I popped the lid on the plastic container I’d put the candies in and then I raced through the house like a turd, nearly knocking over my mom. I opened the door before Kyler could ring the doorbell and literally threw myself into his arms.

He caught me at the last moment, wrapping his arms around my waist as he stepped back to balance the unexpected weight. “Hey,” he said, holding me tight. “You’re happy to see me.”

“I’m always happy to see you.” I looped my arms around his neck as I slid down his front, and his hands dropped to my hips.

He made a sound deep in his throat as he pressed his lips to the sensitive spot under my ear. Then he said in a low voice that simmered my blood, “You greet me like that more often and we’ll never make it into the house.”

Heat swamped me and it was an effort to pull away, but I didn’t get far. He slid his arms around my waist, his half-grin devious. “Whatcha doing here?” I asked, eyeing the backpack slung over his shoulder.

“I wanted to see you.” Kyler kissed my forehead. “I have a surprise for you.”

Excitement bubbled. “You do?”

“Yeah,” he said, and then looked over my head.

I turned in his embrace, finding my mom in the doorway, pulling on her jacket. Dad was behind her, arms full of containers. We’d loaded the presents and our overnight bags in the car earlier. Disappointment filled me. “We’re leaving now?”

“Your mother and I are.” My dad winked. “We’ll drop the food off at the church and set things up there. Kyler will bring you up to your grandparents’.”

I faced Kyler, brows raised. “Really?”

He winked. “I talked to your parents yesterday.”

My disappointment vanished in an instant, but I couldn’t help but tease him. “What if I want to leave now? Awful confident of you.”

Kyler smirked. “You want to spend time with me. Don’t even lie.”

I rolled my eyes.

Mom eased past us, kissing my cheek and then Kyler’s. “Be careful when you drive out. The roads are still icy.”

“Get inside,” Dad grumbled. “It’s freezing out here, and you don’t have a jacket on.”

I barely felt the cold temps, not when I was standing this close to Kyler. We promised not to wreck and die on the way to my grandparents’ house, and then we headed inside.

“I am happy you came by,” I said as Kyler put the backpack on the floor and stripped off his jacket, draping it over the back of the couch.

He swaggered over to me, placing his hands on my waist. “I know.”

“You’re cocky.”

“I’m right.”

I rose onto my tiptoes. “Then again, it was between you and my grandparents, so…”

“Nice,” he laughed, and then he kissed me—kissed me in a way that left me breathless, that made me forget it was Christmas Eve, which seemed impossible, but totally was with his lips moving against mine. I clutched his arms, wondering how we’d gone this long without doing this.

Kyler sat on the couch, by his backpack, and pulled me into his lap. “Mom wants to know if you’ll come by tomorrow and say hi.”

“I can come over tomorrow evening, if that works.”

“Whenever.” He slid his hands up my back, causing me to shiver. “Tanner called me this morning to see what I was doing for New Year’s Eve.”

I hadn’t even thought about that. My mind was too occupied with the present.

One hand traveled over my hip, resting on my denim-clad thigh. “I told him I had to ask you.”

“You did?” I couldn’t help the smile spreading across my lips, and I didn’t even try to hide it. “What did he say to that?”

Kyler grinned in returned. “He said and I quote, ‘It’s about damn time, you asshole,’ and then told me to let him know.”

I laughed. “Tanner’s one smart guy.”

“And I’m one lucky asshole.” He cupped the back of my neck with one hand and tugged me closer, so that when he spoke next, his lips brushed mine. “You’re too good for me, baby. One day you’re going to realize that and kick my ass to the curb.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I kissed him, and his grip on my thigh tightened. “Unless you do something stupid, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. You’ve hit your lifetime of stupid already.”

“Ha. Smartass.”

I gave him a cheeky grin. “I’d know.”

“You would.” And then he lifted me out of his lap, placing me on the couch beside him. He reached for the backpack. “Before I forget, I brought over the presents Mom got us.”

“Oh.” I’d totally forgotten about them. I made grabby fingers at the backpack.

Kyler grinned as he handed over the package with my name on it. Both of them were identical, and I was curious to see what his mom had done. Turning the present over, I slipped my fingers under the tape along the seam in the wrapping paper. I tore the colorful red and green paper off as Kyler did the same.

I ended up staring at the black velvet back of a picture frame. I flipped it over and drew in a shaky breath. It was an iron frame with the words This Is Forever inscribed along the top. The picture…oh wow, the picture brought a rush of tears to my eyes.

It was a picture of Kyler and me when we were in the third grade. Our school had had what they called “Friendship Day” where friends wore matching clothes. Kyler and I had our arms over each other’s shoulders, wearing cheesy grins and matching shirts my mom had made for the event that had said…“This Is Forever.” Kyler probably would love to forget he’d ever worn a shirt like that, and he’d taken a decent amount of teasing from the other boys, but I’d been so happy that day. Even though he’d protested wearing it, he had. I hadn’t remembered our picture being taken, but there it was, a goofy moment captured forever.

Man, I was turning into a crybaby. Seriously. I needed help.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I glanced at Kyler. He was holding an identical picture and frame. He was silent. I nudged him with my elbow. “I bet you forgot about this.”

“No,” he said. “I hadn’t. I’ve seen the pic a couple of times.”

Surprise flickered through me. “You have?”

Kyler nodded. “Mom loves to pull it out whenever family comes over. Funny that she gave us this now, all things considering.” He looked at me. “Almost like she knew we’d finally figure this out, huh?”

“Yeah.” I smiled, smoothing my fingers along the edges of the frame. “I love it. Seriously. I really do.”

“Same here.” He slipped the picture into his backpack. “I don’t want to forget it.”

I couldn’t figure out if he really did like the picture or not, but I stopped myself from overanalyzing it like a freak. I gathered up the wrapping paper and carried it into the kitchen, disposing of it in the trash. When I returned to the living room, he was standing in front of the Christmas tree. The present I’d gotten him a few weeks ago was still nestled under the tree.

“You’re not getting your present right now,” I told him.

He turned to me, a mysterious grin etched across his lips and his dark brown eyes intense. “There’s something I want right now, and it’s not what’s under the tree.”

Warmth stole through my veins and liquid heat pooled low in my belly. “And what would that be?”

“I can give you one hint.”

I was already breathless. “Okay.”

Kyler prowled up to me, placing his hands on my hips once more. He tugged me against him, fitting his hips against mine. I could feel him through our clothes. “That’s your hint.”

Shivers coursed through me, and the tips of my breasts tightened under my sweater and bra. “I think I know what you want.”

“You do?” His lips brushed across my forehead and over my temple. My body relaxed and tensed all at once. “What do I want?”

I gripped his arms, and his muscles flexed under my touch. “Me?”

“Bingo,” he growled, and who knew someone could make that word sound sexy? “I want you.”

And those last three words were the sexiest words thrown together in the human language. Then Kyler kissed me, and I stopped thinking about words and languages, because there was nothing beyond how smooth and firm his lips felt against mine. My senses snapped alive, shooting hot fire through my veins as his tongue expertly slipped past my lips.