Festive Hearts And Kisses (Hope Valley Christmas 2)

9. Reed

REED

The drive home from the Christmas tree farm seems to take far longer on the way back. With the kiss we shared lingering on my lips, I can’t wait to get Jerry alone so we can do it again and again, preferably without an audience this time.

But the longer it takes, the more time I have to second-guess everything.

Should we be doing this? Probably not.

Is it a good idea to get involved with Jerry when I’ve just moved in as his lodger? Definitely not.

Am I still going to do it?

Jerry chooses that moment to glance over at me, the heat in those gorgeous brown eyes of his making my breath catch. How long has it been since someone looked at me like that? Like I’m the best thing he’s ever seen and he can’t wait to get his hands on me. It sparks a fire inside me, incinerating all the doubts threatening to put a stop to whatever it is happening here.

For now, at least.

I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time later to rue my bad decisions, but right this minute, I’m going to bask in the feeling of being wanted by a man as wonderful and fucking hot as Jerry.

It’s a heady feeling, one I want to hold on to for as long as I can, because I’ve missed it. I didn’t realise how much until he looked me in the eye and said, “I want to kiss you.” It is hands down one of the best moments of the last year and I selfishly want to feel more of it.

So I’m not going to think about the consequences of what we’re about to do. Yeah, we should probably talk about what’s happening here, but I can guarantee that is the last thing we’ll be doing when we get back to Jerry’s and through that front door.

We’re both consenting adults here.

And friends.

I like to think we can navigate this and not ruin anything. I guess we’re about to find out, because when Jerry turns the engine off, I realise with a jolt that we’re home.

I hook a thumb over my shoulder, gesturing to the tree. “Should we get that?—”

“No.” Jerry leans across the handbrake and kisses me. He’s got one hand on the steering wheel, but the other cups my cheek, drawing me closer. It’s an awkward position, but the second his lips touch mine, I forget all of it, because Jerry’s mouth is magic. Warm and soft, with just the barest scrape of stubble, and my mind is already off imagining the feel of it elsewhere on my body.

When he pulls away, I follow, wanting more, but am brought to an abrupt halt by my seatbelt. “Fuck’s sake.”

Jerry laughs as I wrestle to release it, and by the time I get free he’s already got the door open.

“Come on.” The smile he shoots me isn’t one I’ve seen before. It’s soft, almost shy, and I melt a little inside.

I scramble out of the car and hurry to catch up to him as he strides towards his front door. Nervous excitement rushes through me, and I want to wrap my arms around Jerry’s waist, but I’m not sure whether I can or not, so my hands sort of hover mid-air. It’s a relief to see the slight tremor in his hands when it takes him two attempts to open the door. At least I’m not the only one who’s feeling this way.

A series of barks greets us, followed a couple of seconds later by meows, and honestly, I forgot all about the welcoming committee. I want to be pissed off that Jerry can’t drag me straight upstairs like I want him to, but as I peer around him, I see three eager faces staring at us and, yeah, it’s way too cute for anything other than an aww .

Jerry’s animals have accepted Frank into their fold like he’s their long-lost brother, and I’m powerless in the face of their newfound friendship. He sits next to Kyla and then they both look up at Jerry and meow in perfect harmony, making Jerry laugh.

He turns to me, determination written all over his face. “You feed the cats, I’ll sort Jen, and I’ll meet you upstairs in my bedroom?” He asks it like a question and I’m already nodding as I push past him towards the kitchen.

“Deal!” I toss over my shoulder, then set a new record for pouring out cat biscuits into bowls and topping up water.

I’m at the bottom of the stairs when I hear the back door open as Jerry lets Jen out and then chuckle as I hear his desperate pleading for her to “Stop sniffing the fucking bushes and hurry up!”

She must listen to him, because I’ve barely got into Jerry’s bedroom when his footsteps thunder up the stairs. I turn as he barrels through the doorway, only just stopping himself from running into me.

“Shit, sorry.” He grabs my shoulders for support, and I grin at him.

“In a hurry?”

His smile is instant. “It’s not every day I have a hot bloke waiting in my bedroom for me.”

“Is that so?” I murmur, and slide my arms around his waist, bringing us almost flush. “I thought you’d have them lining up.”

He chuckles. “Hmm... because Charnwell is such a hot bed of willing and available men.”

We’ve talked about my disastrous love life, but I don’t know much about Jerry’s past. He’s a good-looking guy with his own house and a great job. He’s a fucking catch, and I’ve often wondered why no one’s snapped him up before now. But whatever, their loss is my gain, and I’m not about to bring that up when I have him in my arms.

“Well,” I say, walking backwards until my knees hit the edge of the bed. “I’m available.” Sliding my hands under his jumper, I find warm skin and firm muscle. “And willing,” I add, kissing along his jaw.

“Are you?” His gaze meets mine as I straighten.

There’s something in his eyes that I can’t quite decipher, but then it’s gone, replaced by the naked desire from earlier, and I’m powerless to do anything but nod in return.

He hums and tilts his head to the side in invitation and I don’t need asking twice. I smile as I kiss his neck, and he shudders. I’ll file that away for later.

We undress each other between kisses.

It’s like Christmas come early as I unwrap him, bit by bit, and it’s just as exciting. More so as I finally reveal him in all his glory. Country living clearly suits him, because his body is solid, with muscles in all the right places without being intimidating.

Dark hair trails down his belly, and I follow it with a finger. He sucks in a breath as I reach the base of his cock, eyes still locked with mine.

I’m torn.

I want to keep looking into a gaze that’s so open it shows every thought and feeling as I wrap a hand around his length. But I want to watch too, want to see how my fingers look as they slide up and down a cock I’ve had more than one dream about.

Curiosity wins out and I look down, mesmerised by the sight of my hand on him. It makes a nice change having someone else’s cock to play with instead of my own. Part of me is surprised that we’re actually standing here, naked, yet the rest of me knows that it was inevitable despite my efforts to keep it platonic between us.

Really, who was I kidding?

I found Jerry attractive even in the midst of heartbreak over Karl, and it never went away even as we became the friends we are now. I just hope we can keep that friendship after this, because Jerry’s becoming one of my very best, and the thought of losing him hurts. It must show on my face because Jerry’s hands slide up to cup my face and he tilts my chin up.

I feel the mood change between us, so I let go of him and hold his hips instead.

“Hey.” Jerry’s thumbs stroke my cheeks and his eyes stare into mine. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not sure.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “We can get dressed, go downstairs, and put that tree up with a glass of wine or hot chocolate. Whichever you’re in the mood for.”

When he meets my gaze again, there’s nothing but honesty there. He’s not pissed off, not disappointed, just concerned for me, and that solidifies everything in my mind. Because whatever happens after this, whether we keep doing this or decide that it’s better left as a one-off, I know we’ll be okay.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to lean in and kiss him then. To whisper, “I am sure. I want this. Want you.” I take his hands and lead him over to the bed. Of course he made it when he got out of it this morning, so I pull back the quilt and climb in, because it might be warm in the house but not warm enough to be on top of the covers naked.

Jerry slides in next to me and I tug the quilt over us, cocooning us in.

“I reckon we’ve got about half an hour before we have visitors,” Jerry murmurs as he reaches for me.

“Visitors?” I frown. “Who’ve you invited over?”

He chuckles. “No one, I meant the animals.”

Oh. I smile. “In that case, we better get started.”

“M-hmm.” His hand wraps around my waist, drawing me to him. “I believe I have a promise to keep.”

That’s the end of conversation.

The kiss is slow, lazy, like we have all the time in the world instead of the time limit Jerry mentioned. I don’t care if we’re about to be invaded by two cats and a dog, they can turn right around and go back downstairs because I’m not rushing this. I want to take my time, to enjoy Jerry’s body like the treasure it is.

But then he slides his thigh between my legs, rubbing against me in the best of ways and I forget everything except the way his cock feels pressed alongside mine. Hard and insistent as he rolls his hips, and it drags a groan out of me. He eases me onto my back, settles between my legs, and a happy sigh escapes me too, because I’ve always liked it this way—feeling the full weight of the guy I’m with.

We’re similar heights, but Jerry’s got a few pounds of muscle on me. He’s broader too, and I greedily run my hands over those wide shoulders, loving the way he rises on his elbows, bracketing me with his arms.

When he looks down at me, there’s a fire in his eyes and I feel an answering heat in the pit of my stomach. “I had plans,” he whispers, grinding against me, slow and easy.

It takes me a moment to parse his words, too focused on wrapping my legs around him and chasing more of that glorious friction. “Plans?”

“Yeah.” He kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and gently bites the base of my throat.

“ Fuck .” I arch into his touch. It feels so fucking good, I’m inclined to agree with anything he wants.

“Wanted to take my time.” The words get lost somewhere along my collarbone, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I think it’s wishful thinking on his part because I’m already chasing the feeling building deep in my belly and I don’t think I can stop.

I don’t want to stop, because this is the most alive I’ve felt in months.

Every thrust of Jerry’s hips sends me higher, reminds me how wonderful sex can be. “Next time,” I mumble, because there’s no way we’re not doing this again.

“Yeah.” It’s more of a grunt than anything, his face once again buried in the crook of my neck.

He produces lube from somewhere, getting a hand in between our bodies to wrap around us both, and then everything gets ten times better. I rut into his fist, pleasure building and building with each slippery side of his cock against mine.

“Gonna come,” I grit out, back already arching as I grab hold of his shoulders. He rubs his thumb over the head of my cock and fuck me .

I. Am. Done.

I come with my eyes screwed shut and my fingers digging so hard into Jerry’s shoulders, they’re going to leave marks. It’s so fucking good, I’m still riding the aftershocks as Jerry cries out, body tensing as he follows me over the edge.

He collapses on top of me, his full weight pinning me to the bed, and it’s wonderful . I wrap my arms around his back, wanting to keep him there for as long as I can. Who needs to breathe? Not me, that’s for fucking sure. I want to milk this feeling for as long as humanely possible. I’d forgotten what it could be like to do this with someone I care about—because I do care about Jerry. He’s not just some random fuck to take the edge off.

Eventually I do need air, though, and I nudge him until he gets the message and rolls to the side. I follow him so we’re facing one another, sticky but incredibly satisfied.

“Hey.” My smile is huge, and I don’t care. Especially not when Jerry grins right back at me.

“Hey.” He reaches over and pushes a stray lock of hair from my face.

“I hope that was your clean hand.”

He laughs, eyes gleaming with amusement. “I wiped it on the bottom sheet. Does that count?”

“Works for me.”

“So,” he begins, and my smile turns wry because I know what’s coming next. “We should probably?—”

His words are cut off by the thunder of feet up the stairs. We just manage to wipe ourselves clean ish with Jerry’s underwear when the door bursts open and thirty kilograms of excited dog lands on the bed, worming her way between us.

“ Jen ,” Jerry admonishes softly. “You know you’re not allowed on the bed unless I say so.” He negates that by stroking her head and she grins lovingly at him.

“You know,” I say, scratching her ears, because she’s too adorable not to pet. “For a vet, your animals are a little unruly.”

Kyla chooses that moment to jump up and proceeds to walk onto Jerry’s pillow, turn around a few times, then settle herself in the crook of his neck. Can’t say as I blame her.

Jerry peers over the top of her and with a straight face says. “I have no idea what you mean.”

I wait a few seconds wondering if Frank will make an appearance and feel a mixture of disappointed and sad when he doesn’t show. I don’t like the idea of him sitting somewhere all alone while we’re in here. I mean, I’m sure he probably doesn’t give a shit, and I’m worrying over nothing, but it doesn’t stop me from reaching a hand out from under the quilt, rubbing my fingers together and clicking my tongue.

“What are you doing?” Jerry’s watching me with amusement that he doesn’t even try to hide.

“I’m calling Frank. Obviously.”

“Ahh. I have no idea why I didn’t get that straight away.”

I’m vindicated about thirty seconds later when there’s a loud meow and then Frank jumps up on the bed. He stops mid-stride, one paw in mid-air, and surveys the scene in front of him. With a feline huff, he settles down where he is at our feet and faces the other way.

Jerry sniggers. “I guess he’s not impressed.”

“I guess not.” But he’s here and that’s the main thing. I’m not sure why I feel better with my cat on the bed with us, but I do. It’s like we’ve got all the family here now, which sounds ridiculous—believe me I know. And I would never say that out loud, but the feeling’s there nevertheless.

I look back at Jerry and we stare at each other for long seconds. As much as I’d like to remain in this bubble, the real world will intrude soon enough. “What were you going to say before you were interrupted?”

Jerry sighs, but his smile is that small private one and any nerves I had about this conversation disappear. “I guess we need to talk,” he says, then adds, “But I don’t think we need to make a big deal of this.”

“Neither do I.”

He reaches around Jen and twines his fingers with mine. “I know you’re not looking to start a relationship right now. You’ve just started your new job, and you have your house to sell.”

“And I need to look for somewhere new,” I add because I don’t want him to think I’ve forgotten I’m only here temporarily.

He frowns for a second, then just as quickly it’s gone. “Yeah, that too.” He squeezes my fingers. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to do that again.”

I swallow. “So would I.”

His smile is back. “I don’t think we need to label what this is, do we?”

“What do you mean?”

He scrunches his nose. “I don’t like the sound of friends with benefits. It’s sounds so transactional. I thought maybe while you’re here and we both want to, we could keep doing this and leave it at that.”

“And when I leave?” I don’t like thinking about that while we’re tucked up in bed like this, but it will happen and I’d rather we talk about it now rather than later.

Jerry shrugs a shoulder, stopping halfway when Kyla grumbles. “I guess we discuss that when the time comes.”

Sounds fair enough.

“I think,” he says, squeezing my fingers again. “As long as we talk to each other, it’ll work out.”

“I think so too.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

We fall into an easy silence. Jerry’s eyes drift closed, and mine start to do the same when a thought occurs to me. “So how will it work?”

“How will what work?” He opens one eye.

“Well, do I give you a sign whenever I’m feeling horny?” I smirk and waggle my eyebrows. “Like a wink and a nod at the stairs?” He opens his mouth, then closes it a couple of times, and my smirk blooms into a full-on smile. “Or maybe I’ll leave you a message on the fridge.”

Both eyes are wide open now. “I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead.” He looks totally confused and I take pity on him.

“How about this?” I tug his hand closer and kiss the back of it. “We just ask.”

He settles down into his pillow again. “I like that idea.”

“And no hard feelings if the other isn’t in the mood.”

“Agreed.” He offers me a sleepy smile and closes his eyes.

And just like that, I seem to have negotiated regular sex with Jerry while living in his house. Something I was absolutely convinced would be a bad idea when I got here a week ago. In reality, it was the easiest thing ever.

Are we kidding ourselves that we can do this and keep our friendship? I don’t think so, but I guess time will tell. For now, though, I join Jerry and close my eyes, soaking up the warm contentment that comes from a fantastic orgasm and animal snuggles.