by Quinn, Taryn
“Don’t get any ideas.”
I frowned. “There’s a big ice skating rink and games, tons of food…” I skimmed the rest of the page. “This looks perfect.”
“For suckers, sure.”
I tipped my head. “Why do you hate Christmas so much?”
The pleasure and boyish light in his eyes dimmed. “It’s a soulless holiday that corporate America has exploited for money.”
“Like your corporate America?”
He snatched the flyer out of my hands and crumpled it up and threw it into the fire. “My fourth quarter is always the most lucrative, yes.” He stalked to the hearth and jabbed at the fire with the wrought iron poker.
Christmas was obviously a sore subject. Again, I wanted to Google the hell out of him to find out why, but I valued my own privacy enough to keep a lockdown on those rogue thoughts. Instead, I followed my instincts and crossed to him.
Coming up behind him, I slid my hands under his arms and into the half buttoned shirt. His chest was so hard and soft at the same time. Add in a little firelight warmth and I did the only thing I could. I rested my cheek against his back and coasted my nails along the planes of his chest. “It doesn’t have to be horrible. Let me show you my idea of Christmas. It doesn’t even require spending money.”
He stiffened, but didn’t discount the idea this time.
I unbuttoned his shirt so I could get to more of him, and was rewarded with a half groan when I followed the ridges of his stomach muscles to his low-slung sweats. I didn’t push it any further. I liked touching him. Learning his body was as exciting as the dozen brain-melting orgasms he’d already given me.
I followed the lines at his hip bones which disappeared into his sweatpants, but instead of slipping under the waistband, I moved back up until I could cup his shoulders with my fingers. He was so wide and fit. The men I’d fumbled around before had been slight or soft compared to Linc.
I had to stand on tiptoes to rest my chin on his shoulder. “We don’t even have to make it about Christmas.” I kissed my way up to his neck. “I want to see what a small lake town looks like in the winter. How’s that?”
“You’re handling me.”
“I am.” Not like I could deny it.
He turned his head to meet my mouth before dragging me around in front of him. The warmth of the fire felt amazing against my back and even more delicious as I soaked in the fire-warmed skin of his chest. He looked down at me as the kiss spun out in a lazy meeting of mouths. The anger bubbling from earlier was gone. A flash of stark pain flickered over his face before he smoothed it into the emotionless mask once more.
I stood on my toes and transferred my hold to his shoulders. Something inside me told me to push. That if I didn’t, I’d lose whatever was building between us. I didn’t want him to freeze me out again.
Anything but that.
“Spend Christmas with me,” I said against his mouth.
He let out a resigned breath. “Fine.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “I promise I’ll make it worth it.”
“Damn right, you will.”
16
Scrooge
She twirled through the room, her blond hair floating around her before jetting up the stairs. I’d follow her in a few minutes, but first I had to get my shit under control.
Each time I got inside her I lost a little more of the anger I’d used to fuel my days for so long. The only problem—how the fuck was I supposed to get over her in two days like I was supposed to?
That was the deal.
One that I’d made.
I was still trying to figure out when the hell I’d started wanting more. And the even more important question was, could I handle more?
Already, I was wary. I’d been with Sheridan for two years and didn’t feel half as crazed as I did around this woman.
I used the poker to disperse the red-hot embers in the fireplace. I’d take her to the damn festival then I’d fuck her blind until Christmas over. Seemed simple enough. My dick was certainly on board with the plan.
My head would just have to follow suit.
I busied myself with killing the fire and called Joe to bring the truck down to the house. Then I did the dishes before climbing the stairs. I walked into my bedroom and she was wearing the sweater again, this time with one of my T-shirts peeking from the collar. She had on her green skirt and tights again and my breath stalled.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
She turned and smiled. Just a slash of candy red on her lips and a dash of makeup left her looking even younger and more wholesome.
The wholesome girl who’d sucked my cock like it was her job, even as innocence shimmered under the damn freckles on her nose. I was so fucking toast.
“We can get you some more clothes in town.”
She shrugged. “I figure I won’t be wearing much after this evening.”
I crossed to her and tipped up her chin. “You figure right.”
Her eyes widened and a flush ran up her neck and into her cheeks. The same one that told me she was going to be wet enough to run down my chin given half a chance. Maybe if I distracted her enough, I could get out of the festival.
But then she twisted her fingers into the tails of my shirt. “I’m excited. I’ve never been to a small town festival.”
No way I could be responsible for dimming that smile. “Just let me take a quick shower and we can go.”
She nodded. “Perfect.”
When I finished, I returned to find her holding her phone out the window, on tiptoe. I enjoyed the view for a minute. That skirt was hella distracting. “Not going to work.”
She dropped back down and pulled her arm in. “When you go remote, you go remote.”
“I don’t like to be bothered.” I wasn’t sure if I should mention the SAT phone I had for emergencies. When she shrugged and tossed her phone back in her bag, I let it go. “You might get a signal in town.”
“Good. I just need to check in with Mel.”
“Was that your assistant?”
She nodded. “Yeah. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t buried on the side of the mountain, or better yet, just left in a ditch.”
“Nice to know she cares.” I pulled an old pair of jeans out of my bureau and another plaid shirt out with a thick navy cable knit sweater so I wouldn’t have to wear a jacket.
“Sarcasm isn’t a pretty color on you, Linc.”
I pulled on the sweater and leaned down to brush my mouth over hers. “It’s my favorite color.”
She flattened the collar of the plaid. “I think you’re all talk, Scrooge.”
I rolled my eyes and stepped back. This was far too intimate and domestic for my peace of mind right now. I found my Timberlands and a thick pair of wool socks. “You’re going to freeze in that outfit.”
“I’m a city girl. These tights are wool and I can walk in heels anywhere.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Besides, what am I supposed to wear?”
“There’s some jeans—” I cut myself off. I still had some of Sheridan’s clothes in a box. No way in hell was I putting any of that on her. Nor would it fit. Kay was stacked and lush compared to my finely boned ex. “Never mind.”
“I thought you said you hadn’t brought women here.”
“I haven’t.”
“And yet you have a box of…what? Goodwill clothes?”
“I should give it to them,” I muttered.
“More clues. I’ll figure you out before this weekend is over.”
“Nothing to figure out.” I cinched the ties on my boots and held my hand out for her. “I’m just a bastard who hates Christmas.”
She put her hand in mine. “So you keep telling me.”
I ushered her out of my room and down to the front door. Joe, efficient as always, had the truck out front.
She stopped on the porch and looked up at me. “Truck fairy?”
“I’ll let Joe know about his new moniker.”
“Did he want to come inside to say hi?”
“No.”
“You know this, how?”
“Joe likes his space when he comes up here.”
“Two of a kind, huh?”
I hooked my arm around her waist. “Something like that.” I helped her into the truck and pulled down the drive to the winding roads that would take us down to the town of Lake Placid. The square was lit up with twinkle lights on every tree and post. Wreaths and flags dotted Main Street and each storefront was decked out with Christmas.
Intellectually, I knew it needed to happen from a business standpoint. Hell, my stores were dripping with Christmas before Halloween was over. Didn’t stop the twisting in my gut when I paid attention to my surroundings. It was easy to ignore when I was in work mode. There was always someone looking for something from me. Here? Not so much.
She wound her way through the stations on the radio. Satellite radio came in here and there enough for her to find Christmas music. Not that you could avoid it on any channel when it was Christmas Eve.
I snapped off the sound twice and she put it back on each time. When I growled, she slapped my hand. “Watch it, buddy. I can sing them without the radio.”
I seethed, but would rather listen to Pearl Jam’s version of a holiday tune. She’d probably sing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on a loop.
Downtown was maddeningly full of people. Carolers dotted the corners of the town square. A huge tree was decked out in white lights and red bows at the edge of the ice rink that had been installed.
Kay practically had her face pressed to the glass to see everything. I pulled into the first parking spot I could find about three blocks from the festival. She hopped out before I could round the hood and open her door. She met me in front of the truck and grabbed my hand, dragging me down the street.
A few people I’d met over the years waved and tried to get me to stop, but Kay would not be deterred. By the time she stopped, we were in the middle of the square and I had two different versions of “O Holy Night” filling my head.
Kay’s face was bright with happiness and her cheeks were flushed with high color from the cold wind off the water. I jammed my hands into my pockets when she wandered off to one of the vendors. No one else seemed to notice it was hovering around twenty degrees.
Children were racing around from the arcade to the rink and a few eateries in between. When I got caught up in a Victorian stroll of carolers, I caught Kay laughing at me from a hot chocolate stand.
By the time I’d extricated myself from the hoard of evil singers, she was in the center of the rink on her knees in front of a little girl with blond pigtails. She’d wiped out and fat tears rolled down her face as she tried to get up. Kay was infinitely patient and ice shavings dotted her skirt and sweater as she helped the little girl back to her feet.
My heart stalled in my chest.
Old hurts raged to the surface. The child was a few years older, but she could have been my daughter. The one I’d lost before I even had a chance to know her.
Another woman in a red coat glided over to them and scooped up her daughter, brushing away her tears. The little girl ducked her face into her mother’s neck and curled her hand against her chest.
Kay brushed the ice off her skirt and tights and waved at the two of them before making her way to the edge of the rink. I’d unconsciously made my way to her. She spotted me and gave me a helpless shrug. “I lost my cocoa.”
“I’ll get you some.” I glanced at her hands. They were ruddy from being on the ice. Add in the subzero temps and I had to tamp down the irrational anger growing inside me that she’d been uncomfortable for even a moment.
I turned to a kid who had to be around twelve beside me and held out a twenty. “Get me a large hot chocolate and keep the change.”
The kid zipped away with the twenty in hand.
“You didn’t need to do that. Linc, I’m fine.”
I took her hands between mine and rubbed them. “You’re frozen.”
“It’s okay. Wasn’t she cute? She had the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”
Like Kay’s. Pigtails and her eyes. Christ, the gods were especially cruel tonight. Especially since I could picture the child so fucking clearly.
She flipped her hands around so they were holding mine. “Linc, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Where is that kid?” I glanced over my shoulder, but didn’t spot the red hat. Kid probably rabbited with my twenty.
She dragged me out of the throng of people trying to get on and off the ice. “Seriously, your face is nearly gray. Did you eat anything? We should go—”
“Here you go, Miss.”
Kay turned to the boy. His cheeks were flushed and a steaming Styrofoam cup filled his hands. She took the cup and wrapped her fingers around it with a sigh. “Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”
The boy’s eyes darted from her to me, then back to Kay. “Yeah, no problem.”
I rolled my eyes. “Put your heart-eyes back in your head, kid.”
The boy blushed and dashed away into the crowd.
“Really?” she asked.
I curled my arm around her shoulder and steered her toward one of the four heating towers at the edge of the square. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
“I’m fine. Linc, stop dragging me.”
I ignored her and settled her on the bench by the tower, transferring her cup to the stone ledge. “Here.”
She sighed and held her hands up. “Okay, that is kinda awesome. I need one of these on my roof.”
“Done,” I said.
“What has gotten into you?”
“Nothing. I could just tell you were frozen.”
She reached for her cup and brought it up to her lips for a sip. “I am a little cold. That wind off the water is worse than going to Long Island.”
“The sound of the water in the summer is worth it.”
“I’d like to find out.”
My gaze shot to hers. I couldn’t speak around the iceberg in my chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.” She took another swallow from her drink. “Ignore me. I was just caught up in the community here.”
I pressed my lips together and said nothing. What could I say? Why yes, I’d love to have you stay with me up here forever?
And have her send me to the asylum before she ran away screaming.
It was just because of the date. I’d settle down and it wouldn’t matter. I could go back to my life. I understood the day-to-day functions of my work, and how to improve a failing store, or open a new location. That all made sense.
I didn’t get the chaos of feelings when it came to this woman.
She stood and dumped her empty cup in the trash. She slid her arm through mine. “I’m warm enough now. Let’s take a walk.” She nodded toward the docks. “How about over there?”
“You just got warmed up and now you want to go freeze your ass off by the water?”
“Worth it.”
I sighed and followed her lead, but stopped outside the store where I’d bought her sweater. “Let’s head in here for a moment.”
“It looks expensive.”
“It is.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have no filter.”
I shrugged. Not this time of year, I didn’t.
“You’re back.” The same woman I’d purchased the sweater from came out from behind the counter. She’d been very helpful, if a little overly flirtatious. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at welcoming her as a distraction.
A few months ago seemed to be a refrain in my head. And all of them ended in Kay as my chorus. Too bad it had “Jingle Bells” attached to it.
Kay slid her hand into mine. “It’s gorgeous.”
The woman’s sunny smile dimmed. “I see.” She ran a critical eye over Kay, and I followed her gaze. In reaction, Kay stiffened and lifted her chin.
I released her hand and slipped my arm around her
shoulders instead. “It’s a little big on her, but I love that no one knows exactly what her beautiful curves look like except me.”
Kay’s gaze swung up to mine.
“It’s perfect,” the shopkeeper said.
Kay turned into me and relaxed, her hand resting just above my belt. “Thanks. Your artist is amazing.”
“Thanks. I made it.”
“Oh.” Kay slid her hand farther into the sleeve. “I’d like about five more of them.”
The woman with the wild red hair and sea-colored eyes smiled. “I might have a few more.”
“Oh?” Kay bristled. “It’s fine. Maybe next time.”
Immediately, I remembered how tight her funds were. I opened my mouth to ask for the other sweaters, but when I saw her gaze focus on her boots, I thought better of it. Pride was a tricky thing.
I couldn’t even call it a present.
Christmas strikes again.
I cleared my throat. “We’re looking for gloves and a warm scarf.”
“I have just the thing.” The shop girl twirled away, leaving a wake of spicy scent as she led us to what she had in mind. “If you like this style of sweater, this should appeal to you.”
Kay’s long fingers grasped the bulky yarn with the same yearning she’d had when she took the sweater. I nodded to the girl and slipped my card to her while Kay dug through the various colors.
She picked up a soft blue, then a deep red, and surreptitiously checked the tag. I pressed my hand over hers before she could look at it. “I’ve already bought a set.”
“Linc…”
I shrugged. “Call it research. I’m always on the lookout for specialty items for our stores.”
She frowned up at me. “You don’t carry handmade things.”
My eyebrow rose. “Know my store, do you?”
“I’m observant, and I like to shop. Sue me.”
I hid a smile. Kay’s sunny personality hid the clipped New Yorker that bubbled under the surface. I liked when she got a little pissy. It probably meant I was demented, but the contradictions to her personality made being with her infinitely more exciting.
It was hard to flip over and fuck the sweet girl with the innocent smile.
More like it made me hard as hell and I wanted to do it anyway, but I liked both sides of her personality. And now I needed to think of something else besides Kay in a pile of soft material or I was going to have a problem walking.
