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But it couldn’t hurt to tease her, as long as she was enjoying it too.
After putting his clothes in the washer, including his boxer briefs, Ace wrapped a towel around his waist that he’d taken from the laundry room closet.
“Come on, Ossie.” He gave the dog a hand signal and she followed him as he made his way to the guest bedroom. He closed the door and pulled on the second and last set of clothes from the bag he kept in his truck for emergencies, a worn pair of Wranglers and a soft gray University of Arizona T-shirt.
When he finished, he left to find Charlee, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. He dropped onto the couch, put his sock-covered feet on an ottoman, and grabbed a copy of a decorating magazine’s Christmas issue on an end table. Ossie curled up on a nearby rug as he flipped through the pages of homes decorated in different styles with a holiday theme.
Ace liked what Charlee had done with her home. Simple, rustic, yet with feminine touches that made the place uniquely hers. Although it could use some Christmas decorations in addition to the tree.
He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and checked to see if he had any bars, but of course, nothing, like all the other times he’d looked. Charlee had charging cables for both Apple and Android devices on the nightstand in the guest room, so he’d been able to keep it charged. Not that it was doing him any good.
He looked at some of his photos on his phone as he waited for her to show up. His most recent additions to his library included pics from around the ranch—his horses, some of his cattle, and that creek at the back of his property. He had photos from Thanksgiving at his Mom and Dad’s, a few of his brothers and sisters-in-law, several of his nephew and nieces, his parents, and of course, Ossie. The Australian shepherd was the apple of his eye.
The soft sound of the brush of cloth met his ears and he looked up to see Charlee walking in, wearing a red Christmas sweater and worn jeans that made her look sexy and cozy all at once. He raised his phone and took a few pictures of her before she knew what he was doing.
“Hey.” She sat beside him. “We’re in this together.” She leaned in close and the press of her body next to his settled in like the feeling of bourbon sliding down his throat to his belly. “Selfie time.”
With a grin, he raised the camera and held it out. Their images appeared on the screen and he took a few pictures before he turned and kissed her cheek on the last shot.
Charlee giggled and reached for his phone as he lowered it. “Let me take a couple of you.”
He let her have the phone and he leaned back against the couch. Amusement made him smile as she acted like a professional photographer and took several shots. She snapped a few of Ossie, too.
“My turn.” He held out his hand and she passed the phone to him. “Strike a pose.”
Charlee put her hand on her hip, gave him a look with bedroom eyes, and blew him a kiss. Then she stretched out on her belly on the large ottoman in a playful pinup pose. She made a few goofy ones, too, and had him chuckling so much it was hard to hold the phone straight.
She took the phone from him, plopped down on a nearby chair, and swiped through the photos. “These came out great.” She checked out a few more, stopped and raised the phone to show him the screen. “This one of me is terrible.”
He leaned forward. “Cute as a button if you ask me.”
She rolled her eyes and continued going through his photos. “Oh, Thanksgiving.” She appeared absorbed as she stared at the phone. “There’s Bailey and Seth. She’s really showing there. The baby will be due anytime now. Maybe they’ll have a Christmas baby.”
Her eyes widened. “What if they have the baby while we’re stuck here?”
Ace rested his hand on her arm. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get to see them and the baby soon, if he arrives before we get back.”
Charlee nodded slowly. “I can’t believe she’s going to be a mom soon.” She looked down at the camera again. “I’ve always wanted kids.” She sounded wistful but only added, “At least I’ll be a pseudo-aunt.”
Ace’s gut tightened. There it was. Shedidwant kids. He should say it now, tell her he had no plans on ever having children so that she’d know. And maybe that would be the deciding factor, where she would choose to not develop anything with him. If she wanted kids, that was a deal breaker for both of them.
Still, he wanted her, needed her. It wasn’t about sex, not really. It was about a woman who made him feel incredible things that he’d never felt before. She made him feel alive with possibilities, that anything could happen and it would be wonderful.
The shit that he was, he said nothing. He just watched the delight on her features as she went through photos of his family at Thanksgiving.
“Ossie is such a beautiful dog.” She talked to the Australian Shepherd in a voice women reserved for dogs and small children. “Aren’t you girl? Yes, you’re so beautiful.”
Ossie stretched out on the rug. “Swimsuit pic.” Charlee raised the phone and took a picture or two of the dog.
Charlee returned his phone to him. He slid it into his pocket, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down to sit at his side. He caught her off-balance and she fell onto the couch against him.
She sputtered and laughed as she untangled herself. Then she leaned against his shoulder, as if it was the most natural thing for her. “Any other ideas for snowbound captives?”
“Captives?” He grinned. “So now I’m a captive?”
“Sure.” She pushed herself back so that she looked straight into his eyes. “And I’m your captor.”
“I like this.” He rested his arm on the back of the couch. “So, what do you plan to do with me?”
