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“You like to seem tough, but you aren’t fooling anyone.”
“Game’s up, is it?”
“’Fraid so.”
He smiled at her, a lopsided smile that had her heart doing a slow tumble. Then he leaned down and dumped Bluebell in her lap. “I thought I’d make some mulled wine, if you’d like.”
“Sure. That would be lovely,” she said, laughing as she turned her face away so Bluebell couldn’t lick her cheek. When Callum didn’t immediately move off, she glanced up at him. He was standing over her as she sat in the beanbag, watching her. She thought she saw heat flicker in his eyes before he masked it, his expression becoming curiously hooded.
“I’ll...ah, I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.”
He wasn’t gone long, returning with a portable gas stove and a bag with all the makings for mulled wine. He set it all up in front of the fire, next to Leah. He pulled another beanbag over, grunting as Bluebell jumped from Leah’s lap into his the moment he sat down.
“How about I do it?”
“Might be a good idea.”
She followed Callum’s instructions and soon had the wine simmering, the scent of cloves and star anise, mixed with the red wine, filling the room.
“Give it a stir.”
She picked up the spoon, stirring gently, shivering a little. She was sitting as close to the fire as she could, but she was still cold. Putting the spoon down, she rubbed at her legs, trying to get the circulation going. Her skin was still ice cold.
Callum pushed Bluebell off his lap and got to his feet, putting another log in the wood heater. Then he grabbed a rug off the couch and threw it over her, sitting back down on the beanbag without a word, clicking his fingers at Bluebell so that she moved across to her mat. She gave Callum a sad look as she lay down, her head resting on her paws.
“Thanks,” Leah said, wrapping the blanket around her legs. Then they just sat in the glow of the fire, with the storm raging outside. Leah glanced at Callum, then away, feeling a little shy. But she liked the quiet of him, she realized. Now that it wasn’t as strained and she didn’t feel the pressure to fill the space between them with idle talk. Turns out crying your eyes out on a man’s shoulder was a real ice breaker. Who knew?
Callum gave the wine one more stir, before ladling it into the glasses, handing her one with a smile. She sipped at it carefully, relishing the warmth that seeped through her as the wine moved through her system. It gave her a nice warm glow, easing the last remaining tension in her body. Halfway through her second glass of wine, she sighed happily.
“All good?”
“Yep.” She glanced at Callum then, saw that same guarded expression on his face as before. The one she’d seen quite a lot. Emboldened by the wine and not giving herself time to question herself, she said, “Why do you look at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like just a blank look on your face. No expression.”
He didn’t answer at first and she was surprised to see him shift uncomfortably in the beanbag. Then he cleared his throat. “That’s mytrying not to show you I want to kiss you,face.”
She felt her heart leap at his words. “Oh.” Then she really thought about it. “Because you wear that face quite a lot.”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Oh,” she said again, when she realized what that meant. He wanted to kiss her. A lot. She could have melted from the flush that washed through her at the idea. He was watching her steadily now, the firelight playing over his face, the glow in his hazel eyes unmistakable. “I see. Why have you never tried to kiss me, then?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t think you wanted me to.”
“Well, you thought wrong.” That was braver and bolder than she’d ever been in her life. Maybe it was the wine. But when he leaned forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling, she didn’t care what caused it. She shifted off her beanbag, right into his lap. She laughed a little breathlessly, putting her hands on his shoulders for balance. He smiled at her, pushing her hair back from her face with one hand, his other arm around her waist. She felt him sliding his fingers into her hair, pulling her forward. Her heart rate quickened as he touched his lips to hers. Just a light kiss. Her blood humming, she pressed her lips against his, wanting much more than the gentle touch he was offering her. He pulled back to look at her, the heat in his gaze scorching, belying his restraint. She slid her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself against him. He tightened his hold on her waist, tilted her head and claimed her lips with his. She let herself go, melting into him as he deepened the kiss, thrilled when she felt his tongue tangle with hers. He kissed her endlessly, slow and deep and lovely. Until the taste, the feel, the scent of him became all she knew.
He lifted his head, his eyes glittering in the firelight. “Definitely worth waiting for,” he said. Leah laughed softly. She couldn’t agree more. But then she wasn’t sure what to do. Should she move back to her beanbag? She didn’t want to. He solved her dilemma by shifting so that he was leaning back more, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. She let out a breath as she rested her head on his shoulder, laying her hand on his chest. She gazed at the fire, at the flames leaping frantically behind the glass. The wind still howled outside, the rain surged against the windows, lightning forked and thunder boomed. And Leah couldn’t remember the last time she had felt as content as she did in that moment. She certainly couldn’t recall the last time someone, anyone, had just held her. As she felt Callum’s fingers at her temple, stroking her hair back, felt his heartbeat under her palm, her eyes drifted closed. She would move soon, go back to her own beanbag. Figure out where she would sleep for the rest of the night. In a minute.
Callum smiled softly when he heard Leah’s breathing deepen as she drifted into sleep. Careful not to disturb her, he reached over and tugged on the throw rug he’d given her earlier. He tucked it around her, making sure her feet were covered as best he could before settling back on the beanbag, closing his eyes. He wasn’t sure he would get much sleep, but he wouldn’t give up this moment for the world; Leah lying in his arms, her scent sweet and delicate, catching at him as she slept.
???
Callum pulled his truck to a stop in front of Leah’s and reached for his phone. There was a broken powerline dangling from the pole, less than thirty feet from her house. “You won’t be able to stay here until that’s fixed.”
