What She Really Wants For Christmas

by Rawlins, Debbi

  Evan stared back. Hell, yeah, he minded. He wouldn’t if she hadn’t looked so guilty. What the devil was going on? Was this Angela all over again?

  * * *

  Liza could tell he was angry. He had every right. Through the glass window she watched him order their food while she listened to the fifth ring. Next it would go to voice mail. And then she could relax.

  Just as she’d hoped, she heard the switch-over to the computer voice that gave instructions to leave a message. Liza flipped the phone closed, and breathed a sigh of relief. It meant Rick wouldn’t be bothering her tonight.

  All she needed was for him to be lurking in the shadows and have followed her to Evan’s, assuming that’s what he had in mind. She couldn’t imagine where else they’d be going to eat takeout. It was probably her imagination but she could’ve sworn someone had been on her tail ever since she left the apartment complex. More than likely it was her strained nerves after the fight she’d had with Rick that had made her late.

  That he was actually on his feet and semicoherent had caught her totally off guard. With the amount of booze and heroin that she assumed he had in his system, he should have been flat on his face. Instead, he was staggering around, although he probably wouldn’t remember a thing tomorrow.

  Still, she couldn’t help looking over her shoulder. For the first time today she’d stood up to him. Actually threatened him, and possibly made the grave mistake of driving him to desperation. Best thing she could do from now until the settlement was to stay away. Give him money when he asked. Whether it was for drugs or booze or food, she didn’t give a damn.

  She laid her head back against the leather seat and continued to watch Evan. He really was a nice guy. Even though he wasn’t her type, spending time with him had reminded her of what it had been like to have a real life. To simply enjoy a stress-free dinner out with a friend, and not have to constantly check the time as if she were a sixteen-year-old with a curfew.

  It didn’t take him long to come out carrying a large white bag. He opened the door and handed it to her without saying a word. If she wanted to salvage the evening, she had to apologize. She just wasn’t sure how, without doling out too much information or start crying on his shoulder. Yeah, like that would happen.

  “Smells good,” she finally said after they’d gotten back on the road.

  He nodded. Didn’t even spare her a glance.

  She took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “Look, if you wanted cookies and milk, you should’ve called your mother for a date.”

  He looked over at her then, as if she’d totally gone out of her mind. “You are really something. You know that?”

  “‘Something’ not being good, I take it.”

  “To tell you the truth…” He pushed a frustrated hand through his short hair. “I don’t know.”

  Liza grinned. “Okay, so I have a fifty-fifty chance. I’ll take it.”

  He shook his head, pretending disgust, but she saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

  Satisfied, she sat back in the comfy leather seat, and thought about that kiss.

  Chapter 5

  They weren’t on the road long when Evan turned off. Or maybe it was because he’d been quiet and she’d been daydreaming that the time seemed to go by so fast, but they definitely weren’t in a residential area. “Where are we?”

  “A park.”

  “I can see that.”

  He took the bag from her. “You want to eat in here or outside?”

  She looked around, not that she could see much, except for a picnic bench not too far away from the car. Half of the trees were bare, the other half were huge pines that kept the place from looking too stark. The lighting was poor except in the parking lot. Normal people didn’t wander around in forty-degree weather.

  “I have a blanket in the trunk, but it’s your call.”

  She grinned at him. “You devil.”

  “The blanket is part of an emergency kit,” he said dryly. “I keep it in the car at all times.”

  “Of course,” she said just as dryly. How could she have thought otherwise? In fact, he hadn’t even tried to take her to his house, like she’d expected.

  After last night’s kiss, she thought perhaps Dudley Do-Right might have a wild streak in him. Might even ignore the gentleman’s dating rule book he probably kept on his nightstand. A kiss on the cheek after the second date. The lips came after the third date, but only briefly. By the eighth date he might even get bold and try to cop a feel.

  Not that they would have that many dates, so if she wanted to get laid she’d have to make the first move.

  The thought of seducing and shocking him cheered her immeasurably. “Outside,” she said finally. “We can share the blanket.”

  “You got it.”

  He left the bag and got out of the car to go around to the trunk. She waited until she could see him from the side mirror, the blanket draped over his arm, then grabbed the bag of food and got out to meet him.

  They walked toward the picnic bench together, and she had to admit, she was pretty cold. Her legs, mostly, because of the short skirt. She’d be damned if she’d admit it, though, after all that bluster over not needing a coat. She shivered. Maybe they should’ve stayed in the car.

  He didn’t say a word, just placed the folded blanket over her shoulders and adjusted it so that it protected her bare neck. She didn’t object. She kind of liked the way he fussed over her. It was different. Nice. Sort of sweet.

  The uneven sidewalk, combined with the darkness and the odd pinecone underfoot, made it difficult to walk, but he kept his hand cupped over her elbow and she had no doubt that he wouldn’t let her fall.

  They got to the table, and between the trees she got a glimpse of a stream of gold and red city lights angled below them. “Wow!”

  “Nice, huh?”

  “Who knew?” The area he’d chosen was slightly elevated and if they were fool enough to venture farther there would undoubtedly be a great view. “I’m not sure where we are.”

  “A secret place.”

  Grinning, she set down the plastic bag. Two more minutes and the food was going to be cold. She didn’t care. She watched him wipe off the bench for her, making sure it was dry and free of leaves and pebbles before he gestured for her to sit.

  “If it gets too cold at anytime, we’ll go back to the car, okay?”

  She nodded. “I thought you were taking me to your house.”

  He smiled. “I thought about it.”

  “But?”

  “I didn’t want you to misunderstand.”

  “Misunderstand what?”

  His low chuckle made her want to see his expression. But the light was behind him, which meant he could see her but she couldn’t see him. No fair.

  “After all, you are a guy,” she said, and felt a surge of heat when he slid in next to her, his thigh warming hers, his elbow brushing the side of her breast.

  “Last time I looked.” He pulled out a white carton and a pair of chopsticks. “Here.”

  “I don’t know how to use those things. I’ve tried, but it isn’t pretty.”

  “Then you’ll need these,” he said and set a stack of white paper napkins in front of her. “Don’t let them blow away. I don’t want to be running around in the dark trying to pick them up.”

  She didn’t doubt he’d do just that. Every last napkin would be accounted for before he’d leave. She hated litter herself, but she wasn’t anal about it.

  She looked in the bag in case he was kidding. No plastic utensils. “You’re implying I should use my fingers.”

  “If you’re hungry enough.”

  “I guess I can spear with the best of them.”

  “Look, it’s easy to use chopsticks. I’ll show you.” He slid an arm around her and pulled her against his chest, close enough to run his arms along hers until his hand covered her hand. “Pick up the chopsticks.”

  Silly the way her heart slammed inside her chest. Made getting a grip on
the stupid bamboo sticks really, really hard. Her fingers shook and she dropped the utensils once before securing them firmly in her hand.

  “Okay?”

  “Ready,” she said.

  “Rest one stick against the length of your middle finger like this.” He maneuvered her fingers so that she had it aligned with the chopstick. “The other one you hold between your thumb and forefinger.”

  She tried to do as he said, and the sticks flew into the air. One landed on the table and stayed, the other one rolled off the side onto the ground.

  “I’ll get it.” He withdrew his arm from around her to look under the table.

  In the next second, she felt his warm breath on her bare thigh. His roughened chin scraped the skin at the side of her left knee. Instinctively she wanted to squeeze her legs together, but she resisted and tried to breathe in deeply. It wasn’t as if he was going to do anything down there. Not that she’d mind if he did do a little exploring.

  He came up too quickly. Clearing his throat, he tossed the recovered chopstick into the empty bag. “Good thing I picked up a spare pair.”

  “Of course you did.” She noticed he hadn’t looked at her. Was he embarrassed?

  “What does that mean?”

  “You’re like a Boy Scout. Always prepared.”

  The light caught his wicked smile. “And that’s a problem how…?”

  A light, chilly breeze had her pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Now that I think about it—”

  Evan’s mouth came down hard on hers. She hadn’t expected it and the blanket slipped from her fingers. She didn’t need it anymore. Heat traveled all the way down to her toes. She could hardly breathe.

  She didn’t care. His practiced tongue dove deep and probed every recess of her mouth, using just the right amount of pressure and speed to taunt her, to make her crave more. He framed her face with his hands, and she gripped his shoulders. It wasn’t easy twisting around like that to face him and her skirt hem rose nearly to her panties.

  She really wanted him to slide his hand along her bare skin. Usually she wasn’t shy about making known what she wanted, but she wasn’t sure with Evan. This would be a hell of a time to scare him off. But then again, he did start it all.

  He eased up and pulled back a little, but she wasn’t ready to quit. She didn’t want to upset the rhythm. She leaned in to him and he lowered one hand, his palm skimming the outside of her arm, dipping at her waist and then molding against her hip. He finally rested his hand on her thigh. He traced a finger to her panties and then stopped, pulling all the way back so that he could look at her.

  “You have to be freezing.”

  “Not so much.”

  “What happened to the blanket?” He reached behind her and apparently saw that half of it had fallen to the ground.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “But I—”

  She grabbed hold of his shirt, pulled him close and whispered, “For once, don’t be a gentleman.”

  A flash of white teeth and then he claimed her mouth again. No sweet start. No gentle brush of the lips. He plunged his tongue inside, and his hands found the spot where her bikini panties rode high up on her hip. He hooked his finger around the elastic and she shivered with surprised pleasure when he started to drag it down her thigh.

  She released his shirt and smoothed her hands down his chest until she got to his belt. Lingering there for a few moments, she toyed with the buckle, and smiled when she felt his reaction in the deepening of the kiss.

  “Keep that up and we will end up at my house,” he murmured against her mouth.

  “You won’t hear me complain.”

  Moaning, he lightly bit her lower lip.

  “Hey.” She cupped his bulging fly. “How’s that for—”

  Behind them, someone cleared their throat, at the same time a circle of light bounced on the table and then streamed up to Evan’s face. “Mighty cold out here for a picnic, isn’t it, folks?”

  Evan turned red. As discreetly as possible, he lowered his hand from under Liza’s skirt. “Good evening, officer,” he said evenly. “Anything wrong?”

  The police officer shone the light in Liza’s face. She raised an angry hand to block the glare. “That isn’t necessary.”

  He wouldn’t move the light away from her face. “What are you two doing out here?”

  “Having a damn picnic,” she said. “As you’ve already pointed out.”

  “Liza, it’s okay.” Evan tried to take her hand, but she jerked it out of reach.

  “No, it’s not. He’s harassing us for no reason.” She stared at the older man. He was about the same age that her father would’ve been, and he had that kind of cocky grin that made her nuts. “Now that you’ve determined we aren’t stealing any trees, you can leave.”

  He glared at her, one eyebrow going up in challenge. “ID, please, ma’am.” He glanced over at Evan, who looked annoyed. “You, too, sir.”

  “No problem.” Liza got up and had to tug her skirt down before swinging her legs over the bench to the other side. “My purse is in the car. And then I’d like your badge number.”

  “Liza, wait.” Evan tried to catch her arm. “Come on.”

  She didn’t look at him or the cop as she stumbled in the dark toward the car, grateful that she hadn’t fallen flat on her ass. God, but she hated cops, especially older smug ones, who still drove cruisers because they couldn’t manage to pass the lieutenant’s exam so they took it out on everyone else.

  The law was supposed to protect people. But the fine folks in blue protected each other first. No matter what the cost. Even if it meant sacrificing their spouses and children.

  She opened the car door and found her purse on the floorboard. First she got out a pen. A recent gas receipt was the only piece of paper she could find. Then she retrieved her wallet and slid out her driver’s license.

  “Ma’am, have you been drinking?” The cop was right behind her, his flashlight in hand, and he shined a light in her face as soon as she turned around.

  She battled the urge to slap the damn thing out of his hand. “I wish. Here,” she said, shoving the driver’s license at him and then moving out of the light.

  He studied it for a long time, which no doubt was to make her squirm. Screw him. She’d get his badge number, and tomorrow she’d write a letter to his commanding officer. One thing she could still do was write a mean letter. Just the thought of it soothed her.

  Evan joined them, carrying the bag of cold food and the blanket. He stared at her with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity, which only fueled her anger. He didn’t understand. She didn’t expect him to. She didn’t want him to.

  She got the pen ready, ticked off that her hands were shaking. God forbid anyone get the idea that she was scared. She was angry and she wanted them to damn well know it.

  The cop looked up. “Ma’am, I’m sure you’re aware this license expires today.”

  “What are you talking about?” She grabbed it out of his hand. “It doesn’t expire until my birthday.”

  Frowning, the cop slid a brief look at Evan. “That’s today.”

  Liza stared at the two men. “It is?”

  * * *

  They’d driven a couple of miles out of the park and still neither of them had said a word. Evan rarely got angry. But given the last five minutes he was ready to take her back to her car and say adios. For good.

  The way she’d reacted to the police officer had been so over-the-top, Evan had been both irritated and embarrassed. If she’d just cooled it, the officer would’ve been gone in a minute, and they could’ve resumed making out like a couple of silly teenagers.

  The stunned look on her face when she’d realized it was her birthday leveled the playing field again. His anger had evaporated as quickly as it had sparked. How could she not remember it was her birthday? As much as he wasn’t one to celebrate holidays, he at least knew when his birthday was. He also knew his parents’ birthdays and
each of his brother’s. And if by chance he was busy the morning of the event and temporarily forgot, his mother would be quick to remind him. Didn’t Liza have anyone to remind her?

  “So,” he said finally. “I gotta ask. How could you not know today was your birthday?”

  She sighed loudly. “Half the time I don’t even know what date it is.”

  “Well, happy birthday.”

  “Thanks,” she muttered and continued to stare out of the passenger window.

  “Why the long face? Is this the big three-o?”

  That got her attention. She turned to give him a dirty look. “No.”

  He smiled. “It’s no big deal. I’m halfway to forty myself.”

  “You’re thirty-five?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow, I’ve never been out with a guy as old as you before.”

  “Very funny.” He pulled over to the curb and threw the car into Park.

  “What are you doing?”

  He stretched his arm across the top of her seat, ignoring the cars that steadily whizzed by them. “What was that about with the police officer?”

  Her expression turned into a petulant frown. “I don’t like cops.”

  “You made a big thing out of nothing. He was just doing his job.”

  “He was unduly harassing us.”

  “He was reacting to you.”

  “You know what, it’s none of your business.” She folded her arms across her chest and angled herself toward the window.

  “The hell it isn’t. I was there, too, remember?”

  At his raised voice, she turned back to him. “My dad was a cop.”

  “So you didn’t get along with him, and now all cops are bad.”

  “My father wasn’t just a cop, he was a drunk, okay?”

  “I see.”

  Even in the semidarkness he saw anger flash in her eyes. “Nice, you probably did a rotation with a shrink during your residency and now you know everything about me.”

  “There you go again.”

  “What?”

  “Treating me like the enemy.”

  “It’s that superior attitude of yours.”