Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise)

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “Ha! Santa’s got stones of steel, my stubborn little elf. Now, I suggest you get up,” he commanded, ripping the comforter off her body. “Or, Santa can show you how good he is at unwrapping presents,” he drawled, fingering the hem of her tank top.”

  Freezing for a full three seconds, Melody watched Cal’s eyes gleam as his fingertips stroked the skin above her panties. Leaping from the bed, she quickly grabbed her robe and threw it on. “Okay! I’m up!” she yelled, jabbing her finger toward the door. “Now, get out and I’ll get dressed.”

  Nodding slowly as his eyes traveled the length of her body, Cal grinned. “And here I was hoping that you’d finally choose door number two and let me finally unwrap….”

  “Out, Cal,” Melody demanded, pointing toward the door. If she didn’t get him out of her room soon, she’d be unwrapping the gift and taking it out of its packing, too.

  “Coffee and donuts in five. I’ve already prepped the turkey to go into the oven, but you get first pick on what movie we watch today,” he informed her as he closed the door to her bedroom behind him.

  Staring at her bedroom door, Melody relaxed and smiled, pleased that he’d been listening when she’d explained the Reardon family tradition of taking turns watching their favorite holiday movies while the turkey baked on Christmas Day. Then after the holiday dinner, her family had opened gifts. Then, if it was dark enough, they’d take one final ride around town and look at the holiday lights. The past few years, the Reardon traditions had fallen by the wayside. Between their grandmother’s death, RJ being stationed all over the place, and her relationship with Brad, the things that she’d done for years with her family had sort of disappeared.

  This year was going to be different, though. Cal had promised to make sure of it. Since he hadn’t grown up with any traditions of his own, he’d been almost eager to latch onto hers. His enthusiasm had melted her heart – and almost her panties. The truth was, if she wasn’t extremely careful, she was going to fall for her bodyguard.

  Oh, who the hell was she kidding? She was already half-gone on him.

  And if she didn’t take care…he’d know it, too.

  Things had already gotten entirely too complicated – especially with her almost giving him a bite of her cookie and all. And complicated was exactly what she did NOT need right now, she reminded herself as she shoved her legs into a pair of worn jeans.

  “You’re down to three minutes, Princess!” She heard him yell from just outside the door. Fighting back a smile, she reached for the ancient gray Army sweatshirt she’d swiped from the laundry room the other day. Cal had given her shit for stealing his shirt, but he’d eventually admitted that she looked better in it than he did anyway. Plus, it was soft and warm, and on this frigid Christmas morning, warm was exactly what she needed.

  “I’m coming!” she yelled back as she shoved her bare feet into her slippers, her mind already on the first movie she was going to make him watch. If her brother’s reaction to her favorite movie was anything to go by, Cal would soon regret forcing her out of bed.

  She’d make sure of it.

  Chapter Thirteen: Holy Holiday Crap and Other Christmas Calamities

  “Well?” Melody sniffled two and a half hours later as she took a swipe at her damp cheeks with the back of her hands. “What did you think of the first movie?” she asked, turning to look at where Cal sat beside her.

  Cal offered her a long, revolted look. “Holy. Holiday. Crap. That’s what I think of that so-called must-see film,” Cal retorted in disgust as he stared at the now blackened television screen. “You watch that movie every Christmas? Seriously?”

  “It’s a classic!” Melody returned defensively, stiffening slightly as he dissed her movie. Obviously, they’d not been watching the same thing.

  “I’ll give you this much; It might be classic crap,” Cal countered dismissively, making a face at her and shuddering. “And, it had zero to do with Christmas.”

  “Are you kidding me? Did you miss the pivotal Christmas scene in the movie? It was only like one of the most important parts of the show! It perfectly captured the spirit of the holiday season,” she proclaimed staunchly, shooting him a glare.

  “I saw it. The dumb chick decided to risk her life for a kid the doctors told her she shouldn’t have,” Cal grumbled. “Stupid woman didn’t listen though – refused to hear reason. Even from her own mom. Oh, no. Not that spoiled little diva. Nope, her stubborn, entitled ass just had to go and get knocked up. And why? To please some damn man that was already out stickin’ it to other women,” he scoffed.

  “It was a Christmas miracle for Shelby,” Melody hissed, furious that he was dissing her favorite motion picture of all time. “Don’t you have a heart?

  “Babe, believe me, I have a heart. I’ve got so much fuckin’ heart that I’d never have let my woman put herself in danger like that Jackson fella did. And for the record, that was NOT a Christmas miracle, babe. It was more like Christmas crap,” Cal snorted. “Those docs told that Shelby chick that she shouldn’t have kids, and she deliberately went and got herself knocked up to keep her man happy and at home. It’s garbage. If the dude had been any kind of man at all, he’d have gotten his dick snipped so that his wife would have been safe from any kind of risk.”

  Melody fought the urge to growl. “You’re missing the big picture, Cal!” Melody argued passionately. “The whole point of that Christmas miracle was that the main character wanted whatever time she had left – however little it might have been- to be happy with her husband and child. That baby made her happy. She defied the odds. Really, how are you not getting this?” She wondered out loud. Were all men this insensitive or did she put off a pheromone that attracted them to her like bees to honey?

  “You mean that baby that ultimately killed her? The one that had to grow up without his mother’s love?” Cal asked sarcastically, shaking his head. “I’d tan your ass if you took a risk like that.”

  “Good thing that you’ll never have a say in knocking me up then,” she huffed, pushing herself off the sofa and stomping into the kitchen.

  “Now, don’t get mad and flounce off, Princess. We’re just having a friendly disagreement. A lively debate of opposing views,” Cal chuckled, rolling to his feet and following her into the kitchen and leaning against the sink as she yanked open the oven door and pulled the rack out.

  Grabbing the turkey baster, Melody narrowed her eyes as she used it to baste their Christmas dinner. “Unless you’d like a butter-based enema, I’d stay over there, Sergeant Dumbass. For future reference though, you should never insult a woman’s favorite movie on your first Christmas together. If you do, you might not be around for the next holiday,” she warned as she shoved the rack back into the oven and closed the door.

  “So, you admit it,” Cal crowed, pointing at her.

  Turning to toss her oven mitt on the counter, Melody frowned at him before she closed the oven door on their turkey. “Admit what?”

  “You and I are together. You just said as much,” Cal returned, his eyes crinkling at the corner as he grinned arrogantly

  “That’s not what…. I mean, that isn’t exactly...” Melody stumbled over her words as her cheeks burned.

  “Can’t take it back now, Princess. You just so much as announced that we were together,” he declared firmly. “No takesie-backsies.”

  “I also said you wouldn’t be around for the next holiday if you kept panning my movie choices,” she argued quickly, silently cursing her loose tongue for getting her into this mess. Talk about a Freudian slip. “And since we both know that you’ve never had an opinion that you could keep to yourself, I don’t think I’m too worried about changing my relationship status on Facebook.”

  “Oh, babe, you have no idea the lengths that I’ll go to in order to keep you in my life,” he murmured as he sauntered across the kitchen to wrap his arms around her waist. “You just gave me the best gift I could have gotten from you today,” he said against her temple as he tighte
ned his arms around her.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled into his throat while she tried to ignore how freaking good he smelled. “Have you picked the next movie yet?” she asked, finally managing to break free of his arms and put a few feet between them.

  “Yep,” he announced with a decisive nod. “And it’s a far better Christmas movie than yours was.”

  “I bet,” Melody scoffed, dropping her hands to her hips as she faced him.

  “It is,” Cal reiterated. “In my movie, it stays Christmas for the entire film - not just a measly three minute scene,” he sneered.

  Melody rolled her eyes at his snide tone. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What movie am I watching with you?”

  Cal smiled confidently. “That would be the blockbuster Christmas classic, ‘Die Hard’.”

  Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Melody prayed for her own Christmas miracle. Namely, that she refrained from maiming a certain male pain in her ass.

  ~~***~~

  Staring at the darkened television ninety minutes later, Melody wrinkled her nose, revolted by Cal’s Christmas movie viewing choice.

  “Admit it,” Cal ordered. “That movie kicked some serious Santa butt.”

  “I can guarantee you that if St. Nick was forced to watch Bruce Willis in that so-called holiday movie, he’d jump from his sleigh without a life jacket somewhere over the Pacific Ocean just so that he wouldn’t be forced to watch it next year.”

  “A suicidal Santa, Princess? Even for me, that’s just dark,” Cal admonished her with a disappointed shake of his head.

  Growling in frustration, Melody looked up at the ceiling. “Please Lord, can it just be New Year’s Day already?”

  “You know, if Sister Bridget was here, she would have given you a lecture for wishing your life away and then she’d have whacked you with a ruler,” Cal reminisced with a grin.

  “Well, that’s obviously because you never forced Sister Bridget to endure that movie on Christmas,” Melody returned with a smirk as she rose and headed for the kitchen. “Lunch should be ready soon,” she shared over her shoulder.

  “And then presents,” Cal announced eagerly, clapping his hands together.

  Melody laughed softly as she pulled the turkey from the oven. “You sound as eager as a kid, Cal,” she chuckled.

  “Maybe because I am,” he replied with a shrug of his broad soldiers. “Never really looked forward to Christmas before now. It was just another day, you know? More often than not, I volunteered to work the holiday so one of the married guys could have off. Never felt right being at home on Christmas morning when some guy with a wife and kids was sitting behind a desk.”

  Melody looked up from whipping the potatoes to offer Cal a genuine smile. “That’s sweet, Cal. Didn’t any of your guys ever invite you to their homes for the holidays though?” she asked, feeling sad that he’d been deprived of a proper Christmas until now.

  “Sure, they did,” Cal answered with a nod as he reached out to snag one of the sausage balls she’d made yesterday. Popping it in his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “Truth is, I just never felt right about intruding on those guys’ time with their loved ones. Being in the Army…that time is precious. And scarce. Never knowing when we’d get called out to deploy, those guys had to cram months’ worth of love and affection into a few hours with their wives and kids. They didn’t need to worry about entertaining me while they tried to do that.”

  Pausing in the act of scooping the mashed potatoes in a bowl, Melody stared at Cal.

  “What?” he asked around another sausage ball. “What’d I do?”

  Melody’s eyes were soft on Cal as she smiled faintly. “Nothing. It’s just that sometimes I’m surprised by how good a guy you are. I mean, you act all gruff and tough around here, and undoubtedly, you are a pretty hard man, but sometimes your innate goodness just shines through before you can disguise it from me. And when it does shine through, it steals a gal’s breath.”

  Cal flushed and looked away from Melody. “There’s a lot of people that would disagree with you on that score, Princess.”

  “Then those people have never seen the real you, Callum,” Melody countered quietly. “I have,” she insisted.

  Clearly uncomfortable, Cal cleared his throat. “So, I’m starving, woman. What can I do to help?”

  She decided to let him change the subject. “Why don’t you just grab the dishes and set the table. I should have the food ready by the time you’re done. Then, we can eat.”

  “That I can do,” he responded, obviously relieved that she was going to allow him to change the direction of the conversation. Rushing to grab the bright red holiday plates that she’d stacked on the counter, he asked, “So, we do lunch, then presents, then…”

  “Typically either we go look at Christmas lights or we watch another movie until it gets dark enough to look at Christmas lights,” she explained. “But we could do something different if you like… maybe start a Valentine tradition?”

  Cal shook his head. “Not this year. This year, I’m gonna soak up all things Reardon. Learn the ropes. Maybe next year we’ll add something.”

  Melody’s heart warmed as she heard him talk about next year. It was almost like he assumed he’d still be here. With her.

  And God help her, but she liked the sound of that.

  ~~***~~

  Another hour and a half later, Melody giggled as Cal threw his cloth napkin on the table and leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands over his stomach and groaning.

  “Christ, woman! Where the hell have you been all my life? My stomach and I have been waiting for you,” he groaned, leaning his head back against the high-backed oak chair at the head of the table. “I knew you could cook, Melody, but you outdid yourself. I think I gained ten pounds from this meal alone,” he complimented her.

  Melody glowed under his praise. “You don’t need to say that, Cal,” she whispered, uncertain if he was just being kind or if he really meant it. Brad had always complained that her food was too fattening and not health conscious. But, in her defense, she’d learned to cook from her mom and grandmother, two very Southern women that believed practically everything was better when fried in lard. In fact, lard was practically its own food group in her neck of the woods. Brad, however, had grown up with a culinary chef on staff in his parents’ home. His exacting tastes and her tendency to rely on her home style cooking skills hadn’t exactly merged well. Needless to say, she and Brad had eaten out a lot.

  “I know what you’re thinking or rather, who you’re thinking about. Don’t compare me to him, Melody,” Cal’s deep voice warned somberly.

  Balling her own napkin in her fist, Melody forced herself to smile tightly. “What? I wasn’t comparing you to anybody,” she denied automatically, already shaking her dark head at him innocently.

  “Bullshit,” Cal retorted, calling her on her lie, per his usual.

  Melody winced. “Okay, maybe I was. A little bit. It’s just Brad despised my cooking.”

  “I think Brad has proven on multiple occasions that he’s a douche canoe that couldn’t recognize a good thing if he had a diagram of it in his hand. What I can’t understand is why you give that shithead any of your headspace. He was an ass, Mel. Before and after you left him. It’s just that you’re so caught up in the after effects that you can’t see that the dude was always an ass.”

  “Maybe,” she admitted begrudgingly.

  “No, not maybe. Absolutely,” Cal corrected. “Say it with me, Princess. My ex-fiancé is a spiteful sociopath that wouldn’t know good food if it tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘Eat me!’”

  Melody laugh-snorted. “Okay, Cal, you’ve made your point, but since it’s Christmas, I’ll give you this one. My ex-fiancé is a spiteful sociopath that wouldn’t know good food if it said ‘Eat me’.”

  “Close enough,” he agreed with a wink. “Now, as I was saying before my doubting Sweetness interrupted me was that was some of the best food I’ve
ever tasted. Thank you, Melody.”

  Looking at the remnants of the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, and banana pudding, she smiled. It had been good. Damn good, if she did say so herself. Cal was completely right. Brad’s taste buds must have been severely defective. Much like his faithless, wandering affections. “You’re right. It was a really good meal. I’ll tell you what. I’ll carry our dishes into the kitchen if you’ll go ahead and turn the gas fireplace on in the living room. It was getting nippy in there earlier. By the time I finish putting everything away in the kitchen, it should be nice and toasty in the living room; we’ll be able to open presents in relative comfort.”

  “You sure you don’t want some help with these dishes?” Cal asked with a frown as he eyed all the leftover food still left on the table. “This looks like it could be a lot of work. You cooked, babe. I’m happy to help out with the dishes.”

  Man, he was just too damn perfect, Melody thought. Why the hell couldn’t he be a typical guy and take off for the living room the second he shoveled the last bite in his mouth? That was the kind of thing she was accustomed to enduring. This new, more evolved kind of man…. she wasn’t sure what to do with him? Well, that was a lie. She knew what she wished she could do with him…and it involved some chocolate sauce and a bed. Melody shook her head to dispel those foolish notions. No, no, no. Those kind of thoughts would definitely land her in a heap of trouble. Focusing her attention on Cal, she gave him a pretty smile. “No worries. I’m just going to throw plastic wrap over most of it and shove it in the fridge for us to have later. I’ll drop the rest in the dishwasher. It’ll take fifteen minutes, tops.”

  Pushing back his chair, Cal grinned. “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll go get that fireplace turned on for us. I’m probably gonna go ahead and shovel the front walk, too. Those flurries have turned into a light snowfall.”

  Melody bobbed her head and watched him go with a vague smile. Callum Valentine was turning out to be a man that she didn’t know what to do with. Sometimes he was so alpha she was terrified he’d whip his dick out and pee a circle around her, and other times he was so sensitive to her needs that it brought tears to her eyes. What the hell was a woman supposed to do with a man like that?