by Jody Holford
“You smell good, Ellie,” Cooper whispered, his lips brushing over her forehead.
“Sure. If you like the smell of antiseptic,” she replied.
Cooper must have felt the shiver run over her because he pushed even closer and put his free hand around her, pulling her into a hug. The warmth of his body blasted the cold away.
“I like the way you smell. Sweet.”
She tipped her head back, ready to make a sarcastic comment that would hopefully provide cover for the nerves twisting themselves in knots inside of her stomach.
“It makes me wonder if you taste like sugar,” he whispered as he lowered his head.
Ellie stopped listening to the voice in her head telling her she shouldn’t and decided this would be her Christmas present to herself. Letting Cooper kiss her was the best gift she’d ever received. It was all encompassing, the way his lips brushed over hers gently teasing until she opened and he changed the angle of his head, his tongue touching hers. The cold was a distant memory as fire radiated along her skin and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She’d have been embarrassed about the small moan that came from the back of her throat, except that simultaneously, Cooper gave a low, seductive growl and pushed her back against the seat of the truck.
His hands roamed over her body, stopping at her hips and he squeezed, just a little rougher than she expected. A thrill chased the fire in her belly. Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.
Cooper pulled back a little and his breath was uneven. She could see it in the chill of the air as their heated breaths mingled.
Putting one hand on the side of her head, he stroked down and looked at her with such a mix of affection and lust that Ellie lost her breath entirely.
“Let’s get you inside and settled.”
Right. He had other places to be. It was Christmas, after all and not everyone was spending it alone. Your choice. You could have spoken up, but you didn’t. At least now, once she was tucked up on her couch, a Christmas movie playing, and a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, she’d have the memory of Cooper’s very talented mouth to occupy her thoughts and banish the loneliness.
“You okay Ellie-girl?”
Ellie and Cooper both looked toward the deck. They hadn’t heard Mr. Coby come outside. He’d changed out of his bathrobe and combed his thick, white hair over to one side.
She waved, her head feeling heavier than it had a moment ago. “I’m okay, Mr. Coby. I’m sorry about all the fuss.”
He waved his hands dismissively. “As long as you’re okay. That’s all that matters. Who’s that boy? Does he have his hands on you girl?”
“Dad!” Laurie, Mr. Coby’s daughter joined him on the porch, a heavy grey sweater pulled tight around her. “Ignore him, Ellie. Merry Christmas. Dad said you had a little mishap. Are you doing alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Mishap? She almost set herself on fire,” Mr. Coby practically shouted.
Cooper’s body shook and Ellie felt every tremble seeing as he was still pressed against her from thigh to chest.
“Do you and your friend want to join us for dinner? We haven’t eaten yet,” Laurie said.
Ellie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. She needed to let these people all get back to their lives. This would be the absolute last time she trusted a recipe with alcohol in it.
“That’s so sweet of you to ask, but we can’t. Please, enjoy your dinner and have a wonderful Christmas.”
“You, too, Ellie. Goodnight.” Laurie waved and went back in.
“I’ll bring you down a plate later, okay? Maybe you don’t turn on the stove again.”
Cooper’s laugh wasn’t so quiet this time. She swatted his shoulder with one hand and waved goodbye to Mr. Coby with the other.
Looking down at her, Cooper tapped her nose with his index finger. “So I shouldn’t expect a gourmet meal tonight?”
Pushing him back so she could go around him, she pulled her purse strap onto her shoulder, fought off a shiver, and took the path to the door of her basement suite. The truck door slammed behind her and then Cooper was at her side.
She glanced at him as she dug out her keys. “That would depend on who’s feeding you.” She wondered if he had a girlfriend. Cooper and Tommy always had girlfriends. Tommy’s newest girlfriend was about to be his last if she said yes to his proposal tonight. He’d pre-planned everything with his girlfriend’s parents and planned to ask her in front of them. One more reason she hadn’t wanted to crash his holiday.
“Is it the bump on the head making you miss my intention or are you just being stubborn, Ellie?” He put his hand over hers on the doorknob as she started to turn it.
The sky had gone a hazy, dark shade of blue and the moon glinted, like it was stretching before giving the full glow.
“Your intention?”
“I’m not leaving you alone tonight, Ellie. I promised Doctor Dick I wouldn’t. Plus, it’s Christmas. Plus, plus, it’s been years and I want to catch up with you. Am I being too presumptuous to think you don’t have other plans?”
Something that felt a lot like relief mixed with gratitude swirled around her. “I don’t. And no. Are you sure? Don’t you have plans?”
She let them in and leaned on the wall to pull off her boots. He shut the door behind them.
“I do now,” he said, with that adorable grin she remembered from years ago.
“Cooper. I don’t believe you aren’t having Christmas with your family.” Like her, he had a brother, but also had a sister and was always close to his parents while they were growing up. Their family had moved to the city right before Ellie started high school. Tommy had been so moody that summer, but she’d matched him, feeling heartbroken for her brother and maybe a little for herself as well.
“There’s a big dinner tomorrow. Tonight, I’m all yours. If you’ll have me?”
How could she say no to that? More importantly, why would she?
Pulling off her cozy sweater, she hung it on the coat rack. She just realized he was only wearing a long sleeve t shirt. Since he gave off heat like a furnace, maybe he wasn’t cold.
“I’d love the company. If you’re sure. Though…I probably shouldn’t try the stove again.”
Cooper laughed and reached out a hand to cup her cheek in a sweet, simple gesture that made her breath hitch.
“How about I take a look at what you have and fix us something? Do you want to change or anything? You can shower, but I’d keep your head dry. Did your personality-free pal in the ER give you instructions?”
Ellie tilted her head. “Doctor Dick?” She giggled at the nickname. “Bad blood between the two of you?”
Cooper stepped closer, stealing her air. “I didn’t like the way he talked to you. I’m pretty good at reading situations and what I read in that one was you two had a thing. Now that it’s over, he’s acting like a dickhead.”
Ellie pursed her lips up and thought about that. Byron’s attitude and dismissiveness toward anything that mattered to Ellie were just two of the reasons she’d broken it off with him. Not that she’d shared that with many people. With them both working at the hospital, she didn’t want rumors or gossip chasing after them. But, in the privacy of her own home, with an old friend, she could be honest.
“He was actually a dickhead even when we were together,” she admitted.
Cooper laughed. “So you had the good sense to dump him?”
She nodded, then winced as the movement irritated her head. Cooper put his hand around the back of her neck and gently pulled her close so he could brush his lips over the top of her head.
“See? You haven’t changed. Still smart.”
“And stubborn,” she added.
“Part of your charm,” he said, grinning.
“Maybe you should get your head checked,” she replied.
They both laughed and Ellie’s heart danced with the knowledge that she’d be spending her Christmas with someone who had once mattered a great d
eal to her. He’s just being nice. Don’t make more of it than there is. Even though he’s kissed you twice now. Really, really well.
Her face warmed and Cooper’s eyes did the same. “Go put on something comfortable and I’ll round us up some food.”
She nodded and as she walked toward her bedroom, she felt his eyes on her. Somehow she’d gone from wrecking her Christmas Eve dinner for one to entertaining her teenage fantasy. Talk about Christmas miracles. If she was dreaming or hallucinating, she only hoped it lasted through the night.
~ Four ~
Cooper gripped the edge of the counter-top in Ellie’s quaintly decorated, tiny kitchen and tried very hard not to think about her getting undressed and dressed. Or about helping her with the task. What the hell was he doing? He needed to send a message to Tommy.
“And say what?” He whispered into the kitchen, looking around at all the little pieces of Christmas she’d added—Rudolph tea towels, a Santa Claus soap dispenser, and candy cane place mats. He ran his hands though his hair, his fingers tugging on the strands. “Ran into your sister tonight and realized she could be the woman of my dreams? Oh and hey, Merry Christmas, man. We should get together sometime soon.”
He could just picture Tommy’s reaction to that. They’d been best friends from kindergarten through high school, until Cooper moved in his senior year. He’d stopped talking to his parents for an entire three weeks, he was so mad at them. It had been selfish and petty considering they’d moved to help care for his grandmother. She’d needed to be put in an assisted living facility and his family had moved into her home so they could be closer to her. But he’d been a teen and at that age, friends were everything. Well, friends, football, and females.
Tommy had always been protective of Ellie. Most of the time, he had good reason since she got teased and bullied a lot. It didn’t take long for Cooper to feel that same sense of protectiveness toward her and together, they’d made sure any ass clown who made Ellie cry regretted it.
As far as girls went, when they gave Ellie a hard time, he and Tommy pretended they didn’t exist. Since both of them had sprouted over six feet by grade ten and spent a good chunk of time practicing or playing football, there was no shortage of girls who wanted their attention. Any girl who hurt Tommy’s sister got less than nothing. He’d felt the same about protecting his own sister and couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if this whole situation was in reverse.
And yet, here you are hitting on her, kissing her, when she’s got a damn concussion. Jesus. That was low. Nope. What was low was how much he’d enjoyed it. Wanted to do it again. He cringed. The water in the shower turned on and Cooper shook off his self- deprecating mood. He pulled his phone out and sent a quick Facebook message to Tommy, thinking he should ask for his cell phone number.
Tommy
Hey. Merry Christmas, buddy. So, small world. Got a call for a fire this afternoon—turned out to be nothing, but the woman fell off a chair trying to turn off the smoke detector. Guess who? Your sister. Didn’t even know she was in town. She has a slight concussion and a couple of stitches, but she’s fine. I’m hanging out with her for the night to make sure she’s okay.
He didn’t ask why the hell Ellie was spending Christmas on her own. Where was Tommy and where were her parents? Their family had always been close and Mr. and Mrs. Wexly weren’t the type to let their baby girl spend the holidays alone.
Setting his phone down, his nerves humming over a possible response, Cooper opened the fridge to see what he was working with. The shower turned off and he smiled, thinking of how many after school snacks he’d eaten at the Wexly’s. Cooper pulled out cheese, cold cuts, some pickles, and olives. Then he rooted through the cupboard and found two kinds of crackers, some fancy baked chips, and a jalapeño jelly spread. That was a start. He made himself at home, rooting around for a cutting board, serving platter, and even found a bottle of red, opening it to breathe. Knowing she shouldn’t have wine because of her concussion, he poured Ellie a glass of cranberry juice.
By the time Ellie joined him in the living room, he’d turned on the gas fireplace and set out the tray of goodies that would abate their hunger. For food. He did his best to ignore the other hunger eating away at his conscience. Glancing at his phone as he set it on the coffee table, he saw Tommy had seen his message but hadn’t responded.
Which means no touching. Keep your hands to yourself until you have his blessing. Cooper had been with enough women to know Ellie was special. Hell, he’d thought she was special when they were kids. No, he hadn’t been attracted to her at the time, but he’d liked being with her and talking to her. She’d like a little sister and four years older was a lifetime at that age. She’d always made him laugh, challenged him, and made him think.
And now she was making him ache, standing there in a pair of simple cotton pajamas with a candy cane print. His mouth actually watered at the way she stood in the doorway between the hall and the living room, her hands in front of her, her fingers nervously twisting around each other. She was so sweet. How was she single? How long had she been in the city?
“That looks good,” she said, her voice a little tentative. She gestured to the coffee table.
He held out a hand before he could remember his no touching rule. Fine. No kissing. For now. She walked forward and took it and they settled on the couch, half facing each other.
“Stayed away from the stove, huh? Probably for the best.”
Cooper laughed. “I’d have been prepared if I started a fire.”
Ellie winced. “Yeah. I don’t know if I wrecked anything other than my pride, but I owe Mr. Coby a new fire extinguisher at the very least.”
Cooper picked up a cracker, put a piece of cheese on top of it and passed it to her. “No reason for your pride to be bruised. A surprising amount of our calls are kitchen fires. It definitely happens more than you’d think. What were you making anyway?”
A pink flush covered her cheeks making Cooper shift uncomfortably as his mind wandered to all the ways he could bring that color to her cheeks some other time.
“Salty, caramel bourbon sauce,” she said.
It sounded delicious and he thought of drizzling it along her soft, sweet skin. “Nice.” His voice was rough, like he’d just woken up. In a way, maybe he had. Despite having several good relationships over the years, none had stuck. Cooper had begun to think he just wasn’t cut out for love and ever after. But maybe he’d just been waiting for the right woman.
His heart stuttered to a stop then picked up its pace. Talk about zero to sixty.
She gestured to his wine glass. “I’m old enough to have wine, you know.”
He smirked. He knew, very well, how old she was. “But it’s not a good idea with a concussion.”
She frowned. “Right. I know that.” She sighed. “So, fill in the gaps for me, Coop. How long have you been a firefighter? Ever get married? Divorced? Any kids? Am I your most ridiculous call of the day? The week?”
Hoping he could keep his tone even while his brain spun through a dozen memories of growing up with Ellie, he answered. “Six years. No, so no. Not yet, but one day I hope and definitely not to the last two.”
Taking a sip of his wine, appreciating the way the flavor teased his tongue, he met her gaze. “Your turn. What do you do? Married? Divorced? Kids? And why aren’t you with your family for the holidays?”
Ellie smiled and tucked her legs under her, picking up her juice as she leaned back into the cushions. “I’m an accountant in the payroll department at the hospital. No marriage or divorces under my belt and while I hope for one, I plan to avoid the other. No kids, but like you said, one day. And my dad won a cruise last summer through his job. They needed to take it before the tickets expired. Tommy is proposing to his girlfriend tonight and I didn’t want to intrude so I assured them all I was perfectly fine on my own.”
Cooper rest his hand along the back of the couch, close enough that he could play with her hair and curl the soft locks around
his fingers. “Of course you did. Good thing I showed up then. Looks like I saved you from a lonely Christmas.”
Ellie smiled and tilted her head and Cooper was pretty sure he could lose his train of thought just from looking at her eyes. They were mesmerizing.
“Since you also didn’t have any plans, I’d say we saved each other,” she said.
Had she just scooted closer? He glanced at his phone on the coffee table. No alerts. Dammit Tommy.
He looked back at Ellie and shifted so their knees touched. “Funny how fate works, isn’t it?”
The lights from her Christmas tree sparkled, adding to the warmth that spread from the fire. He liked the surprise in her expression, even if her eyes were a little wary.
“You believe in fate?”
He did now. “Has to be that or a Christmas miracle, I figure.”
Ellie’s soft laugh did strange things to his stomach and his heart. “I had no idea I missed you Cooper Walsh.”
Curling his fingers into a fist so he didn’t give into the temptation of pulling her in for another kiss, Cooper dropped his hand to his lap. “Back at you, Ellie. Never thought I’d be so glad to find out you can’t cook.”
~ Five ~
Ellie resisted the urge to literally fan herself. The heat in his eyes was enough to make the room, or at least every inch of her body, warm. Maybe she didn’t have a lot of experience—okay, none—but she didn’t think she was misreading all of the signals. Cooper Walsh was hitting on her. He’d kissed her twice—with tongue. It had been exquisite. Sexy. Beyond intriguing. He wanted her. While other men had claimed to want her, Ellie had never felt this level of desire in return. She’d never felt this sensual hum along her skin. Hence the reason she was nearing twenty-four and still a virgin. Or, as Byron had labeled her: an intimately-challenged-woman-with-trust-issues. Those were neither sexy nor desire-provoking words.
