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Hunter finished and held the phone out to her. “Maybe we’ll see you in town tomorrow for the—”
“Nah. Can’t.” Heath’s answer was immediate and more than brusque. He didn’t even wait for a response before he started for his truck—ute. Whatever he called it. “Thanks though.”
“Too bad. It’ll be a good time.” Hunter opened his car door. “Nice to meet you both.”
“What’s tomorrow?” But she’d asked too late—Hunter had already slid inside and closed his door. Meanwhile Heath had already opened the passenger side for her and Copper, avoiding eye contact with her.
“Hey.” She laid her hand on Heath’s arm, stopped him from going around to the driver’s side as Hunter backed his car out, gave a little wave, and pulled away. “I’m sorry about what my friend texted. That’s not what I—”
“It’s not a big deal, Lena.” He sounded irritated, like what Carissa had messaged actually was a big deal. Was that why he’d turned down whatever invitation Hunter had been extending?
“Are you sure?” She reached for his hand, wanting back the closeness they’d shared the night before. His eyes met hers, and yeah, it was a warm day and she was already flushed with the heat, but it wasn’t the weather that sent her body temperature even higher. It happened whenever he touched her—like she was a lightning rod and he sent a current all through her, her entire body responding to his touch.
Zach had never had that effect on her.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead and she couldn’t help herself.
Her hands went to his chest, to where his heart was pounding, and she raised onto her tiptoes and brushed the softest of kisses across his lips, then hovered there, her eyes searching his. “Good, because I really do like you, Grinch Guy.”
He smiled against her lips. “I really like you too, Christmas Girl.” Then kissed her. Hard. When he pulled away, his shirt was fisted in her hands.
“What you did—setting up this meeting for me? I really appreciate it.”
“You’ve had a rough go. Thought maybe I could help a bit.”
“Well, it was really good of you, and you didn’t have to do that.”
He ran the back of a finger along her cheek, raising goosebumps on her arms. “I think I did.” His eyes on hers smouldered. “Let’s go home, yeah?”
Home. She wished she knew where that was.
When they pulledup outside of Heath’s cottage the Christmas gum tree still sat next to the walkway where he’d dropped it the night before. It looked bereft in the hot sun with the paper snowflakes she’d made dangling from it. As she watched, one dropped to the ground beneath it. “We’ve got to do something with that tree.”
“Later.” Heath’s voice was hoarse as he leaned across the seat. “We have other things to do first.”
Then his lips were on hers again, hot and needy. Rebound or fling or something more, she was here for whatever it was he wanted to do with her.
14
OH WHAT FUN
DECEMBER 17
Heath was finished.
Abilene Snowden had finished him.
He’d slept like a log and woken up in the pre-dawn glow of morning sweating. Not with one of the nightmares that plagued him, but because he had a dog at his feet and Lena pressed against his side, her arm across his chest, her leg over his thigh. Which was hot in every possible way.
It couldn’t last.
Bloody hell, he wanted it to, though. He wanted to keep waking up with Lena at his side and he didn’t know what to do with that feeling. He wasn’t supposed to want anything like what he’d shared with Lena in the last few days. Her arsehole of an ex hadn’t given Lena even half of the respect she deserved, but Heath couldn’t offer her the rest of what she merited either. She hadn’t seen how messed up he was—hadn’t seen one of his actual panic attacks or nightmares. Even if it weren’t for those, he’d eventually let her down, just like he’d let Noah down in Syria. But at every chance to send her away, his resolve to be alone faltered. He should have let her drive away that very first night, but he hadn’t. And the whole time they’d toured the abandoned farm with Hunter Sullivan, he’d been kicking himself for trying to set her up with somewhere else to live. Then he’d seen that message from her friend.
He should’ve been fine with being a rebound and a fling, but it had stung. He didn’t like the idea at all. He wanted to be more than that. But if he let her stay with him all the way ’til Christmas, he was going to be in way too deep.
He smoothed her loose hair away from her face, gently, ever so gently, so she wouldn’t wake up.
Except she did.
