“You really have to ask?”
“Right. Pie.”
“But, like I said. Not necessary.”
“Nope. But it will be there, along with your present.”
“Max.”
“Nope. No arguing.” I brought my finger to his nose, making him go cross-eyed and booped it. “You can’t tell me not to get you anything cause I already did.”
chapter 10
ANOTHER FACE IN THE SNOW
Maggie
One of thethings I found exhilarating about this whole disobeying Hunter thing was that I felt like a rebellious teenager again. Like by sneaking out of the house, getting a tree, groceries, and bumping into Graham, I had somehow broken the rules. Dammit, I was a grown-ass woman, and it wasn’t like I wassneakingaround with Graham. It wasn’t like I couldn’t have a conversation with the man without it leading to something more than just that.
I told myself it was a coincidence. Maybe it wasn’t. I’d hoped he’d be there, yeah, but I didn’tknowhe would be. Besides, I had every intention of putting that tree on the Gremlin. How was I supposed to know the roof wouldn’t handle it?
Now the only question was how I’d get it set up and decorated before Hunter returned. Then I heard the familiar rumble of Graham’s truck, followed by the abrupt kill of the engine before he even stopped. The sound alone lit me up from the inside. It reminded me of the nightshe’d keep watch even though he wasn’t supposed to, the nights I’d wish he’d just come upstairs, until that time he finally did. God, I wanted that again.
I ran to the door and caught a glimpse of him unstrapping the tree. He’d changed out of his uniform into his usual distressed—but not-holey—jeans, flannel shirt, and the dark, slightly worn leather jacket that made him look so damn good, and so impossible to keep my hands off.
Fuck!
I snuck out the door and got some harebrained idea to be a goof. Little did I know it’d be the end of me.
Slipping my hands into my mittens, I scooped some of the fresh powder from the railing and formed a snowball, smoothing it as I carefully… quietly… snuck closer to him.
“You know, you’d never make it as a hunter,” he said, voice gravelly and not even turning around while he worked with the metal hooks. “I heard you before you even opened the door.”
My shoulders fell. “Really?”
“Really.” He turned and gave me that cocky grin as he pulled the last strap off the tree.
It was my only chance.
I threw the snowball, and it hit him square in the face, exploding into a puff of powder.
It took everything inside of me not to burst into a fit of laughter, but I didn’t. I needed to make sure I was one hundred percent aware of what his next move was going to be.
“Oh, you’re going to regret that, cupcake,” he said, dragging his hand down his face and removing the snow off in one quick flick.
I blinked up at him, all wide eyes and fake innocence. “Am I?”
“Yes.” He dropped the strap and leapt from the truck with a solid thud. I might have even felt the earth tremble, unless it was my pussy—I wasn’t quite sure.
Shit.
I bolted into the yard, but he was on top of me before I could get twenty feet.
I struggled in his grasp.
He went for my weak spot—my ribs—knowing exactly how to tickle me so I didn’t have a single chance of gaining an inch.Then he flipped me onto my back, somehow managing to lock my hands underneath my body and holding me to the ground with a knee—a tactic he probably used on criminals. Or in bed. Which by the way I was slightly offended he hadn’t tried it on me yet. While I let my mind wander as I struggled to get out of his grasp, Graham gathered snow to make his own snowball.
“So, you’re big… and you’re fast,” I said, my breaths punctuating each word as I carefully wiggled my arm out from underneath myself.
