Another Mature chapter ahead.

We spend the afternoon playing board games, poker and just lounging around. I haven't felt this relaxed in months, and I decide to make an effort to get off the grid more often to unwind and detach from the hustle and bustle of my life.

After an intense game of Scrabble where Alex beat me by two points with the word quixotic, I get up and stretch. "I've been putting it off all day, but I really need to check my work e-mail. Do you know if this place has wi-fi?"

"Yeah, the code is on the bulletin board next to the fridge," Poussey offers.

"I should probably do the same." It's Alex's turn to stretch, revealing a little of her flat stomach.

My eyes are drawn to her bare skin and a wave of heat rolls through my body. I'm not sure if we should be in the same room to work; I'm likely to be distracted by her mere presence.

"I'll work in the sunroom." I pull my iPad out of my bag. "Unless you prefer that space?"

She grabs her tablet. "We can both work in there."

I scratch my head. "Right."

There's a room on the North side of the house that has a wall of windows, making it the coldest spot in the house, but it's also the quietest. I noticed two space heaters in the sunroom this morning, so I know it can be warmer if I turn those on. The patio furniture looks like it was taken right off the set of The Golden Girls, but there's a glass-topped table in the corner that will do just fine for the hour of work I need to put in. It's either working in here or in the bedroom, and I've never been a fan of working where I sleep.

"I really do need to get some stuff done," I announce as I sit at the table.

She gives me a suspicious look. "So do I."

"It's just that…"

She glances at me expectantly, so I continue. "We don't seem to be able to keep our hands off each other when we're alone."

A grin tugs at the corners of her mouth. "Are you suggesting I lack self-control?"

"Not just you." I shrug. "I have a problem with it, too."

"Good to know." Her grin morphs into a smirk.

"I'm going to set a timer for an hour, and during that time, no touching." I open the clock app on my phone. "No suggestive looks either."

"Done and done." Alex positions both space heaters in our direction, and then sits next to me.

I open my Inbox to find 137 new e-mails and groan at the amount of time it'll take me to read through each of them. My first task is to delete the spam and advertisements. That eliminates 18 of them. Next, I sort by sender to tackle the ones from my boss, followed by e-mails from our two staff writers. So far, my concentration has been fully intact, and if I can just not focus on the way Alex smells like sweet cream and honey, I'll be fine.

But she smells so fucking good. She looks good, too. Her hair is wavy, her lips are glossed, and all her attention is focused on the messages she's reading. I expected her to steal a glance or two, but even after 30 minutes, she seems far too engrossed in work to concern herself with me. Of course, that makes me want to gain her attention even more. It was my idea to set a timer and create the rules, but how can I concentrate on work when Alex is sitting next to me?

She raises her glasses to the top of her head and types a message. Her eyes are enhanced by the green accents in the room, and I want them on me, not on her screen. I clear my throat, but she still doesn't look my way. I let out a soft sigh, and she looks up.

"Need some water?" she asks.

I cup the back of my neck, rubbing the sore tendons. "No."

She returns her attention to the computer.

It takes all my willpower to answer seven e-mails and tag ten more for follow up tomorrow. There's no way I can be productive when all I really want to do is kiss the living shit out of Alex right now. I lean back and rock on the rear legs of the chair, bouncing a little to get her attention.

"Is this how you process?" She's still focused on her tablet.

"What do you mean?"

"Rocking in the chair like that. Are you processing stuff about work?"

"No."

She sits back, pulling her glasses back over her eyes. "Then what's going on, Piper?"

"I can't concentrate with you next to me," I respond honestly.

"Ok, I'll leave." She stands, but before she grabs her tablet, I wrap my fingers around her wrist and pull her down towards me.

I kiss her fervently and can tell by the smile I feel surfacing on her face that she's surprised by my move but also pleased with herself.

She circles her arms around my shoulders. "You're the one who established the rules."

"I should've known better." My lips travel across her jawline. "I'm going to guess that for the foreseeable future, if we're in a private space, I'm going to want to touch you…" I run my fingers through her hair. "And kiss you."

She smirks. "Who's the one lacking self-control?"

I don't respond; rather, I kiss her again and move towards the palm-printed sofa. I tug her down until I'm on top of her, searching for contact with her most sensitive spot. I reach one hand down to unbutton her pants and snake a hand in her underwear. When I find her clit, she stretches her neck back, forcing us to lose mouth-to-mouth contact. I won't have that. I move up her body slightly until we're once again face to face and lean down to kiss her while continuing my ministrations on her clit.

Alex places a hand over mine, causing me to press harder on the small bud. She bucks into me, so I speed up the motion until she cums. I stop kissing her so I can watch her face contort and the little vein across her temple become more pronounced. I've never been with someone who experiences an orgasm like Alex. I've also never cum as hard as I do when I'm with her.

She runs a hand down the back of my head. "I'm getting the sense that you like to have sex in conspicuous places."

"That's never been a thing before," I reply. "I guess you bring the naughty out in me."

"Good thing Christmas has passed then," she chuckles. "I'd hate for you to be on Santa's naughty list."

"I'd forgo all Santa's presents if it meant having sex like this all year."

"All year, huh?" She gives me a toothy smile.

I nod.

We lie there for a few more minutes leisurely kissing. I can hear laughter coming from the living room and the faintest sound of music coupled with chirping birds. I close my eyes and bask in the glory of being here, wondering how the stars aligned to make this moment possible.

"Until you attacked me, I was making some headway with my Inbox," Alex states.

"I didn't attack you."

She juts her chin back. "What would you call it then?"

I lift my shoulders. "I was showing you what an effect you have on me."

"Ah." Alex sits up. "Well, thank you for showing rather than telling."

I adjust my shirt and flatten my hair. "You're welcome."

"I really would like to respond to a few more e-mails." She stands, grabbing her tablet. "So I'm going to move to the bedroom to finish up."

I nod. "Good idea."

She kisses me on the forehead before leaving.

That evening, the five of us pile into the SUV and head to the charming town center. Christmas decorations still adorn the buildings and line Main Street, and it reminds me of a smaller version of Randolph.

"Why didn't we come down here a few days ago?" Lorna asks from the backseat.

"I had no idea this little Christmas village existed," Nicky replies.

Alex parks in a small lot, and we all get out and marvel at the quaint downtown area.

Lorna pouts. "I bet there were carolers and everything."

"Let's come back next year and do it up right," Poussey suggests.

Alex takes my hand and smiles. "I'd be up for that. You?"

"Definitely." I return her smile, but I'm confident mine is even wider.

Although the burger restaurant is crowded, there's one open booth big enough to seat all of us. We order a pitcher of beer and onion rings to start, and I listen to stories about how awful the food was in prison.

"Fridays were the worst," Alex begins, arm over my shoulder. "Most of the food was delivered on Mondays and was already past the expiration date when Red got it, so you can imagine what it tasted like five days later."

"The bologna was the worst," Nicky adds.

"It looked like Mortadella, but it wasn't—the little white spots were mold," Lorna chimes in.

I make a face. "How did you eat that stuff?"

"I never ate the bologna," Alex admits. "I'd eat the runny mashed potatoes and a stale dinner roll before I put that mystery meat in my mouth."

"It sounds disgusting," I reply.

"If you think the bologna was bad, you should've tried the—" Nicky trails off when a man calls my name, interrupting our discussion.

"Piper?"

I turn to see him walking towards our table. "Larry?"

He glances around the table, eyes landing on Alex whose arm is still over my shoulders. I try to inconspicuously move it, but she's got long arms and the gesture isn't lost on my ex-boyfriend.

"I see you made it to Vermont," he begins, tightening his jaw. "And made some friends along the way."

"I did…I have…" I swallow hard, trying to erase the sudden dryness in my mouth. "This is Alex." I sit up straighter. "She's the one who offered me a ride."

He bends his knees and shoots back up. "I knew there was something you weren't telling me!"

"Everything I told you was true," I respond. "It's just that…"

"I don't want to hear it!" He shakes his head. "You're going to give me some bullshit lie about how the two of you met a couple days ago. I don't buy it."

"We met a few days ago at LaGuardia," Alex chimes in. "She's telling you the truth."

"So what?" He lets out a nefarious laugh. "You met at the airport, fell madly in love and are now spending the holidays together?"

"That's about the size of it, yeah." Alex raises her shoulders. "I mean, we haven't really discussed the falling in love part yet, but…"

My eyes bolt open. Is she acknowledging that we're falling in love? Are we? Is that why this feels so…magical?

He shakes his head and looks away. "Such fucking bullshit."

"Look, Larry." Alex stands. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for Piper to spend one last Christmas with your dad, but please leave her alone. She's done with you."

"Who are you, her fucking guardian?"

"Larry," I warn.

"Hey, Jewboy." Nicky nods in his direction. "Alex happens to be Piper's tall, hot, sexually charged, lesbian lover." She stands across from him with a cunning smile. "If you could've heard your ex-girlfriend's orgasm this morning…"

He slaps Nicky across the face, and before I have time to react, Alex punches him square in the jaw.

"Alex!" I quickly get to my feet.

One of the waiters rushes over. "What's going on here?"

Alex shakes out her fist, and I immediately grab her hand. "Are you ok?"

"This man assaulted my friend!" Lorna points to Larry.

"It's about to go down in here!" Poussey stands, pounding her fist into her hand. "Come at one of my friends again, muthafucka!"

"Enough!" I yell, slicing my hands through the air. "Larry, you've humiliated me and yourself. Please leave."

"Yeah, get the fuck out," Poussey responds.

The waiter holds Larry's upper arm and drags him to the front door. "Either leave now, or I'll call the police."

"Fuck you all!" He storms out of the restaurant, holding a hand over his jaw.

"What the hell?" My head is spinning as I glance at the four women who are now all standing outside of the booth poised to fight.

"That'll teach him to mess with a bunch of ex-cons," Lorna states in her best Scarface voice.

Nicky and Poussey start laughing, patting each other on the back, and then Alex joins in but not as robustly as the others.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. "What just happened?"

"We defended your honor, Chapman." Nicky tosses her arm over my shoulders. "Nobody fucks with one of us."

A part of me is grateful for such sentiment, but the other part of me wonders what they would've done to Larry if we weren't in a public place.

They all scoot back into the booth except Alex.

"You ok?" she whispers.

"I…" I shake my head. "I don't know what I am."

"Sorry about that," she offers.

I glance at the door to make sure Larry's gone and slowly come to my senses after a whirlwind of a brawl. Then I examine Alex's hand and rub her reddened knuckles. "You punched him."

"After he slapped Nicky."

I blink a few times. "Right. I just…no one has ever defended me like that."

"Can we place our order or what?" Nicky calls to the waiter as if nothing happened. "I'm dying to get my mouth around this Mexi-burger."

Alex pulls me to the side. "Are you upset with me?"

"No, I…" I have never been so at a loss for words. "I'm not upset with you; I just can't believe what happened."

"Your ex is a dick," she responds. "My friends and I don't respond well to dicks."

It's the first time I smile.

"And I'm not going to stand idly by while someone calls you a liar," she finishes.

I kiss her bruised hand. "Thank you."

"I'm not usually violent." She rubs my cheek. "You sure you're ok?"

I nod. "It's just going to take me a while to process this whole thing."

She hooks a thumb over her shoulder. "We can get out of here if you want."

"No." I place a hand on her chest. "Larry's gone. Let's eat dinner, and then go back to the cabin."

Alex kisses me. "Ok."

I'm left wondering if this was what prison was like—a fight breaks out, people take sides, the fight is over, and everyone goes about their day as if nothing ever happened. I can't imagine a world like that, but I'm thankful these women were on my side.

"Piper, what's your order?" Nicky asks, startling me from my musings.

"Oh, I'll have the burger with the special sauce and cheddar cheese." I hand the waiter my menu.

"I can't believe that was Larry," Poussey chimes in. "He's almost shorter than me!"

"You definitely classed up with this one." Nicky juts her chin towards Alex.

"I'm so sorry he hit you," I say.

"Don't worry about it." She waves me off. "If I had a nickel for every time I got slapped…"

"You'd be a rich woman," Lorna finishes for her. "I didn't think he was bad looking. I mean, he's no Christopher, but…"

Nicky rolls her eyes as we all listen to another presumably fictional story about Christopher. As Lorna tells her tale, Alex places her hand on my leg under the table and looks at me with an apologetic expression.

"It's ok," I mouth, flashing a warmer smile than my earlier one. I take her hand under the table, linking our fingers together.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think my seat being given to Alex on the flight from LaGuardia to Burlington would be the best thing that ever happened to me. If she hadn't "stolen" my seat and the flight hadn't been cancelled, I probably would have never met the woman next to me who seems more amazing every minute.

"Can we get back to the falling in love part?" I ask with a grin.

Author's Note: Thanks to each of you who has left a review! I still can't believe how well a Christmas story went over in June. Technically, this is the end of the story, but I've written an Epilogue that I will post tomorrow. Happy summer, kids!