A Very Grumpy Thanksgiving (Wolf Valley: A Very Grumpy Holiday #3)

Chapter 7

SEVEN

Saffron

“Thank you so much for having me. Dinner was delicious and it was so nice to meet all of you,” I tell Nolan’s family as he holds my coat up for me to slip my arms into the sleeves.

“Oh, any time, dear!” Mrs. Wright tells me as she steps forward to wrap me up in a tight hug. “You’re welcome back here anytime.”

“Thanks,” I whisper, and she smiles as she pulls back slightly.

“Thank you. It’s nice to see my son so happy and I know that we have you to thank for that.”

“I’ll see you guys later,” Nolan says as he hugs everyone good.

He takes my hand, and I smile, waving one more time as he pulls open the front door. I’ve liked getting to know his family, but I’m ready to head home and be alone to process all of my feelings.

Nolan pulls open the door, and a blast of snow and freezing cold air hits both of us, knocking me back a step.

“Whoa,” I blurt out when I see how bad that weather has turned in the few hours that we were here.

A foot and a half of snow is now covering his truck, and more is still coming down.

“You can’t drive home in that!” Mrs. Wright says, and I glance up at Nolan.

“Uh…” He says, blinking as he looks out at the weather.

“You’ll stay the night. We insist. Right, honey?” Mrs. Wright says, nodding at her husband.

“Of course. I’ll get the sheets for your old bed,” he says, and I blink as he takes off down the hall.

“Nolan?”

“Um,” he says, shutting the front door. “Maybe the snow will stop soon.”

He pulls his phone out and we both frown when we see that it’s supposed to snow for another few hours.

He looks at me, and I can see that he’s nervous about my reaction.

“I…I guess we should stay.”

“Yeah. We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” he assures me.

I nod and unzip my jacket. Mrs. Wright is clearly over the moon that we have to stay longer, and I smile at her as Nolan hangs my coat back up.

“Well, do you want to see my childhood bedroom?” he asks, and I can’t help but smile at his obvious discomfort.

He looks so nervous, and now I’m curious about what it looks like. We were so busy all day that I didn’t get a chance to tour the whole house.

He takes my hand and leads me down the hallway and into a bedroom. There are some old trophies on a shelf, some books, and a few trinkets. I smile as I walk around and look at all of it.

“Football?” I ask him as I look at the trophies.

“I wasn’t very good,” he says, and I smile.

“You have trophies so it kind of looks like you were,” I point out.

“It was the team. Not me.”

He’s so modest and I kind of swoon as I move on to the little moose figurine.

“I made it when I was sixteen and went through my whittling phase,” he explains, and I laugh.

“You make it sound like everyone has a whittling phase.”

“Don’t we?”

I turn to see him smiling at me, a twinkle in his eye, and my heart flutters in my chest so hard that, for a moment, I wonder if I’m having a heart attack.

My eyes stray to the full-size bed, and I swallow hard as I stare at it, knowing that soon, we’ll both be sleeping in it.

“It’s hard to imagine you fitting on that bed,” I say, my voice coming out hoarse sounding.

“I didn’t go through my growth spurt until I was eighteen.”

I eye him, taking in his six-and-a-half-foot frame. My eyes trail over his muscles, and my mouth starts to water as I imagine his hard body pressed against mine.

“Saffron?” Nolan asks, and my eyes snap to his.

“Hmm?”

“Did you want to take a shower first? You can borrow some of my old clothes to sleep in.”

“Sure.”

He shows me to the ensuite bathroom and grabs me a towel, some of his childhood sweatpants, and an old high school t-shirt.

“Your mom doesn’t get rid of anything, huh?” I ask and he snorts.

“Nope. I haven’t lived at home in years, and it still looks like it did when I was in high school.”

“That’s sweet,” I say softly, and he smiles slightly.

“I’ll let you take a shower. Let me know if you need anything else.”

I nod, and he backs out of the bathroom, closing the door as he goes. I turn on the shower and try to ignore the way my body reacts as I use his body wash and shampoo. It’s no use, though, and as I pull on his clothes, I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life. My nipples are hard, poking against the thin material of his shirt. I fold my arms over my chest to try to hide them as I step back into the bedroom.

Nolan smiles as he stands and heads into the bathroom, and I try not to think about him naked and wet on the other side of the door. My core clenches and I start to grow wet as I listen to the shower running.

I press my thighs together to try to ease the ache as the water turns off. I try to act normally as the door opens and Nolan steps out, dressed in a pair of pajama pants just like mine, only his are a few inches too short.

I giggle, and he glares at me.

“Not a word.”

“What? I think it’s cute.”

He tugs the pants down a bit, exposing an inch of his stomach, and my smile drops as I stare at that stretch of skin.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he tells me.

“Knock, knock!” His mom says, poking her head around the door. “I brought some toothbrushes and toothpaste for you two.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Wright.”

“Of course. Do you two need anything else?”

“No, we’re good.”

“Okay, see you in the morning!”

“Night!” I call as she heads out, closing the door behind her as she goes.

Nolan passes me a toothbrush, and we head into the small bathroom. It’s cramped as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the sink and brush our teeth. My eyes stray to him in the mirror and we both smile at each other, white toothbrush bubbles around our lips.

I spit and rinse my mouth out and then he does the same. He hits the light and we file back into the bedroom.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” I tell him, and he turns to me.

“I don’t mind.”

“It won’t be comfortable,” I point out, and he shrugs.

“I want you to be comfortable.”

“I’ll be fine sharing with you.”

He nods slowly, and I climb onto the bed. He hits the lights, and a moment later, the bed dips as he climbs in next to me.

“Good night,” I whisper.

“Night, Saffron. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

I close my eyes, trying to slow my racing heart as we lie in the dark next to each other. I can feel his heat, can hear his breathing next to me. I’m hyper-aware of him next to me in the dark.

I shift, trying to get comfortable, but it doesn’t work. Not when my body brushes against him, setting my whole body on fire.

“Saffron,” he murmurs, and I can’t take it anymore.

It’s like I’m a bowstring being pulled tighter and tighter, and I’m ready to snap. I lean forward, my hands rubbing up his chest, and my heart races as I hear his sharp intake of breath. He tenses under my touch, and I lick my lips.

"Nolan." His name tastes like a promise on my tongue, and the intensity in his dark eyes makes my heart stumble in my chest.

He takes a step forward, just enough that I have to tilt my head back to hold his gaze. There’s a charge between us, electric and unsteady, and it’s pulling me closer, pulling both of us into something dangerous and delicious. I don’t know who moves first, but suddenly we’re right there, breathing the same air, so close I can feel the heat of him like a storm building.

His hand rises slowly, like he’s giving me a chance to stop him. I don’t. Instead, I lean into his touch, and when his fingers cup my jaw, I swear my bones melt under the warmth of his palm.

His warm breath fans my face, and we both pause, our eyes locking in the dim light from the moon outside.

“Saffron,” he whispers, and my eyes flutter closed as his lips meet mine.

I instantly go up in flames. I press closer to him, until our bodies are tight against each other. I gasp as I feel his hard cock against my stomach. Part of me can’t believe that he’s turned on by me, but then my brain shuts off, and all I can do is get swept up in the passion between us.

We pull apart, both of us sucking in a breath. Our eyes lock, and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.

“Saffron,” he whispers, like he’s been holding my name in his mouth for too long, waiting for this exact moment to let it go.

I don’t wait another second. I reach up, grab the front of his shirt, and yank him down to me. Our mouths collide in a kiss that’s as wild as the storm outside, all heat and hunger and pent-up frustration. His lips are firm and demanding, and I match him, kiss for kiss, like I’ve been starved for him without even realizing it.

He groans low in his throat when I open my mouth under his, and the sound sends a thrill straight through me. His hand slides into my hair, tugging just enough to make me gasp, and he uses the moment to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping against mine in a way that makes my knees threaten to give out.

I clutch at his shoulders, desperate to stay anchored as everything inside me tilts, shifts, and catches fire. Nolan kisses me like he’s trying to memorize every second, like he knows we’ve wasted too much time, and he’s determined to make up for it now.

“Night, you two!” Nolan’s dad calls through the door, and we jerk apart.

Nolan almost falls off the bed and I reach for him, both of us panting as we stare at each other.

“Night,” I call back, my voice unsteady.

“Night, Dad,” Nolan calls, sounding just as affected as I feel.

I clear my throat as I listen to his footsteps fade down the hall.

“We should get some sleep,” I say, my voice hoarse, and he nods.

We settle under the covers, and I take a deep breath as I try to calm my racing heart enough so that I can fall asleep.

It takes a long, long time before sleep finally claims me.