Page 26 of Christmas in Quincy (The Edens 0.50)

Cleo would knee me in the balls.

I’d lose my contract with Ray, and he’d destroy my reputation.

My employees would be jobless and I’d ruin my company.

Kissing her . . . it would be almost worth it.

“Austin,” she whispered, forcing my eyes to hers.

Cleo’s head cocked to the side. Her eyebrows came together.

And I took a step away.

“I’ll let your father know we’re staying.”

She nodded as I took another step back, but before I could leave the bathroom, her hand shot out and wrapped around my elbow. “Wait. What do you mean ‘we’?”

Chapter 6

Cleo

“What about this one?”

“I don’t care,” Austin muttered.

I frowned and went to the next style on the rack of men’s coats. “This one?”

“I don’t care.”

That was the sixth I don’t care since we’d arrived at Quincy Farm and Feed. “You have to buy a coat.”

“Why?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Your lips are blue.” My eyes dropped to his mouth. The purple tinge wasn’t as attractive as their normal pink color, but I wanted to kiss them regardless. Just once. Since that wasn’t going to happen, I focused on the task at hand and took a hunter-green coat off its hanger. “Here.”

He took it from my hands and draped it over his arm.

“Put it on.” It was an extra-large so I was sure it would fit.

“Don’t you think we should buy it first? Unless you have more shopping to do.”

“No.” This was a nice enough store, but I wasn’t in the market for farm supplies and bulk pet food. The only reason we’d come here was because we’d learned at the hotel that this was the only store in town open on Christmas Eve that carried men’s coats.

Austin had argued that if we stayed indoors, the coat was unnecessary. Maybe he was fine sitting on the bed, working on his laptop while I watched TV, but I was most definitely not. Close proximity to Austin was not an option.

Either he’d do something to piss me off and I’d be forced to smother that handsome face in a down pillow. Or he’d give me one of those rare gifts, a small smile or a gentle look, like the one he’d given me in the bathroom when he’d relented to this vacation.

Those precious moments, though very few and very far between, were like pouring gasoline on my crush’s fire.

I lived for those moments. If the two of us were trapped in a hotel room, I might forget myself and do something epically humiliating and stupid. Like lick the stubble on his face as if it were cream cheese frosting.

Yummy.

Smothering and licking were not options, so instead, I’d dragged Austin out of the hotel. My agenda for the holiday had been completely upended. Though I did like to wander.

“Okay, let’s go.” I led the way to the checkout counter. “I’ll pay for it.”

Austin scowled and stepped close, forcing me away from the credit card reader with that beefy physique. He dug his wallet from his jeans, bought the coat and ripped the tags free, shrugging it on before walking to the door.