After the kitchen is clean, Ryan pulls me close to him. His body feels warm pressed against mine. He places his index finger under my chin and lifts my eyes to meet his. "You okay?"
I nod, but I feel my emotions getting ready to spill over. I suck in a deep breath and push it away. "It's nothing."
He tilts his head. "It's not just nothing."
"I'm being melodramatic." I chuckle, not wanting to talk about this right now. "Today was amazing. Thank you for making it special for me. It means a lot."
Ryan dips down and softly kisses me. "You're welcome. I know how important it was for you to volunteer at the shelter. I never imagined we'd still be here," he admits. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Me either. I'm just happy I got to spend time with you. And..."
He kisses me again, interrupting my words. When he pulls away, he leads me to the living room. When we sit, I notice he has a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
"What's the occasion?" I ask with a smirk.
"Thought we could play a game to get us through another night," he mocks.
I'm intrigued. "A game, huh? You remember how Monopoly ended?"
He smirks and grabs the remote, probably reliving the moment because I sure as hell am. Flipping through the channels, he stops at National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
"This is the end of the movie!" I exclaim, sad that we missed it.
He laughs. "I know, but Elf is coming on next."
"I love that movie!"
"You might actually hate it afterward," he warns. "You have to take a drink anytime Buddy eats something nasty, someone sings, and the Naughty or Nice list or Christmas Spirit is mentioned."
"So what you're saying is you wanna make sure I'm trashed before the sun sets." I lift an eyebrow at him.
"Wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen." He laughs as the credits roll so fast and small it would be impossible to read them. “Afternoon drinking at its finest.”
"Is this a real game?" I ask as soon as the movie starts with the damn list. We both drink.
The sound of Ryan's chuckles fills me with warmness. "I looked it up on the internet."
"Seriously?" I smack him. "Sounds like something you made up."
"I swear! I googled it and Elf just so happened to be coming on. It was like it was meant to be." He drinks again and hands me the whiskey.
I do a full body shake because it's so damn strong. "I need a chaser."
Ryan glances over at me. "I need you."
With an arched brow, I meet his eyes. "How badly?"
He looks down at his groin, and I see his hard cock pressing against his pants. "Like now."
I tap my finger on my mouth, then stand and take off my shirt. Ryan drinks again, and I take a sip, then bend over and take off my jeans and panties. Not waiting for him, I unbutton and unzip his pants, then climb on top of him.
Though I don't want to think about it, this could be one of the last times we're together. He holds me close as I ride and kiss him, not rushing, and wanting to take in every second of being with him like this. I want to remember the way I feel right now and hope it’ll be enough to keep me going when we're apart.
There's no way I can predict what's in store for us, but I hope and wish it's more of this. After we've finished making love, I lay on his chest, and we finish watching Elf. As I listen to his heart beat, I wonder if a part of him is reserved for me once we leave the cabin.
I wasn't supposed to feel this way, but I am, and there's no denying it.Chapter EighteenRyanAfter the long, emotionally exhausting day we've had together, I wanted to do something super special for Kendall. I knew how much it meant to her to volunteer today, and I hate that we were stranded here on Thanksgiving especially. I typically stop by my parents’ since they serve a feast large enough for an army. Even if I have to work, I always make it a point to visit them. It doesn’t help that we don’t have as many food choices either, but I’m happy to have whipped something together that somewhat represented a lunch. Though we’re both a little tipsy from drinking, it’s not enough to ruin our evening. If we would’ve finished watching Elf with that bottle of whiskey neither of us would be coherent right now. While she's busy on her phone, probably chatting with my sister or hers, I excuse myself and sneak upstairs.
She nods with a small smile, then returns to her conversation.
Not wanting to be gone too long, I hurry and grab all the extra candles we have. I move to the large tub, pour in some of Cami's bubble bath that I found under the cabinet, and turn on the water. Once it’s full, I place the candles around the tub and light them, then flip off the light.