Chapter 13

It was slowly becoming morning and a layer of fresh snow was covering the crisp grass outside. Inside there were clothes scattered across the bedroom floor from the bedroom door to the bed that lay in the middle of the room.

On the bedside table there were two empty wine glasses with several empty wine bottles. Connie's phone lay face down as it began vibrating beside them.

Connie lifted her head from the pillow and reached across the table for the phone knocking one of the glasses to the floor. She rolled onto her front as she reached the phone and answered it. "Mrs Beauchamp…" she lowered her voice as she spoke realising there was a dull aching feeling there.

"Tell him he'll have to wait until I'm in work tomorrow… Thanks Charlie." She dropped the phone onto the table again before letting her head fall into the pillow. Jacob woke and ran a hand along Connie's back causing her to turn her head and look across at him. "What the hell did we do last night?"

"Well you had some interesting ideas on-" "I know what we did, I meant why does my head feel like it's about to explode." Jacob smiled as he sat up and looked about his room. "Well it might have something to do with the several bottles of wine we drank last night… Or the sex." He laughed as he got up from the bed while she dropped her head back into the pillows again.

When Jacob came back into the room again Connie was laying across the middle of the bed spread out. "Mmmm, don't make me move because I really don't feel that great right now…" Jacob walked further into the room before leaning across the bed until he was pressed against her back. "Who said anything about moving you?" He leant close enough to her that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin as he spoke and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Connie smiled before Jacob sat up so she could roll over to face him. "I didn't say you could move-" "Oh and who put you in charge?" She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow before leaning up on her elbows. "I am your boss-" "But this is my territory sweet cheeks… So I'm afraid you lucked out there-" "Not what you were saying last night though was it?" Jacob grinned as Connie smiled slyly while he moved towards her again.

She reached a hand around his neck as he moved his hands to her sides kissing her. When he was as close to her as he could be he pushed her backwards and leaned above her deepening the kiss. "I thought you weren't feeling good?" Connie smiled as she looked up at him. "Amazing that isn't it-" "Hmm course it is." He smiled before leaning back down and kissing her.

An hour passed before Connie got up from the bed. She looked about the room for her clothes but gave up when Jacob threw a dressing gown over to her. "You took this out of your bag last night, or did you forget that part too?" Connie smirked sarcastically towards him before slipping her arms into it and standing up, tying it together at the front.

"So come on then masterchef, what's for breakfast?" "I thought you were cooking… I do it at yours and you do it at mine-" "Yeah right, unless you want burnt toast then get yourself into the kitchen baby." Jacob smiled as she finished the sentence and disappeared from the room before either of them said anything else.

Connie always used his name when speaking to him and he wasn't about to point it out as he knew she'd try and retract the statement. "Do you want coffee sweet cheeks?" He called through the small flat as she strolled out of the bedroom with a hand in her hair. "Mmm yes please… So, Christmas. Are we really going to do this together?"

Jacob smiled turning around with two mugs of coffee. "Of course, why wouldn't we?" Connie shrugged as she accepted the warm mug and took a sip from it. "I thought that maybe you were just saying it-" "Please, there is no-one else I would ever want to spend it with because I…" Jacob stopped mid sentence turning back and going to the fridge.

Connie watched him "You what?" He didn't answer until Connie spoke again. "It doesn't matter…" She stood up and walked around the counter to stand behind the fridge door. She looked around it at him before closing it and standing in front of him folding her arms. "What were you going to say?" Jacob leant back before resting his eyes back to her. "That I love you. But I thought better of it and thought you'd run a mile the moment I said it."

Connie reached for his wrist but his hand just slipped through as he went in the direction of the bedroom. She didn't follow him, instead sat down on the sofa in the living room just thinking. There weren't many people that had ever said it to her and meant it, and she was hardly one to shout the words from the roof tops. But she couldn't deny the way she felt about him, it was hard to say she didn't love him.

She finally moved from the living room and went into the bedroom to find Jacob was getting changed. Wandering behind him she wrapped her arms around his bare chest from behind him and rested her head against his back. "What if I said I wouldn't run…" She rested her lips against his skin before he turned around and looked down at her, a small smile threatening to take over his face. "You really mean that?" Connie shrugged loosely.

"There's so much I could say but it seems like I love you is about the only thing I haven't said… And I do Connie, love you more than I ever thought I would." Connie dropped her hands and turned to walk away as Jacob reached for her arm. "Ha ha very funny Beauchamp-" He spun Connie back around as she laughed before he covered her lips with his. "I love you Connie Beauchamp and I'll make sure we have the best Christmas we can."