Page 8 of Hot Mess Christmas Express

Chapter Five

Sienna was drunk.

Just not from the glass of wine she’d had back at The Live Oak. Nope, this had everything to do with the tall, dark, and sexy doctor who was kissing her. Who basically hadn’t stopped kissing her since they’d left the pub.

Caleb had caught her off guard with the first one. The feel of his mouth on hers, though, had sent her straight back in time, her body easily remembering just how spectacular their night together had been. He tasted just as good as she remembered as well, their tongues finding each other almost instantly. Pulling away so she could lead him out the back and down to the beach had been tough—she wanted to stay there and get lost in him forever. But making out in the local watering hole was not a good idea.

“Are you cold?” he asked. A cold winter wind came off the ocean, hitting them as they stood on the sand, his arms wrapped around her as they kissed.

“I’m fine,” she answered, trying to hide her shiver. She’d worn a cardigan over her blouse for the wedding this afternoon—it was winter after all—but the thin cashmere was not holding up well now that the sun had gone down.

Caleb slid out of his tux jacket, slinging it around her shoulders so quickly she hadn’t any time to protest. Not that she could have, since he captured her mouth in another searing kiss just as quickly. She let out a soft moan, leaning into him, returning the kiss with just as much fervor. Everything about him was intoxicating. She knew she should probably keep her distance—after all, he’d already stomped on her heart once—but she couldn’t help herself.

“I always forget how cold it gets down here this time of year,” she muttered.

“We can head back if you’d like.”

Sienna shook her head. Going back to the Seven Swans was the last thing she wanted. But Caleb was right. It was cold, and now that she was wearing his jacket, he was only going to get colder.

“Follow me,” she said, reluctantly breaking away from him.

Grabbing his hand, she moved as quickly as she could down the beach, the sand soft underneath them. After what felt like forever in the cold wind, they reached the small house set back from the water.

“What’s this?” Caleb asked.

“The Summer Shack. Originally it was a dressing room of sorts for guests of Somerset House when the family owned it. But my grandparents converted it into a cottage that guests can rent during the summer.”

Sienna flipped on the light to reveal the inside of the one-room cottage, decorated in a beach theme. A queen bed sat in one corner of the room, opposite from a small bathroom. An overstuffed couch and a coffee table separated the area from the kitchenette that sat catty-corner from the bed. She’d always loved this place—it was the perfect cozy spot for some alone time. Or in this case, some them time.

“Can I ask why you never called?” she asked, flopping down on the couch. Caleb followed her lead, sitting down next to her, angling his body to face hers. “We had such a great night—or at least I thought we did.”

“We did.”

“Yet, even though you asked for my number, you didn’t call. And then…”

“And then I made you persona non grata on my schedule.”

Sienna nodded. When he had asked that morning if he could see her again, her heart had leapt. There was some insane, instant chemistry between them, and she’d been thrilled to know that she hadn’t been the only one feeling it. Until she didn’t hear from him.

“I actually went to text you that night, but my buddy Mark, the groom, convinced me I needed to wait a few days, because women don’t want a needy guy or some shit like that. It’s what he’d done with Kathleen, and it worked. They were the happiest couple I knew, so I was stupid and listened.”

“She’s a piece of work,” Sienna muttered, her mind flashing back to the high-maintenance bride.

“She is,” Caleb agreed. “Can I ask what’s with the hair?”

“What about it?” Sienna lifted a piece of the coppery locks from her shoulder and squinted at it.

“I like this color—it’s fun. But what happened to the multicolored wildness? That was so much more…you.”

“It was more me,” she giggled. She’d been dyeing her hair all sorts of weird colors for as long as she could remember. Just one more way of showing off her artistic side. A side she greatly missed. “But Cosmas policy is that ‘hair may not be an unnatural shade.’ I squeak by with this.”

“That’s too bad. I liked the pinks.”

Warmth crept up Sienna’s neck. She fiddled with the hem of her cardigan, nervous energy rising inside her. Part of her desperately wanted to keep talking, while another part wanted only to hop into his lap and get lost in his kisses again. As if he could read her mind, he took hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers as their palms pressed together.

“Tell me about you,” she said, trying to distract herself. “All the things I missed out on since you never called.”

“You already know it all. I didn’t call this amazing girl, I lost my dad and business partner eighteen months ago, and my life has become running the practice. Since you visit said practice you know that we are up to seven doctors, including myself. It's been all-consuming. I finally bit the bullet and hired an office manager to run things for me. I need to get back to seeing patients, or I might lose my mind.”