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“It’s settled then. We’ll pick up a tree and then, while we are decorating it, we can talk about what you said at my sister’s place earlier.” He waited for her to give him some flack, but she didn’t instead, Trixie just rolled her eyes and plastered on her best smile.
“It’s not a big deal, Blade. I mean, it’s the classic younger woman who has a crush on the hot, older brother of her best friend.” There was a lot for him to unpack in her statement, but he’d get to it all. Right now, he wanted to know one thing.
“How long have you thought that way about me, Trixie?” he asked.
She shrugged, “As long as I can remember,” she admitted. “I guess when I was younger, you could call what I felt about you a crush, but now, I just can’t shake the feeling that you might be the one for me, and I’m just out in the world wasting time, hoping that someone else can make me feel what you make me feel every time you walk into the same room with me.”
“Shit,” Blade grumbled, not sure what to say next. How could he respond to her after she just spilled her guts to him the way that she did?
“You don’t have to feel the same way about me, Blade. I just thought that you should know how I feel. I mean, I did lie about my stalker because I didn’t want you to think differently about me.”
“Did you really turn him away because he wasn’t me?” Blade asked.
“None of the guys I’ve gone out with are you. I guess that’s why I don’t stay with a guy for very long. I’m chasing the perfect man for me, and I think that man might be you.”
“You can’t be sure of that, Trixie,” he insisted.
“Sure I can,” she whispered. “I’ve known you my whole life, Blade.” He had known her almost as long as he had known his little sister. They were friends before either of them could really walk. Their mothers had been friends, and the girls were kind of thrown together for playdates so that their moms could hang out and talk.
Blade pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. He cleared his throat, “You still up for getting a Christmas tree?” he asked. He was avoiding continuing their conversation because he wanted to get her home to do that. He wasn’t going to let her tell him that she wanted him and not do something about it.
Trixie huffed out her breath as if put out by the fact that he was blowing off her declarations and nodded. “Yeah, we can get a Christmas tree.” He got out of his truck and went around to get her door before she could open it. Blade pulled her down out of the passenger seat and let her slide down his body, feeling every inch of him. Her gasp was all he needed to know that she was catching on to what he was silently trying to tell her.
“We’ll finish our conversation at home,” he whispered into her ear. She shyly nodded and followed him over to the Christmas tree lot. With any luck, they’d find the perfect tree quickly and then, he’d get her back to his place so he could tell Trixie just how much he wanted her too.
Trixie
Trixie was a bit put off and a whole lot pissed by Blade’s rejection. At least, that was what she thought he was doing when he avoided telling her how he felt about her, after listening to her spill her guts to him about having a crush on him since she was just a kid. It hurt to think that she had done all of that for no reason. But then, he helped her down out of his truck and when her body slid down his own, she felt just how much he wanted her. And when Blade whispered that they would finish their conversation back at his place, after getting a Christmas tree, she felt this ridiculous sense of giddiness that she had no right to feel. He wasn’t making her any pretty promises, but she sure hoped that he would once he got her back to his house.
They looked at about half a dozen trees and when the man who ran the little tree lot held up lucky number thirteen and rolled his eyes when Blade asked again what kind of tree it was, she almost wanted to shout that they’d take it. “Does it matter what kind of tree that is?” she asked. Pointing to the tree being held up for them to view.
“Not really, but I like to know what I’m buying,” Blade insisted.
She huffed out her breath, “Do you actually know the difference between a blue spruce and a Norway spruce?” she asked. From the disgruntled look on his handsome face, he had no idea.
“It doesn’t matter,” Blade insisted. “I still like to know. What if someone asks me and I have to tell them that I don’t know what kind of tree is in my house?”
“Do you plan on entertaining?” she asked. “I mean, I’m practically under house arrest. Are you going to have someone over who likes to talk about Christmas trees?” she asked.
“Well, maybe Wren, but now that your stalker is going after her too, that might not be such a good idea,” he said.
“Do you mean that I won’t be able to see Wren until this mess is over?” Trixie asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Blade said. “So this tree then?” he asked.
“I don’t care which tree you choose,” she said, waving her hands around like a crazy person. “What I do care about is if I’m going to get to spend Christmas with my best friend like I do every year.”
“We will have to play it by ear, honey,” he whispered. “Right now, I think that we should get this tree and get out of here. I’m starting to get a bad feeling.” Trixie looked around and gasped when she spotted Bruce standing across the street watching the two of them pick out a tree.
“Oh, God,” she breathed. “How did he find me here?” None of her day had been planned, unless Bruce would have guessed that she’d show up to Wren’s house once her friend called her to let her know that someone had cut all the feeds to her cameras.
“He must have figured that you’d go to Wren’s place and then, he followed us,” Blade said, as if reading her mind.
She slowly nodded as she watched Bruce go against traffic to fight his way across the street. “With any luck, he’ll get run over before he gets here because I’m planning on killing the fucker,” Blade growled under his breath.
“Trixie,” Bruce shouted as if she hadn’t already spotted him. “I didn’t expect to see you here, buying a Christmas tree. I thought that you already have one.” The only reason Bruce knew that was because he had broken into her place and spray-painted those filthy things on her walls and furniture. Not that she had proof that it was him.
“How would you know that she already has a tree?” Blade asked.
