The Variations by Jones M (christmas read aloud txt) 📖

Chapter 26

Chris and Kate rushed to his house, mostly because of the cold air outside that was expected in the winter season. As soon as they had gotten inside the house, Chris turned on the heater and dialed a pizza-delivering restaurant.

That was going to be their lunch and supper.

"So, what do you want to watch?" he asked Marie as soon as he had ended the call. Kate had her hands on her arms, slightly shivering from the cold that had managed to seep into her body.

"Honestly, I don't know," she replied, making her way towards the dining room with Chris following closely behind.

"What about Despicable Me 3?"

"You have it?" she asked him in surprise.

"Of course," he replied. "It came out on DVD a few months ago."

Through that conversation, their decision had been made. Chris popped the 4K movie into the DVD player before settling on the couch next to Kate.

"What about popcorn?" she asked him. Chris gave her an unamused look before pausing the movie.

"Hey!" Marie yelled in protest. "Didn't you watch this movie already?"

"Yes," he replied, heading towards the kitchen.

"Then why did you pause it?"

"Because I want to watch it again!"

Kate sighed into her seat, staring at the TV that showed the Illumination logo. The silence in the house allowed her thoughts to run through her mind. They were all not good because they revolved around the fact that she was in Chris' house. With him. 

Alone.

They had done it before for the sake of their short film. She was confused as to why she was anxious in his home. Then she remembered the frustrating sex dream she had on the previous night.

'Okay, Kate. Act normal,' she told herself. However, her mind went back to the dream. She had been with a naked Chris, and he had been kissing her and making her moan his name. It did not help that Chris had appeared after the dream and removed his shirt not less than an hour ago. 

Heat returned to the area between Kate's legs as a wet sensation made itself known.

'Crap.'

Marie shook her head as shame overcame her. She was in Chris' house. She could not allow herself to think that way about him. She was his friend, and she had to try to see him as a person and not a star of her fantasies. Besides, he was interested in someone else.

The sudden dejection Kate felt was all she needed to calm down her body. 

"What's taking so long?" she yelled, realizing that minutes had passed as she waited for Chris to return. When she received no reply, she got up from the couch to go see what was happening in the kitchen.

She had been expecting a disaster, but to her shock, it looked clean. Chris had already placed a pot over the oven.

"Chris?" she called out to him.

"Hmm?" he replied. "Oh. Five more minutes."

"Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

"No, you go sit," he said.

"But I'm bored," Kate whined. "What can I do? Is there anything else I can make?"

"The drinks," Chris said. "I have a couple in the fridge."

Kate headed towards the steel shelf, opening it to find the drinks. She found a one-liter orange juice box, and so she took it out.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Nope," Chris replied. "I also have a beer hidden in there."

"What?" Marie checked the fridge, and that was when she saw the beer bottle hidden behind a carton of milk.

"But I'd rather we save it for later," he added.

A couple of minutes later, the two went back to the dining room to continue with the movie. But then, they were barely fifteen minutes into the movie when the doorbell rang.

Kate groaned, seeing the film being paused again.

"Must be the pizza," Chris stated, and that had her grateful. He got up from the couch and headed towards the door. Kate soon heard a couple of voices talking. A minute later, she spotted Chris carrying three boxes of pizza as he went into the kitchen. He then returned to the dining room.

"So, where were we?" he said as he grabbed the remote, pressing play so that the movie could resume.

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The hours quickly passed. Kate spent the whole day watching a number of movies with Chris. They had just finished with Spiderman: Homecoming, looking at the end credits of the movie.

Kate noticed that the room looked darker than it had been in the morning. She turned to look at the analog clock hanging on the wall. The light from the TV illuminated it, and she gasped when she noticed the time.

"Chris, it's seven," she stated. Kate even looked at the kitchen, seeing how it had been hit by total darkness.

"I think I need to go back," she suddenly said, rising from the couch. There were a couple of things she had to pack for the holiday.

"Wait," Chris said, making her face him. "What about the pizza?"

He and Kate had already gone through the two pizza boxes. Kate loved pizza, and so it did not bother her to have it again for supper.

"Chris, it's late," she told him.

"But it's not that late," he countered. "We've been together for hours much later than this. Don't you remember us going to the movies and the amusement park?"

Marie couldn't forget them. She was trying hard to remember them as regular outings and not as dates.

"Yeah, I do," she said. "But I haven't finished packing."

"Neither have I," Chris stated with a grin. "I'm sure you can stay much later than this. I could even drive you back if you want."

Chris' offer made her heart swell, but a part of her told her it was a bad idea. Being in the same house alone with Chris, and in the hours of the night... It looked like a recipe to make Kate embarrass herself in front of him. Unfortunately, she couldn't decide to leave at that moment. She didn't want to disappoint him. Also, she had been doing a great job in controlling her libido. What could happen in a few hours?

"Okay. But what other movies can we watch right now?" she asked him as she sat back next to him.

"I was actually thinking of not watching a movie right now. We went through a lot today."

"What do you have in mind?"

Chris furrowed his eyebrows in concentration before saying, "Exercise."

Kate widened her eyes at him in shock.

"Exercise? What? At this time?"

"Not for you," Chris said, chuckling. "It's for me. I need your help with something."

"Chris, we just ate slices of pizza not less than an hour ago," Marie stated.

"Exactly," he replied. "I have a couple of weights in my room."

'Weights?' she thought. An image of Chris working out filled her mind. She pictured him shirtless as he lifted a couple of weights on each hand. She imagined how the muscles in his torso would move, and it had her breath picking up.

"Not a good idea," she stated, both for him and for herself. 

"Relax, Kate. I've done this before," he said. "Or are you scared?"

"Of what?" she questioned with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Of seeing me without my shirt on," Chris smirked.

"What?"

"It's okay, Kate. If it helps, I could put a vest on."

"Chris, I'm not scared of seeing you without a shirt," Marie opposed.

She was actually terrified of the feelings that would be invoked in her at the sight of his naked form.

"Really?" Chris still doubted her words.

"Yes," Kate nodded.

"Okay," he nodded back. "Let me give you a test."

"Wha--"

Kate cut herself off when she noticed Chris reach for the hem of his shirt. He quickly pulled it over his head, and Kate did not have enough time to control her reactions.

"Look at you. You can't even say a word, now can you?" Chris said with a cocky smirk. Kate narrowed her eyelids at him even though she felt a pulsing sensation between her thighs. The sight of Chris' exposed torso had her trying to control her breathing as her heart thudded behind her chest.

"I actually can," Marie replied with a clear voice.

"Oh?" Chris said. "Then I dare you to come here and touch me."

Kate's eyes widened at the demand. For a moment, she could not comprehend what he had just said.

"W-what?" she stammered.

"Go on," he replied with a smirk. "Come sit on my lap and touch me, Kate. Show me you wouldn't be affected by me."

A sudden surge of anger filled Kate. How dare he ask her to do such a thing? And how dare he reveal his muscular torso in front of her? Didn't he know how much she struggled to keep her feelings for him at bay?

'Relax, Kate,' she told herself. 'You can do this. He said just a touch.'

"But we're on a couch," she stated. Chris had his feet on the floor, and Kate wondered if he would feel uncomfortable with her on his lap.

"I can handle it," he told her, slapping his thighs.

Marie breathed through her nose before she started approaching him. Her legs felt like feathers as she walked towards him. The few feet she covered actually felt like a meter as she tried to control herself.

"Sit on my lap, Kate," Chris said, his smirk gone and replaced with a serious expression. She swallowed, moving down to settle herself on his jean-covered thighs.

His muscular thighs.

She felt the heat of his lap spread on her ass. The pulsing sensation between Kate's legs increased. Wetness had gathered there, and it threatened to flow down her legs.

'What the hell am I doing?' she wondered, not moving away from Chris.

She looked back at him, surprised by the heated look in his eyes. She raised a hand, her form slightly shaking as she directed it to his chest. Her hand soon landed on his pectoral, and her eyes widened a fraction. The heat of his skin coursed through her hand as she felt him. More wetness formed between her legs.

"With both hands," Chris stated in a gruff voice. Marie swallowed, moving her other hand on his chest.

'Oh crap,' Kate thought, feeling a little feverish over what she was doing. The feel of Chris' skin on her hands was wonderful. He was soft yet hard with muscles, and the small hairs that tickled her hands was marvelous.

Kate bit her lower lip as she looked at Chris' torso. She had an urge to close her legs together because she feared he would find the wetness there.

"Look at me," Chris said. Her eyes directed back to him, seeing a sudden shift in his expression. His brown orbs seemed to have darkened as he stared back at her. 

Kate let her hands travel lower. She unconsciously bit her lower lip again as she felt Chris' torso tense and relax. Her fingers touched his shoulders, making him sigh as he grazed the skin. They soon moved back to his pectorals before descending to his defined abs.

'Is this really happening?' she wondered as she swallowed. She continued feeling him, enjoying the heat of his skin as she traced his muscles. She felt his abs again, her fingers finding the dips and curves, and the fever she felt around him seemed to increase.

Her eyes lowered to his abs, and she slightly shivered at the sight of them.

"You lied, Kate," Chris suddenly spoke. It shocked her out of her trance as she looked at him.

"W-what?" she said, her voice quivering.

"You said you weren't affected by me. Look at you. You're already feeling me without me telling you where to touch me."

Kate opened her mouth, planning to deny his accusation, but she realized he was right. She had been touching his torso, and it had made her wet with arousal. Humiliation burned her cheeks, giving her the sudden urge to leave.

"Where are you going?" Chris growled, raising his knees up. The action made Kate gasp as she was forced to