Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Twenty-One | Aiden

Twenty-One

Aiden

S even.

That was how many times I made Makayla come before we both had to tap out for the night. When I woke up the next morning to her lying in my arms, hair draped across the pillow, I knew my life would never be the same again. I’d lost her once. I wasn’t about to allow it to happen again.

She rolled over, smiling as her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” I said, leaning in to kiss her lips.

“Great morning,” she replied with a giggle, wrapping her arms around my neck as she tried to pull me down on top of her.

“As much as I would love to devour you this morning, we need to get up so you can get ready.”

“My mom’s always late. I can be, too.”

“Your mom is late to laid-back rehearsals at a bar, Mak. You can’t be late to the caroling competition. They would kill you, and then your mom would come after me for allowing you to miss it.”

“Ugh. You have a point,” she groaned, allowing me to lead her out of bed by the hand.

“Let’s take a quick shower, then I’ll make you breakfast while you get ready.”

“Will you make french toast?”

“I will. And if you’re a good girl, I’ll even add extra powdered sugar.” I booped her nose with my finger, loving the way her eyes lit up with her smile.

I turned the shower on, allowing the water to warm up while she got undressed. It felt weird how easily we’d fallen back into a couple’s routine after only being together one night. But she seemed to feel comfortable in my house, helping herself to the things she needed as she paraded around naked like she owned the place.

She stepped into the shower, looking over her shoulder at me as she waited for me to join. My eyes wandered down the curves in her back to the plump ass that begged to be spanked.

“We don’t have time for that,” she warned, pointing to my growing erection. “Get it under control, Aiden, 'cause there ain’t no way in hell that I’m explaining to my mom and the Sugarplum Sweethearts that I’m late due to you having a boner.”

I chuckled and headed for her as she closed her eyes and leaned in to let the water run down her face so I could get in behind her.

By the time we finished showering, the water was cold, which was exactly what I needed to get my dick under control. Makayla was here for at least another week—if not longer, which meant I would soak up every second I could with her.

I went to the kitchen to start breakfast while Makayla did her hair and makeup. I tried to ignore the pain I felt in my chest every time I thought about things between us and how nothing was certain. I wanted to talk with her and figure out what all of this meant for us, but now wasn’t the time. She needed to focus on the competition, and I wasn’t going to stand in the way of that.

“It smells delicious in here,” she said, coming into the kitchen with her hair in curlers and makeup done.

“Thank you. Perfect timing, too, because breakfast is ready.”

I grabbed her plate and set it on the table before getting the bottle of orange juice out of the fridge. She was already tearing into her French toast before I sat down to join her, which made me happy that she enjoyed my cooking so much.

“Are you ready for today?” I asked, cutting a piece of my french toast with my fork before lifting it to my mouth.

“I think so. I’m pretty nervous, though.”

“Why are you nervous? You perform in front of thousands of people all the time. This is on a much smaller scale.”

“I know, but there’s more on the line with this. When I’m performing on my own, it’s because fans have paid money to see me perform. If I screw up, I’m the only one I’m hurting. This is a whole different situation where I’m singing with a choir, and if I don’t impress the judges, I’m letting down hundreds of people who were counting on me.”

“Hundreds?” I questioned with eyebrows raised.

“Yes,” she said with a laugh. “Hundreds. Because it’s not just the sweet ladies of the Sugarplum Sweethearts that I’m letting down. It’s the church they’re a part of as much as it is the people of Sugarplum Falls. There’s a lot riding on this and I don’t want to be the one to mess it up. Trust me, it would be so much easier if my mom would just let me pay for the new roof for them.”

“You’re not going to let anyone down. I promise. I’ve heard you sing when you rehearsed with them and you did amazing. You’ve got this, Mak.”

She sighed heavily, her shoulders falling and allowing the thin strap of her bra to slide down. I didn’t mind that she came to breakfast wearing her underwear because I was always a sucker for seeing Makayla in lingerie. But this was just pure torture, knowing I couldn’t take her to the bedroom and fuck her the way I wanted to.

“Thank you. I really hope so. I know how much they’re counting on this win so they can use that money to fix the church’s roof.”

“It’s not just about the money, you do know that, right?”

“Of course I do. It’s also about the teamwork and coming together to do something fun.”

I shook my head, wiping my face with a napkin as I tried to hide my grin.

“What?” She dropped her fork to her plate and tilted her head to stare at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“The winner also gets to be in the Frosty Fest parade. There’s a whole float, and the winning choir sings carols and tosses candy into the crowd.”

“My mom didn’t tell me about that. Come to think of it, she didn’t mention where the other choirs were from. What if they’re not from Sugarplum Falls? Do you guys still allow them to be in the parade?”

“All of the choirs are from here. It’s a local competition. There’s the Sugarplum Sweethearts, which is the choir you’re joining. Then there are the Sugarplum Saints, which is another church in town. We also have the Sugarplum High Choir, which consists of kids from the high school. There’s the Sugarplum Singers, which is another school choir but with elementary school students. And, last but not least, there are the Sugarplum Silvers, which is an all-male group over sixty, hence the silver part.”

“Oh my gosh!” she shrieked and covered her face. “I cannot go up against kids ! What if I make them cry because they don’t win?”

“It’s happened a time or two,” I admitted, shrugging. “But you came to do a job, so that’s what you need to do. The kids will be fine if they don’t win. They’ll go to the parade tomorrow morning, get all hyped up on candy canes, and drive their parents crazy as they chase them around the mall. They won’t even remember that they lost.”

Makayla’s eyes widened in horror.

“What have I gotten myself into?”