"I don't want to sleep on your couch." He was staring at me with such intensity. His eyes seemed ablaze again.
I could tell he wanted to know what I was thinking. But I didn't know what to say. I felt like I was back in high school, too shy and awkward to speak to him. But I wasn't going to let this moment slip away. Because I didn't want him to sleep on the couch either. I wanted him to sleep with me. I grabbed the collar of his jacket and brought his lips back to mine.
He didn't hesitate at all. He leaned into me, pressing my back against the leather seat. I had never felt like this before. I wanted to experience all of him. I moved my hand under his shirt and ran my palm up his six pack. It felt even better than I had imagined. My fingers wandered back down and traced his happy trail to the button of his jeans.
Tucker grabbed my waist and pulled me on top of him so that I was straddling him. His hands had pushed my skirt up, and he kept his palms pressed against my upper thighs. "As much as I was hoping this would be how you paid me back, your family is probably wondering what's taking you so long."
"I don't care."
He pushed my skirt up even more, tracing his thumbs up the insides of my thighs. "Julia, I've always wanted you."
A knock on the window made me jump. My ass pressed against the horn, making it honk in the silent, snow covered night.
"Shit," I said and immediately covered my mouth. I hadn'
t meant to curse in front of him.
Tucker started laughing.
I climbed off his lap as he lowered the window.
Tucker cleared his throat. "Mr. Wild."
"Is everything okay out here?" my dad said.
"Everything is fine. I'll be right in, okay?" I said.
"Okay. I just thought you might be having car trouble."
"Nope, everything's fine, sir."
My dad smiled and nodded. "We're all heading to bed soon, Julia. You don't want to miss The Night Before Christmas." My father still read that story to us every night before bed.
"I'll be right in, Dad."
"Merry Christmas, Tucker," my dad said and wandered back up to the house.
As soon as Tucker rolled up the window he started laughing again. "Close call."
"Yeah."
"Maybe we should continue this when we're not home for Christmas?"
"That's probably a good idea." But I didn't really want that. I didn't want to have to say goodbye to him. What if we never decided to pick up where we left off? What if he was just being nostalgic because he was home? Everyone felt alone at Christmas when they weren't with someone. That's how I was feeling before I had run into him. There was something magical about tonight. And now I might never see him again.
"What's your number?" He pulled out his phone.
"555-2176," I said and watched him put it into his phone. Or maybe he'd just never call me.
"I'm really glad I ran into you," he said and leaned toward me again.
"Me too."
He placed a soft kiss against my lips. "To be continued," he said.
"Thank you for tonight. For everything." I grabbed the handle of the car and stepped out.
It looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he just smiled and put his key into the ignition.