Page 72 of Mistletoe Mischief

“I will,” Ryler said.

Neil backed the SUV up, and Pike looked around the trunk of his own car, cursing when he saw Ryler. “I told you I’d be fine.”

“Well, I didn’t believe you, so you’re stuck with me.” Ryler opened up the driver’s side and climbed in.

Ryler caught movement in the side mirror and saw a flash of thigh and buttock as Pike pulled off his pants and underwear. Ryler’s cheeks burned, worried that he would catch her watching, so she looked straight ahead. From the brief flash, he was nicely put together, but she’d already guessed that.

When Pike opened the passenger door and climbed inside, he glared at her.

“Stop giving me that death stare.” Ryler started the car and put it in reverse. “You doing okay?”

“Getting there,” he said, buckling his seat belt over the blanket. “Where’s my dog?”

“Alia took her back to our place.”

“That’s probably good.” Pike settled in and closed his eyes, but Ryler poked him. “What?”

“Just keep talking to me. If you start to feel tired or—”

“Don’t worry about me, Kitten. I just need a glass of whiskey, some dry clothes, and a warm fire, and I’ll be back to my charming self.”

“I’m sorry, whoever called you charming lied to you.”

“Man, give a guy a break. Today I lost my best friend, my business is on the rocks, I got taken out by a tiny woman, and then I was carried back to my car by another man. The only way my day would be more emasculating is if you looked at my junk and laughed.”

Ryler blushed.

“What’s that look?” he asked.

“What look?”

“The red-faced, guilty look …” Ryler saw Pike turn in his seat out of the corner of her eye. “Did you peep on me when I was changing?”

“What? No! I—accidentally saw your thigh in the mirror, but I wasn’t actively looking.”

“I can’t believe sweet little Ryler is a peeper.” He chuckled.

“I am not!”

“Sure, sure.” Pike leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. “I’d ask if you liked what you saw, but I’m afraid I won’t appreciate the answer.”

Ryler pressed her lips together, fighting a smile. “No need to be scared of that.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked.

“I said what I said. Now, be quiet and save your strength.”

“I thought you wanted me to talk?”

“I changed my mind.”

Chapter Twenty-one

As if Pike hadn’t suffered enough humiliation for one day, Doc Patten’s raucous laughter upon seeing him walk inside the lodge wrapped in a blanket was the cherry on top of his shit sundae. The retired doctor was a friend of his dad’s and had been his primary care physician for most of his life.

“What the heck happened to you, kid?” Doc asked, coming around the counter to greet him. Pike kept the blanket clutched in one hand as he shook the doctor’s outstretched one, annoyed by the amusement on the older man’s face.

“You probably won’t believe the truth,” Pike said.