water for instant cocoa in the microwave. She recalled the feeling of being watched that she’d had in the past few months, and realized that having Kyle here with her had eliminated that paranoia. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely safe and at ease.
She mixed the cocoa in steaming hot water, poured it into two coffee mugs and was about to carry them into the bedroom to wake up Kyle with when a hand slipped around her waist, and she felt herself pulled back against the firm warmth of a large male body.
“Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas,” Kyle said.
“Hey,” she said, her heart racing at the surprise. “I almost spilled your cocoa.”
“Sorry, I woke up and felt lonely to find myself in an empty bed.”
“Ready to open presents?”
“Before breakfast?”
“It’s Christmas morning!”
After returning home from the party, they’d wrapped up the cheap souvenirs they’d bought at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 and put them all under the tree to keep things looking festive.
“Oh, right. And Santa might have brought me that new surfboard I told him about.”
“Not if you’ve been bad.” She elbowed him in the ribs, and he held her tighter, splaying his fingers across her belly.
“I don’t know why he got so freaked when I sat on his lap,” he said, and Yasmine smiled at the image of Kyle balancing on a disgruntled Santa’s knees.
“Santas these days have too much attitude.”
“That’s not what you said last night.”
“True, and now that you mention it, I happen to know for a fact that Santa was way too busy last night to be hauling a surfboard down my chimney.”
“You don’t even have a chimney.”
“Santa’s a nasty boy, always looking for some tight space to get into.”
“I think you’re the nasty one,” he said as he swatted her on the backside.
“So I’ve been told. Now grab your coffee and get your ass over to the Christmas tree.” She swatted him back as he turned toward the tree.
Chilly as it was in her drafty apartment, Yasmine couldn’t very well let Kyle sit around in his boxers—today’s pair covered with snowmen. They were festive, but they wouldn’t do much to keep the chill out. She grabbed a couple of blankets from the closet and gave him one before wrapping the other around herself and settling in next to the tree.
“I call elf duty,” she said as she grabbed the nearest gift.
“It’s all yours, babe.” He leaned back against the couch and sipped his coca, clearly enjoying himself more than he wanted to let on.
Yasmine had to admit, this was turning into the most fun weekend she’d had in a long time, Christmas or not. A few nights of great sex clearly had a positive effect on her mood, and she was just about as jolly as she could get.
She knew the gift she’d grabbed was for Kyle, but she made a show of examining the tag anyway. It was the box of See’s Candies she’d gotten him before she knew anything about him but what a great ass he had. Only a few days ago, but it felt like a lifetime.
“For you,” she said.
He unwrapped the package and withdrew the box of chocolates, then pried off the box lid.
“There’s a companion gift for that.”
He picked up a chocolate and bit into it. “Mmm, raspberry,” he said. “My favorite.”
Yasmine’s grin must have been huge. “They’re almost as good as sex, aren’t they?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that. I mean, they’re tasty and all—”
“I’ve always wondered if eating them during sex would heighten both experiences.”
“We can test the theory out,” he said.
“All in the name of science, of course.”
“Because that must be the kind of thing scientific minds puzzle over.”
“Of course.” She handed him the box containing the furry handcuffs. “When they’re not inventing life-saving gadgets like this.”
“I get to open two in a row?”
“It’s the companion gift.”
He tore into the paper, then opened the white box and pulled out the leopard-print handcuffs. “Ah, of course. Chocolates and handcuffs.”
“I’ll let you solve the riddle. Major bonus points if you do.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Let me get this straight, you bought this stuff before you even knew we’d end up sleeping together….”
“To declare my intentions, of course.”
“You planned to take advantage of me all along!” He was doing a really bad job of acting offended.
“Give it up, Bad Santa. It’s not like I’ve stolen your virtue.”
He twirled the handcuffs on one finger. “I’ll need a demonstration of how these work