Under the Mistletoe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #1.5)

He holds me there for a few moments as our breathing calms. He kisses my neck, then my jaw, and finally my lips, softly and lovingly.

“I’m not done,” he whispers. My eyes open wide and I stare at him.

“You’re not?”

“No.” He runs his fingers down my cheek and sighs. Before I can ask him what he’s thinking, he says, “But I’m hungry, and we’re going to need our strength.”





Chapter Six


“Oh, look!” I turn my phone toward Isaac. “Your mom just sent me a photo of Sophie napping with your dad.”

“How many photos does that make now?” He asks with a chuckle and aims the remote toward the tv.

“I don’t know, about fifty.” I smirk and respond to Gail. “It makes me feel better knowing that she’s okay. I’m really missing her.”

“I know, me too. But are you having fun?”

“I am. Thank you.” I smile over at him as he pulls my feet up in his lap. I finish the sandwich Isaac fixed us for lunch and fire up my Kindle. “Do you care if I read for a while?”

“Do you care if I watch a Statham movie?”

“Nope.” I settle back with my book and sigh as Isaac begins to run his thumb up and down the arch of my foot. “You’re so good at that.”

“Lots of practice on my pregnant wife,” he smiles warmly at me.

“You took very good care of me when I was pregnant.”

“It’s my job to take care of you, baby.” He continues to rub my feet while Jason Statham drives a car through Paris, and I’m completely content in this moment. I wish Sophie was here, curled up with us, but I know she’s safe and loved, and I’m enjoying my husband.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asks.

“Sure, some tea would be great.”

“I’ll get it.” He unfolds himself from the couch and walks into the kitchen to set on a pot of water.

“I could get used to all this spoiling, you know.” I call out to him.

“You deserve it. I know that you work hard at home, for me and Soph. You deserve to be pampered once in a while.”

And just like that, I fall in love with him all over again.

“Have you been talking to Luke?” I ask.

“Uh, no, why?”

“Because he’s the over-the-top romantic in this family.”

“Trust me, this is not over-the-top romantic.”

“To a woman who has barely had time to take a shower for the past four months, this is incredibly romantic.”

“Stace, do you want to hire some help? Maybe just a few days a week?”

I wave him off and shake my head. “No, I don’t need help. You know I love nothing more than being a mom and taking care of our girl. I’m lucky to be able to stay home with her and take care of you guys. I’m just saying thank you. This is very sweet and I love you.”

He pins me with heated blue eyes as he fills my mug full of hot water. “I love you too.”

He settles in next to me again, pulls my feet back into his lap and I sip my tea and enjoy my book while he gets lost in his movie.

***

“I can’t believe you let me sleep so long this afternoon.” I smile at my sexy husband and sip the wine he poured me for dinner. We are curled up again in front of the fireplace, enjoying the quiet and our last evening alone together.

“You needed it. Besides, it could be a while before you get another nap.” He grins and then unfolds himself from the couch and leans down to kiss my forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

I sit back against the soft cushions of the couch and smile. These past few days have been the best. Isaac’s always been good to me. He’s an affectionate and attentive husband. But, as in most relationships, we’ve grown comfortable and I admit that it’s easy to take each other for granted. I wouldn’t say that romance is dead, but there are times she goes on vacation.

Especially when we were dealing with infertility issues and having sex for the sake of knocking me up. It makes me feel so good that he is making such an effort to be romantic. We needed to reconnect.

“Hey, don’t you dare go back to sleep on me, babe.” I didn’t even realize I’d closed my eyes. I smile up at him and take a deep breath. I love this black t-shirt on him, the way it clings to his abs and sits on his hips.

“You look good,” I murmur. His eyes heat and one side of his mouth tips up into a lazy smile.

“You’re not so bad yourself. C’mon.” He takes my hand and pulls me up off the couch. “You don’t need any more of this if it’s just going to make you sleep.” He takes my wine from me and sets it on the kitchen island as we walk past it and up the stairs.

“We’re going to bed already?”

“Nope.” He smiles down at me, and when we reach the top of the stairs, instead of heading to the master suite, he pulls me in the other direction, toward a spare bedroom. I gasp as we walk inside.

The covers on the double sized bed have been pulled all the way off, leaving the soft blue fitted sheet covering the mattress, and the matching top sheet pulled back. There are at least a dozen candles lit all over the room, sending shadows over the space. Soft music is playing through a small sound system in the corner.

Isaac pulls me against him, his front to my back and wraps his arms around me, kissing my hair, then turns me around and pulls my shirt up over my head, letting it fall to the floor.

“I think you need a massage,” he murmurs and slips my bra off, throwing it on top of my shirt.

“You do?” I ask dryly.

“Yes,” he responds simply. He pulls my jeans and panties off, bending down to slip them over my feet. He stands and kisses my lips gently, cupping my face in his hands. “Lie on the bed, on your stomach,” he whispers.

“Okay.” Like I’m gonna say no to that.

I lie on my stomach and let out a big sigh.

“No sleeping,” Isaac says with a chuckle.