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XOXO: A Bundle of Cozy Novellas Chapter 6 77%
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Chapter 6

SIX

Chapter Six—Jude

Jude stopped abruptly. Yes, he wanted all that. But what Jude really wanted at that moment was to kiss the gorgeous Cullen Delacombe. It was the middle of the night, and they were surrounded by a magical snowy wonderland. Jude wanted to break out of the prison he’d found himself trapped inside. He didn’t know Cullen from anyone, and maybe that was part of the draw. Aside from the fact that he was insanely gorgeous. And kind. Even though Jude had been rude nearly since he arrived, Cullen had been kind to him. He could have insisted Jude leave the cabin, forced him to drive back out into the snowstorm.

He must have been a little drunk still, because the next words out of his mouth were, “I want to kiss you.” Like his brain had suddenly given control to his heart, forgetting he needed to be careful. Embarrassed, he turned away and took a few steps back down the trail, wondering if he could make it back to the cabin on his own.

“I think I’d like that.” Cullen’s voice was soft, with no derision or hint of mockery. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind as Cullen rested his chin on Jude’s shoulder. “I’ve been thinking the same.”

Jude turned again, they were face to face-ish—nose to forehead anyway, Cullen’s warm exhale ghosted past his ear.

“Yeah?” Jude could almost hear his long-dead grandmother admonishing him for not using proper English.

“Yeah.”

Snow started falling again. Jude noticed flakes landing haphazardly on Cullen’s wool cap, one or two sticking to his long eyelashes. The night felt like a dream, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he woke up from it at any moment. But he didn’t want to wake up, so he lifted himself up onto his toes and pressed his lips against Cullen’s.

Kissing Cullen was nothing like he’d imagined.

It was better.

Jude wasn’t very experienced. Boyfriends had been a distraction when he was developing his business and now… now he was a target. The one time he’d let someone past his defenses, the guy had been a douche.

Jude had never felt anything close to what he was feeling now— Cullen’s warm lips fit perfectly against his as the kiss just kept going, a seemingly endless loop of press and release. Sensation, scent, bumping of teeth. Cullen’s big hands landed on his hips, pulling him close. Jude parted his lips, wanting to taste Cullen; one of them let out a quiet groan. Maybe it was Jude, maybe not. This snow-kissing-bubble they were ensconced in was enchanted, safe. Of its own volition, Jude’s tongue snuck past his lips. He just needed a taste, one taste, and then he’d stop this madness. This— kissing —in the middle of the night, with snow falling gently around them, a frozen waterfall behind them, and a gurgling river chattering beneath the ice and snow. Had he fallen under some sort of modern spell or enchantment?

Oh, but Cullen’s tongue was tangling with his now, a slow dance of sensation that was causing other parts of Jude’s body to react. He was glad there was a thick layer of clothing between them. Or maybe he wasn’t.

“Do you feel it too?” Cullen whispered.

Jude nodded, knowing Cullen meant the feeling of magic enveloping them.

“The very best way to start the new year.”

With a start Jude realized it was officially New Year’s Day. “Happy New Year.” he said quietly, this didn’t seem the time to yell and scream.

“Jude,” Cullen murmured against the side of his face, his cold nose brushing against Jude’s cheek bone, “it’s starting to really snow again, we should get back.”

“Oh.” Jude blinked up at him, his fantasy dissipating.

“If you want, we can continue this at the cabin? I can stoke the fire.”

It was cute, really, how Cullen looked uncertain when all Jude wanted to do was grab his hand and run, top speed, back the way they’d come. Instead, he found himself nodding and leaning his entire self against Cullen, his chest heaving, thinking, my fire’s already stoked .

Cullen pulled away smiling down at him. “Mine too, babe, mine too.”

Jude shut his eyes. “Oh, God. Did I say that out loud?” He was so used to being alone and talking to himself, he sometimes forgot to monitor the impulse when other people were around.

Even as the snowfall picked up speed, Cullen didn’t hurry them back to the cabin. Their secret bubble surrounded them again making Jude feel safe, protected, even cherished.

They walked side by side, hand in hand, with Cullen pointing out things along the way: where a tree had dropped, creating a bridge across the river; where he’d fallen in fully clothed when he was fifteen; where he and his uncle had found a fawn that had been hurt and ended up rescuing it.

“I lived up here all that summer. First, we bottle-fed it, then we took it outside so it wouldn’t forget where it had come from. By September I was walking with it up the path every day. I figured when it was ready, it would take off.”

“Did it?” Jude hadn’t seen signs of a pet deer around.

“Yeah.” Cullen squeezed Jude’s hand. “One day we left the cabin early in the morning, she gave me a look and bounded ahead of me. I walked up to the falls and back, but she just kept going.”

“Has she come back?”

“I like to think so.”

This time it was Jude who squeezed Cullen’s hand.

The cabin seemed the same and different when they returned. Cullen unlocked the door and opened it. The cozy warmth from the pellet stove enveloped them. A light that must’ve been attached to the underneath of one of the cabinets glowed from the kitchen area.

“Looks like the electricity is back, but I bet it goes out again,” Cullen remarked as he took off his snow gear and hung it up, leaving his boots by the door. While Jude did the same, Cullen moved to the fireplace and began poking it, causing latent sparks to cascade upward in a fiery show.

Next to the fireplace sat a battered wooden apple crate filled with firewood. Cullen grabbed a few pieces and carefully placed them on the fire, the wood cracking and popping as the flames ignited it. Feeling suddenly unsure, Jude wandered over to the kitchen. He didn’t want wine, but he wanted something, and they hadn’t eaten last night. Or at least, he hadn’t.

After filling the electric kettle and turning it on, Jude dug around in one of the grocery bags for the instant cider he’d brought. While Cullen tugged his boots back on and went off to do some sort of manly outdoor thing—possibly spitting more firewood—Jude opened up a box of crackers and slid them onto a plate followed by some pre-sliced cheese.

By the time Cullen returned, Jude had the crackers and cheese ready, sitting on a rickety looking side table, as well as two spiked hot ciders.

“I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t eat much yesterday.”

Cullen’s stomach rumbled, and he blushed and chuckled. “What can I say, I didn’t eat much either and,” he gestured at himself head to toe, “there’s a lot here that needs to be fed.”

Jude rolled his eyes, handing Cullen a mug of cider before making his way over to the couch.

He’d thought Cullen might act weird and uncomfortable, but he didn’t. Instead he sat down close enough to Jude that their thighs touched.

“This is perfect,” Cullen said, releasing a contented sigh.

Jude didn’t know if he meant the cider or the circumstances, but it felt pretty perfect to him too.

“Music?’ Cullen asked a few minutes later, his plate already empty.

“Sure?” Jude replied before he popped his last cracker into his mouth.

Cullen stood up and Jude felt a chill where before he’d been warm.

A bookcase he hadn’t paid attention to before stood in one corner of the room, the cheap kind made out of pressed wood, like something from his college days. The shelves sagged under the weight of the paperback books stacked on them. There was also an ancient portable CD player tucked away at the bottom. Cullen pulled it out and plugged it in, setting it on the kitchen counter. Whatever Jude was expecting him play, it wasn’t the St Matthew Passion by Bach; something must’ve shown in his expression.

“What?” Cullen grinned at him. “Did you expect the Grateful Dead?”

Seeing as Cullen had a sticker of dancing bears on the back of his VW van… maybe?

“Yes?”

“I like to keep people guessing. Plus, that’s almost all Shay keeps up here, so I associate classical music with the cabin and relaxing.”

Jude shut his eyes, letting the opening strains of the chorus wash over him. This was one of his favorite pieces of music.

“Tomorrow, or rather, later today I guess, I’ll play some Dead for you.” Cullen sat back down and the next thing Jude knew, warm lips were pressing against his again. “The Passion is great make-out music,” Cullen murmured as he licked into Jude’s mouth.

Everything was perfect. Jude was in a floaty state; the fire and Cullen warming his body warming back up after the walk, the simple but satisfying food after being hungry, the crackling embers punctuating the soft classical music, worked in combination relaxing him to where he could ignore the very quiet voice that thought kissing Cullen Delacombe was a bad idea. He slipped into a sort of kissing trance, overwhelmed by this surprising man who—well, he supposed they’d burst in on each other’s life. He’d known Cullen Delacombe for less than a day and already knew he didn’t want to let him go, he fit somewhat like a puzzle piece Jude hadn’t known he’d been missing.

“Quit thinking so hard,” Cullen grumbled.

If Cullen had any idea. That’s all Jude did, think and over-think—but this time he’d turn his brain off and let his body do the work.

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