Heart of Christmas (Curiosity Bay #4)

23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Audrey

When I’m with MacGregor, it feels like everything falls into place. It doesn’t matter if we talk for hours or sit in blissful silence in front of the fireplace, like tonight.

My mom let me borrow Dottie while Jasper was in town because they made a love connection. They were both snuggling in the guest bedroom on top of the pillows, which seemed like a better place than a hotel room by himself while MacGregor was here.

It was starting to get late, though, and the thought of both leaving gnawed at me.

I glanced at MacGregor, sitting in the chair near the Christmas tree. His long, lean legs stretched in front of him as he read a book. It was a mystery he’d found on one of my shelves, and I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that him reading it was yet another big turn-on.

He looked up at me and smiled. “Good story so far.”

I nodded. “I liked it.”

MacGregor closed the book and set it on the end table beside him, not taking his eyes off mine.

“It’s been almost impossible to focus on the book, though.”

“Yeah?” I swallowed down a bundle of nerves as I thought about what to do next. “Why’s that?”

From the moment he set foot in my house with a pizza, I’d made sure to be zipping around and barely sitting still. It was like a time bomb of emotions swelling up inside, and I knew what tonight could mean if I wanted it to, and that made me dizzy with a mixture of euphoria and anticipation.

And MacGregor knew it. He’d watched me dash around, getting things set up for the dogs, doing dishes, folding towels, pretending like tonight wasn’t about to change everything we knew.

“Because all I can think about is kissing every square inch of your body.” The heat in his gaze made me tingle. If he could do this to me from across the room, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like being in his arms.

I remembered our night together so many years ago, and it was like dynamite exploding and every cell in my body igniting with something I wanted so much more of, and then he was gone.

Getting me a damn latte.

I gritted my teeth and chuckled.

His brows lifted. “Not quite the answer I was hoping for.”

I laughed more and shook my head. “Sorry. I was thinking about the night we spent together and how a darn coffee screwed everything up.”

He stood and smiled. “I’ve thought about that a lot, too, but I kind of think it was for the best.”

My brows lifted in surprise. “You do?”

MacGregor was in front of me, and I was staring into his gorgeous green eyes. “Yeah. We’ve grown a lot over the years and know exactly what we don’t want.”

I nodded slowly, absorbing his words and the electricity racing between us.

“And precisely what we do want,” he said, kneeling before me.

He didn’t take his eyes off me as his hands slowly moved along my legs.

The anticipation was unbearable as he approached. Whenever he was around, I could feel the chemistry building, the tension twisting into a frenzy of want. The little things heightened it—the stolen glances or teasing looks.

It had always been that way between us. The flirty banter heightened my senses when he was around. The world had shifted since he came back with Jasper. The air between us electrified with the unknown as we inched into this next phase.

Uncertainty had traded for excitement and longing, and everything tonight seemed sharper and more intense.

MacGregor brushed his hand along my cheek and drew a breath. “And I want you, Audrey. I haven’t found anyone who makes me feel like you do. I’ve held on to those feelings for years, sometimes thinking I imagined them. Then I saw you, and they all came rushing back.”

I nodded, feeling the same pull to him. I’d fought the feelings for as long as I could remember, and he even appeared in my dreams when my heart gave up, and my mind couldn’t fight them any longer.

His thumb caressed my bottom lip, and my pulse quickened. If he looked at my chest, he’d probably see my heart pounding through my rib cage with the thrill of what was to come.

I leaned forward, noticing how his eyes lingered on my lips before returning to my gaze. The tension tightened between us, making me dizzy with desire.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. He kept his hands cupped around my cheek as everything faded away, and he leaned closer. We were so close that I could feel his warm breath cascading over my skin, the gold flecks darkening in his green eyes, and the genuineness behind his gaze.

Without letting another second go by, MacGregor touched his lips to mine.

My mind became a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts. Fear, anticipation, and desire thrummed through me at a ridiculous pace as his lips parted.

But I knew if I could look past all my insecurities and let go with MacGregor, the useless chatter would finally cease. I’d finally be able to hear the quiet voice telling me everything would be okay.

I breathed in, feeling his mouth against mine.

MacGregor moved closer, bringing his body against me as I slid back on the couch. His arms caged me in as he captured my mouth in a kiss again. My skin tingled, releasing a jolt of energy through me. I moved my hands along his back to his head, pulling him closer as I twined my fingers through his hair.

MacGregor’s kisses were like fire, promising so much more. His mouth moved slowly down my neck, and his hands worked seamlessly to lift my sweatshirt over my head and toss it on the floor. I pulled at the hem of his flannel, finding the buttons, but he quickly unfastened the top few and pulled it over his head.

To see MacGregor towering over me with his beautifully sculpted body ignited something in me that I thought had long since fizzled. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he unfastened my bra while I worked on my jeans.

MacGregor’s mouth ran along my chest as I wriggled out of my jeans, working on his next with my fumbling fingers.

His hot breath along my skin made my body shiver with a craving I longed to have satisfied. The man kissed like he knew every secret I’d ever held close and ripped them open only to protect them from the world.

A little moan escaped my lips as his hands slid down my belly, edging along the lace of my panties.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined this would be what it would be like with MacGregor Benson.

We were older, wiser, and more accessible as desire raged through us both, guiding us beyond our vulnerabilities.

He kicked his jeans off before he straddled my waist, running his hands along my bare skin.

“Audrey, I’m falling in love with you,” he said softly, but his gaze showed something wicked and tempting resting behind it. The fire it created inside me turned to a burning ache as his words settled over me.

“Me too, MacGregor, and that scares the heck out of me,” I whispered, trying to keep my breathing steady as the need for him pulsed through me.

The man was gorgeous as I let my gaze linger slowly along his body, admiring every muscle and cord leading to the sharp V that had impressed me.

He bent over and brought his mouth back to mine as our bodies pressed together. His arms cradled me as he turned me over, putting me on top of him as he ran his hands along my breasts and moved forward, placing his lips along my skin. Somehow, we were both sitting up as his length pressed into me, and I ran my hands along his hard body.

His kisses peppered my neck as I threw my head back, and he pushed into me, unleashing everything that had been building for years.

I hissed in ecstasy as our bodies moved together. He gently spun me around, nipping and teasing every exposed area as he set me on my back, his knee gently nudging mine as he angled my head slightly and scattered more kisses along my neck and behind my ear as he pushed into me again.

The shared rhythm soared us into another world, and I knew there was no going back.