AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Amusement shines in his dark eyes as he twists his lips to fight a smile. “Are you telling me in a roundabout way that I'm not sweet?”
“I wouldn't dare,” I tease.
This time, he laughs. It's the first laugh I've heard from him, and it's beautiful. It's deep, and rumbly, and dark. And I think I feel it in my toes.
Holy shit. Idofeel it in my toes.
I feel it in every part of me.
Wow.What am I supposed to do with this?
“I'll do my best to sweeten up for you, Sunshine.”
“For me?”Did that just come out breathless?
He eyes me intensely. “Can’t have you going home to Arizona and telling people that we’re mean here, now, can I?”
“I don't know if I would call you unfriendly, per se.”
He tips his head to the side. “No, you just call me The Grinch.”
I shrug. “If the shoe fits.”
He chuckles, and I instantly want to make him do it again. To laugh.
I want to feel that feeling move through my body, head-to-toe tingles. Warmth.Desire?
Oh boy, I’m in trouble.
He’s in a much better mood this morning than he was last night. I like this Nick. I liked last-night-Nick. But I like this Nick more. This Nick could be dangerous to my heart, to my sanity—to my future.
I shift on the spot as I bring the rim of my cup to my lips, sipping my coffee. It's good coffee.
And it’s been a freaking great morning. It’s no wonder I go and ruin it as my eyes slide to the window and I say with a sigh, “Guess today won’t be the day.”
“The day for what?” Nick questions, peering over his shoulder at the window before looking back at me.
“To escape.” I’m joking. I don’t want to escape this house, this mountain, or this man.
Still, the comment seems to strike a nerve, because his jaw hardens, and he stands from the chair at the island. His voice is rough as he clips, “Make yourself at home, Sadie. I’ll be in my office.”
ChapterSeven
Sadie
I have Viennese Whirl cookies and butter tarts—Mom was Canadian. She met Dad on a girl’s trip to Arizona and she never left. That was how intense their love was. Her parents didn't want anything to do with her after she did that, moved to another country. Her parents didn't seem to be all that great anyway, so it was nice to think she had Dad, and she had his parents too. Until they passed. Along with the Whirl cookies and butter tarts, I have Dad's favorite peanut butter and marshmallows squares, otherwise known as confetti squares.
I also made sugar cookies. The cute cut-out kind with the icing. I made these because Lucy said they were her husband's favorite. And I figure if they were her husband's favorite, they're a familiar cookie to Nick. Maybe I can sweeten him up with a cookie or two, being that he likes sugar.
The icing decorating my sugar cookies isn't the kind of icing that makes the cookies look fancy. I don't like that icing. It tastes off. I like the icing that's thick and creamy. So that's what I have on my Christmas sugar cookies. They're red and green with sprinkles of gold, and although they look like something a five-year-old might have whipped up, they also look freaking delicious.
I love them.
I’ve piled samples of fresh treats on a big plate, and I'm on my way to Nick's office. He's been in there for hours. Honestly, it takes hours to bake all this, and I haven't seen himat all. He didn't come out for lunch, and it's almost dinner. I'm not even sure he ate breakfast.
I feel like shit. I have felt like shit since I said what I said.
I'd been joking, but he didn't take it as a joke. I think he might even be sensitive.
