Author's Note: Again, thank you so much to each of you who've reviewed this little Christmas story! This chapter features a wonderfully naughty quickie, so another M rating. One more chapter after this, and it's 16 pages, so hopefully that'll make up for some of the shorter chapters in this story.

As I walk down Main Street with my former professor, she talks about how refreshing it is not to be in charge this year. I don't know if I could've pulled this off without her institutional knowledge, so I'm thankful she didn't hang up her gloves entirely.

"When Alex and I passed this morning, we ran into Lewis," I comment. "The ice for the skating rink is solid."

"Good," she comments. "I was a little worried when I saw that today's temperature might hit 40 degrees, especially after all that snow last night."

"Same."

We cross the street, and I adjust a wreath on one of the light poles.

"I think you and Alex make a terrific couple," she says out of the blue.

I feel my cheeks heating up. "Thank you."

"She could use some positivity in her life," Dr. Holland continues. "Losing her mom devastated her. She's been in somewhat of a spiral ever since."

"I can't imagine what that was like." I shake my head. "But I'm happy we met. I'm hoping some of my Christmas cheer will rub off on her."

She squeezes my hand. "That makes two of us."

We walk into the Chamber of Commerce and are immediately greeted by Vanessa who's wearing sunglasses indoors.

"Your party was absolutely wonderful," Dottie says.

"It was," I chime in. "Thank you for hosting it."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Vanessa pours a cup of coffee. "I woke up with a slight headache. A little too much Cava for me." She turns my way. "I trust your night ended well?"

I lower my head as a grin spreads across my face. "It did."

Vanessa touches my arm. "I'm happy for you."

We spend the next hour running through logistics, and while I'm trying to pay attention, sometimes my mind drifts to thoughts of Alex. I love the way she held me last night; the way she kissed me; the way she made me feel valued and adored. I stand by my assumption that she would make a terrific girlfriend, and if I allow myself to be so bold, I hope she becomes mine.

Marty the Chamber president asks a question about money handling, and I quickly return to the conversation at hand. Once we have the plan all laid out, everyone splinters off to tackle the rest of the set up. From what Dr. Holland told me, it's an all hands on deck kind of day, and volunteers line up in the Town Square ready to be put to work. I'm impressed with how the town pulls together for an event like this—we wouldn't see this in Manhattan.

Just before two o'clock, I find myself with a break, so I text Alex. Finally time to breathe. How are you?

Five minutes later she texts back. Good. Just met with Edie about the coffee art. Will host it at Kringle's.

I consider my options about what to text her. What I want to ask is if she'd like to meet at the inn for a quick round of sex, but perhaps that would be too forward. Instead I send this: Can't stop thinking about you.

Same. Want to meet at the inn real quick?

Well then, looks like I didn't have to worry about being forward.

Yes.

"Hey, Barbara, I'm going to go to the bed & breakfast to change my shoes," I say as I head towards the special events chairperson. It's not a lie—I need to put on my snow boots. I don't know what I was thinking when I left the inn with sneakers. Actually, I do know what I was thinking, and it had nothing to do with appropriate footwear.

"Take your time" Barbara covers a bale of hay with a red swath of material. "Hopefully by the time you return, we'll have the wagon all decorated."

"It's starting to look like a huge sleigh," I comment. "Keep up the good work."

I make my way towards the inn, getting stopped twice along the way by small groups of volunteers. Their questions are easily answered, so I don't lose too much time. With each step, I think about Alex and what's about to happen; it excites me to the core.

"You beat me here by 30 seconds," she says, wrapping her arms around me from behind.

I turn in them and immediately find her lips. "Perfect timing then."

We breeze through the lobby, then head to Room #2. No sooner are we in the door before we're ravaging each other. I have no idea how she's able to remove my sweater and my bra in a matter of seconds, but as I fumble with her flannel shirt, she's already working on my jeans.

"I hope this was what you had in mind," she says between kisses down my neck.

I let out a light laugh.

Alex gets to her knees, tugging my tight jeans off as she goes. Before I know it, I'm pinned against the wall as she goes down on me. She stretches the material of my underwear to the side and parts my pussy with two fingers. My head rolls back and eyes slam shut as she licks and sucks at me. It doesn't take long for an orgasm to rip through me. My knees give out, so I'm pretty much sitting on her face as she drinks every last bit of me with her hands splayed on my ass.

"Ohmygod," I pant. I stand as best as I can, then quickly kick off my jeans that were pooled around one ankle. I strip out of my underwear, too. "How do you still have on so many clothes?"

Alex chuckles as she gets to her feet. "You're not as skilled at undressing a woman as I am."

"I guess I'll just need to practice." I kiss her and taste myself on her. I didn't think I'd like it, but it's oddly erotic. "Can I do you?"

"You don't have to ask."

She quickly undresses, then we make it to the bed. While I'd love for this to be nice and slow, we don't have the luxury of time, so I kiss my way down her body and settle between her legs. She's already wet, and I take in a big breath of her tangy scent. I dip my tongue into her pussy once, and her hips jump off the bed. I take great satisfaction in that, so I do it again and again, remembering what she liked most last night. I twist two fingers inside while maintaining solid pressure on her clit with my tongue. Alex's hands hold my head in place as she squirms. I reach my other hand up to squeeze her nipple, and before long, she convulses and repeats my name and God's in the same breath.

"Wow," she says when the orgasm subsides. "That was amazing."

I wipe my mouth on my upper arm as I crawl next to her. "It was."

For the first time since we met, I think about my imminent departure and worry this will all be over in a matter of days. Truth is, I don't want it to be. Alex doesn't currently live in Manhattan, but she considers it home. Who's to say we can't continue seeing each other after Christmas?

"I like snuggling with you," she whispers. "And I'm not traditionally a snuggler."

My lips tic up. "Maybe we can hide from the rest of the world all day."

I feel her belly rumble with a quiet laugh. "I promise to play hooky with you one day, but that day cannot be today."

"I know." I sigh and sit up, glancing at the digital clock on the side table. "In fact, I have to meet Vanessa in 15 minutes."

"If you have to meet Vanessa, then you have to meet me." Alex kisses my bare shoulder, then crawls out of bed. "And probably Shelby since she's now on our committee."

"Ugh." I enter the bathroom to freshen up. "Don't remind me."

"I just got a text from Vanessa, wondering if I can meet," she calls from the other room.

"If you're busy, I'm sure she and I can discuss the final stuff about food and beverage," I say.

"No, I can do it." She joins me in the bathroom, quickly wiping herself with a washcloth, then rinsing her mouth with a dab of toothpaste and water. "Thanks for meeting me—for this."

I kiss her soundly. "Is it just me or did that feel wonderfully naughty?"

She chuckles against my mouth. "Wonderfully."

Once we're both presentable again, we get dressed and kiss one last time before heading out.

"Where are we meeting?" Piper pulls out her phone, presumably searching for the location of our meeting.

I move around a heaping pile of snow. "Near the food kiosks."

As we approach the edge of Town Square, I see Vanessa and Shelby talking to two men.

"How's it going?" Piper greets them.

"Hi, Piper." Shelby smiles. Her tits are nearly popping out of her coat. I like big breasts, but hers are obnoxious.

"This is Ronald from The Sandwich Stop and Tony from Paesano's Italian Restaurant," Vanessa offers.

We all introduce ourselves, then dive right into the plan for executing food services.

"Do you have runners on hand?" Piper asks.

Ronald nods. "I've got three every hour, plus two people taking orders in the kiosk."

"Same," Tony replies. "During the busier hours, I can add a runner. We're keeping it simple with the pizza options—cheese, pepperoni and veggie. If they want a whole pie, they'll have to order in the restaurant."

"Will both of you be on hand each evening?" she asks.

They nod and exchange numbers with Piper and Vanessa.

We discuss the financial side of things, then Ronald and Tony go their separate ways.

"Alex, I know you'll have the coffee art thing from 4 to 5 p.m. the first two days, so Shelby and Vanessa, can you ensure things run smoothly during that time?"

"Sure can." Shelby grins. "Mind if we have a word in private?"

Piper gives her a quizzical look. "Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of these two."

"I'm sorry for coming on so strong the other night." She lifts Piper's hand. "I was hoping we'd get a do over."

"I'm sorry, Shelby, but that's not going to happen." She releases her hand, then grabs mine. "Alex and I are…" She lets that hang in the air, raising our linked hands.

Shelby looks like she wants to murder me, and I'm sure I look like the cat that ate the canary.

"I see," she says, folding her arms over her large bosom. "It didn't take you long to move on."

Piper lets out a long sigh, releases my hand and then takes a few steps to her right with her back turned to me and Vanessa, but she's not out of earshot. Shelby follows. "I was never interested in you, Shelby, and I said as much when I was at your house the other night. If you want to make this even more awkward, by all means, continue."

I'm shocked but pleased at Piper's steadfast response.

"Why did you agree to dinner with me in the first place?" Shelby asks.

"You trapped me," Piper says, then lets out another long breath. "I don't want there to be hard feelings between us; we have to work together to make the festival a success. Please let this go."

Shelby looks back at me. "Maybe I should've gone for Alex instead."

That earns her a comical look from Piper complete with a poorly disguised laugh. "Oh, Shelby…" She shakes her head. "I'm not even sure how to respond to that." She walks towards us, glancing at her phone. "I'm late checking in with Barbara about the sleigh ride." She turns to the woman next to me. "Vanessa, text me if you need anything."

"Will do." Vanessa is smiling from ear to ear, seemingly as entertained by that little interaction as I was.

"Thanks for screwing up my chances with Shelby." I'm desperately trying to be serious, though I know my grin gives me away. "Because of you, I was her second choice."

"I would've paid any amount of money to have seen that interaction," she retorts. "But Shelby is entirely out of your league."

I love Piper's playful, somewhat snarky side.

"You're probably right." Once again, I attempt to tame my grin. "Maybe after you and I have exhausted our relationship, she'd be willing to start something up with me."

"If you're into big tits and fake tans…" Piper's poker face is worse than mine. "It's worth a shot."

I should be fully satisfied by the amount of sex we've had in the past 12 hours, yet I find myself even more turned on by the woman whose hand I'm currently holding.

"The wagon looks terrific." Piper switches into business mode as we approach the sleigh ride area. "The blankets are a nice touch."

"Thanks," Barbara replies. "Want to take a ride so we can finalize the route?"

She lifts her eyebrows and looks at me.

I nod.

"Let's go."

"The driver will be dressed like Santa's elf." Barbara holds a hand out for her to step on the side of the flatbed, and I follow. "And we'll have Christmas music playing but not loud enough to wake up any sleeping neighbors. The last ride will be at nine o'clock." She gets behind the wheel.

"Comfy?" Piper adjusts on the covered bale of hay.

"Yeah." I put one arm around her and pull a thick blanket over our thighs. "You?"

She holds my other hand. "Yes."

I'm surprised she's so open to public displays of affection, but she's given me zero indication that she wants to hide our relationship. I admire her boldness. As for me, I'm happy to parade around town, holding hands and stealing quick kisses. I'm proud that Piper is at my side.

Barbara rolls a window down. "How's the pace?"

"Great," Piper calls. "The music volume is good, too."

"Kids are going to love this," I comment, looking at the decorations on houses that aren't lit up yet, but knowing that on this street, almost every home has outdoor Christmas lights or displays.

"I hope so."

I sense that Piper is keeping an eye on me to see what my reaction will be during such a Christmassy adventure, but I'm ok. I'm not sure if it's because none of the songs that come on affect me adversely or if it's because Piper has the magical, healing touch. Maybe it's a little of both.

When the ride comes to an end, we hop off the wagon, and she talks to Barbara for a few more minutes. I watch their interaction, and just like before, I love when she's in business mode. Her jaw sets differently, she stands taller, and her gesticulations are more pronounced. I love that I get to see this side of her as well as her more intimate, personal side.

"I need to check in with Lewis at the ice skating rink," she announces. "Want to join me?"

"I promised Edie I'd help her store the supplies she bought for the coffee art thing," I respond. "She shouldn't be on a ladder."

"Maybe we can meet up later?"

"Definitely," I say. "Come over to my aunt's place for dinner?"

She nods. "I'll text you when I have a better idea of when I can be there, but let's plan on between six and seven."

"Ok."

Piper cranes her neck up and kisses me in the middle of Town Square, and I'm elated. "See you later."

"Bye," I reply, kissing her on the nose.

I feel like a bird, strutting around with fancy, colorful tail feathers. I don't think this is going to be a week-long romance—it feels more…permanent.

Edie and I feel good about hosting this coffee art class, and she has opened reservations on the website. We're also going old school with a clipboard sign-up sheet at Kringle's. Apparently, most of the news in town is either spread by word of mouth or in the daily newspaper. With such short notice, we're hoping word of mouth is enough to convince people to join us. Edie said she'd consider it a success if 10 people show up.

I head back to my aunt's house just after six. "What smells so good?"

"I'm baking a turkey breast." She pulls off an oven mitt. "It was taking up too much room in my freezer."

I remove my outerwear. "Anything I can help with?"

She scoots a bowl towards me. "You can mash the potatoes if you'd like."

"How was your day?"

"Busy but good." She pours a quarter cup of cream into the bowl. "Piper seems to have a handle on things for the festival."

I smile at the very mention of her name. "Seems like she's good at her job."

"Very." She sprinkles salt into the bowl. "I have so much food, there's no way the two of us could make a dent in it. Do you want to invite her over for dinner?"

"I already did," I admit. "I hope that's ok. I didn't expect you to cook though—I was going to make pasta or something equally easy."

"I love nothing more than feeding people," she laughs. "Happy to have her."

I help her peel the carrots and tend to the turkey for the next 30 minutes and get a text from Piper somewhere in all that to ask if I still want her to come over for dinner. Of course, I type. Aunt Dottie is making Thanksgiving dinner 2.0.

While my aunt opens a can of peas, I set the table. We talk about festivals in the past, and she mentions Uncle Lloyd a few times. As with every time she brings him up, a smile dances on her face. It saddens me that she lost him, but she's happy to keep his memory alive. I ask her more questions than usual, and she seems to enjoy sharing some of the stories from their time together.

"I hope one day you'll find a love like ours," she says through a nostalgic smile.

"Maybe I have," I reply, surprised that such sentiment is coming out of my bah humbug mouth.

"That would be lovely."

A knock on the door startles me. "I'll get it." I step into the hallway and open it. "Hey."

"Hi." Piper wraps her arms around my shoulders. "I brought some rolls to go with dinner."

"Thanks." I release her. "I love a good dinner roll."

"Shelby never held a candle to you." She grins.

I'm not sure if she's saying that in general or if there's something more specific that happened to provoke such a comment. Regardless, I take the bag from her, then walk into the kitchen.

"What smells so good?" Piper takes in a big whiff.

"Turkey and all the trimmings." My aunt pulls wine glasses off a shelf. "I hope you've worked up an appetite."

She removes her gloves and coat. "I didn't have time to eat lunch, so I'm starving."

There's a reason she didn't have time to eat lunch, and it was all my fault. I catch her eye and try keeping my smile in check, but I'm sure it's futile. I hope I'm at least a little more successful than Piper who dips her chin and giggles.

I open the bag of bread, placing the rolls on a baking sheet. "Should we warm these?"

"Yes," Aunt Dottie says. "I have some homemade rosemary butter that will spread nicely on the hot rolls."

Piper rolls up her sleeves. "What can I do?"

"How about putting the veggies in serving bowls?" She grabs two matching bowls.

For the next two hours, we eat, drink, and talk about everything from the festival to Piper's family traditions to life in Manhattan versus life in Hollygrove. The conversation never wanes, and I feel an equal part of it even when talking about Christmas traditions. My mom and I didn't have many, but the ones we had bring a smile to my face. Maybe Aunt Dottie is rubbing off on me—instead of frowning or getting depressed when I talk about my mom, I should smile more; she would want that.

"My mom would've loved you," I say after my third glass of Chardonnay, reaching for her hand under the table.

"She certainly would have," Aunt Dottie adds before getting to her feet. "I suppose we need to start cleaning all this up."

I touch her arm. "Don't move. We've got this."

"But—"

Piper stands. "Alex is right. You cooked a delicious meal; the least we can do is clean up."

"Go take a bath or read or whatever you feel like doing," I say, carrying two bowls and plates to the sink. "Any special instructions with silverware or storing the leftovers?"

"I think you know where the Tupperware is." She stands. "If you wouldn't mind hand washing the pots, that would be great. Everything else goes in the dishwasher."

"Done." I walk back to the table with the bottle of wine. "More Chardonnay?"

"No, thanks. The idea of a bath sounds heavenly."

"Enjoy." Piper turns on the kitchen faucet. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow at the Chamber."

My aunt downs what's left of her wine, bringing the glass to the counter. "You ready for the big day?"

"I think so." Piper nods. "The committee chairs and volunteers have been great. Thank you for handing over such a well-oiled machine."

"It took years to whip them into shape," she laughs. "I'm glad they're behaving."

Piper hugs her. "Good night, Dr. Holland."

"I wish you'd call me Dottie," she says before heading out of the kitchen.

She smiles. "I'll try."

Piper and I do the dishes for the next 15 minutes until the kitchen is spotless.

"Thanks for your help." I grab her hands. "Can you stick around for a little longer? We could watch a movie or something."

"It's a Wonderful Life?"

"I haven't seen that one in years," I confess. "But maybe I should try."

She squeezes my hands. "You sure?"

I nod. "Yeah."

We walk into the living room, and I find the remote to turn the television on. No doubt Aunt Dottie has this Christmas movie as well as several other classics saved on her DVR. Piper grabs a blanket and snuggles up to me, and I don't think even the most Christmassy movie will make me sad as long as she's beside me.

The next thing I know, Piper is shaking my shoulder. "Alex, wake up."

"Hmm?" I look around and see that I'm still on the sofa. "Did I fall asleep?"

"We both did." She stretches. "It's almost 11 o'clock."

"Holy shit," I take off my glasses and rub my eyes. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

Piper stands. "I should get back to the inn."

I blink up at her. "Stay here tonight."

"But I rented the room, and…"

"And what?" I raise my brows.

"I don't want to waste money."

I find her financial sensibility adorable. "If it makes you happy, I'll pay for your room tonight. And tomorrow night and the night after that."

A smile cracks open on her face. "You don't have to do that."

I stand in front of her, slipping my glasses back into place. "Do you want to stay with me?"

"Yes." She rests a hand on my chest. "Yes, I do."

"Good." I kiss her forehead. "It's settled." I turn the TV off, then drag her with me to turn the rest of the lights off downstairs save for one lamp in the living room.

It doesn't take long to fall fast asleep with Piper tucked under my arm. I could definitely get used to this.