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Cherry
Xavier pulls away from me, his expression pinched, and I wish, for the first time since I arrived, that I could be back in Vegas. I know what to do there. I know who I am. If a man rejected me in Vegas, I'd laugh and move on to the next guy who caught my eye.
Since RJ, I've been good at not getting too close to anyone, really good at keeping firm boundaries.
But I've let those boundaries slip with Xavier. I actually like the grump and, after the morning I've had, it's clear he sees me for the loser I am. "I'm sorry." I glare out the windshield of his truck. Now that I'm up here, it's obvious he can see over the plow and probably saw every moment of me flailing around in the snow. "I shouldn't have done that. It was an impulse borne of nearly dying. I promise I won't kiss you again. I'll—"
"Please don't."
My throat tightens. Shit. I'm babbling and making it worse. I am fucking up every aspect of this trip on every level. My older sister, Gen, would never find herself in a situation like this. "I babble when I get upset. Not that I'm upset. It's just the near dying thing."
He grips my chin, his fingers bare and warm against my skin. Gently, he pulls until I turn and face him. "What I meant was, please don't promise not to kiss me again. I liked it. A lot."
His eyes twinkle with amusement, but there's heat there, too. His smile is warm and kind, and I can't help focusing in on his lips. I want to kiss him again. What the hell is wrong with me? I swallow and meet his eyes, which are considerably less amused and molten now. "So why'd you stop?"
His expression gets serious. "Because you are an amazing woman, Cherry. You've been working hard to get what you want since I met you. Your confidence to wear next to nothing in one of the coldest towns on earth is sexy as hell, and you're damn good at everything I've seen you attempt."
Not much scares me, but I have to fight hard not to turn away from his intense, laser-focused complimenting. My eyes burn. "You stopped because I'm amazing?"
"Yes. You deserve to get everything you want, and making out with me won't help you get your man."
A stupid tear slips down my cheek. I swipe at it, thoroughly annoyed. You'd think no one had ever said anything nice about me before. "Well, thank you."
He smiles. "You're welcome. You never have to feel bad about kissing me. If we're going to pull off fake dating, we probably ought to have kissed each other at least once."
In that truck, the masculine sweet scent of him surrounding me, I'd like to do a lot more than kiss him. "Think I've missed my interview?"
He starts up the truck. "Nope."
I lean back in my seat and watch the plow clear the driveway of snow as we head uphill. The heat is still blasting, and all the snow has melted from my clothes. "You can turn the heat down."
Xavier glances over at me. "You sure? I can handle it if you're still cold."
"I'm seriously good. I don't want to be a sweaty mess for my interview."
"Josephine won't care." But he turns down the heat, humming to himself as the driveway gets steeper.
"I'm glad I don't have to walk this."
Xavier gets to the top of one hill, the driveway flattening out for only a few yards, before we start up another hill.
He chuckles. "This town gets decidedly less walkable once you step off main street." He glances over at me, sobering quickly. "You're going to want a car if you're working for Josephine. I'll see if I can find you one."
I stare at the side of his face, shocked. I shouldn't be. It's clear Xavier is the kind of man who takes care of other people, even to his own detriment. Like not admitting to his best friends that he's in love with one of them. But no one's ever offered to find a car for me to borrow.
In my experience, people are more likely to avoid loaning me things. They assume I won't have the good sense or knowledge needed to care for anything of value. Even my sister, who loves me and thinks I'm smarter than I am, reminded me about ten times that frost bite is real and grizzly bears aren't pets before I flew out here.
"It's fine," I say. "The walk will be good for me."
Xavier gives me a doubtful glance as the driveway rises yet again.
"How far from town is her house?" I ask.
"This driveway runs about two miles. Didn't Josephine tell you that?"
"No. She didn't tell me much of…" I lose track of my words as the driveway flattens out again and the forest falls away to reveal wide open fields covered in snow. The pristine expanse of white is kicked up in places, probably by the reindeer that are standing around in small groups all over the fields. "Oh," I say, on a breath of pure awe.
I've never seen reindeer in person before. They look about the same as the ones on television, but these are… One of them walks across the field toward the truck, taking its time, not the least bit scared of us.
