Santa Is A Sl*t (Holiday Hoemies #2)

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

KANE

I sit in a cozy little coffee shop, drinking a pumpkin spice latte, thinking about how last night will live on in my spank bank forever.

I hope that on my deathbed I’m able to recall just how good it felt to have Nico’s cock inside me while I made out with Eve while she came on Noel’s face.

How we were all riding the high of our orgasms as we got dressed and said goodbye before I helped Eve clean up the sleigh.

Maybe it shouldn’t have felt more awkward since it’s the first time that all four of us participated but it wasn't.

There was something naturally comfortable about the entire experience. And there’s a possibility that last night was just the start of it all.

As long as Noel and Nico will both get on board, anyway.

When we got home last night, Eve was deliriously happy. She confessed that she heard Nico and Noel in the office the day before and that’s why she wanted to get us all together.

I understand it. We connect with Nico and Noel in a way that we never have with anyone else. There’s a level of trust that I can feel beginning to weave into emotional intimacy. Eve said she could feel it too.

So after last night’s group activities, we went home and talked through everything.

We might not have to have everything figured out right now but we do have to decide on what our next step will be. Which led me to reach out to Noel for a coffee date this morning.

I’m examining the leafy foam pattern sitting at the top of my mug when the door chimes, signaling another customer has entered.

Looking up, I see Noel wave at me before pointing to the counter.

I nod, understanding that she’s going to order a drink before coming to join me. Typically, I would have waited for her before I ordered my own drink, but Noel has been touchy about me paying for her things before.

Commitment issues, they aren’t easy to work around.

It’s only a few minutes before she joins me, scooting into the booth seat across from me.

“What did you get?” I ask her.

Some people are judgmental about coffee orders.

But not me. I try something new on every menu, anytime I’m in a coffee shop. Today, it’s the pumpkin spice latte.

And honestly? It tastes…artificial. Disappointing. Which seems ridiculous as pumpkin is an elite flavor. I guess I’ll just stick to the pie.

Noel’s voice knocks me out of my internal battle against the P.S.L. '“A vanilla lavender latte.”

That sounds like a perfume, not a beverage.

Oh, maybe I am a judgmental coffee person. Shame. It makes sense, I had to have at least one flaw. I can’t be excellent at everything.

“Did you ask me for a coffee date because of last night?” She asks.

One thing I admire about Noel is her confidence. Instead of being shy or avoiding the topic, she meets it head-on.

Shaking my head, I go with honesty, “No. Kind of.”

She puts her elbows on the table and places her face in the palms of her hands with an amused look on her face. “Well, I’m all ears.”

This feels scarier than it did ten minutes ago but I’m not going to hold back. If she rejects us, that’s her right.

“I know you have a couple of days off from work,” I start. “Do you think that maybe while you’re away, you could be thinking about the future?”

“It might be hard to believe, Kane,” she says with a tilt of her head, “I’ve been thinking about the future a lot lately.”

With an encouraging smile, I nod for her to continue.

Noel takes a sip of her latte before looking at me thoughtfully. “I am ready to make some changes. It’s something I’ve been considering for a while but recent events have helped me find some clarity.

“Clarity is good,” I tell her as I reach for her hand, wanting to be as supportive as I can be.

“My roommate is moving out to live with her boyfriends. She doesn’t stay at our apartment much anyway but we’ve lived together for pretty much our entire adult lives. It got me thinking about how empty my place feels.”

Pulling away from me, she sits back in her booth and I give her the time she needs to figure out what she wants to say next.

“I don’t know, Kane. I’m starting to realize it’s not just the apartment that’s empty. I feel empty too.”

She looks so damn sad when she says it and it makes me want to scoop her up and hold her but I hesitate.

Noel just said she feels empty though. So I climb out of my seat and move into hers, pulling her into me.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure everything out.” I don’t think much about my wording but she catches it.

“We?”

I look down to where her head is resting on my shoulder. “Yeah, we. If you wanted us to, Noel. We’d be there for you anytime you needed. I really mean that.”

She lifts her head to study my face. I’m not sure what she finds but she rests her head again after a few seconds.

“I believe you, Kane. I feel like my whole world might change soon. I want to find something more stable that can make me happy while making enough money to live comfortably on my own.”

Noel’s definitely been thinking about things. I’m shocked to hear she might leave SantaScape.

“The downfall of adulting, I guess,” I say sympathetically.

She lets out a quiet laugh. “Earlier this week, I thought it was the end of the world. As much as I hate to admit it, I was scared. All of these changes and decisions have been overwhelming.”

I can only imagine how it would feel to not only have your work life change drastically but to also have major changes at home.

“It has to be tough but it sounds like you are being pretty strong through it all. The way you told off Nico was fucking hot.” I do my best to give her a playful smolder, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible.

Noel gives me a smug smirk, “He deserved it.”

He did. Someone had to give Nico a little bit of a fight. We’ve never really sat down and had a full-on conversation about his work. I can’t help but think that something is weighing down on him.

“I don’t disagree with you but I’m wondering if there’s a bigger picture at play. Companies don’t make a bunch of budget cuts as quickly as Nico did for no reason.”

Eve hasn’t mentioned anything specific but I know she’s seen the signs too.

Noel looks contemplative as if she didn’t consider that there could be something more going on.

“Maybe it’s nothing but I wanted to point out that we don’t always know why someone is making their decisions,” I say, making sure my tone isn’t condescending. “And maybe I wanted to help humanize our office Grinch too.”

That earns me another laugh and the sound filters through my ears and settles in my chest with pride.

She rolls her eyes at me. “I don’t really hate him, you know? He was just so damn…bossy.”

I chuckle. “That is kind of his job.”

We settle into a brief, comfortable silence for a few moments before I make a move.

“With all of those changes in your life, would one more be too much?”

Her eyes sparkle with interest. “I guess that depends on what it is.”

I turn in the booth so we’re face to face but keep her hands cupped in mine. “Give us a real chance.”

Her teeth bite down on her lips nervously. “You mean…like an exclusive relationship?”

“Yes. The four of us.” Making it clear that we want her and Nico.

“Nico, too?” She asks.

“I’m talking to you first, one one-on-one, because we didn’t want to overwhelm or scare you. We’ve thought about it a lot and this isn’t the first time we’ve wanted to try to have a real relationship with you. But joining a couple with as much history as Eve and I, we thought it might be too much.”

Any relationship is going to have challenges but with more people to consider, those challenges can be even harder to overcome. I think we can handle it.

“Is Eve going to talk to Nico, too?”

I nod in confirmation. “We want you both onboard but you should know that even if he says no, it’s not going to change how we feel about you or what we want.”

I mean every word I say.

Noel should be with us and if she says no today, we’ll wait until she’s ready. But we’re done searching for something that we’ve already found.

“Take the next couple of days to think about it. Do whatever you need to do. We’ll be waiting whenever you’re ready to talk and we’ll continue to care about you no matter what you decide.”

I kiss her on the top of her head before leaving her in the booth.

On my way out of the coffee shop, I let the nerves I’ve been hiding rise to the surface. I really hope they both want this too.