Warning: contains mild steamy content

I tilted my neck to the side and twisted my back to relieve the aching tension that had built up over the last few hours. Just a few more paragraphs and my thesis would be complete. With the deadline coming up just after the holidays, plus preparations for hosting the first MacLeod-Taylor holiday gathering at our cottage on the coast, I wanted to get it done.

"Knock, knock." There was a thud followed by a grunt.

I swiveled my chair around to face the door, a smile tugging at my lips. I walked over and opened the door to my office to find my fiance standing there with a tray, balanced precariously with a fresh batch of snickerdoodle cookies and peppermint tea.

"Thought you might want a snack break," Fionn said. He stumbled forward, and I helped him with the tray, bringing it over to the daybed in the corner where I liked to nap when I should've been working.

"Thanks, Fionn." I picked up a cookie and kissed his cheek. "These are delicious." The cookies had just the right balance of cinnamon and sugar, with an extra dash of vanilla—straight from Mama MacLeod's cookbook. Fionn had been spending a lot of time recently in Germany on business trips for his architecture firm which also allowed him to spend more time with his mom, something he'd been missing out on a lot since he was eighteen.

I rubbed the curve of my lower back again, which gave off a slight twinge of pain when I moved.

"Is your back bothering you tonight?" Fionn asked, concern etched over his features.

"A little." I waved toward my computer. "I blame my deadlines. I just have to finish up my research on the benefits of travel on cultural knowledge enrichment and empowerment.

"Mm." Fionn leaned across and kissed me. "I know another benefit that travel offers."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I wrapped my arms around his neck.

His fingers slid up under the hem of my sweater, and he pressed his thumbs against my side, massaging the pained area. "You get to see me, I get to see you, and we get to have great, amazing—"

"Fionn!" I shrieked, laughing and pushing him off. "I can't write about our sex life in my thesis."

"Why not?" he grinned. "Yours is one of the most unique experiences. You met me under the pretense of a mysterious ticket, thus allowing you to begin your love of travel. Then you fell for my ever-present charms—"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, once you stopped being an ass. Do you remember my first days in Scotland?"

"I remember meeting you and thinking, 'this one is going to be feisty. I like her already.' Does that help?" His fingers of one hand inched higher while the others remained on my side, rubbing small circles against the skin. The heat of his hands spread over my torso, urging me to shed my sweater.

My body continued to react to his touch, and all thoughts of finishing my thesis washed away like the tide over the sand.

It was only the twenty-second of December. I had time, and right now I had other priorities calling my name.

After carefully moving the tray to the floor so we wouldn't end up spilling anything, Fionn laid me back against the pillows. He used his hands, rough and calloused and oh so good, to trace my body, letting his fingers do all the work.

I hummed happily as I let his hands explore every inch of my skin, his lips leaving a trail of kisses from top to bottom. It didn't matter that outside there were below 0 temperatures. I had Fionn, and that was all I needed.

Fionn's lips made their way to my ear, sending an enticing shiver down my spine. "Merry Christmas, mo ghràidh. I love you."

I cupped his face in my hands, shifting us on the bed. "Merry Christmas, Fionn."