Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
I didn’t believe that at all.
My cheeks were warm despite the biting cold as I crawled into the back of the Denali. The engine was still running, so there was heat blowing through the vents, but it wasn’t enough to combat the northern winter coming in through the open hatch. Once Ocean climbed in with me, I found myself inching closer to him while he pulled two large thermoses out of the basket and handed me one.
Steam poured out once I opened the top.
I sniffed at the contents, and my stomach growled when I smelled the hot soup. I poured some into the lid that doubled as a bowl and greedily slurped at it. Heat immediately flooded my veins and thawed my blood while I moaned in pleasure.
Ocean lounged against the pillows before pulling me between his legs, and I didn’t fight him. I leaned against his chest while he covered my legs with another blanket, and I sighed contentedly.
I’m not sure what came over me, but I grabbed my phone and opened the camera app.
“Say cheese,” I teased, not expecting him to comply.
Ocean surprised me when he leaned over my shoulder and flashed an adorable smile at the camera. I snapped the picture and then took more of our little nook. I studied them for a while, agonizing over whether to send them to Coby when I usually would if Ocean were anyone else. Fuck it. I sent the photos with a text.
You told him. I’m going to kill you.
My idea of a perfect date and my favorite snacks? This had Coby written all over it. It was obvious by now that Ocean and Coby had teamed up to wear me down. I knew my text wouldn’t wake her up since Coby kept her phone on silent at night, so I tucked it away as the movie started to play on the mega screen.
It was Die Hard.
“I was hoping they played this,” he said.
My brows immediately lowered as I turned my head to glower up at him. “Please tell me you’re not one of those nut cases who think Die Hard is a Christmas movie.”
“You don’t?”
I groaned dramatically as I turned my attention back to the opening scene of Bruce on a plane. There was no way I could enjoy this movie as much as I did if it filled me with holiday cheer.
“Why don’t you like Christmas?” Ocean asked after we watched nearly half the movie and ate our soup silently.
My appetite fled, so I capped my thermos and set it aside with a shrug. “I wanted to. I tried, but it was never in the cards for me.”
“Why?”
I almost didn’t answer.
I’d never told anyone why—not even Coby. She loved Christmas, and I never wanted to sour her joy for the holiday with my bitter memories. She was too empathetic and loyal not to hate Christmas with a fiery passion if she’d known.
But I figured if anyone could relate without pitying me, it would be Ocean.
“Believe it or not, everything bad that’s ever happened to me since I was a child occurred during this cursed holiday, starting with my mother leaving and ending with Coby almost marrying you on Christmas Eve. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if ol’ Saint Nick has it out for me, but I’ve learned to anticipate the worst during this time of year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s just a season. A few bad days lumped together, and then it’s over.”
I shivered, and since I was pressed against him, Ocean felt it. “Cold?”
“No,” I lied.
Ocean reached inside the basket and handed me another thermos anyway. As soon as I smelled the hot cocoa, I looked at him hopefully. “Marshmallows?”
“Nice try,” he said dryly. “You hate marshmallows.”
I smirked and took my first sip of the cocoa. “Just checking.”
He held me tighter, and I stroked his cast. “The hot chocolate or how well I’m paying attention to you?”
I hummed happily as I took another sip. “Both.”
“Stop looking for holes in my strategy, Vengeance. You won’t find any.”
“I already did.”
“Yeah? Tell me.” He nipped my ear. “Where did I fuck up, Hunter?”
I sighed. “At the end of the day, whether you want or need to be married, you still chose Coby to fill that role, and I don’t blame you, but you can’t ask me to be in this throuple with you and be okay with that. To everyone who sees us, it will be Mr. and Mrs. Kilpatrick and their jezebel mistress.”
“And that would matter more to you than the truth?”
“Well…you and Coby really would be married, so it would be the truth no matter what any of us felt.”
Ocean was silent for a while before he took my thermos full of yummy hot chocolate away. I whined at the loss. He rolled us over and shifted until he got me beneath him, and I forgot all about that damn cocoa when I felt his hard body on top of mine.