“It’s cranberry wine,” she whispered over the plaintive sounds of the music. “I make it every year. It’s a bit tart.”
Maya felt so bad about how she’d blamed Vicki for the crash that she gave her an especially beaming smile. Vicki nearly dropped the glasses in shock.
Quite possibly, she’d been a little too hard on Vicki. She had to admit, her father seemed happy. If he didn’t mind Vicki’s occasional ditziness, why should she? Maybe Rune was right and she needed to let go.
“Can’t wait to try it,” she said politely.
Rune gave her an approving wink.
She made a little face at him, just to prove she wasn’t completely giving up her potential objections to Vicki. She’d still be keeping an eye on her, especially since the wine puckered her mouth and brought tears to her eyes.
“That’s…good,” she managed to gasp.
Rune surreptitiously slid her a glass of water.
Everyone wanted to know about the incident that had delayed them. Maya and Rune took turns telling the story through bites of food. Even that felt different. Usually during the holidays she felt lonely in the midst of a crowd. That was the hardest part. That was what she’d wanted so desperately to avoid.
Thanks to Rune, she hadn’t felt that way once this year.
As she filled her plate with seconds, Jessica joined her at the bakery counter. “So…” she asked in a low voice, away from the others. “What’s the real Jerome report? How was it seeing him? Was it difficult? I have a tub of fresh-made caramel sauce that I can pour over ice cream for you. I made it for the apple pie, but your mental health is more important.”
“I’m fine. I have no need for stress eating.”
“No twinges? No sparks? No tears?”
“Not a peep.” Maya shrugged as she popped another cloverleaf roll onto her plate. Jessica added a big dollop of butter next to it. “Five years did the trick, I guess.”
“I don’t think it was the five years.” Jessica shot a glance back at the table, where Rune was listening to Ethan tell a story about his trip to Lost Souls Wilderness. The easy lines of Rune’s big body projected calm, but also alertness, as if he was ready to leap into action if need be.
He would do exactly that, Maya knew. He’d done it for Cara, he’d do it for Maya’s ex-boyfriend or any random stranger. And he’d do it for Maya.
When Rune said he was there for someone, he meant it.
The tight band around her heart loosened another notch.
“I need some advice, Jess,” Maya whispered to her.
Jessica looked almost shocked. “You do? You’re usually the one handing out advice.”
“Yes, but that’s about other people’s lives. This is about mine.”
“Come here.” Jessica tugged her back around the counter to the kitchen area, which featured a tiled stonework oven that radiated heat. “No one can hear us back here. What’s up?”
“So you know how we always joke about being either Team Sex or Team Romance.”
“Of course. You never really picked a team. Keeping your options open?”
“No, it’s more like I got kicked off of Team Romance so I played on Team Sex. Mostly in Anchorage so I didn’t get people talking down here. But now…” She worried at the inside of her cheek. How much should she reveal to Jess? Jessica was very good at keeping secrets, but would she be betraying Rune’s confidence?
“You’re not sure where Rune falls?”
Trust Jessica’s famous intuition to help her out. “I’m not sure. But Rune is. Let’s just say that he’s on Team Romance and he’s very open to Team Sex. But if he’s Team Romance and I’m not sure if I am, wouldn’t Team Sex be the wrong move?”
Jessica’s amber eyes filled with laughter. “I’m not sure why you’re dancing around this. He has feelings for you and wants to sleep together, and you’re not sure if that’s a good idea.”
Maya leveled a stern glare at her. “I was trying to keep his feelings private.”
“If he wanted to keep them private, he wouldn’t keep looking at you as if you were Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one. Are you worried about it? Everyone already knows you’re dating.”
“I don’t want to hurt him. I know how it feels to get your heart decimated. I don’t want to do that to someone I care about.”
Jessica touched her arm sympathetically. “Understandable. You say you care about him, but is it just as a friend or is there more?”
“I told you, I’m not sure.”
“Well, you can’t think your way out of that one. You can’t investigate it like a case. You have to let yourself feel whatever you feel.”
“Let myself? What does that mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about.” She glanced back at the table, where Rune was now laughing at something Vicki was saying. “Honestly, I don’t know how you can resist. That man is like a bowl of whipped cream spiked with cognac. If I wasn’t madly in love with Ethan, I’d be questioning my commitment to Team Romance.”
“Maybe those teams should be disbanded.”
“Probably. One more thing, Maya. You don’t need to overthink this. You deserve some happiness and joy. It’s the holidays, after all. Maybe Rune is like an irresistible gift-wrapped second chance dropped into your life by destiny.”
Now that was an interesting point. “This is definitely the best holiday season I’ve had in years.”
“You deserve it. And more.” Jessica winked at her.
As Maya carried her plate back to the table, Rune caught her eye and gave her such a tender, wicked smile that she tripped over an invisible crack in the floor. Even though she caught herself in time, everyone looked her way. “My boots got wet in the snow, and…”
She trailed off as Rune rose to his feet to take her plate and pull out her chair for her.
“Now that was hot,” he whispered as she sat down.
“What was? Nearly falling on my face?” She plucked her roll off her plate and and bit into it.
“No. Just existing. That was the hot part.”
Oh good God. How was she supposed to resist this man?
She couldn’t. She didn’t want to. She wasn’t going to. “Want to come over tonight?” she murmured.
His eyes darkened to a smoky jade. “That would be a hell yes.”
Chapter 20
But first there were pies. Then there were goodbyes.
Her father always took forever to leave a party, and it turned out Vicki did too. They had that in common. Maya offered to help with dishes, but Jessica told her that was what her commercial-grade dishwasher was for.
Then she had to check in with the station about the twelve accident calls that had come in that night.
All the while, the secret electricity between her and Rune kept ramping up. Light touches in passing as they helped clear the table. Their eyes meeting at unexpected moments. The constant pull of awareness, as if they were connected by an invisible golden tether. A murmured word in her ear during the lengthy process of goodbye. Tonight. Tonight. The word drummed through her veins and simmered in her blood.
And then, at the last moment, as they were standing in the Sweet Harbor parking lot, shivering in the frigid aftermath of the storm, Cara asked if she and Maggie could have a sleepover that night. Maya almost panicked. Did that mean Rune would have to supervise? That he wouldn’t be able to duck out?
But after extended negotiations between the three of them, it turned out to be a good thing. It meant that Rune wouldn’t have to leave Cara alone.
“You two can take the loft, there’s more space,” he told them.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be in and out,” he said vaguely. “I have some patients to check on.”
“On Thanksgiving?”
“Holidays can be difficult.”
Maya pressed her lips together to stop her laughter. The girls didn’t ask any more questions about the arrangements, just chattered away during the drive al
ong the mudflats.
“Drop me off first, okay?” Maya murmured. “I left my place kind of a mess.”
“I don’t mind mess.”
“No, it’s bad. Seriously. I couldn’t decide what to wear.”
“Fine, but I’m coming back as fast as I can. I don’t want you changing your mind.”
Another thrill traveled through her. With her heart already racing and heat pulsing in her belly, there was no chance she was going to change her mind.
After he dropped her off, she raced into her bedroom and plucked all her discarded outfits off the floor. Tossing everything into the closet, she shoved the door shut so it wouldn’t all fall out. Then she realized she hadn’t taken off her boots and had left a trail of damp boot prints across her floor.
She’d just unzipped one boot and hauled it off when a knock came at the door. Hopping on one foot, she made her way to the door. Even though it had only been a few minutes since she’d seen Rune, the sight of him at her door sent a rocket flare of lust through her. The snug fit of his pants, the breadth of his shoulders, the wicked shine of his eyes…the pure physical pleasure of seeing him did something primal to her.
She saw the same deep heat in his eyes as he came toward her. Almost prowling.
“That took forever,” she told him.
“Don’t I know it. Quickest perimeter check I ever did.” He gestured at the boot still in her hand. “Are you going somewhere or about to get naked?”
With a laugh, she tossed the boot aside. It landed with a clunk on the floor. “Door number two.”
His eyes darkened as he pulled her against the hard length of his body. Pure muscles and heat pressed against her. Firm hands gripped her hips. His body heat surrounded her and the residual scent of wine and pecan pie made her head swim.
“Rune,” she whispered.
“Mmm?”
“I want you.”
He slid his hands under her ass and hoisted her off the floor, making her suede skirt ride up. Underneath, she wore a pair of leggings that she wanted off her body, like now.
“I’m damn glad to hear that. Because if I don’t have you soon I’m going to cry like a baby. Where am I going?”
She flung an arm in the direction of her bedroom. “Promise you’ll ignore the mess.”
He walked toward her bedroom as she clung to his shoulders. “All I can see is you. That beautiful face of yours, your eyes like wild honey, that body that haunts me every time I close my eyes. Why’d you have to grow up to be such a damn goddess? I didn’t see that coming.”
His compliments were like a shower of sweetness raining from the sky. She wanted to close her eyes and soak them in. “Same, kid. Same. Some day you better tell me how you put on all that muscle.”
“Turns out my dad was a boxer. It came with the genes. Hit a certain age and wham.”
“That explains why you got into so many fights.”
“That’s the old me. I choose my fights now.”
He turned sideways to maneuver through the bedroom door—then stopped dead. “You have a princess bed. Holy shit. The police chief has a princess bed.”
She giggled. “Don’t tell anyone. It’s a closely guarded secret. It’s the bed my dad made for me when I was sixteen. It’s ridiculous, I know.”
Ridiculous, but she loved it. The entire bed was draped with gauzy curtains, so when she closed herself in at night, she felt like she was in a magical fairy tent.
“Harris made that bed?”
“He’s pretty good with carpentry. It took him a while. He had to read some do-it-yourself books and consult with some professionals. But yeah, he pulled it off.”
“He really loved his little girl.”
She didn’t answer, because she really didn’t feel like talking about her father right now. She had no idea if he’d approve of her getting this close to Rune. When they were kids, he hadn’t been Jay-Jay’s biggest fan, except for the fact that he’d saved her from the rogue wave.
Now another rogue wave—a stalker—had brought Rune back to her life and all the way to her bed.
Rune paused outside the closed curtains around her bed. “So my master plan of tossing you onto the bed like a caveman has been foiled. I don’t want to rip down your pretty curtains. They look fragile. How do you get in there?”
With a laugh, she slid down his body, lingering at the hard bulge she encountered on the way. Excitement shot through her.
“You have to be invited.” Giving him a seductive look, she parted the two lengths of fabric that formed the opening. Beyond it lay her bed, complete with fluffy pillows, a fuzzy stuffed panda, and the softest, downiest comforter known to womankind. Everything was in a shade of pale lilac, which had been her favorite color when she was sixteen.
He whistled softly as he took in the whole picture. “You have a serious hidden girlie side, don’t you?”
“I don’t know about ‘hidden.’ It’s just private. When I come home from work I like to indulge myself.”
He interlaced his hands and flexed them. “I’d like a crack at that job, if you don’t mind.”
“Indulging me?”
A smile hovered around his lips. “Sit down. You’re still wearing one of your boots.”
Ha! She’d forgotten about that. Her desire for Rune had scrambled her brains.
Her breath skipped and she plopped down on the edge of her bed. He kneeled in front of her and put both hands on her knee, just above the edge of her boot. The warmth of his touch penetrated through her legging and brought a sigh to her lips. He unzipped her boot and tugged it off, then gently rubbed the arch of her foot. As if he knew those boots were just a little bit tight, right there.
She moaned and leaned back on her elbows as he set her foot on top of his thigh and massaged it. Pure heaven. Pleasure skittered up her nerve endings and her eyes closed halfway. After a luxuriously long time, he switched to the other foot. He took just as long with this one, until she started to drift into a happy trance. He seemed so unhurried, as if he’d be perfectly content with just massaging her feet all night.
Maybe not just her feet, because next he turned his attention to her calves. He ran his thumbs along the swell of her muscles, easing tension and releasing happy endorphins into her bloodstream.
“You must have done well in anatomy,” she murmured. “You know right where all those tendons and shit are.”
“This is a muscle. The tendon’s here.” He touched her Achilles tendon, making her jump. “Ligaments here.” He pressed the backs of her knees, creating another deep thrill of pleasure. “And yeah, knowing anatomy is helpful in my work.” He dropped his voice to a low growl. “Even more helpful in bed.”
Her mouth went dry. “Huh,” was all she could manage as he glided his fingers up the insides of her thighs.
He moved his hands under her skirt to the waistband of her leggings, which now felt intolerably itchy and unwanted. She lifted her butt so he could strip them off her. Goose bumps rose on her legs as her skin was exposed to the air. He took care of that immediately by running his warm hands all over her.
Well, not all over her, because he was avoiding her skirt and everything that lay under it. He seemed to want to lavish all kinds of attention on the backs of her thighs, the inner skin of her calves, her sore feet. Every touch sent her into a deeper state of pure pleasure.
When his lips touched the tender inner skin of her thigh, just above her knee, she nearly leaped off the bed. A jolt shot through her that felt almost orgasmic. It shocked her. How could he have such a powerful effect on her?
“What? Too much?” he asked.
“No.” Her voice strained, she sat up and pushed him away. “It’s not too much. It feels great. But—” She looked down at her legs, radiant brown against the paler skin of his hands. “We’re in this together, right?”
He looked at her alertly. He probably didn’t understand what was stopping her—she wasn’t sure herself—but he went along with it anyway.
M
aybe it had something to do with her being all exposed while he was still fully dressed. It felt like too many walls coming down at once.
She reached behind him for the hem of his sweater and tugged it over his head. The movement mussed his hair, leaving a tuft of tawny brown sticking straight up. Just the way it used to do when skinny Jay-Jay used to skateboard onto her driveway.
And suddenly she wasn’t worried any more about being exposed. This was Rune. He’d told her that he loved her. She had nothing to fear from him. She could allow herself to enjoy this without any worries or caution.
Under his sweater, he wore a clean white t-shirt. The smell of laundry soap drifted toward her. She breathed in the scent of his skin—a little bit sweat, a little bit fresh air.
She put her hand under the hem of his t-shirt to touch his stomach. How she’d been dreaming about this moment—while also thinking it might never actually happen. Hard to believe he was here, now, right in front of her, his lake-green eyes full of desire and his muscles bunched with tension.
Tugging the t-shirt up, she feasted her eyes on the ridges of muscle she revealed. Was that really all genes? With some spearfishing and skateboarding thrown in?
Didn’t matter where it came from, it was Rune that made it work. If that same body belonged to someone else—someone more cocky, more like Jerome—she would have found it a total turn-off.
Once she’d gotten his t-shirt mostly off his body, he took care of the rest. He dropped it onto the corner of her bed and stood before her—a gloriously half-naked man, the clear lines of an erection pressed against his pants.
Oh man. It was almost too much. Her heart hammered. She felt light-headed. Giddy.
“Do you still have that scar from when you fell on the lava?” she asked him.
“You mean when I fell on my ass and had to get ten stitches in my right buttock?”
“Yeah. That time.” She pressed the ball of her foot against his thigh. “Just worried about my old buddy, that’s all.”
“Oh really?” he said dryly. “Happy to show you my scar. But I’ve been wondering about that bee sting you got. Remember when a honeybee got trapped in your bikini top?”
Head over Heels for the Holidays Page 15
