A Christmas Rescue: A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella

by Samantha Chase

  Still, he wasn’t quite ready to test that theory.

  He slid under the covers beside her and reached for the remote. After channel surfing, they ended up binge watching a show on Netflix. Bailey wanted to watch something light and funny and even though it wasn’t normally his thing, he agreed. And as he sat there laughing with her, he was glad he did.

  Laughter wasn’t something he had much of in his life and it sounded weird at first to hear it coming from himself. But as he settled in and Bailey moved closer, putting her head on his shoulder, Gavin thought it was something he could definitely get used to.

  Cooper jumped up on the bed to join them and—as usual—was a bed hog. Not that it bothered him much, because it simply meant getting closer to Bailey. As one episode bled into another, they made small talk and at one point he got up and made them popcorn and hot chocolate. As much as he hated to admit it, this was possibly one of the best nights of his life.

  It was well after midnight when the power started to flicker. Bailey lifted her head and looked at him. “At home when the power goes out, I have my fireplace to help heat up the place.” She looked around the room. “Do you have a generator or something?”

  Part of him wished he could have said something smooth like “I’ll keep you warm,” but he couldn’t.

  “I hate to think of the puppies getting chilled,” she added.

  Shifting slightly beside her, he replied, “There’s a generator. I had one installed that goes on automatically if the power goes out. I figured with us being an animal hospital, it was important to make sure we never lose power.”

  Her smile was slow and a little sleepy. “You’re not such a bad guy after all.” Then she snuggled up beside him with her head back on his shoulder. Together they moved down under the blankets more securely as he wrapped his arm around her to hold her close. He was half asleep a few minutes later when he felt her thrashing a bit beside him.

  “Bailey? You okay?”

  She was a little breathless when she finally stilled and laughed softly. “Sorry. I loved the flannel pajamas when we were up and walking around, but I can’t sleep with them on. I’m getting all twisted up in them so...”

  So her pants were gone.

  Awesome.

  Not.

  How the hell was he supposed to sleep knowing she was half-naked beside him? Then again, he understood because if he were alone, he’d probably only be wearing his boxers.

  Was he supposed to comment? Say something?

  It didn’t matter because by the time his head cleared, she was sound asleep beside him. Reaching over, he grabbed the remote, shut off the TV and allowed himself to lie there in the dark and simply feel.

  And it felt pretty damn good.

  Cooper snored loudly beside him and Gavin nudged him to move him over even as he turned to wrap Bailey a little more securely in his arms.

  How did we get here?

  Yeah. That was the million dollar question. Twenty-four hours ago—hell, even twelve-hours ago—they were barely speaking. Now she was here in his bed, in his arms, and if Gavin would have had his way, they’d both be naked, breathless, and exhausted by now.

  Unfortunately, and contrary to popular belief, he was a gentleman. He didn’t believe in jumping into bed with someone—even if he and that someone had known each other for a year already. Something about it didn’t seem right. And even as he held Bailey in his arms, part of him wondered if he shouldn’t be.

  If people only realized that his stony outward appearance was all just a front and if they knew how insecure he really was...

  Then what? What difference would it make?

  None.

  Another life lesson he’d learned young. Life was about survival and that’s all he was trying to do. Survive. He didn’t need a lot of friends and he didn’t need a lot of material things. He had a roof over his head, a successful veterinary clinic, and he had Cooper. And that was enough.

  You could have Bailey...

  As if sensing his thoughts, she snuggled closer, their legs tangling together. For a man who loved his solitude, he was finding this little unplanned invasion to be quite pleasant. Right now, Gavin would be more than happy to have the snow keep falling because he was curious as to how this was all going to play out.

  He was going to kiss Bailey again. That was a given. But after that? How would they spend an entire day together when there wasn’t work or any animal crises to distract them? Of course, he had no idea if anyone was going to require attention tomorrow, but...he really hoped they didn’t. It was strange but...he wanted to simply hang out with Bailey. Talk to her. And...

  She hummed in her sleep as her hand moved over his chest and Gavin’s mind went from the completely mundane to the completely sexy in the blink of an eye.

  Finding out that she wanted him had come as a bit of a shock.

  Feeling her wrapped around him had nearly driven him insane.

  Surviving the night in this current position was going to be a true test of his will.

  WHEN BAILEY OPENED her eyes, the television was off and the only light coming in was from the window on the far wall over the couch. From where she was, she could see it was still snowing and that made her relax.

  She was practically laying on top of Gavin, but he didn’t seem to mind. Pushing up gently, she looked down at him. The moonlight spilling into the room gave her just enough light to make out his features and it made her smile. In the year they had known each other, she’d never seen him look so relaxed and at ease. Slowly, she reached out and caressed his stubbled cheek. It felt wildly forbidden to be touching him like this, even as it felt incredibly right.

  Her mind wandered to the events of the day—and night—and she still couldn’t quite wrap her brain around any of it.

  Or what tomorrow would bring.

  “You should be sleeping,” Gavin said, his voice low and a little gruff, and a whole lot sexy. He guided her head back down to his shoulder.

  “I think the quiet woke me up,” she said and then giggled. “I know it sounds crazy, but...”

  “I know what you mean. Sometimes that happens.” Then he lifted his head and looked toward the window. “Snow’s still coming down.”

  “Looks like it.” Quietly, she sighed. “If it keeps up like this, you’ll be stuck with me for the entire weekend.” She paused and waited for him to contradict her.

  But he didn’t.

  “I know the road crews here in Silver Bell are pretty good about plowing, but I can’t imagine them getting out in this and making much headway.”

  And still he didn’t say anything.

  “Although, I do remember one winter when we got two feet of snow in twenty-four hours and there was only a two-hour delay for school. And I remember that because I had to go to school that day!” she said with a laugh.

  Nothing.

  Pushing up again, Bailey looked at Gavin—certain he must have fallen back to sleep because he normally interrupted her chatter—but he was awake and looking at her with amusement.

  “How old were you?” he asked.

  “Twelve,” she said with a pout, lying back down. “I was certain we were getting a snow day and then BAM! School.” She shook her head. “So disappointing.”

  “What did you normally do when you had a snow day?”

  Chuckling softly, she got comfortable again. “We didn’t get them very often, but whenever we did, we’d go out and build snowmen and sometimes we’d even build a snow fort. Those were the best,” she added with a smile. “I have two older brothers and two younger sisters and we were always outside doing something. There would be the obligatory snowball fight, but once that was out of the way, we’d try to create something.”

  Gavin made a non-committal sound beside her.

  “Then mom would make us all come in and change into dry clothes and we’d have hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies.” She sighed. “I miss those days.”

  “If you were at home right now, what wo
uld you be doing?”

  “Sleeping.”

  This time he laughed. “And when you got up?”

  “Hmm...if I had power, I’d probably do some laundry, watch some TV, and eventually, bake some cookies. That’s the one thing I haven’t outgrown.” She sat up again. “I always bring in a batch or two after a storm for everyone, but I’ve never seen you try any.”

  He looked away guiltily.

  “Oh, my God! You tried them, didn’t you?” she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Maybe...”

  Playfully smacking his shoulder, Bailey egged him on. “Come on, admit it. You ate them and you liked them!”

  When he looked back at her, his boyish grin was almost her undoing. “I liked the oatmeal raisin the best.”

  Unable to help herself, Bailey leaned forward and kissed him. It was supposed to be a quick, almost playful, kiss. But it transformed into something much more the instant her lips touched his. She couldn’t really say who moved first, but it didn’t matter. All she knew was that Gavin’s arms were around her as they twisted and rolled and soon she was pinned beneath him.

  “Cooper, down!” Gavin growled, breaking the kiss for only a moment before diving back in. Off in the distance, Bailey heard Cooper jump off the bed and shuffle over to his own. After that, the only thing she could think about was the way Gavin was making her feel.

  Her legs wrapped around him and the feel of the warm flannel against her bare legs felt good. The warmth of Gavin’s skin would feel better.

  Kisses deepened. Each touch grew bolder until Bailey was certain she was going to go up in flames. Things like this didn’t happen to her—had never happened to her. She’d never been with a man who made her feel or want so...so...desperately.

  Gavin’s lips left hers as his body shifted to explore more of her and all she could think was “Yes, please!” As he nipped at her throat and kissed her breasts through the cotton of the t-shirt, she was thankful for the dim lighting. But when he quickly sat up and yanked his own shirt off and tossed it aside, she cursed it. Even with nothing more than moonlight illuminating the room, she could tell his body was magnificent. It was something she had suspected for a long time and partially confirmed earlier. But now?

  Wow.

  Reaching up, she skimmed a hand up his abs to his chest and felt him let out a shuddery breath right before he covered her body with his again. And it made her even more desperate for skin-to-skin contact. Gavin seemed to read her mind because his hand began to explore under her shirt—taking the fabric up with him—and Bailey grew frantic for him to hurry up and discard it.

  But he didn’t.

  He took his time and when he finally pulled it over her head and tossed it aside to join his, she let out a very loud, very needy sound as she urged him back down on top of her.

  Bliss. It was the only word to describe how his chest felt against hers. Only...she didn’t get to enjoy it for long because Gavin’s hands, mouth, and body were on the move again. Her back arched under him. Her sighs turned to moans with every touch. And by the time his lips were back on hers, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that they were on the same page.

  For tonight, she was willing to forget everything. Nothing that happened before mattered because right now in this moment, Gavin was all she could see and she wanted him more than she ever wanted anything in her life.

  She’d deal with the consequences tomorrow.

  “Bailey,” he murmured hotly against her throat and she was lost.

  Chapter Eight

  THE ROOM WAS IMPOSSIBLY bright and the dogs were all going a bit wild as Gavin opened his eyes. Bailey wasn’t beside him but walking around getting dressed while quietly coaxing the dogs to give her a minute. Pushing up on his elbows, he watched in amusement as she tried to reason with both Lola and Cooper.

  “I just need to find my shoes,” she whispered, but that only seemed to make Lola bark louder.

  “Need a hand?” he called out, his voice a bit raspy.

  Bailey let out a small scream as she faced him. “Geez, Gavin! A little warning next time!”

  He chuckled and kicked the blankets aside and walked unabashedly naked over to the dresser to grab some clean clothes. “I’m not sure what kind of warning I could give that I’m going to speak other than to...you know...speak.”

  She was at the top of the stairs with her coat, hat, and gloves on when she turned back around. “Oh, right,” she murmured. “Um...I know I need to put Lola on a leash after last night’s adventure, but will Cooper be okay with her out there at the same time?”

  Pulling a sweatshirt on over his head, he nodded and walked over to slip his boots on. “Give me two minutes and I’ll go out with you. Plus, we need new pads on the floor for the puppies.”

  “And more food for Lola...”

  He made a mental note of all the supplies they’d need to grab from the clinic before coming back upstairs. When he was next to her, Gavin leaned in and kissed her. “Good morning.”

  For a minute, Bailey seemed a little taken aback, but then she blushed and gave him a shy smile. “Good morning.”

  “Come on, Coop,” he called and soon they were walking down the stairs with both dogs racing to the bottom and to the back door. Gavin grabbed the leash and quickly hooked Lola up. “Why don’t you go grab food and supplies while I take these two out?”

  “Oh...okay.”

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  She shrugged and wouldn’t look directly at him. “I guess I was just a little curious to see what the weather was doing. I mean, I know it’s still snowing but it’s slowed down a lot and...I don’t know...I feel bad that you had to get up and come down here too.”

  It was clear that this normally chatty woman was feeling a bit shy this morning and he found it to be kind of adorable. Taking her hand in his, he led her and the dogs outside. There was almost two feet of snow on the ground and though it was only flurrying now, he had a feeling they were in for a second round of heavy snow later in the day. He handed Bailey the leash so he could shovel more space for both the dogs.

  The wind was fierce and the cold went right through him, but Gavin told himself that in a few minutes they’d be back inside and warming up, which kept him moving. Sure enough, the dogs were quick to do their business and once they were back inside the clinic, Bailey went about drying them off while he collected their supplies. While he was in the back room, he grabbed a clean pair of scrubs for her since she was wearing the pair she’d worn yesterday. Honestly, he didn’t mind giving her more of his clothes to wear, but he wanted to give her the option if she wanted one.

  Okay, and if he was being brutally honest, he’d like to keep her in bed in nothing at all, but...that would be getting way too far ahead of himself.

  Once they were back up in his apartment, they worked together to check on the puppies, change their pads, and put food out for Cooper and Lola. When Gavin looked over at Bailey, she was standing by the window and staring out at the falling snow. He felt such a strong pull toward her that he walked over and boldly wrapped his arms around her waist. “You okay?”

  Nodding, Bailey sighed and leaned back into him. “I can’t believe the snow is still coming down. It doesn’t even look like the plows have been out yet.”

  Part of him took her words personally—like she was upset that she couldn’t leave yet—and that bothered him because he thought last night had been amazing. Better than amazing, although he wasn’t sure what the word was to describe it. Sex was always enjoyable, but sex with Bailey had left him feeling happy and satisfied and...

  “It looks like you’re stuck with me for the weekend,” she said softly, interrupting his thoughts. Then she turned in his arms and gave him a sexy smile that put his mind at ease.

  And his body on alert.

  He was about to question this—what they were doing—but immediately thought better of it. It was like they were in their own little world and the last thing he wanted to do was retu
rn to the cold and lonely reality of his life. If all he was going to allow himself was this weekend, then he was going to enjoy it one hundred percent.

  Pulling her in close, Gavin nodded. “It looks that way.”

  “And you’re okay with it?” she asked with just a hint of playfulness.

  Reaching down, he lifted her up until her legs wrapped around his waist and he walked back toward his bed and tossed her down on it. The sound of her laughter filled the room and had him smiling. Placing one knee on the bed, he looked down at her. “What do you think?”

  “Hmm...well, you’re smiling so...I’m going to say you’re good with it.” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Or maybe I’m just that irresistible that you’re willing to put up with me if it means we can get naked again.”

  When she went to lift her shirt over her head, Gavin placed a hand on her belly to stop her. When she looked at him quizzically, he said, “I’m happy that you’re here with me, Bailey.” He watched her eyes go wide at his admission. “And it has nothing to do with this.” He motioned to the bed. “It’s more because of who you are and...I’m glad we are getting to spend some time together outside of work.”

  Her smile softened and she lifted her hand toward him until she was touching his chest. “I’m really glad we have this time together too,” she said softly. When she went to say something else, Gavin placed his finger over her lips. For some reason, he thought she was going to try to talk about what they were doing and why they probably shouldn’t, and he didn’t want to risk it. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her.

  And he continued to kiss her until the only thing either of them could do was sigh with pleasure.

  THE SNOWBALL HIT HER square in the back and for the life of her, Bailey wasn’t sure how to respond.

  She’d dealt with moody Gavin. She’d dealt with anti-social Gavin. And in the last twenty-four hours she’d even dealt with incredibly sexy Gavin. But playful Gavin? It was almost too much.

  Turning slowly, she glanced at him over her shoulder and saw the smug smile on his face. “You think you’re pretty funny, don’t you?”