The operator asked questions and assured her someone was on the way.
After she ended the call, Emma’s mind fired up, looping with questions. Would they catch the guy? Or would he slip away? Was it the same person who had broken into other homes? It was a good guess.
What would’ve happened if Vince hadn’t installed that security system? Would she have walked into a nightmare? If she entered the apartment while the intruder was still there, would he have hurt her?
What a way to end Christmas Eve.
Chapter Nine
Vince
It was good to be home. Vince put on a Star Wars Christmas sweater that Matty had bought him last year, but he couldn’t keep his mind off Emma and their kiss. What was she doing now? Was she still at her friend’s? Was she having a good time?
During their traditional Christmas Eve pasta dinner, his father said, “There was another bomb threat in Providence last night.”
Catherine gasped. “Where?”
“The mall.”
She exchanged a glance with Angelo.
“Not far from us,” he said.
“You need to be careful,” his mother pointed out, drawing her gaze to each of them.
Vince clenched his jaw. “That’s the second I’ve heard of since I’ve been home.”
“Right. The first one was at a hotel.” His father twirled pasta on his fork.
“Did they find anything this time?” Vince asked.
“No. Sounds like another hoax.”
“Damn.” Angelo leaned back in his chair. “Sounds like someone on a power trip.”
“Exactly.” Vince tapped the table. “They do it once, don’t get caught, and think they can get away with it again and again.”
“Hope they smarten up before someone gets hurt,” his mother said.
Vince couldn’t agree more. Explosives were nothing to joke about let alone mess with. “I should make some calls. See if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“They’re not going to tell you anything, Vincenzo,” his father said. “They have their own unit dealing with the situation, and it’s an active investigation.”
“Still…” Vince squirmed. With his experience, he couldn’t just not do anything.
His father was right, that’s exactly what he had to do. He wasn’t part of this unit. In one way, it was just like the Marines. You only knew what your superiors wanted you to know.
Once they exhausted conjecturing on the topic, they moved onto cheerier ones. Angelo told him stories of adjusting to work at the hospital. Catherine mentioned her latest research in neuroscience, seeking how to improve recall in the brain after memory had been impaired. Vince revealed little about his recent work. The last thing he wanted to do was tread around memories bringing him to what happened with O’Brien. Since Vince rarely revealed much, no one expected that from him.
After they ate, he moved into the living room with his parents, Angelo, and his wife Cate. His mother pulled out a trivia game and father poured them glasses of limoncello.
Vince stared around the room. Two couples and him. He was the fifth wheel, wonderful. The uneven coupling became more pronounced when they divided up teams.
Angelo said, “Ma and Pop, you’re not allowed to be on the same team.”
“Why not?” His mother gestured with her hand.
“You’ll argue the entire time.”
“We will not,” she replied.
“We absolutely will,” his father added.
“Only if you start,” she said.
Angelo exchanged a glance with Vince and then turned back to their parents. “See my point.”
Numerous suggestions and protests followed.
“Men versus women,” his father said. “That’s the fairest way.”
“How do you figure that?” his mother asked. “It’s three versus two.”
“You have a neuroscientist on your team. She probably knows more than all of us put together. I’m retired and forget things, so I don’t count.”
“Don’t give me that much credit,” Cate said.
They bickered some more, coming up with different variations of dividing the five people in the room into two teams. Poor Cate. Had she already been exposed to their parents’ bickering? Yes, she must have; that was the language they spoke.
Worse were the stolen glances between Angelo and Cate. Too bad Matty wasn’t here—Vince would have someone to roll his eyes with each time Angelo gave Cate one of those sickening romantic smiles. Vince still couldn’t believe Angelo was married. As he studied his older brother, he saw something he hadn’t seen in him before. He seemed more at ease. Not as hard with his always having to be in control personality. He appeared—happy.
They finally settled on the teams of men versus women, thereby making the last five minutes of arguing a waste of time. In other words, a typical DeMarchis conversation.
Vince was competitive in trivia, but he couldn’t keep his mind on the game. His thoughts wandered to Emma. Somehow, she’d gotten under his skin.
This was bad. Foolish. She had her own life, and he had his. She made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship.
Still, a man could dream.
What would it be like if she was here with him and his family? With her military experience, the bickering wouldn’t make her flinch. Smack talk was common, giving each other shit was the norm. He pictured what her expression would be like on witnessing the antics of his loud crazy family, and then he pictured himself exchanging a glance with her, like Angelo had with Catherine.
Damn, he was turning as sappy and soft as Angelo. The problem was he didn’t even have the girl, only the fantasy.
“Vince, you with us?” Angelo asked.
Vince stared at his brother and blinked. Shit, Angelo had asked him a question and Vince had been daydreaming.
“Yeah, just thinking about something.”
“Something—or someone?” Angelo asked.
The others snickered and Vince burned at being caught.
“It’s all your fault, man.” He raised his chin at Angelo. “All your domestic bliss is messing with me.”
“Who is she?” his mother asked.
“Never mind.” Vince scowled. He shouldn’t have said anything.
He kept up with the questions for the rest of the game. No way would he be called out again. Still, Emma stayed on his mind.
She’d said she was going over to Karine’s tonight and tomorrow and had turned down his suggestion to get together tonight. He’d call her tomorrow and wish her a Merry Christmas and try not to repeat his idea of getting together. After all, it would be Christmas. You spent Christmas with the ones you love.
And he wanted to spend it with her.
Shit. That wasn’t right. He barely knew her, so this weird connection to her couldn’t be classified as love. He dropped his head into his hands. But he was falling for her.
And it could never work.
Emma
Emma sat up straight on her couch scanning her apartment. Everything looked the same as it had been earlier that day. The police were gone, and the thief was arrested. Still, she couldn’t shake the sense of violation. A stranger had been in this room pawing through her things. She shuddered. Not a good time to be alone.
Should she call Karine?
No, of course not. Karine had enough going on with preparations for tomorrow.
Emma glanced at the TV and picked up the remote. What she needed was a distraction.
It wasn’t easy. She flipped from channel to channel, searching for something upbeat to catch her interest. Absolutely nothing spooky to set her more on edge.
She opted out of any romantic holiday movies. No way. The last thing she needed was a romance to remind her that she was alone this Christmas.
Twenty minutes later, Emma gave up on channel surfing and left it on A Christmas Story. Since she’d seen it at least a dozen times, it didn’t matter that she couldn’t focus on the storyline.
No, it was Christmas Eve. She shouldn’t bother him.
He had asked to spend some time with her. She’d said no—because—because what?
Emma picked up her phone and stared at Vince’s name, one of her most recent texts. Should she?
She shook her head. She was just feeling lonely and scared. Trying to escape emotions by running into the arms of another man was a bad idea.
But they were friends and it was completely normal to text a friend on Christmas Eve.
Hey Vince. How’s your night going?
Emma held her breath while she waited. Would he ignore her?
What seemed like eight thousand seconds ticked by but was probably more like eight before she saw the dots flow, indicating he was typing. A strange sensation lit her up like a jolt of fire to her veins.
I feel like the Christmas goose.
She grinned, eager to hear his explanation. Why is that?
My mom keeps feeding me. I can’t eat another thing.
Same here. Except it was Karine.
Did you have a good night?
Sure. Just hanging out back home now. Thought I’d say Merry Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas Eve to you too.
She bit her lip. Counted out the seconds. Debated what to do.
Screw it. Do you want to come over?
Eight thousand more seconds went by. The dots appeared, indicating he was responding. What was he typing? Why wouldn’t it just come through in real time?
Of course. Are you sure?
Oh, thank God. She heaved forward with a huge sigh.
I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it. She added a winky emoji. She groaned. “That” could be interpreted in a variety of ways, and the main one that came to mind was sexual. Eek, at least she hadn’t sent him the eggplant emoji.
Can I bring anything?
“Don’t you dare reply with the eggplant!” she chastised herself aloud.
No. Just you.
She dropped her head back. Why did all her texts come out like she was flirting? Wait, was she? Ugh, she didn’t know what she wanted—all she knew was she wanted to see him.
I’ll be there soon.
She put down the phone and paced through her living room. She chewed her fingernails, something she only did when her nerves ran rampant. Was this a good idea?
Chapter Ten
Vince
Just you. Emma’s text repeated in Vince’s head. What did that mean? He carried his empty limoncello glass to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher.
When he returned to the living room, he asked his father, “Can I use your car?”
“Where are you going?” his mother replied. “Nothing’s open tonight.”
“To see a friend.”
“Friend?” His mother repeated with arched brows. “On Christmas Eve. She must be someone special.”
She was. But Vince didn’t respond. It would lead to a line of questioning that would delay him getting to Emma.
“First, Angelo and Cate leave, and now you?” she protested.
“It’s their first Christmas together,” his father said. “Of course they want to spend some time alone. And Vincenzo is in his twenties, he has other people to see besides us.” He nodded at Vince. “Go, take it.”
“Thanks.” Vince grabbed his coat and kissed his mom on the cheek on the way out. “You won’t even know I’m gone. I’ll be up early for Christmas morning.”
“Okay, be careful.” She hugged him.
About what? After serving in combat on other continents, he’d hardly consider Rhode Island a danger zone. But she was his mom, and she worried about him. She worried about them all.
“I will. See you tomorrow.”
He considered changing out of his Christmas sweater, but left it on. He was a geek at heart, and there was no need to hide it. He rushed out of the house before being bombarded by a slew of questions.
Anticipation hammered through him like in the firing of a machine gun as he drove there.
Don’t read anything into it. She just wants to hang out.
He played a podcast to distract himself, one that dabbled on many of the topics he loved about geek culture—video games, sci-fi, Comic-Con, and his favorite cult classic Firefly. Today, they’d returned to a debate on the latest Star Wars movie, comparing it to the final Harry Potter book. Vince contributed his thoughts out loud as if part of the conversation, although no one would hear him.
After he parked and walked to her brick apartment building, he glanced up at the locations where he’d set up the cameras at all possible entrances into her place and the instinct to care for her rose. She had a second-floor apartment, but that wouldn’t prevent someone from accessing the fire escape and finding a way to break in. He rubbed his jaw and tried to snap himself out of reading into things. Maybe installing that system had stirred a duty to protect her.
Damn it, this wasn’t a puzzle to be solved.
Vince rang the bell. He rolled on his feet as he waited and counted.
It took seven seconds before she unlocked the door. A lucky number. Shit, he had to shove aside any fantasies of how tonight could play out. He was not getting lucky tonight.
Emma opened the door and smiled. The warmth of her expression hit him square in the chest. He sucked in a breath.
“Come in.” She welcomed him into the apartment.
It smelled like cookies and—he inhaled—her. An urge to kiss her rose, but he forced himself not to go all alpha male the second he entered her place.
He scanned her from head to foot. She wore a long red cashmere sweater over a pair of black leggings. Both appeared soft and comfortable. Would they be as soft as her skin? “You look beautiful as always.” He stepped inside her living room and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before he took off his coat.
“Thanks.” After she closed the door, she glanced at his Star Wars Christmas sweater and arched a brow. “Festive.”
“It was a gift from my brother.” He grinned. “I have plenty more shirts declaring my proud geek status.”
She laughed. “Good to know.” After a few seconds, she bit her lip. “Is it weird inviting you here?”
“Weird how?”
“You know, it being Christmas Eve and all?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you called. My brother and his wife already left. Otherwise I’d just sink into the couch and drink limoncello with my parents while watching the Christmas Story for the 40th time until I dozed off.”
“Oh. It’s on here too, I’m afraid.” She nodded with a sheepish expression toward the TV.
“Here is a different story because it’s with you.” He took her hand. “Come on.” He led her to the couch. “Here comes the triple-dog dare.”
She sat next to him. “I’ve been flipping through channels. Wasn’t in the mood for any of those romantic movies like the hot celebrity chef moving into the small town and shaking up the controlled heroine’s life.”
He laughed. “Sounds like you’ve seen one or two of those.”
Her smile was one-sided. “Not this year.”
Vince glanced down. Her thigh was inches from his. He took deep breaths, trying not to focus on her closeness.
He attempted to ignore his awareness of her as they exchanged highlights from their day.
During the next commercial break, Emma stood. “How about some hot chocolate and cookies? I have some candy canes that we can melt in the mugs.” Her words came out at a higher pitch and fast? Was she nervous?
He grinned to put her at ease. “I like your version of Christmas Eve.”
She bit her bottom lip and turned. As she walked into the kitchen area, his gaze lowered to her ass. Damn, it was perfect. Even the softness of the sweater care
ssed it gently. Would he ever have the chance to touch her again?
His groin tightened. He adjusted on the couch. Just because she invited him here didn’t mean she wanted to sleep with him. He had to stay cool and let her take the lead.
Emma returned a few minutes later and handed him a mug. “Did I miss anything?”
“Not if you’ve seen the movie already.”
She placed her mug on a coaster on the coffee table. “Only about every year since I can remember.”
“Then you’re good.”
He took a sip of the hot chocolate. The chocolate and mint melted on his tongue. “Mmm, this is good.”
“I’ll be right back with the cookies.” Thirty seconds later, she offered him cookies from a plate. The scent of warm chocolate chip cookies made him moan.
He picked one and bit into it. “Delicious.”
She placed the plate on the table and took one before sitting back down beside him. Closer this time. Her thigh just inches from his.
“I wish I could take credit for them. It was Karine, of course. All I did was reheat them to make them soft and gooey.”
“A job well done.” He gave a nod of approval and then grinned.
While they sipped their drinks and ate the cookies, Vince could barely keep his mind on the movie. He hadn’t spent a Christmas Eve so warm and cozy like this in a long time. Too often it had been with his team and them trying to summon some holiday cheer a world away from home—or trying to forget it all together.
Would he be pushing his luck if he raised his arm and encouraged her to snuggle against him?
She turned to him. “Did you want a BB gun when you were younger?”
When he spotted the chocolate on her bottom lip, he chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” She furrowed her brows.
“You have some chocolate right there.” He reached out and wiped the bottom corner of her lip.
Her gaze caught his and her pupils widened. “Oh.” She licked her lips.
A moan leaped out of him before he could stifle it.
“What?”
His pulse accelerated to the next level. “You just made it a thousand times harder for me.”
Vince: One Night with a Marine: A Second Chance Military Romance (Anchor Me Book 2) Page 9
