Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I’m about to roll out of bed and look for my clothes when she sniffs, sighs, then abruptly tenses as she wakes up to an unexpected hard-on poking her in the spine.
She scoots away, putting some merciful distance between us before glancing back at me.
“Hey,” she says, a blush pinking her cheeks. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Good,” I rasp. Clearing my throat, I add, “Thanks to you. I’m guessing I was in pretty bad shape?”
“You were flirting with hypothermia,” she says matter-of-factly, confirming my suspicions. “You were shivering so hard, it scared me a little. Especially knowing there was zero chance of getting an ambulance out here in the storm. So, I took stripped you down and left you under my coat by the fire while I made a bed with the play mats from the kids’ corner. You woke up long enough to crawl in with me, but I’m guessing you don’t remember that part, huh? You were pretty out of it.”
I give a small shake of my head. “No, I don’t. I hope I wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Not even a little bit.” A sleepy smile curves her lips. “Though you did tell me that I was prettier than Lady Godiva on a horse. And that I should always be naked.”
“That’s one of my favorite paintings,” I confess with a huff. “But I apologize for that and for…” I cast a pointed glance toward my midsection. “I tried to move away, but you kept…shifting.”
Her gaze sharpens on mine. “I’m not worried about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She pauses, nibbling her bottom lip for a beat before adding, “And I’m glad you figured things out. You know, with the whole pulling your head out of your ass thing…”
I blink, but it only takes a beat for the memory to deliver itself to the front of my mind. When it does, I exhale a ragged breath, not sure whether to laugh or apologize again. Or, even better, assure her, “I’m glad, too. I… I’m so sorry. I saw you with that man, and I just…I defaulted to the worst part of my nature.”
Her brows snap together. “What? What are you talking about? What man?”
“The man.” I clear my throat, thoughts still too fuzzy to handle this conversation with the finesse I would like. But it’s happening, so I’d better rise to the occasion. “The man at the Reindeer Corner’s Inn. The night of the caroling. I ended up going with Elliot and Ashton. I was standing out front when you two…embraced.”
She blinks for another moment, seeming completely stumped before she breaks into a musical laugh. “Oh my God, Luke. That was my client!”
“Client?”
“Yes! That was Thad. Of Thad and Margot. I shot their engagement photos on Wednesday.” She pauses before adding in a more pointed tone, “After I shot the proposal, which went down about three minutes after that hug you saw. Thad was so nervous, he needed a lot of moral support. That’s all that was. Me, trying to be a friend to a man I barely knew.”
My face goes hot. “Jesus.”
“No, Thad,” she teases. “Of Thad and Margot.”
I wince. “I am…mortified. And so deeply sorry.”
“Yeah, well, you should be,” she says gently. “All you had to do was ask me what was up that dude you saw me with and all this angst could have been avoided.”
I nod, my stomach cramping tighter. “You’re right. My behavior was ridiculous. Unforgivable, really, but if you—”
“No, it wasn’t,” she cuts in.
I frown. “It wasn’t?”
“No, I can forgive you.” She shrugs. “I’ve already forgiven you. Just don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t,” I vow, meaning it with everything in me. “Because I meant what I said when you opened the door. Every word. I was half frozen, but fully in my right mind.”
Pleasure and hope mix in her expression. “Good. I was hoping you were. Because guess what?”
“What?” I murmur, completely in her thrall as she props up on one arm and the quilt slides lower.
“I love you, too.”
Wonder tightens my ribs. “You do?”
She nods, slow and so sexy I’m not sure how much longer I can resist the urge to kiss her. “I do. And I’m very willing to give you the chance to fight for me. But first, I was hoping we might do something more fun than fight.”
“Oh, yeah?” My pulse spikes.
“Yes. Please.” She lifts a hand, trailing her fingertips down my cheek to my neck, my shoulder. “I would like you to kiss me, Luke Ratcliffe. And to keep kissing me for a long time.”
“Whatever you want, beautiful,” I promise, meaning it with everything in me as I wrap my arm around her beneath the covers. “Whatever you want.”
Then, I do my best to be a man of my word.
I kiss her like I’m learning a language I want to speak fluently—deliberate, careful, needing to make sure I’m translating her right. She answers with a hungry sound that makes my head spin as her tongue strokes against mine. The world narrows to firelight and the distant howl of the storm and the way her fingers curl into the back of my neck.