“Well, you’re no fun.”
“I wore that apron of yours, didn’t I?”
He might’ve had a dream about her chocolate shop later that night. Only this time, she was the one in the apron—and nothing else. Not after he’d slid her leggings down, inch by inch, kissing his way along the soft skin of her thighs while she whispered his name like a prayer, a carol playing in the background.
He’d lifted her onto the counter, hands spreading her legs as he sank to his knees, mouth trailing closer, closer.
Her breath hitched when he finally tasted her, his tongue slow and certain, fingers gripping her hips. She moaned, one hand tangled in his hair.
And by the time he was done with her, there was nothing innocent left about hot cocoa—or “Silent Night.”
He cleared his throat. “I had a good time, truly. Seeing Maple Falls through your eyes was… nice.”
Cassidy smiled softly and held out the box. “Still. Here are a couple of chocolates. Just a small thank you.”
He opened the box and laughed.
Inside were four individually wrapped bite-sized Snickers bars.
“Seeing as I haven’t figured out your favorite yet…” Cassidy said with a smile.
“Can’t go wrong with a Snickers.” He unwrapped one and popped it in his mouth. “Hits the spot,” he said after chewing.
“Anyway,” she continued, “I know you’re probably busy with your decorations, and I should be too, but I was talking to Zoe, and we were thinking about starting a Sunday hiking club. Nothing crazy. I don’t know how your leg’s feeling, but if you want to get outside and hit the trail, Zoe’s plotting it out. We’re thinking around ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”
A hiking club. With Cassidy. Snow-covered trails. Her bright laughter echoing off the pines. Her flushed cheeks and blonde hair escaping her hat, falling in loose waves down her back.
Was it a bad idea? The more time he spent with her, the more he would want her, and he was already so far gone as it was. The pre-Cassidy Liam knew he should be putting distance between them, reminding himself why the boundaries he’d carefully constructed mattered, even if her presence made the weight of the holidays easier to bear.
He opened his mouth to say no. To walk away before it got harder.
But the thought of fresh air and crisp snow, of being outside with friends, of being outside with her, was too much to resist.
Hell.
“Yeah,” he heard himself say, the word out before he could take it back. “Count me in.”
“Really?”
“I’ll come. If only to keep you from slipping on more ice.” He quirked a smile.
Cassidy smacked him playfully on the shoulder and he laughed, watching the way her eyes sparkled with challenge.
He took a small step back, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. “Ten o’clock tomorrow, then.”
“Great! I invited everyone back to my place afterward. There’ll be snacks, board games, all that good stuff. No pressure; you can just come for the hike.”
She was already backpedaling, probably assuming he’d come up with an excuse, that he’d bail. And yeah, he probably would have, if she hadn’t looked up at him like that. Like she didn’t expect anything from him but still hoped anyway.
“Actually, tomorrow’s Sunday lunch at my parents’. We could head over there after the hike. My mom would be thrilled to have everyone,” Liam said, surprising them both.
“Really?” Cassidy beamed.
And damn it, making her smile like that felt better than anything had in a long time.
NINETEEN
CASSIDY
