Christmas Criminal

16. Nick

16

NICK

Thursday, December 19th

T onight is the town's Christmas parade, and since I've completely run out of ideas to fulfill Noelle's community service, we're going to head down to the high school's float and ensure that candy buckets are distributed to every kid who's supposed to have one. I know before Noelle graces me with that beautiful smile of hers and a quick kiss on the cheek that she is not going to be happy with me.

But I also know, thanks to the array of text messages she sent me, that she wants me so badly that she might overlook this.

And if not, I'm kind of curious to see what happens. Will she pout and try to hold out on me? I can see how that game will play out. I would kiss her neck and squeeze her ass in the way that makes a little whimper tumble from her lips, and I bet she'd forget all about it. Maybe she'd get annoyed with me and let out all her frustration with a little bit of angry sex.

I bet angry sex with her would be hot.

But I doubt we'd be able to hold onto any negative emotion longer than a few seconds.

I know I certainly wouldn't be able to.

When she pulls up outside my house, I'm waiting at the door.

She grins as she walks in, dropping her duffel bag inside the door and wrapping her arms around my neck to pull me in for a kiss. She's strong for the size she is, and all I can do is hold on as she kicks the door shut behind her and presses her back to the wall, her legs jumping up around my waist.

I'm hard in a matter of seconds, and very thankful that I planned ahead and stuffed another string of condoms into my pocket before she got here.

In case she decided to maul me in the entryway, of course.

I tear her out of her pants and fuck her like my life depends on it, right up against the wall of my entryway. I never noticed the way this area of my house echoes, but I think hearing her moan in surround sound is going to be my new favorite song.

When we've cleaned ourselves up and begrudgingly tugged our clothes back on, I give her one more indulgent kiss, relishing in the way her body bows so easily to mine.

And then I pick up her duffel bag, pleased at the weight of it–she must really be planning on staying a while–and bring it up to my bedroom for her.

When I come back downstairs, she's waiting for me, leaning up against the kitchen island with her phone in her hand.

"So, are you excited for community service today?" I ask.

Her eyes narrow. "I can't tell whether that means you're going to fuck me again and call it community service or if you have something truly torturous in store for me."

I press my lips together, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no." She huffs, crossing her arms. "What are we doing?"

I swallow. "We're going to round up all the candy buckets we made and distribute them to the high schoolers when they arrive. Make sure everybody gets one."

Her nose crinkles. "You know, I've really been looking forward to clapping erasers in the schoolyard, and I'm starting to worry that's not going to happen."

"It's your last couple of hours, and handing out the buckets isn't going to take very long. Probably half an hour, if I had to guess, and afterward we can go ahead and enjoy the parade."

She huffs, taking a step toward me and winding her arms around my middle. "Torturing me is your favorite pastime, isn't it?"

I nod, brushing her hair out of the way so I can kiss her forehead. "But afterward we get to enjoy the parade," I say, in a mocking excited tone.

She rolls her eyes. "The harder you work at your Cindy-Lou Who act, the harder I work at Grinching."

I grin at her, holding her cheeks in my hands. "And you do it so well."

I grab her hips and twist her toward the door, smacking her ass as she walks. She jumps with the contact and turns back to me, her fingers digging into my stomach as she presses herself against me in a way that has me really wanting to repeat what we just did in my entryway.

"Are you sure you don't want to play hooky?" she asks, her lips against my throat.

I level her with a look. "I actually do want to go to the parade. And you get a few free hours out of it. I think that's worth it, don't you?"

She lets out a long breath. "For you, I will go."

I kiss her, and when I pull away, she follows, asking for more.

"Maybe I'll even get you to smile a little, too. For me."

She grumbles, rolling her eyes as I push her toward the door. "No. That, I refuse to do."

The high school is packed by the time we get there, and I walk through the halls with Noelle's hand in mine, greeting kids as they weave around us or shout at me.

I've cemented myself as one of the cooler teachers. Not as cool as Mrs. Larson, who sets things on fire in science class every other day–I have her to thank for Robbie's experiment–but I'm not one of the ones who get dirty looks or pointed whispers when I pass by.

And I will admit, Noelle looks mildly overwhelmed as we wind through the halls to the garage and we're suddenly bombarded with high schoolers. I tuck her under my arm, gaining a few curious looks from kids who thankfully do not choose this moment to ask when Mr. Monroe stopped being single.

The buckets are stacked along the wall where the float used to be, and we–along with a few kids that I recruit along the way–drag them out the wide doors to the parking lot where the parade starts.

The town fire trucks are parked outside, as well as Hank, who will be leading the parade. Further down into the parking lot, an array of parade participants wait. Decorated Jeeps, a number of dads on motorcycles, the band and the choir and a local dance team among them.

And as start time draws nearer, kids flock to the float in droves. One of us hands a bucket of candy to each costumed kid as they slowly climb up. Half of them can't see us because of various ridiculous costumes that obscure their faces, and we have to guide their hands to the handles of the buckets.

Halfway through, I hear a kid's voice who sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it.

"Yo, Mr. Monroe's got himself a girlfriend!"

My eyes snap up to Noelle's as she looks warily toward the float, searching for the voice.

"How'd you manage that, dude? She's way out of your league!"

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face as Noelle's face dissolves into laughter.

I turn to the float, pointing in the general vicinity of where the voice came from. "Whoever that was," I say, hoping I'm actually drawing their attention, "yes. But also, don't let me catch you looking at her."

Several kids burst out laughing as I turn back to Noelle, but I have no idea who actually spoke.

"Looks like you're popular," I tell her, my voice low so only she can hear, and she rolls her eyes, though I detect the hint of a smile.

I can only hope that comment goes to war against her difficult high school experience, even if it is too little, too late.

We hand out bucket after bucket, and as our supply slowly dwindles, a girl dressed as a candy cane stops in front of us, her attention focused on Noelle.

"Hi, Noelle," she says, her voice unsure.

Noelle cocks her head to the side, her brow furrowed, and a moment later, recognition spreads across her features.

"Hey," she says. She clears her throat. "How are you?"

I can only tell the girl shrugs beneath her costume by the way the tip of the candy cane tilts to one side. "I'm okay. Just wanted to say Merry Christmas."

"Oh," Noelle says. "Well, thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too."

The girl nods, the tip of her candy cane pitching forward this time, and accepts the bucket Noelle holds out to her.

"You know her?" I ask, as the girl darts onto the float.

She shrugs noncommittally. "One of my dad's kids." She bites her lip, and then shakes her head. "Fuck, I feel terrible. I can't remember the damn kid's name."

"Ask your sister," I suggest.

She shakes her head. "No. I don't want to give her any reason to think I'm interested in any sort of relationship with my dad."

I nod. "Ah. Well, it seems like she likes you, for what it's worth."

Noelle turns to me, her the space between her eyes creased. "You think?"

I shrug. "In my experience, when a high schooler likes you, they do things like say hello."

She gives me a look. "Is that what all of that experience being a math teacher has taught you?"

"A few other things, too. I've gotten good at two plus two," I say, throwing my arm around her shoulders and tugging her away from the fully-loaded float. "At me plus you," I continue, leaving a kiss on her temple.

She scoffs, but I see the hint of a smile on her face. "Ugh, you're sappy, aren't you?"

I shrug. "Only on occasion."

Once we're out of the crowd, she turns to me, her hands resting on my chest. "For what it's worth, I really like practicing my me plus yous," she says.

I grin, my hand dipping only briefly to her ass now that we're mostly out of the crowd.

"Mm, I like that too," I say, closing my fist around her jacket and tugging her close.

"Maybe we should go practice somewhere," she says. "Like your bedroom."

I kiss her again. "Nice try, Noelle."

She huffs. "Alright, alright." Her hands slip underneath my coat, running across my abs and causing them to bunch in response. "We'll go to the damn parade instead of getting naked and touching each other," she says, standing on her toes to press a kiss to my jaw. "And instead of watching me slowly lower down"–She pauses for dramatic effect, her fingers trailing down my torso to the clasp of my jeans. I glance around, but we're far enough away from the action that no one can see the way she's touching me–"and taking you in my mouth." She pauses again, pressing a kiss to my collarbone. "I guess we'll go to the damn parade."

A strangled sound jumps from my throat because fuck .

Her eyes flash. She knows she has me.

Everything in me wants to abandon the stupid parade and call her bluff. Weave my fingers into her hair and feel the back of her throat with the head of my dick.

But I rest my hands on her hips, my fingers digging into her skin in the way that makes those sexy little gasps fall from her mouth, and press my lips to her ear. "We're going to the parade and you're going to enjoy it, damnit."

She huffs. "Man, I really thought I had you there."

I keep my lips pressed against her ear. "But I look forward to watching you struggle to swallow my cock down that pretty little throat of yours afterward."

She rears back, her eyes wide, and gently fans herself. "Wow, is it hot out here or is that a math teacher with a filthy mouth?"

I reach out and tug the zipper on her coat a little higher, giving her my best goodie two-shoes smile.

"Come on, Criminal," I say, grabbing her hand and dragging her across the parking lot.

There are a number of people ahead and behind us who also parked at the high school, and we meld easily between groups of them. I tuck Noelle under my arm, pleased that the only person I'm walking with is her. She smiles up at me, wrapping her arm around my middle and squeezing.

We head to the far end of the town square to avoid the crowd in the middle.

And then we wait.

We can see the parade in the distance, but they're not actually moving yet.

"Do you want coffee?" Noelle asks, eyeing the hut behind us as she rubs her hands together in front of her.

I take them in mine, trying to warm them with a bit of friction. "What, the dirty mouth wasn't enough to keep you warm all this time? Want me to come up with something else salacious?"

She snorts. "No. I'm already wet enough as it is imagining choking on your dick."

I'm momentarily rendered speechless, my mouth flapping about in the wind like I'm going to say something but nothing coming to mind.

She grins, cocking her head to the side. "See? I can do that too."

I let out a long breath. "I really do have my hands full with you, don't I?"

She nods, throwing me an indulgent grin. "So, coffee?"

"I can get it."

She shakes her head, stopping me. "I wouldn't want you to chance missing your parade. Save our spot."

I roll my eyes, but I take a moment to press a twenty into her begrudging hand and let her flit off to the coffee booth alone. She reaches for the heaters just outside as she passes them, taking a second to warm her hands. A moment later, she falls into conversation with the elderly woman manning the booth, who smiles at her sweetly and pours two cups of coffee. They chat for a moment, and after Noelle pays, the woman steps around the register to hug her.

I cock my head to the side, immensely confused at how she managed to befriend the coffee hut lady in the space of two seconds.

And then I hear a voice from behind me that reminds me viscerally of nails on a chalkboard.

"Nicky!"

I grimace before turning toward her.

"Wow, look at you without your glasses," she says, except her eyes are anywhere but my face

"Delia," I say, taking a step back from her so she doesn't get any ideas.

"I'm so happy I ran into you." She takes a step toward me, squeezing my arm. "How have you been?"

"Same as last time we spoke," I tell her, trying to gently move her arm away and only succeeding in pulling her closer. I very intentionally move my arm down and to the side so she can't pull that move on me again.

But she doesn't let go.

"Oh, well, I'm happy to hear you're still well," she says.

And then she smiles at me. That one she uses when she's going to be quiet until she gets her way.

I nod. I will not ask her how she is .

And she waits there. Hanging onto me. And it makes me irrationally angry because I know that she's waiting for me to break, like I might have before.

"Oh for fuck's sake," I hear over my shoulder, and I can't help it–my heart warms at the sound of her f-bomb as a grin spreads over my face.

Noelle doesn't hesitate knocking Delia's hand off my arm. She hands me the second coffee cup in her hand and turns toward her. "We tried to very surreptitiously let you know that Nick is not interested in you. But if you can't take a hint, I'll tell you straight out that he is not . So take your damn hands off him. You're being rude, and if you were a man doing that to a woman, I'd be calling the police for an escort home."

Delia rears back, finally taking her hand off my arm. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think? I was just saying hello."

Noelle fixes her with a glare. "Don't."

And then Noelle smiles.

And it is the longest, most tense silence I have ever been a part of.

But if there is one thing I know, it is that I should not speak at this moment.

After what feels like an eternity, during which I start counting seconds and then the number of breaths Noelle takes, Delia finally scoffs, turning and heading in the other direction with her head held high.

"Man, that woman has quite a set of balls on her," Noelle says, shaking her head. "Are you okay? You looked like a trapped cat about to scratch her."

I laugh. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was kind of hoping she'd lose interest."

Noelle pats my cheek. "Ridiculous that she feels like she can force herself on you like that." She stands on her toes to kiss my cheek. "I'm sorry you're such a catch, Saint Nick."

"Well thank you, Noelle, for giving her hell."

"That woman deserves a good egging," she says.

I let out a quick puff of air. "Noelle."

"What? I'm just saying, you've made it abundantly clear that you're not interested. Isn't there a point in time where you have to do something other than words?"

"She'll lose interest eventually."

Noelle grumbles. "So what, you just wait around and do your best to avoid her at town events?"

"It's not that serious, Noelle. So she grabs my arm every once in a while. I get to grab you ," I say, wrapping my arms around her neck, careful not to hold my coffee in any way that could spill on her. I kiss her, closing my eyes briefly so I can imagine we're alone, just like this, in the confines of my house.

Someone remind me why I was so insistent on this stupid parade.

She grumbles, but I can tell by the way she nuzzles her head into my neck that she's ready to move on from this conversation.

"So who was your friend?" I ask, nodding to the coffee hut.

She shrugs. "My friend's mom. Mrs. Singh," she says. "Well, I guess my former friend's mom."

"What happened?"

She lets out a long breath. "Bullying. Loss of self-esteem. Loss of friends. Move to Philly. You know the story."

I nod. "She seemed like she liked you."

She unwinds her limbs from mine to take a sip of her coffee. "We were really close for a long time. She had a trampoline that we weren't allowed to go on unless we had adult supervision, but we did anyway. Made out with a boy for the first time on that trampoline. Smoked weed for the first time on that trampoline."

"You should reach out to her," I say.

She shrugs. "Why?"

"Wouldn't it be nice? To have a friend here?"

She blinks, her eyes connecting with mine. "You're my friend."

"Would it be the worst thing in the world to have two?"

She laughs, shaking her head, and leans over to kiss my shoulder. "Yes. Yes, it would."

I know that the tight feeling in my chest has nothing to do with her unwillingness to reconnect with a friend. That it has everything to do with the realization dawning on me that I’d do or suggest just about anything to make Noelle stay.

And I’m not sure it’ll ever be enough.