Hostile for the Holidays

19. Jasper

NINETEEN

JASPER

“Nooooo! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Stella yells from behind the bathroom door.

I pause, mid-pull on the cork from the wine bottle I’m opening. We just arrived at the cabin I booked for the next two days. A small window of time between Christmas with our families and Stella needing to be back for wedding festivities.

We’ve both been craving time alone that wasn’t behind a locked door, afraid one of our family members would knock or in Stella’s case, hear her muffled screams.

“Everything okay, Stell?” I call.

The toilet flushes and I hear the faucet running. A moment later, the door swings open and Stella comes flying out.

“Well, the fuck-fest is off.”

I chuckle, brows lifting. “Fuck-fest? I wasn’t aware the weekend had a theme.”

With the cork now free, I pour us each a half glass of pinot noir.

“You know as well as I do that’s why we’re here.” She glances into the living room where the fire I started is roaring. “Look at that fire, and the snow falling outside. And you have wine.” She takes the glass from me, her gaze dropping to my outstretched hand. “Even the veins in your hands are giving off fuck me vibes,” she cries.

I’m not sure what happened in that bathroom, and part of me is afraid to ask.

“I think I missed something. Why are you upset?”

“I just got my period.” She groans, taking a hearty gulp of wine. “I mean I knew it was going to happen soon, like in a day or two, but apparently my body didn’t get the memo that multiple orgasms were to be had this weekend. Couldn’t it have waited? It feels like sabotage.”

She sets the wine glass down and claps her hands. “Oh, I know! We can dry hump while you play with my tits. It’s not what we had planned, but it’s something. And I’ll definitely be giving you a blow job because this place,” she motions around to the luxury cabin before turning back to me with both hands thumb to index finger and the remaining three fingers upright, “is NICE.”

“Stella,” I wrap her up in my arms, “I want to spend time with you. Naked time was going to be a bonus.”

“You’re just saying that so I won’t fall into an emotional pit of despair.”

“I mean it.” I release her so I can show her the bag of books and games I packed. “See? I wouldn’t have brought Holiday Monopoly if I thought we’d only be having sex. That’s at least a three-hour commitment.”

“Well, you’re clearly not as horny as I am. I only packed lingerie and sex toys.” She sighs. “I’m thinking the crotchless panties are not going to be useful anymore.”

“Stell, the things that come out of your mouth never cease to surprise me.”

She takes a sip of her wine, then smirks. “If you play your cards right, one of them could be your dick.”

I press a soft kiss to her mouth.

“Why don’t you go change into some comfy clothes and I’ll order us in some dinner. We’ll watch a movie, eat chocolate, and I’ll give you a foot massage.”

“You know you don’t have to do the whole fake boyfriend thing while we’re here. The only person I’ll tell about this is Sadie and she already knows we’re not really together so…”

“I’m not your fake boyfriend right now, Stell. I’m just a guy trying to make you more comfortable when you’re not feeling your best.”

She nods, considering this a moment while she examines the Monopoly box. “I get to be the banker, right?”

I chuckle at how quickly she got on board with the game. “The job’s all yours.”

“Okay.” She turns to go. “Wait. I really don’t have any other clothes but these,” she points to her jeans and sweater, “and lingerie.”

Now it’s my turn to smirk. “Check the closet.”

Her eyes narrow at me suspiciously, but she disappears into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she returns wearing the burgundy-colored cashmere pant and sweater lounge set I brought for her.

“You have to stop buying me things,” she protests, but I can see how much she likes the outfit, and it looks perfect on her.

“I like buying you things.”

“Okay, well now that you mention it, there is something else that I need.”

“What’s that?” I ask, knowing already that I’ll get her whatever she wants.

“Tampons.” She smiles teasingly.

I reach for my keys. “I’ll be right back.”

“What movie are we watching?” I ask, spreading the food out in front of us.

“ The Holiday, of course.”

The cabin I rented is a twenty-minute drive from Cedar Hollow, so I made the drive to the store to get Stella’s tampons, and picked up dinner from Flores Mexican restaurant, which I know Stella loves, on my way back.

I spread out our feast. Tacos, nachos, and their famous tamales.

“Which one is that?” I ask.

“Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet. They switch homes for the holidays and end up falling in love with guys at their new locations. And Jude Law is gorgeous, especially when he wears glasses. It’s only one of the best holiday movies of all time.”

“Okay, let’s watch it.”

“Wait. You’ve never seen it?”

“I’m sure I’ve seen parts of it. It sounds familiar.”

“This is my favorite holiday movie. You’re going to love it.”

We start the movie, then dive into the food. Twenty minutes in, it’s clear that I won’t actually be watching the movie, because watching Stella watch the movie is more fun. She’s giggling and kicking her feet like she’s never seen it before. Me, I’m just enjoying being close to her.

I hit pause on the remote. “Hold on. The asshole’s name is Jasper?”

Stella presses her lips together trying not to laugh, then shrugs. “I mean, if the name fits.”

She gets pinned down and a twenty-minute make-out session for her impertinence before we can continue watching the movie.

When the movie is over, Stella turns to me. “Okay, favorite part?”

“I did enjoy seeing Cameron Diaz in that lacy little bra thing.”

She gives me a playful whack with the pillow. “That’s it?”

“Okay, I got it. The moment her character, what was her name?”

“Amanda.”

“Yeah, Amanda. When she was driving off in the car, and realized she didn’t want to leave him like that. She let down her guard and took a chance.”

Stella smiles in approval.

“What’s your favorite part?” I ask.

“When Amanda and Graham are lying in his girls’ fort and it’s got all the twinkle lights and cozy blankets and pillows. And they look at each other and just know that there’s something between them.”

Her smile is radiant. And genuine.

I love Stella’s smile. I’ve seen it from afar, but I’ve never been in the direct line of it like I have the last few days. It’s like basking in the warmth of the sun on a perfect spring day after a long winter in the shadows. It’s addictive and I want more.

I want Stella to be mine. For real. It’s what I’ve always wanted.

It takes some effort and some imagination, but we build our own makeshift fort in the living room near the fireplace, then pull the pillows and comforter off the bed and set them up inside.

She slips her hand under the hem of my shirt. My abdominals contract under her fingers’ exploration. Her touch is tender and playful, nothing like how urgent and rushed most of our intimate time has been.

“Where are you going to live in New York?” she asks.

“I haven’t found a place yet. Do you have a recommendation?”

“I live in Chelsea. There are some great places in my neighborhood. I guess it depends on what you want to be close to.” She pushes farther up my shirt, finding my nipple and rubbing her thumb across its surface. “Like your office, or things you enjoy like going to a particular gym or being close to the High Line if you like to run.”

I nod, loving the feel of her hands on me. “All good things to consider.”

“Remember how you said there were millions of people in New York City and we’d probably never run into each other?” she asks.

“Yeah.” I had said it to make her feel better about me moving there, not because I wanted it to be the truth.

“What if we wanted to?” Her eyes lift to mine and I see that same vulnerability in them that was there when she was sick on the plane with her head in my lap.

“What are you saying, Stell?” I nudge. I need her to give me something more.

“I like you, Jasper,” she whispers. I can’t contain my smile.

“I like you, Stella.”

“So maybe we can like each other in New York, too.”

“I’d like that.”

“There’s so much liking going on between us. I don’t know how to deal with it,” she confesses.

I know this is harder for her. I’ve loved her for years and this is all new to her.

“We can figure it out together.”

With the fire roaring beside us, we kiss for hours. Exploring each other slowly, teasingly. Stella strokes me while I slip my fingers into her panties and play with her clit. We come apart together, then I hold her all night under the canopy of our makeshift tent.

The next day is more of the same.

We play Holiday Monopoly and Stella wins, but she gives me a conciliatory blow job that makes me feel like I’m the real winner.

After we decorate the gingerbread houses I had delivered, we find a sledding hill nearby where we use the sleds provided at the cabin. I crash into a tree, breaking one sled. Stella’s concerned I hurt myself and even though I’m fine, I let her fawn over me. Then, we share her sled for the rest of our time on the hill. I take a million selfies with her and save one to my phone’s lock screen.

We cook dinner together. Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread. We open another bottle of wine, and Stella dresses in her finest lingerie but ends up stealing my sweatshirt because she’s cold.

It’s simple and domesticated, and I want this with Stella forever.

We leave the cabin Saturday afternoon and when I drop her at her house, she wraps her legs around my waist and kisses me like I’m the oxygen she needs to breathe. No one is there to witness it.

“I’ll be in wedding planning jail for the next few days,” she says, kissing me like she’s got a life sentence.

“I’ll see you on the other side.” I steal another kiss.

“Don’t forget about me.” She nibbles at my jaw.

“That would be impossible.”

We part on a final kiss, but after our time together this weekend, I know it’s only the beginning.