“Baby… this is so thoughtful,” I whisper, fingertips trailing his sharp jaw. “Thank you so much. This is the best gift ever. Well, second best…”

His brows zip together, honey-colored irises sparkling at me.

You, baby… You’re the best gift I’ve ever received.

I wish I could unwrap him.

Jesse’s cheeks flush as understanding dawns, and he breaks our intense stare, glancing down shyly before resting his head on my shoulder.

“I made a reservation at a cool resort, but now I’m thinking maybe we should get a villa,” he chirps, peeking up at me once more. “For some privacy.”

I can’t stop smiling. It’s a bit disturbing, honestly. I don’t think I’ve smiled this much in my entire life.

“That sounds amazing.” I place the box down and reach for his waist, pulling him on top of me. His eyes widen as he straddles my waist, gripping my shoulders. “One week might not be enough. Maybe we should extend it.”

He chuckles, pressing his forehead to mine. “It was just supposed to be a vacation… I didn’t know this would happen. I swear to God, James, I never planned on like… seducing you. I was all set to keep this stuff hidden forever. These feelings…” His hands fall to my chest.

“Things happened the way they were supposed to,” I tell him, cupping his face. “I think… maybe it was inevitable. This.”

He pulls back just enough for us to lock eyes. “You think so?”

I shrug. “There’s no way to know for sure, but I’m happy. I’m sort of terrified, but it’s exciting. And this trip… I think it’s perfect. The only way we’ll ever be able to explore this is by getting away from our normal lives.”

Jesse nods, but there’s still some uncertainty shining in his eyes. “Won’t it feel like we’re… running away?”

“No.” I shake my head, giving him my confidence. I can make it my job to placate both of our hesitations. I have no problem doing that. “We’re giving in to what we want. I think you unwittingly gave us both the best gift, for us.” My fingers press to his pink lips. “And I wouldn’t mind seeing you in some sexy little swimsuit.”

He laughs, shivering my insides as he does. “Mmm… pervy. I like it.”

He smirks and I kiss it off his mouth, humming and sucking, savoring this… It’s all so new and strange. But it feels good.

What’s wrong with giving into temptation when it sets your soul on fire?

Christmas was three days ago.

And things are infinitely different than they were before the most unexpected holiday revelation ever.

Jesse and I have become inseparable. Literally. We can’t seem to separate our bodies. We spend almost all day every day wrapped up in each other.

He cooks and bakes, as usual. And we eat in the kitchen together, like we used to. But they’re no longer family meals… They’re like dates.