But it was no use. She was licking his ear and whispering how much she loved it when he fucked her like this—he wasn’t sure if her choice of words was a continuation of the joke or not, but they were certainly effective—and when he slowed down and touched her face in a silent plea for the help he needed to be able to last, she only made matters worse by pulling his thumb into her mouth.

The gentle sucking action combined with the softness of her breasts rubbing against his chest with every thrust and the way she locked her legs around his hips, encouraging him to move faster and take them both higher, made it impossible for him to do anything except succumb to his body’s urging to do exactly that—until he cried out in release.

“Shit,” he said once he’d regained his breath. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I wanted to see you lose it. You were trying so hard to hang on.”

He scowled at her. “You knew that and didn’t help me?”

Her lips curved into a devilish smile. “I wanted to see what you were like when you were completely overcome.”

“Yeah, well, now you know it’s not as much fun for you.”

She nipped at his shoulder. “It won’t be a bad thing in the end. It’ll just give me a reason to stay a little longer.”

“You don’t have to leave right away?”

“Not unless you want me to. It won’t get light for a few hours.”

He smiled. He liked the idea of her staying. Somehow sleeping with her like this was even more intimate than having sex. “Then you’re not going anywhere,” he said and started kissing his way down her stomach.

Harper had Tobias set an alarm so they wouldn’t oversleep and curled into his warmth. “I love the way you smell,” she murmured as he pulled the blankets up around them. “I’ve never had that kind of reaction to anyone but you—you just smell good.”

“That surprises me, since we both smell like sex,” he said with a laugh.

She laughed, too, as he smoothed her hair back. “I like that smell. Don’t you?”

“Absolutely.” He leaned up on one elbow. “So…you cuss like a sailor—”

“Only when I’m highly aroused,” she joked.

“Only when you’re highly aroused,” he echoed, “and you like the scent of sex. Anything else I should know about you?”

She pulled him back down with her and burrowed closer. “I think that’s enough for one evening.”

He assumed she’d drifted off to sleep. She wasn’t moving and her breathing seemed steady. But after a few minutes, she roused herself enough to ask, “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Depends.”

“On…”

“A couple of things.”

“Are you being purposely evasive?” she asked.