RED NOTES AND KISSES-Chapter 101: FRIDA -

"What do you mean all our family members are coming?" she asked in shock as they looked for the perfect Christmas tree to cut because Laz didn’t want a fake tree.

"I mean Laurel, Evelyn, your dad, my dad, Leo, Leon, and Danny are coming to New York in a few hours since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and we are so late on literally everything," Laz said, tapping the back of a tall tree.

"Laz! Why wouldn’t you tell me about something so serious?" she breathed out cold air.

"Well, you were kidnapped. I had a hard time hiding that from your friends and family," he said.

"It doesn’t matter! I would have at least..." she panicked.

"At least what, when you were hurt?" he asked in a stern voice. "Less talking, more finding, Frida."

"Well, that’s a lot of sass coming from a guy who wouldn’t just buy a tree and rather make us find one out in the cold," she whined like a little kid, and a snowball landed on her face.

He laughed, taking wise steps back. "There, chill out," he said.

Frida chuckled, bending down slowly to gather snow. "Oh, you are so dead!"

She picked up the snow, rolling it and throwing it at him with incredible speed. He was literally fighting for his life while she laughed at his awful attempt at defense.

Then he ran and lifted her, spinning her around and kissing her.

Her back pressed on a tree, trapped between him and the rough bark. She was breathless and giggling at his kisses.

Then her body started burning, and his lips were sweeter than nectar. She loved his taste. He always tasted so damn good—so damn yummy—and she wanted more. She didn’t want him to stop.

Until she literally heard a kid say, "Mummy, what are they doing?"

She pushed Laz away, falling into a heap of snow. "Nothing, kid. Let’s keep going. It’s cold out," she heard the mother say, walking away with her child.

Frida opened her eyes to see Laz laughing like crazy, and she couldn’t help but laugh too. She rolled in the snow to his side. "Make a snow angel with me?"

He smiled and started moving his hands, and she did too. They giggled as their bodies carved out an angel in the snow.

"We don’t have time to play all day, sunrise. I think you found the perfect tree. Now to cut it," he said, taking off his coat.

She watched like a hawk as he took off his shirt as well, and her breath hitched.

Lord, she’d never get tired of looking at this man. He was perfection in every way possible, and she stared as he grabbed a chainsaw and started it.

He smoothly, like he had been doing it for years, sliced the huge tree down. His muscles bunched to her satisfaction. Her mouth watered in raw fascination, and she wanted more.

Heck, he could destroy every tree here just so she could watch that again. Sorry, ecosystem, she thought as he pulled the tree to the balloon and hurled it in. Lord bless back muscles.

Her knees went weak.

"Fuck," she whispered, and he turned to look at her, his singlet barely doing anything to cover the perfection that was his body within it.

"Well, are you ready to go, princess?" he asked, damn well enjoying her gloating. She blushed.

And as if it wasn’t embarrassing enough, she said hurriedly, "I wasn’t looking."

-----

The house was squeaky clean, but they had a LOT of boxes to carry in.

Once they brought everything inside, they looked at each other, then at the clock. "3:00 p.m... this is going to take forever," they groaned.

"Well, chop chop, sunrise, go put on something stretchy," Laz said. She rolled her eyes and walked away, even though her insides twisted.

She had bought a really comfortable, loose pair of shorts and a baggy shirt, which she slipped on along with her Christmas tree socks.

It was super comfy. She wrapped her hair in a loose bun and hopped down the stairs.

Laz had on joggers and nothing else. She swallowed, focusing on the boxes and the cute pink beanie on his head as he stared at a box of balls and trinkets. Barefoot, with glasses perched on his nose, he looked...

He smiled at her, and her insides did a literal flip-flop cartwheel.

"Cute fit," he said.

"It’s a shirt and shorts," she replied placidly.

He ripped the box open with his teeth—the same way she wished he’d rip her panties off right now. Lord, what was wrong with her?

She sighed, running her fingers through her messy hair, knowing her bun would loosen any second.

They began decorating, arguing over whether left or right was better for the tree.

"Right!" she insisted. "It’s better on the right."

"I think it looks better on the left," he said nonchalantly.

After forever, they finally settled on the right, and Frida nearly pulled her hair out.

Because Frida was always right, obviously.

They put up the Christmas lights and the Christmas curtains around the house. They hung the trinkets and balls.

"Don’t put the angel there, put it here... Ugh, Laz! You haven’t changed—you’re still such a kid!" she yelled at him when he placed the angel where he wanted it.

"And you’re still as hot-headed," he chuckled. "It’s just an angel; it’s not the star." freēnovelkiss.com

"Oh, I wanna put the star up there." She ran, grabbing the star before he could, and climbed up the ladder to reach the top.

She placed the star with a huge grin. "I did it before you," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

He shook his head. "And I’m the kid?"

The ladder suddenly lost its balance, and she fell with a scream. "Oh no... Laz!!!"

She braced herself for impact but landed perfectly in his arms as they toppled over the middle table onto the carpet.

She lifted her face to look at him, and he was laughing.

"I got you."

Yeah, her heart did that thing again.