A Silver Cove Christmas

by Jill Sanders

  “Why not? It’s my backyard. Besides, it’s only a few feet to the backdoor.”

  He pulled the sweater down, then put his T-shirt over her head. He gently untucked her hair from the shirt and wrapped the shawl around her again. “There, that should keep you warm.”

  “What about you?” she asked, enjoying the feel and smell of his shirt wrapped around her.

  “I’ll be okay,” he said as he swung her up into his arms.

  “Rory.” She laughed.

  “You didn’t put on your shoes.” He nodded to the place her slippers sat at the end of the sofa. “I’ll carry you over the cold stones.” He had already stepped outside. He paused as she flipped off the lights and shut the door.

  “Just because we had sex, doesn’t mean you have to cart me around,” she joked.

  “I cart you around because I enjoy it.” He smiled down at her and she felt her heart jump. He hadn’t shaved that evening during his shower, and she reached up to run her hand over his stubbly face. “I should have shaved.” He frowned down at her. She could feel the razor burn on her chin, but enjoyed the sensation.

  “I like it.” She ran a hand over his face. “It makes you look dangerous.”

  He chuckled as he let them into the house.

  “God, that smells wonderful.” He set her down on the countertop, then leaned in for another kiss. She wrapped her legs around him before he could step away. She deepened the kiss as she ran her hands over him once more.

  She could get used to having his muscles under her fingertips. She’d been with all sorts of other men before, but none of them compared to Rory.

  He was stronger, sexier, manlier than she’d ever dreamed. The only other man who’d made her feel like this before was Johnathan. She’d had too little time with him to really appreciate the joy he’d brought her.

  She planned on taking as much as she could with Rory while he was there.

  “Crystal,” he moaned against her skin. “You’re trying to kill me.”

  She chuckled and pulled back. “Pie first, then you can take me upstairs and we’ll enjoy a slow… hot… shower… together.” She kissed him between each word and watched his eyes heat. She jumped off the countertop and pulled out two plates and proceeded to slice one of the pies she’d made hours earlier.

  “You couldn’t sleep?” she asked over her shoulder as she heated some water for tea.

  “I had a few fires to put out.” He was standing in the same spot, watching her work around the kitchen in nothing but his T-shirt.

  “Nothing too bad I hope?” She set the pie down and then handed him the cup of tea.

  “No, a client of mine is getting a divorce and wanted me to ‘hide’ some assets,” he said using air quotes around the word hide.

  “How horrible.” She sat down and waited until he sat next to her. “You didn’t, did you?”

  “No, of course not. Besides being highly illegal, it’s immoral. So, naturally, he’s pissed at me. Threatened to ruin me and my business.” He sipped the tea and then dug into the pie. “Wow, this is amazing.” He took another bite.

  “It was my great-grandmother’s recipe.” She took a bite and smiled. “Of course, she would have homemade ice cream to top it off.”

  “Mmm. I feel like a kid having a midnight snack.”

  “Midnight snacks are good for the soul.” She took another bite.

  “So is that what we did in your studio?” he joked, causing her to smile.

  “You’ve changed.” She could tell her statement surprised him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Since you’ve been here. When you first stepped inside my home, you were… uptight.” Her eyes ran over him. “Being here is good for you.” She leaned closer and nodded. “Your eyes have cleared.” She leaned back again. “I’d wager your health issues have started to dissipate.”

  His smile fell slightly. “I… hadn’t thought about it. It must be the meds.”

  “Right,” she said slowly. “Or the fresh air, the country living, good food, the sex?” She tilted her head slightly.

  His smile returned. “Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”

  He pushed his empty plate aside. “Especially if I can eat like that and feel better than when I was stuck eating rabbit food.”

  She finished off her pie and took the plates to the sink. She wasn’t surprised when his hands wrapped around her waist and spun her around.

  “And, if I can continue doing this.” He leaned down and covered her lips with his.

  Once again, she melted against him. She felt her entire essence shift, fade, and melt with his as he lifted her to the edge of the countertop once more.

  This time when he slid into her, she braced for the onslaught of emotions. Passion, desire, and want flooded her so quickly, she became dizzy.

  “Rory,” she sighed, holding onto his bare shoulders.

  “Come with me,” he said into her ear.

  At that moment, there wasn’t a power on earth strong enough for her to fight his wishes. She felt the shift in the earth’s axis and knew that there would be no returning from that moment.

  Rory felt Crystal shift and leave the soft bed. He tried to reach for her, but she was too fast.

  “Hmm,” he groaned and cracked opened an eye.

  “Sorry, go back to sleep. My yoga class starts in half an hour.”

  He watched her with one eye as she rushed around the room and threw on another yoga outfit, then pulled on her shoes and a long sweater.

  “I’ll have to run.” She smiled down at him. “But it was worth it.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Sleep.” He nodded.

  The next time he woke, he could hear the shower running in the next room. Crawling out of her bed, he glanced around the massive room and smiled.

  It had been too dark last night to notice her room, and he’d been focused only on Crystal’s beauty.

  Here was her personality. There were so many colors, so many unique designs, he wondered his eyes didn’t hurt from the sight.

  The headboard of her bed was a sea green, while her comforter and sheets were pink and orange. Somehow, with all the brightly colored pillows, it all worked together.

  Thick brightly colored curtains hung from the four-poster rails in teal, green, orange, and pink.

  There was a lime green antique dresser with a brightly colored painting hanging over it and small orange and pink vases. He moved closer and smiled when he noticed her mark on the painting.

  A dark purple chair sat next to a bright blue sofa underneath a very large bay window. Colored lamps hung around the room, along with other paintings he assumed were hers.

  Then he noticed that each wall was painted a different bright color. A colorful rug sat over hardwood floors.

  Any one piece would have been too much by itself, but all together, it worked and the room quickly grew on him.

  When he stepped into her bathroom, his smile grew. Here, too, was color, from the colored towels that hung on hooks to the rugs and paintings around the space.

  The shower was much like the one downstairs—tile and glass—but here, there was a mix of tiny colorful tiles, every color under the sun, added into the cream-colored mix.

  When he stepped into the shower behind her, she turned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  “How was class?” he asked.

  “I feel more centered.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I can show you those moves, after our shower.”

  He thought about it and decided it couldn’t hurt.

  “Sure, why not.” He moved her back until her shoulders were pressed up against the brightly colored tile. “But, for now, I’ll show you a couple of mine first.” She smiled as he kissed her.

  Over an hour later, they sat crossed legged on the living room floor, and she showed him a few breathing exercises.

  “Close your eyes,” she said. “Now take deep breaths, slowly.”

  He did everything she asked, but after
a few minutes of silence, he opened his eyes. “I thought you were going to show me yoga moves?”

  “I am, but sometimes first you have to learn how to breathe.”

  So, he closed his eyes again and sat on the floor, breathing.

  “Now, I’ll show you a few basics.” She ran through a few moves, rattling off the names as she went. He tried to follow along, but his body just wouldn’t move like hers.

  “Here.” She laid a hand on his back and helped him into position. “Hold this for a full minute.”

  “Sure,” he said, thinking he’d have no problems, but less than fifteen seconds later, his arms were shaking and his back muscles bunched up.

  “Breathe,” she suggested.

  “Right.” He grunted and closed his eyes to do as she said.

  By the time he was done going through a half dozen moves, he felt like he’d spent the last hour lifting at the gym.

  “It’s not as easy as you thought, huh?” She smiled over her shoulder at him as they walked into the kitchen.

  “I… didn’t know what to think, until now.”

  “So?” She pulled a pan from the fridge.

  “Now I’m wondering where you get all the energy to jog to class, do this for forty minutes, then jog back and start your full day.”

  She set the pan on the stove as she chuckled. “This gives me more energy.”

  “Right.” He walked over and looked down at the pan. “Is that… blueberry rolls?”

  “Blueberry lemon sweet rolls.” She smiled over at him.

  “I think I’m in love with you,” he joked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  Chapter 11

  They walked to the store in the pouring rain after breakfast. Rory held a large umbrella so she wouldn’t get wet, even though he also had to hold his laptop case tight against him to keep it dry. One more great thing about the man. The last few men she’d dated hadn’t so much as opened a door, let alone carried an umbrella more than a dozen blocks for her.

  As they walked, he couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful her blueberry rolls had been.

  “I’m serious, you could sell those in stores and make millions.” He chuckled as he opened the store doors for her.

  She walked past him and was too busy laughing to notice Joe until she bumped solidly into him.

  His arms came up and took her shoulders, locking her close to his body.

  “There you are.” Joe smiled down at her. “I was just talking about you to my new friends.” He moved and took her with him, turning their backs to Rory. She glanced back over her shoulder and watched as he stepped into the store behind them and set the umbrella down after shaking it off.

  Crystal tried to break free, but Joe was moving towards the back of the store, holding her tight against his body.

  “Joe… I…”

  “This won’t take more than a minute,” he said, smiling down at her.

  She wanted to break free and give Joe a piece of her mind, but she noticed three people standing near the back of the store watching them, and held off.

  “See, here she is.” Joe beamed. “Crystal, this is the group of ladies I was telling you about a few months ago. The ones that want to talk to you about an investment into their business idea.”

  Crystal looked at the three women and tried to be friendly, but Joe had never talked to her about an investment idea.

  “Hello.” She smiled at the women. Most of them looked like they were fresh out of high school.

  “What’s all this?” Rory said, coming up behind them. His eyes ran over Joe, his gaze stopping on Joe’s hands, which were still gripping her shoulders.

  Joe dropped his hands immediately and took a small step backwards.

  “I think we can handle this, it’s business,” Joe said, turning his back on Rory again.

  “Currently, any new business Crystal gets into is my business.” Rory nodded to the women. “Maybe you can fill us in on what your proposal is?” He motioned towards the back office. “Crystal?” He let her lead the way.

  Everyone stepped into Crystal’s office, and Joe began to speak. One look from Rory and he stopped.

  Crystal moved behind her desk as Rory offered the women the other chairs in the office. “Please.” He motioned for them to begin.

  “We’ve been coming to Joe’s class for a few months now,” the youngest of the three women began, her eyes darting back and forth between Joe and the other two ladies. “And we were chatting with him about starting our own salon.”

  “You know, one of those full-service kinds. Tanning, hair, nails, you name it,” the blondest of the three girls chimed in. “Joe mentioned you were looking to rent out the side area of your store, and he agreed to let us use it for our business.”

  “I’m Karry,” the dark-haired girl said. “This is Sophia.” She motioned to the blonde. “And this is Nichole.” She waved her hand towards the silent auburn-haired woman. “We’re attending classes at the Southport Beauty School. We’re graduating next month and—”

  Crystal held up her hand to stop the girl. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop you there. Joe should have never agreed to anything in my place. I’ve decided to use that space for something else.” Her eyes moved to Joe and narrowed. “I wish Joe would have talked to me first. I hate to waste your time.” Crystal stood.

  “The space is empty,” Joe chimed in, sounding much like a spoiled child who hadn’t gotten the toy he wanted. “Last time we talked, you were thinking of using it as a storage space.”

  “Things have changed since then.” She turned to the trio and ignored Joe. “I’ll be opening an art gallery in the space,” she explained as she moved towards the door.

  Nichole finally spoke up for the first time as she stood up. She turned towards Joe, then back towards her, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Joe said that you’d already agreed to us using the space.”

  Every eye moved over to the man, who was leaning against the wall like he owned the place.

  Crystal held in her temper until after she’d ushered the three ladies out of her office, explaining to them once more that Joe only worked there and had no deciding power. She walked the women to the front of the store and once again apologized. They left without a word, except Nichole, who turned to her, anger and something else hidden behind green eyes.

  “I know you used to sleep with Joe,” she said, her chin going up slightly. “We’re together now. I had hoped you could overlook that and allow us to continue with the business plans that he’d arranged with you.”

  She took a deep breath, her anger focused at the man and not the woman who’d been duped by him.

  “I’m sorry. I never agreed to anything.” She motioned to the door, wishing she could warn the woman away from Joe. She knew that the girl was too young and naive to listen to her anyway.

  “You’ll regret this,” Nichole said as she marched away from the store.

  When the door was firmly shut, she turned and marched back into her office. Joe was still standing in the same place. Rory hadn’t moved a muscle either, so she turned on Joe.

  “How dare you spring this on me like that.” She turned and faced Joe, her hands on her hips. “You know very well that I haven’t talked to you once about my plans for that back room. What makes you think you have any sort of authority around here?”

  Joe stood up fully, and she raised her chin slightly to meet his eyes. “We dated for over a year. The everyday running of the store fell on me as much as you. That room has sat empty for years.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “That doesn’t give you a right to rent it out.” She paused and narrowed her eyes. “Did you already take money from them?” She saw the truth in his eyes before he replied. “You’ll return every cent.”

  “They signed a lease.”

  “With whom? I own this building.” She took a step back. “Did you really think…”

  She dropped off when strong hands rested on her shoulders. “Easy,” Rory said s
oftly.

  She stepped back and took several deep breaths. It didn’t help, so she closed her eyes and took several more.

  Rory looked at Joe. “Any leases you’ve signed in regard to this property are void. I think it’s clear at this point we’d like you to leave the property. You can gather your things and—”

  “You can’t fire me,” Joe jumped in.

  “No, he can’t. But I can.” Crystal crossed her arms over her chest. It had been long overdue. Ever since she’d broken things off with Joe, he’d gotten bolder and had crossed too many lines. “You have until the end of the week to let everyone in your class know. I expect you to give those ladies a full refund by then.”

  Joe made a move closer to her, but after another look from Rory, he narrowed his eyes and left without another word.

  “You okay?” Rory asked behind her.

  “I need a walk.” She turned towards him. “If you need me…”

  He nodded. “Go, I’ll get to work.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “By the way, you handled that amazingly.”

  “Thanks.” She sighed. “I’d been putting that off for far too long.”

  “Go, clear your head.” He let her go. “I’ll clear mine by digging into these numbers.”

  She stepped outside and took off at a quick pace through town. She smiled and waved at people she passed but didn’t stop for a chat like she normally did.

  The entire town was ready for the holidays. Homes and businesses alike were decked out in lights and decorations. There was even Christmas music playing in the downtown pavilion.

  She made it all the way to the docks and decided to jump the ferry and make her way to the resort to have lunch with Serenity, Ben, and Aurora. She needed her grandbaby to help soothe her anger.

  It wasn’t just that Joe had overstepped his position this time, but that he’d been doing so for months. He’d ordered new mats for the yoga class and rearranged class schedules, not to mention the personal boundaries he had crossed for the past few months.

  She pulled out her phone and texted Rory that she’d be gone for a while. He quickly replied.

  -Everything okay?