He tensed. That didn’t sound good.
She let the blanket fall to her waist as she met his eyes. “Jonah, I’ve noticed you’ve been rubbing your leg and shifting around. If you need to take your prosthetic off, you should do it.”
She was perceptive, he’d give her that. And he wasn’t as good at hiding his discomfort as he thought he was. “Normally I would have taken it off by now,” he confessed.
“Are you afraid to do it because I’m here?” She leaned closer. “I know it must be hard, wondering how people would react, but honestly, it wouldn’t bother me.”
He reached down and touched her cheek. She was so soft. Graceful. Whole. “It’s not pretty, Cami. I don’t want you to see what’s left of me.”
She furrowed her brow. “Aren’t we two peas in a pod? I was so worried about what you’d think of me, I let you drift out of my life when you were probably the only steady thing I had. Now you’re worried about what I’ll think of your leg.” Her hands tightened on him. “It’s fine if you want to leave it on, but I wanted you to know you had options.”
He blew out a breath. She made it all seem so logical. But could he do it? He’d never let anyone see his stump except his parents and medical personnel. “I just think it might be too much.”
She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. “For me or you?”
He slid his open palm along her jaw, wanting her to understand, wishing he could tell her what he was really afraid of. He ground his teeth together. Just say it. “Cami, I’m not the man you remember.”
She didn’t break his gaze. “No, you’re so much more.”
Did she mean that? “Do you hear what I’m saying?” he asked, wanting to be sure.
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes and his thumb traced her chin. So silky. He wanted to kiss her, but is that what she wanted? “Cami.”
She let her hands trail up his chest. “Do what you need to do.”
Was she still talking about his prosthetic? His stomach tightened at the thought of it, but his leg was ready to breathe for a while. “Okay.”
He pulled his leg forward, bent at the knee, but she didn’t move and blocked him. “Can I help?”
“If you’re sure.” She gave him “the look” again. He shrugged and pulled up his sweatpant leg. “Just press that release button there on the side.” She did as he asked and the ratchet strap released. The artificial limb loosened, and she gently pulled on it until it was off.
“Is that it?”
“Not quite. I still have my liner on.” He bent around her and carefully took off the stump sock until there was just his blue liner. “Are you really sure about this?”
“Stop asking me that.” Her bossy tone was back.
His heart sped up as he thought of how wrong this could go, but he took off the liner with the ratchet strap attached. He let out a sigh of relief as soon as it was off. It felt good to let his skin breathe a bit. He hardly dared look to see Cami’s reaction.
Cami’s hand hovered over his stump, but she didn’t touch it. “Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes I get phantom pains at night, but no, it healed well.” He looked down at his residual limb. It really was a nice-looking stump as far as stumps went.
“Go ahead and touch it if you want.”
She was hesitant at first, but then ran her hand over what was left of his shin. The embarrassment he thought he’d feel never materialized. Instead, her cold hands running over his leg were sending shivers through his body that had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. “Is the prosthetic not fitted properly? Is that why it’s bothering you?”
“No, it’s not that.” He thought for a moment about how he could explain it to her. “I imagine it’s like when women have to wear high heels all day. It just feels good to take them off.”
She nodded. “That makes sense.” Lying back down against him, she was quiet for a moment. “It must have been so hard to get used to.”
“It was.” He wrapped an arm around her, amazed at how comfortable he felt discussing this with her. “I hated having to relearn how to walk and try to make it look natural. I had great doctors and therapists, though.”
“I was thinking that earlier. You hardly even have a limp.”
Her praise warmed him. “I’ve worked hard for that.” In that one statement, all the months of sweat and pain were worth it. He let his hands wander through her hair. “Thanks.”
“For what?” Her voice was soft and low.
“For tonight. For making me laugh. For making me feel normal again.”
“You’re welcome.”
And he knew she meant it.
Chapter Six
She’d never had someone run their hands through her hair like this before and it was wreaking havoc with her senses. It was mesmerizing and tender and yet everywhere he touched ignited a pull of attraction that had her spellbound. She may have helped him feel normal again, but she knew she’d never be normal again after this experience. She wanted more. “Is it your turn or my turn?”
“It’s my turn. I took my prosthetic off for you, remember?”
She remembered. It was an experience she’d never forget. “And you haven’t fidgeted once since you took it off. I can tell you’re so much more comfortable.”
“Definitely.” His hands kept up their slow torture as they started down her hair, from her scalp to her shoulders. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want it to be a dare. I want it to be your choice, not a challenge.”
Her pulse pounded when his hands stopped at her neck, cupping her head. “Ask me what?”
He gently tipped her chin until she looked at him. “I want to kiss you.”
The butterflies that had been mildly fluttering in her stomach were suddenly airborne and swooping in so hard she could hardly catch a breath. “What did you say?”
Jonah leaned down until he was a hair’s breadth away from her mouth. “I need to kiss you.”
He hesitated and their eyes met. Everything was about to change and it seemed right that they both paused to acknowledge it. She reached up and put her arm around his neck, pulling him the last few millimeters to her. His lips were tentative at first, but Cami pushed her hands through his hair, wanting more. He quickly caught up and matched her intensity until a very wet nose came between them.
“Magnus,” Jonah ground out.
Cami couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, you were worried about being left out in the cold earlier.”
“He has terrible timing.” But he was smiling and petting the dog. Lola came over to see what all the commotion was about.
“I’ve been accused of that myself a time or two.” She pulled back and allowed the dogs into their small circle.
He resumed stroking her hair. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”
She turned to him, her eyes wide. “How long?”
“Since the beginning of senior year.” He smiled as her mouth dropped open in surprise.
Her hand flew up in the air. “Why didn’t you ever say something? I had a crush on you that whole time, but didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“I didn’t want to lose you as a friend, either.” His voice was low. “I thought maybe you just needed a star-gazing partner or someone to hang out with after the track meets.”
“That’s what I was thinking about you. We’ve wasted a lot of time,” she murmured.
He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Was it worth the wait?” Cami could only nod since both dogs had muscled their way in to give their own kisses. Jonah had to scoot back to make room for them. “Hey, Mag, I’m starting to see a pattern here,” he said, giving his most disapproving look to Magnus.
“Me, too.” She laughed and patted Lola’s head. “Did you guys need some attention?”
Lola took the patting as a signal to climb on Cami’s lap. “Oof, you’re a little big for a lap dog.” Magnus watched Lola on Cami’s lap, as if he was waiting to see if
she’d stay there or not.
Jonah leaned in close. “Look, Magnus can’t decide whether to join Lola on your lap or not.”
His breath tickled her ear, making her heart skip a beat. “Like a dog pile, you mean?”
Magnus twitched his ears like he knew they were talking about him. Jonah chuckled. “He’s a little more sedate in his attention seeking.”
“Like his owner?”
Jonah bent to kiss the spot where her shoulder met her neck. “I’m happy to take any attention you give me. Or give you some attention of your own.”
She tilted her head to give him better access and closed her eyes. “You do seem rather good at that.” She licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry at his ministrations. “I am so glad Lola came over tonight.”
“Me, too.” He trailed kisses up her neck to her ear, and she thought her heart might pound out of her chest. He made her feel things she’d never felt before, and she didn’t want the evening to end. Here in the dark with Jonah and the dogs, it seemed as if her life was finally coming together. All she needed was Ben and Hailey to make it perfect. For the first time since the accident, she was feeling optimistic about the entire situation, and thinking about Ben didn’t send a wave of worry over her. She’d face whatever came in his recovery and she’d have Jonah in her corner to help her. It was a heady feeling. “Jonah, I–”
But her words were drowned out with the lights coming back on and the front door opening simultaneously. “He’s probably asleep,” Dr. Harrison said from the front hallway.
“I doubt he’d sleep through this storm,” his wife retorted.
Cami froze. What would his parents think? Jonah’s arms tightened around her middle. “Don’t panic.” But even with his comforting words, she braced for the look on his parents’ faces when they saw them.
His mom and dad walked into the family room and his mom’s expression was just as Cami expected. Her eyes wide, her mouth a perfect O. “Hello, Cami,” she finally said, obviously needing a moment to find her voice. “I didn’t know Jonah was expecting company tonight.”
“I wasn’t,” Jonah said as he reached for his liner and prosthetic.
Cami stood and grabbed the blanket. “My dog got out and ended up over here,” she explained while she folded. “The storm was pretty bad so Jonah invited me to wait with him until it broke.”
While she’d been talking to his parents, Jonah had finished attaching his prosthetic and stood up next to her. “How was the party?” he asked his dad.
“It was fun. Your mother was worried about you, so we braved the roads. Looks like everything was under control.” His father’s eyes dipped to the fireplace, where their mugs still sat.
“We’d just eaten dinner when the lights went out, and we had hot chocolate by the fire.” She looked down at herself in Jonah’s over-sized sweats. “And since my jeans were so wet, Jonah lent me some dry clothes.” Cami didn’t know why she was babbling. They hadn’t done anything wrong, but it was his parents.
“I’m just glad you were here.” Jonah’s mom put her purse down on the kitchen counter and turned to smile at them. A genuine, happy smile. In that moment, the awkwardness disappeared and Cami relaxed. It was okay. “How’re Hailey and Ben? I just heard about the accident tonight,” Mrs. Harrison said, sympathy lacing her tone.
“The doctors are watching them really close, but it looks like they’ll be okay.” Her voice hadn’t trembled once when she spoke of them and she was proud of herself.
“If you’re up to it, I’d love for you to stay a little longer. You can tell me how I can help,” Mrs. Harrison said. “And we don’t want you to feel like you have to rush off.”
“I really can’t stay. I have an early start tomorrow, and Lola and I should be going.” She felt Jonah’s hand tighten on her arm.
“Well, maybe we can all meet at the Movie Festival tomorrow night? After our visit with Ben, and only if you feel okay about leaving him for a while,” Jonah said, meeting her eyes. “I know I could use a little more Christmas spirit, if you’re up for it.”
She nodded and didn’t miss the surprised look that passed between Jonah’s parents. This was a big deal for him and he was including her. She focused on Jonah and smiled up at him, hoping he could see how much it meant to her that he wanted the closeness they’d shared tonight to continue as much as she did. How had she ever doubted that?
He slid his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Just let me get my coat and boots.”
“Okay.” She watched him head toward his room. Did he have a special prosthetic for his boots? She gathered up her jeans, then started toward the hall. “It was good to see you, Dr. and Mrs. Harrison.”
“Nice to see you, too,” his mother said, as she came around the kitchen island to hug her. “Thanks for keeping him company. I hope we see you a lot more around here.”
“Me, too,” Cami said, returning the hug. She called for Lola, who reluctantly came to her side. “You can visit Magnus another day, girl,” she chided her dog.
“You both can,” Jonah called from the living room. She walked in with both dogs on her heels to see him trying to jam his prosthetic into a boot. “I’ll just be a minute.” He expertly braced his arm against it and got his artificial foot to slide in. “Let me get your coat.”
He grabbed it off the closet doorknob and helped her put it on. He took her hand, but before he opened the door, he stopped. “Oh, look.”
Came raised her face to see the mistletoe now hanging above the door. “Was that there all the time?” she asked with a laugh.
“Our little truth or dare game is over, so I don’t have to tell.” He touched her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss that was just long enough to make her knees turn to water.
“Merry Christmas,” she said as they drew apart.
“Now it is.” He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and Lola jumped up, pressing herself between them. Magnus must have thought it looked like fun so he joined in with a yip and a dance around their legs.
“Do you think the dogs planned this all along?” Cami’s lips turned up in an exasperated grin as she tried to stay upright. She was glad Jonah was strong enough to hold them both up or the dogs would have definitely bowled them over.
“Lola does seem to know what she wants.” His hands were sliding down her arms, and a shiver rippled through her.
Cami glanced down at the dogs before she pulled him close. “Just like her owner.” And then she kissed him again.
Click on the covers to visit Julie’s Amazon Author Page:
Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.
When she’s not writing, Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. When she’s home, she loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle and Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.
You can find out more about all of Julie’s upcoming projects at her website: www.juliebellon.com
Twitter: @juliebellon
Chapter One
On the first day of December, Celeste Lagorio finished the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, had her winter tires installed, and officially gave up on Christmas. After working herself to exhaustion to create twenty-five years’ worth of perfect Yuletides for her children, Celeste was ready for a break. Her youngest was away at college and not returning for the holidays. The older two were married, living in different states, and planning to spend Christmas itself with their in-laws.
She would get her shopping done early, then give herself the rest of the month off. Two decades of single motherhood had certainly earned her that much.
The only thing left to decide was what she would do instead.
“A Caribbean cruise,” her neighbor Mike Durham suggested when she mentioned her plans to him over
the hedge that night. “It would be warm.”
“I don’t want to travel over Christmas. The airports are crazy.” Celeste rubbed her mittened hands together to keep them warm.
“Then what about a big, extravagant Christmas present to yourself? Something you’ve always wanted but could never justify?”
There was some appeal in that, even if it wasn’t realistic. “And how would I justify it now if I couldn’t before?”
“You raised three children all by yourself— three children who did not grow up to be deadbeats, criminals, or politicians.”
She’d always liked Mike’s sense of humor. He’d moved in next door just as her oldest was leaving home. He’d been a burst of much-needed sunshine during a very stressful and overwhelming time in her life.
“I won’t argue that I completely deserve a ridiculously expensive gift from myself,” Celeste said. “But I’m paying for my daughter to attend a not-inexpensive university. Fancy presents will have to wait a couple more years.”
“So no trips and no big presents. You’ve got to do something for your special Christmas.”
She rubbed at her arms. “How did ‘I give up on this holiday’ turn in to ‘This is my special Christmas’?”
He motioned toward his house. “Come in and have some coffee before you freeze.”
“I won’t say no.” She stepped around the hedge and followed him up his front walk.
“Maybe your fancy Christmas present could be a really long extension cord for your electric blanket.” Mike held his front door open for her.
She stepped inside, sighing as the warm air hit her face. She pulled off her mittens and knit cap, then laid them on the entryway table. Mike tucked his cap under his arm, reaching up to smooth out his salt-and-pepper hair. She didn’t need to wait for him to show her to the kitchen; she’d spent enough time at his house to have a stool at the island designated as her own. She slipped onto it while he started a pot of coffee.
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