This Christmas Read Online Free Page B

expecting us to descend the stairs together, but let out an embarrassing squeak when my legs are lifted from under me and I’m airborne for a second before Will’s strong arms wrap around my body. He tucks me close to his body as if I weigh much less than I do. “There’s that Southern gentleman I missed all these months,” I tease, nuzzling against his neck.
    “Well ma’am,” he says, playing up his somewhat faded accent from the two years he spent in Texas. “I’m what you’d call a city boy now.”
    I laugh and kiss his rough cheek. He brings me down the stairs and gently lowers me to the couch. He’s about to walk away when I grab the collar of his shirt and bring his lips to mine. He doesn’t protest as he lowers his body over me and we fall back against the couch. Our bodies sink into the plush cushions and a surge of tingles spreads through my body. We’re finally alone and Will’s mood has improved significantly. I can’t help but feel like we’re finally getting back to where we were this summer with our relationship.
    Will deepens the kiss, almost as if he feels my fervor and is trying to top it. I rake my fingers through his soft hair and pull him closer to me. A sigh escapes his lips, sending ripples of pleasure between my legs. I twist my body, allowing his arms to wrap around me. But when his leg lands on my foot, those tingles and ripples turn to white hot agony.
    “Ah!” My body goes rigid and my head slams into Will’s forehead. The throbbing heartbeat in my foot matches with the soon to be gigantic bump on my head. Will jumps off the couch and my head falls against the cushion.
    “You alright?” he asks.
    “My foot,” is all I manage through my teeth. My breathing is heavy as I try to will the pain away.
    Will’s hand swipes at my hair, tucking it behind my ear. He presses his lips to mine in an innocent kiss and takes my hands in his. “Let me help you up.”
    I let him pull me into a sitting position, using one of the decorative pillows to prop me up. Heat blazes in my cheeks as he covers me with the quilt hanging off the side of the couch. He tucks me in securely like my dad used to. I can’t help but smile up at him. He puts two pillows under my feet and inspects his work.
    “How about some hot chocolate?” he asks.
    What I really want is his hot body on mine, but I settle for something almost as sweet. “Sure.”
    ***
    The sun is just setting over the horizon as I sip from my third mug of hot chocolate. I pick a mini marshmallow from the liquid and pop it into my mouth. Will sits on the opposite side of the couch, munching on another handful of pretzels, our snack of choice after the plate of cheese and cold cuts were polished off earlier.
    “How come you were so cranky earlier?” I ask, flexing my foot. It’s still sore.
    He grabs my foot and holds it in place. He iced it for a while but I insisted we take a break after my foot went numb. “Sorry ‘bout that. I got in my own head.”
    “About what?”
    His jaw clenches and he stares at the coffee table for a minute before responding. “Nothin’ in particular.”
    I press the toe of my good foot into his arm and raise an eyebrow. I’m comfortable and relaxed and not in the mood for his evasiveness, especially after he seemed over it a little while ago.
    He tickles my foot until I move it away from him. “Fine. We haven’t been alone in a while. And since Becky invited us up here, I wanted to leave the City as soon as we could. The traffic just got to me. I’m sorry.”
    Even though Will desperately tries to never be like his alcoholic father, he has the same proclivity towards anger when something doesn’t go his way. I forgave him hours ago, but I need him to be aware of how it affected our relationship sometimes.
    “We’re here now,” I say through a yawn.
    He smiles lazily. “One almost broken foot later.”
    “The key word is ‘almost’.”
    Will sits up and turns towards the window. “I thought I