged Bones with his elbow. “Looks like Christmas came early.”

Bones flipped them both off.

Meanwhile, Bonnie gave me a knowing look, and her eyes glinted with humor. She didn’t say a word, but her raised eyebrow was enough to convey what she thought about the situation.

I took a deep breath and told myself not to be embarrassed. Sure, it was a little awkward—okay, a lot awkward—but I figured it was better to get the teasing out of the way now rather than let it drag on.

Wick wandered over to the living room, and his eyes zeroed in on the Christmas tree. “You didn’t even put a single ornament on the tree!” he called out, laughter booming through the house.

My cheeks heated again, but I managed a small laugh and shrugged it off. Bonnie bumped her hip into me and shook her head as she let out a chuckle. “Get it, girlfriend,” she said, laughing as she shot me a wink. “Guns and I barely finished a slice of pizza before we got, uh, distracted.” She cleared her throat with a grin and pulled her apron over her head.

I chuckled and felt a little relieved that Bonnie was so relaxed about it. She wasn’t giving me a hard time—just a little friendly teasing. Knowing Bonnie, she probably saw this coming long before I did.

Nut looked over at the two of us and crossed his arms with a sigh. “See, this is why I need to get myself an ol’ lady. Sure, they can be a pain in the ass, but I think I’d be willing to overlook that if it meant a warm body every night.” He shook his head, and looked at Bones and then me, as if he was seriously considering following our example.

“Guess you better put yourself out there, Nut,” I teased and earned myself a half-serious, half-amused glare from him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Easier said than done.”

“Am I making a coffee cake today, or are we going to help Nut find an ol’ lady?” Bonnie asked and grinned as she tied her apron behind her back.

“Coffee cake would be a hell of a lot easier,” Bones snickered.

“Coffee cake,” I agreed, “and we need to get the delivery ready for the coffee shop.”

The sooner we got that delivery packed and loaded, the sooner I could move on to the week’s mountain of orders. We all pitched in and worked like clockwork.

Bones, Wick, and Nut grabbed the boxes, and I showed them how to arrange the cookies carefully so they wouldn’t break. Cheryl liked to freeze her cookies and pulled them out as needed to keep them fresh throughout the week.

An hour later, we had everything boxed up and loaded into the back of the van along with her regular order. Wick hopped into the passenger seat after calling shotgun.

But as I was about to head back inside, Bones reached for my hand and pulled me around to the back of the van. He pressed me gently against it, and with a soft look in his eyes, he glanced around to make sure Bonnie and Nut had gone inside.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and warm.

I tipped my head, a little surprised. “Um, yeah? Was I not supposed to be?”

“You know the guys were just joking around, right?”

“About you and me?” I asked and felt my cheeks warm.

Bones nodded and watched me closely like he was worried I might have taken it the wrong way.

I laughed softly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not dumb, Bones. I know they weren’t being mean or trying to make me uncomfortable. They’re your friends, and we were all just joking around.” I reached up and cupped his cheek, feeling the slight roughness of his stubble under my palm. “But it’s really sweet of you to check up on me.”

He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “Maybe you could come with me to make the delivery,” he murmured, wiggling his eyebrows. “And we could make a pit stop on the way.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. “You’re shameless, Bones. As much as I’d love to run off with you, I have a mountain of baking to get through today. You’re a distraction.” I trailed my fingers down his cheek, and a grin tugged at my lips. “A very attractive distraction at that.”

He pressed a kiss to my palm and looked into my eyes with a warmth that made me feel like I was melting. “Maybe tonight we can try to decorate the tree again. No interruptions this time.”

I smiled up at him, and my heart swelled at the idea of just being close to him, even in something as simple as hanging ornaments. “I’m always up for trying.”