Hot Cocoa and Mistletoe

by Elise Kennedy

This guy was the subject of so many of her text rants to her friends that they’d nicknamed him BenBen McTightass, Fucksquire.

“You might be a lawyer, but I’m annoying as hell. I’ll chain myself to the oven before I leave willingly.”

A warm laugh rumbled out of him, and she very much tried to ignore what that did to all her lady bits.

“I’m never scared,” she said. He tugged her closer. I am such a liar. “Great. Prove it. This was your mistletoe. I expect you to deliver on the implied obligation you created when hanging said mistletoe.”

She loved a hugger who meant business.

Bennett rolled his eyes and looked like he was trying to stave off a headache. “Well, I’m declaring the ‘vibe’” He used air quotes, god why did she love nerds so much? “Officially right. C’mon. Give me the activities.”

“I’d marry this hot chocolate. Buy it a nice house, picket fence, dog, everything.”

He broke away. “I want to use my ball prize.” Peri came out of the fog of his kiss. “That’s a weird name for your penis, Bennett.”

“I want you to describe, in detail, what exactly you’d like me to do to you tonight. In perfect, ridiculous honesty. Because Peri,” he took a breath and, lord have mercy, his lip brushed her ear lobe with a hot puff, “Whatever it is, I bet I’ve thought about doing it to you.”

“I can tell you two things with certainty, Bennett: one, you’re going to get a pretty amazing bonus Christmas present tonight, courtesy of my vagina, and two, we’ll make this the least boring, most fun, over-the-top, ridiculous Christmas Day of your life.” He yanked her back for a kiss as they passed under the mistletoe, dipping her low.

It felt like they’d just clicked. Since they knew each other’s worst faults anyway, everything else was just gravy. All of the best parts of Bennett were her very favorite kinds of things: a man obsessed with his dog, muscles she needed to lick, stern and grumpy but obsessed with doing the right thing, and always caring for the people in his life.

“I noticed you, Peri. And I haven’t stopped thinking of you since.” Fuck. Wasn’t that all she’d ever wanted?