“Fine, whatever. Come in if you want,” I say, turning my back on him and going inside, leaving him to shut the door.
“Don’t you celebrate Christmas?” he asks, looking around my small, tidy apartment.
“It’s a rough time of year for me,” I dismiss his question. “What did you want to explain?”
I cross my arms and stare at him. My little traitor, Jingles, hops down off of the couch and twines around Colt’s ankles. He picks her up and strokes her while he talks. That simple motion makes a warmth spread through my abdomen, but I ignore it. I’m too mad to be turned on. I think.
“The blonde at the country club is my cousin,” he shrugs. “My aunt and uncle are members there, and they’re major donors to the children’s museum. That’s how I got drafted to play Santa,” he says in this gentle voice.
Does he honestly think that I was born yesterday?
“Your cousin,” I repeat, my words drenched in skepticism.
“Yes, my cousin,” Colt frowns at me, puts Jingles down, and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his brown leather wallet.
He flips through his photos and moves closer to show me a picture. He smells so good – that same combination of fireplace and cologne that I smelled the first time that I met him, but I refuse to be swayed by how good he smells or how damn hot he is. My body is reacting to him being so close, even if my mind rejects him. Dammit.
“Here, look,” he says, showing me a photo.
I sigh and take a look.
“This is my mom and dad,” he points out a good looking couple.
It’s easy to see where he gets his good looks.
“And this is my mom’s brother, Drew, and his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Bethany. She’s the one you saw me talking to at the country club. We hung out together a lot growing up, even though she’s older than me,” he said, chuckling.
The family resemblance was undeniable, and I felt my cheeks flush hot.
“Good looking family,” I say coolly, my feelings still hurt, even though he’d only been talking to his cousin.
I know I’m being irrational, but I can’t just flip a switch and not be angry all of the sudden.
“Thanks,” he says, tilting his head and looking at me in a way that makes me defrost a little. A little. “I’m sorry that you got the wrong impression. I hope that isn’t why you left the party,” he takes my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it.
“That’s exactly why I left the party,” I blurt. “After what happened between us…” I trail off, my face turning an even deeper shade of pink.
“I can see why you were upset, and I’m sorry,” he says, taking me in his arms and kissing the top of my head.
“Not your fault,” I mutter, knowing I’m wrong to still be acting like this.
My body is getting warmer, and decidedly more moist, and I’m uncomfortably aware now of just how awful I look.
“We have some unfinished business,” he says, pressing his hard-on against my stomach.
I look up into his eyes and see the fire there. I almost give in, but I’m still too fragile to be with him right now. I feel like a frumpy, cranky mess.
“I can’t right now,” I whisper, hoping that he’ll understand.
“Okay, Holly,” he says, kissing my forehead. “But you are going to have to promise to go on a date with me,” he warns, holding me close.
“Do you want to come to my office Christmas party with me?” I ask, knowing that Josie didn’t want to go anyway.
I can just imagine the talk that showing up with a guy like Colt will start. A hot fireman who saved my cat. It all made sense now.
“Sure, when is it?” he smiles, running a finger down my cheek.
“Tomorrow night, seven o’clock,” I tell him, eagerly anticipating the looks of shock on the faces of my coworkers.
“I have to work until six,” he replies, thinking. “But I can take a change of clothes to the station and get cleaned up there before I head over. Can I meet you there?” he asks, showing those killer dimples again.
“Yeah, of course. Let me put my number in your phone and you can text me when you’re on the way,” I say, glad to finally have an excuse to give him my number.
“Perfect. Can I send you naughty texts in the meantime?” he asks, his voice husky, sexy.
“Mmmm…I sure hope so,” I lean into him. “You smell like a fireplace and cologne,” I laugh softly, burrowing my face into his chest.
“That’s how I smell after a fire, even when I shower. It doesn’t go away for a while,” he shrugs, and there’s this…haunted look in his eyes.
“Oh,” I say. It suddenly hits me that he does something very dangerous for a living, and that makes me sad…and more than a little turned on. “Hey, how did you find me anyway?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Your friend works at the museum, and I know people over there, so I got her number, called her, and asked for your address,” he smiled.
“Stalker,” I laugh. “That was a pretty sneaky way to get Josie’s number. I’m jealous,” I fake a pout.
“Well, I’ll just have to make it up to you,” he says, and kisses me deeply.
My knees feel weak, and I break away. I can’t stop thinking about what a mess I am.
“Okay, so I’ll see you at the party,” I say breathlessly, leading him to the door.
“Looking forward to it,” he says, brushing his lips against mine again, my nipples hardening under my sweater.
His hand on the door knob, he turns to ask me a question.
“So, why no Christmas decorations?”
“My parents are in Belize and last Christmas I discovered that my boyfriend was cheating on me,” I answer honestly.
Might as well be honest from the beginning.
“Wait, you have a boyfriend?” he frowns.
“Are you kidding?” I scoff. “I’m not the type of girl who keeps a cheater around,” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I guess I should’ve realized that,” he laughs softly. “Message received.”
“Good,” I say, and stand on my tiptoes to kiss him again before he leaves.
His tongue is warm and sweet on mine, and I moan against his mouth.
“You’re killing me, Holly,” he groans, his arousal evident.
“Good things come to those who wait,” I tease, pushing him out the door.
“I’m going to take you up on that,” he warns, trotting down the porch steps.
“I can’t wait!” I call after him.
Oh yeah, I was going to have sweet dreams tonight.
Colt
I can’t believe that Holly thought I was such a dirty dog. It cracks me up that she thought my cousin was a romantic interest. I’m leaving her house totally turned on, but I’m not going to do anything about it…I’m saving my strength for our date tomorrow, and after that, I have a special surprise for her that I hope she’s going to love.
Holly
I don’t want to brag, but I hit it out of the park with my outfit for the party. My white, curve-hugging angora sweater and jeans that lift my ass, with high black boots, are going to drive Colt wild. My plan is to tease him all night long, have a little bit to drink, and take him home. This hot fire fighter just might be the best Christmas present that I’ve ever had.
I thought he might call me when he got off of his shift, but I guess he’s busy getting ready, because I haven’t heard from him. No worries, I put on my faux-diamond snowflake earrings, spritz on some perfume, grab my jacket and head for the car.
I’m on my way to the party. See you soon! I text him, on my way out the door.
He hasn’t arrived by the time I get there, so I get myself a cup of cranberry punch and munch on some Chex mix while I wait. One of my coworkers, Sandy, comes over and tells me about her sick kids and her car troubles, and I try not to make it obvious that I keep checking the door. I glance at my phone, and see that it’s almost seven thirty. He’s late, and I start to get nervous. Was I wrong to tru
st him?
I text again, asking if he’s on his way, and check my phone to make sure that the sound is all the way up, so I’ll hear it when he texts back. I get another cup of punch, and after having nothing to eat but the Chex mix all day, it starts getting to me and making me feel a little woozy. I want Colt to see me laughing and having fun when he comes in, so I make an effort to actually go talk to people and end up having a good time, even though I always have one eye on the door.
I check my phone again and it’s nine thirty and he hasn’t even bothered to return my texts, never mind actually showing up. I was stupid to trust him. What had I been thinking? I mean, why had I ever assumed that someone as hot as him would want to be involved with someone like me.
I’m a receptionist who lives alone with her cat. Who wants that? Maybe he was just pretending to be attracted to me, although he had a very responsive body part for just faking it. Whatever. My night was ruined. Again. I say my goodbyes to my coworkers and take a taxi home, leaving my car in the parking lot. A DUI is the last thing I need.
I’m a mess by the time I get home. I sprint out of the taxi after paying and barely make it to the bathroom before I throw up all the punch that I drank. Leaning my head on the toilet seat, I cry, as my head spins like a damn top. I grab a towel from the side of the tub and curl up on the cool tile, holding onto the vanity with one hand, when the room starts spinning again.
I throw up again, a few minutes later, then pass out on the floor, cuddling my grey terry cloth towel like a blanket. My phone is buzzing on the counter of the bathroom when I wake up several hours later, but when I look at it, the caller ID says ‘Unknown,’ so I hit the button to make it stop ringing, and go back to sleep.
The light coming in through the bathroom window makes my head throb, as I slowly open my eyes. They feel grainy beneath my eyelids, my throat is parched, and my mouth tastes like a garbage dump smells.
“Oh geez,” I moan. “I need water.”
I slowly get up, my head pounding like a rock band. I feel my pulse in my face as I walk to the kitchen. I get water and a handful of crackers, because I know that I need to eat before I take ibuprofen. In about an hour, I’m feeling a lot better, relaxing on the couch with the TV and trying not to think about anything. My phone shows four missed calls from the Unknown number, and I turn it off. I don’t want to talk to anyone anyway.
I’m in my big fuzzy bathrobe, with Jingles sleeping on my feet, when my doorbell rings. For a second I wonder if my head is going to just shatter with the impact of the sound, but the ibuprofen has kicked in, so it isn’t as bad as it could be. I ignore the doorbell. The mailman can just leave me a receipt and I’ll pick up my packages from mom and dad when I get around to it. A few seconds later, someone is pounding on the door, and I hear a guy call out my name.
I get up from the couch and open the door. There’s a guy on my porch who looks vaguely familiar, but I don’t quite recognize him.
“Hi,” I say, confused.
“You’re Holly, right?” the guy asks, and his voice sounds sort of familiar too.
“Yes,” I nod, and regret it.
My head twinges and I wince.
“You okay?” the guy asks.
“I’m fine. How can I help you?” I ask, feeling a bit green.
“I’m Colt’s brother Cole,” the guy says, and that totally makes sense.
There’s definitely a family resemblance, even though Cole is younger, blond, and a bit thinner than his buff brother. I stare at him.
“I saw your texts on his phone and wanted to come explain why he didn’t show up to your party,” Cole says, looking uncomfortable.
“He sent his brother?” I say. “Wow.”
I’d shake my head again if it wouldn’t make me sick.
“It’s not like that,” Cole says. “He had a call that went longer than he expected. He went in to rescue a toddler. There was a back draft,” he stops and swallows hard. “He got out, but just barely. The kid is safe. A beam collapsed on Colt, and he’s…” he stops again and runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “He’s in the hospital. He’s been saying your name,” he says, his voice all husky.
My throat closes up and I feel so ashamed. Here I am being all mad and pissy about Colt missing my party and he’s lying in a hospital bed, saying my name.
“Is he awake? Is he okay?” I ask, tears running down my cheeks.
“Yeah. They’re keeping him for now, just to make sure, and he’s bruised and banged up, but…he’s gonna be okay,” Cole nods.
Colt
Oh man, Holly is going to think I stood her up. I feel like complete crap. I’ve got some burns, but mostly I’m bruised and sore. I can’t stop thinking about her. As I’m lying here in this hospital bed, all I want is for her to be here beside me. I don’t know what it is about that girl, but I can’t think of anything else since I met her.
I open my eyes, and there she is, standing beside the bed looking like an angel. A tired, crying angel. Am I dead?
Holly
“Hi,” I whisper, when he finally opens his eyes.
“Hey,” he says, reaching toward me with a bandaged hand. “I didn’t stand you up.”
He smiles, then winces because his face is bruised.
“I know, baby,” I say, holding his hand and kissing it.
“Sorry I didn’t make it to the party. Did you have fun?” he asks.
“Don’t even worry about that,” I shake my head. “How do you feel? Are you okay?”
“I am now,” he smiles again, more carefully this time. “All I need is to see you. I know we haven’t gotten the best of starts, but I really like you, Holly, and I want to hold you and kiss you and spoil you rotten,” he’s looking at me with these warm eyes that make me melt.
“I could live with that,” I laugh, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Don’t cry, baby girl,” he whispers. “When I get out of this damn bed, I’m going to make your dreams come true.”
“You already have,” I say, bending down to kiss a non-bruised spot on his cheek.
Colt
“You’re sure you can keep her out of here for a couple of hours?” I say to Josie on the phone.
“Yep, you’ve got it,” she says.
“Perfect. I’ll text you when I’m done,” I reply and hang up the phone.
Josie gave me the key to Holly’s apartment so that I can set up her Christmas present. We’ve been together non-stop since I got out of the hospital. I had to fib to her and tell her that I was working today so that I could put my plan in action, and I’d dragged Josie into it too.
I go to the front door and holler out to my brother.
“Hey, Cole, coast is clear, let’s do this,” I wave him in.
Holly’s neighbor, Wyatt, is standing out in his front yard watching, with his hands on his hips.
“What are you doing over there?” he yells, trying to sound intimidating.
Cole gives me a look and I point toward the house, letting him know to keep going, while I step outside for a showdown with the neighbor. I walk right up to the paunchy little dude. His face is red and he looks like he’s spoiling for a fight.
“Got a problem, man?” I ask, nice and casual.
“Yeah I got a problem. Looks like you’re robbing my neighbor,” he sputters.
“Relax. Your neighbor is my girlfriend, so you got nothing to worry about,” I say, letting my voice get a bit more direct.
“I want to hear that from her before I believe it,” he postures.
“Settle down, dude,” I shake my head. “You’ve got no business poking into Holly’s personal life. I’ve got her taken care of, you read me?” I ask, giving him a look.
“I’m not afraid of you, tough guy,” he says, his voice shaking a little bit. “I oughta call the cops,” he threatens.
“Yep, go ahead and do that,” I laugh.
Every cop on the force is a friend of mine.
I walk back to Holly’s, a
nd Cole, my buddy, Chug, and I get busy, making her surprise happen. In a couple of hours, I send the boys off, and I text Josie, asking her to bring my baby home for Christmas Eve.
It’s weird, I feel totally comfortable with Holly and I can’t wait to see her, but I’m nervous. I guess it’s just because I want her to really love her surprise. I hear Josie’s passenger door slam and I stand up, waiting for my beautiful girl to walk through the door. The key slides into the lock, she opens the door, and when she looks up and sees what I’ve done, she gasps.
Holly
I had a good time shopping with Josie today, and when I get home, I’m going to do some baking so that I’ll have treats for Colt on Christmas day. I’m hoping he’ll come over after he gets out of work tonight, and spend Christmas Eve with me. We don’t have to do anything special – I’ll be happy with pizza and movies, as long as we’re together. It’ll be extra amazing if he stays overnight. Nothing makes me feel more protected than being in the circle of his arms, with my head resting on his massive chest.
I open the door, and there he is – my gorgeous, amazing man, who has decorated my entire house for Christmas, with tons of glowing lights, a fully decorated tree, and even cute Santa throw pillows on my couch. The living room is aglow with Christmas cheer, and Colt looks adorable, wearing a Santa hat with his jeans and sweater.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” he says, and I fling myself into his strong embrace.
He picks me up and spins me around as though I’m weightless, which does wonders for my ego, then sets me down and kisses me.
“Thank you,” I whisper, tears in my eyes. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” he says, wiping my tears with his thumb as they fall. “No tears, tonight is our special night. I have dinner coming in an hour, and then we’re going to watch movies until we fall asleep,” he grins.
Blazing Hot Christmas Page 3
