Page 57 of Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane

‘Are you close?’ he asked as my body started to tingle again.

I could only nod. He lifted his hips to thrust in deeper and pulled me down towards him so he could kiss me, his tongue touching mine. I gasped as the sudden peak hit me and I leaned against his neck, kissing him there. He held me tight against me as he thrust into me just twice more before he cried my name and trembled beneath me.

‘That was incredible,’ he said close to my ear as he rolled me again over onto my side, pulling out of me and tossing the condom. He wrapped himself around me, holding me tight to his chest as we both panted and shivered together.

‘It was,’ I whispered back, my legs feeling like jelly in the best way.

‘Don’t forget, I have you for the whole night…’

‘You want more?’ I asked with a laugh.

‘So much more,’ he said, kissing my neck and giving me delicious goosebumps that made me instantly want more too.

* * *

As night faded into the early hours, we lay curled up in front of the last embers of the fire. I’d lost track of how many kisses and touches we’d shared. We hadn’t been able to get enough of each other. It was like knowing we had the whole night had unleashed us both. It had been crazy good in a way I could never have expected.

I leaned against his chest as he stroked my hair, our hearts beating in time together. I was starting to get sleepy now and we had lapsed into silence, just holding each other. It felt so comfortable.

‘Will you come to the tree lighting with me?’ Paul asked me then.

‘Huh?’ I asked sleepily.

‘Will you stay until Friday and come to the tree-lighting ceremony with me? As my date?’ he asked again, murmuring into my hair as he held me tightly like he never wanted to let me go.

I felt myself tense up. We both fell into silence while I thought about his question. It would mean staying in Birchbrook until the end of the week. I knew Willow would be happy if I did that. But it meant my city life was on hold still.

More importantly, it would mean facing the whole town and doing it as Paul’s date. People would see us and undoubtedly talk about it, not least his parents and my mum, Willow and Dylan and her friends too. I would be the subject of gossip and speculation again. And what would happen when I left for the city? People would probably say I’d broken Paul’s heart. That I had run away again. That I was just like my father.

‘It’s okay,’ Paul said, breaking gruffly into my overthinking. ‘I shouldn’t have suggested it.’

‘I want to,’ I said. ‘But⁠—’

‘I know.’ He kissed the top of my head. ‘I understand. You just feel like my girl.’

My heart skipped. ‘Paul…’ I made to move, to lift up off his chest and look at him, but he just shook his head and held me where I was. I stayed still, feeling a tear run down my cheek because I wanted nothing more than to be his girl.

37

HOLLY

I opened my eyes and looked over at Paul sleeping beside me in his bed. He was on his side facing me, asleep. One of his arms was draped over my stomach under the covers. Last night replayed in my mind like an unforgettable slideshow. It had been so passionate but somehow so romantic too, lying on his rug in front of the fire naked with skin slick, losing all track of time together. Finally, exhausted, we’d slipped sleepily into bed together and fallen asleep.

Then I remembered Paul asking me to the tree lighting. I hadn’t been able to say yes even though every fibre of me wanted to. Paul had let me off the hook and he’d pretended it hadn’t happened but I knew I couldn’t forget it. He had wanted us to show up there to tell the town we were together, and it was the closest he’d come to asking me about the future without actually doing it because he probably knew that would freak me out. Even that simple question had freaked me out. I felt like a coward. Paul deserved someone who wanted to show up with him, who wanted to be his girl and who didn’t care what other people thought about it.

Someone capable of staying put in one place and building a life with him.

With a stifled sigh so I didn’t wake him, I checked the time on his bedside clock. I’d slept for hours peacefully, something that had been rare in the city but was something I was getting used to here. My body felt contented and warm curled up by Paul. We’d felt so connected by the fire last night. The sex had been the best of my life by miles. I’d felt wanted by him, and also so safe with him. We were so close, there was no denying it.

But I had no idea what we were going to do now.

My phone started to vibrate where I’d left it on top of my jeans on the bedroom chair, shaking me out of my thoughts. I slipped under Paul’s arm. He grunted but kept on sleeping. I climbed out of his incredibly comfortable bed and padded over to look at my phone. It was Karl from the newspaper so I tiptoed out into the living room to answer it, grabbing Paul’s dressing gown as I moved, pulling it over my naked body.

‘Hello,’ I said quietly as I wandered into the kitchen and switched on Paul’s coffee machine.

‘Hi, Holly. Thought we should catch up. Did you get anywhere with your old colleague?’

‘No,’ I replied with a defeated sigh. ‘I get it. She doesn’t want to do anything that might jeopardise her career,’ I told him worriedly.