Holly Lane (10 page)

When she finally glanced back at him, this time she found him adjusting one of the tree’s homemade pieces—a reindeer constructed of old-fashioned wooden clothespins. Sophie had made it in kindergarten. And sheesh, again it seemed this was the “year of the reindeer.” Of course, reindeer were pretty common at Christmastime, but lately it almost seemed like they were . . . ganging up on her or something.

And she probably shouldn’t dare bring this up, but before she could stop herself, she heard herself say, “That reminds me . . . ”

He turned to face her, letting go of the ornament, his gorgeous blue eyes seeming to paralyze her a little.

Which was when she realized she
definitely
shouldn’t bring this up—because it would surely lead their thoughts back to that snowbound cabin, as if they weren’t both already remembering it anyway. But it was too late to stop the question, and she really was curious, so she barreled ahead. “I never got to ask you—what on earth were you doing in that reindeer head in Crestview last week?”

The question made him let out a hardy laugh. “Price you pay for being Cub Scout den leader.”

“Ah,” she said, tipping her head back.

“Sorry, though,” he said, his smile fading into a hint of sheepishness.

She leaned forward slightly. “For?”

“Flirting with you that way. That was . . . probably weird of me.” And wow, he was even sexy when he was sheepish. And though he’d just turned the conversation in the exact direction she’d not wanted it to go, something in her stomach tingled.

Just act mature about it.
Acknowledge the truth of the matter, then move on.
“Well, it caught me off guard since I couldn’t see who it was. But . . . ” Okay, she was being mature, but she still couldn’t help lowering her eyes for this part. “Given how things turned out later, a little flirting doesn’t seem all that weird.”

Only then she lifted her gaze back to his just as fast, because the need to see his response overrode her discomfort. And she promptly discovered—oh dear—his gaze locking her all the more warmly in place. Paralysis complete. “Guess that’s true,” he said, his voice going a bit deeper than before.

Oh boy. The spot between her legs spasmed lightly. And her next words came out rushed. “But we probably shouldn’t talk about that, since—you know—we agreed it would be best.”

“Right,” he said then, but his voice remained just as deep and sexy anyway, causing Sue Ann to start sweating a little.

And it was at that precise moment that Sophie came bounding down the steps with her backpack in tow. “Told Daddy we’d be there soon!”

Good timing, kid.
Sue Ann thanked her daughter silently, then said, “All set and ready to go?”

Sophie nodded.

And Sue Ann broke free of her temporary paralysis.

And once again they got bundled back up for another excursion out into the wintry Destiny night.

U
sually when Sue Ann sat in the driveway of Veronica’s small Cape Cod style house watching Sophie go inside, it was with a sense of defeat and loneliness. On this particular night, though, it was more a feeling of:
Oh my God, I’m alone with Adam again.

But that was okay, she told herself.
You’re strong, you’re capable, and everything’s going to be fine.
After all, it was a twenty minute ride back to Destiny, not wild monkey sex. Well, maybe thirty on the snowy roads. But still not wild monkey sex.

No, the wild sex had been
last
week.

At moments, it all came back to her like a dream, something that couldn’t really have happened, but recalling it now, with Adam only a few feet away from her in the truck’s warm interior, she was reminded just how shockingly, deliciously real it had been.

As Adam maneuvered the truck back onto the main road leading home, she couldn’t help wondering how her big plan to avoid him had somehow turned into them spending the entire afternoon and evening together. And so far she was doing a pretty bad job of “forgetting about it and acting normal,” although she hoped she’d at least started
faking
normal better as the hours had passed.

But wait, no, not just faking. Some moments had honestly
felt
normal. Normal and real. As real as their night in that cabin—just in a different way. Standing in the snow taking pictures with him and Sophie—that had felt real. Drinking hot chocolate, trimming the tree—all that had felt real, too. Real and . . . sort of right. Sort of like . . . everything was as it
should
be.

But that’s only because it made Sophie so happy, and because Adam is a good friend—it has nothing to do with the night you spent together.

They rode in silence, other than the Christmas music coming from the radio—the only local station played Christmas songs from the day after Thanksgiving onward through the holiday, and sometimes, during December, they even strayed from their retro theme. Now was one of those times, and Jason Mraz’s peppy version of “Winter Wonderland” made her decide that, rather than being uncomfortable for the whole ride home, she should just be grateful instead, not only for Adam’s help with the lights but because he’d given Sophie such a nice day.

“Thank you again,” she told him as the truck rounded a curve, the headlights carving out a path on the snow-covered highway before them. “I haven’t seen Sophie smile so much in a very long time.”

Across the seat from her, he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road as he answered. “Like I said earlier, it was fun for me, too.” But then he cast a quick sideways glance in her direction, one that made her feel . . . hmm, as if maybe he was talking about more kinds of fun than just building a snow cat and trimming a tree, like his fun had somehow included her as well. The look made something in her breasts tingle a little—until, that is, she gave herself a firm,
Stop it!

“Putting up lights was fun?” she asked doubtfully—mostly just to keep the conversation going.

Adam offered up a comfortable smile as they passed the Destiny city limits sign. “All right—fun might be a stretch, but I didn’t mind it.”

Slowly starting to feel a little more at ease—just like during the hot chocolate drinking and tree decorating—Sue Ann elaborated on what she’d said earlier. “I just don’t like finding tasks I can’t handle myself, you know? I like to think I can do everything on my own now that I really am . . . on my own.”

“Thing is, Sue Ann, nobody’s good at everything, so we all need a little help sometimes.” He slowed a bit as they drove past the town square, as silent and snow-covered as a scene on a Christmas card. “Me, I’m good at putting up lights and carrying in trees. But when it comes to things you’re probably good at—like baking cookies and wrapping presents—I’m . . . ”

“All hooves?” she suggested.

He let out a laugh. “Exactly.” Then he said, “So, not to bring up a sore subject, but I was wondering . . . how are things going since you got the news about Jeff trying to withdraw alimony?”

She glanced over at him in the dark truck, glad he hadn’t brought this up in front of Sophie but also appreciating that he cared. She hadn’t felt like discussing it last week when it was brand new and too shocking, but she didn’t mind so much now. Even if she didn’t have anything positive to report. “Well, I’m trying to find a full-time job, but no luck yet. I guess if worse comes to worst, I’ll keep my part-time hours at the real estate office and get a second job waiting tables someplace in Crestview. At least my mother is willing to help with childcare whenever I need her.”

His expression told her he realized, though, that such a situation would be way less than ideal. “That sounds like it could create a pretty rough schedule.”

But she tried to shrug it off. “Gotta do what ya gotta do, right?”

“Well, I’ll keep my ears open and let you know if I hear of anything.”

“Thanks,” she said, then asked, “Have you talked to the boys much?” She didn’t want to bring up a sore subject with him, either, but she was sure Jacob and Joey were on his mind whether or not she mentioned them.

He let out a long breath before answering, though his voice came steady and strong when he replied, “Every morning. And sometimes I get a later call, too.” The truck now traveled the small grid of streets that led back to Holly Lane. “They’re spending most days on the ski slopes, taking lessons—and according to their grandpa, they’re getting pretty good. Then they do homework in the evenings.”

“You seem like your mood about the situation has improved a lot since . . . ” Oh, crap—once again, she was taking them unwittingly back to that cabin. “Since the last time I saw you.”

At this, though, Adam unexpectedly cast another of those slightly sheepish—albeit very sexy—looks. “Not really. If you’d been around me an hour before I delivered your tree today, you’d have run for cover.”

Hmm. She was tempted to ask him what had changed between then and his arrival at her house—but maybe she didn’t really want to know. It seemed best to just keep the conversation light, not dig into anything too deeply.

As Adam pulled into her driveway and eased to a stop, she asked, “So how’d you get stuck delivering my tree anyway? Don’t you have, you know, underlings for that?”

And it was then that everything shifted. After putting the four-wheel drive in park behind her Toyota, he peered over at her in the truck cab, lit only by the dash lights and the reflection of the snow all around them, the look in his eyes downright . . . smoldering. And she could have sworn his voice went an octave deeper when he said, “I volunteered for the job.”

Oh. “Why?” she asked. But then she caught herself—because suddenly her heart beat too fast and her palms were starting to sweat. “Wait, don’t answer that. I mean—” She stopped, swallowed. Oh Lord. So much for acting normal. Maybe the best thing to do was just make a quick escape. “Thanks again, Adam, for everything,” she rushed, then reached for the door handle.

But she didn’t even come close to getting it open, since that’s when Adam’s firm grip closed around her wrist, seeming extra warm given the weather—and the touch skittered all through her. “Sue Ann—stop.”

“Huh? Why?” She found her gaze shifting from his face to where his hand circled her flesh with heat.

“I hate that I’m making you nervous.”

Oh, great—her discomfort was just as obvious as she’d feared all along. “It’s not you. It’s me,” she said, suddenly a bit short of breath. “It’s . . . being alone with you. In the dark, sort of. I feel like I’m sixteen or something. Except that we’ve had sex. Which I hadn’t quite done at sixteen. Especially not with you. So this is actually much worse than that.” He let go of her now, but she just leaned her head back and rolled her eyes. Had she really just said all that? It was like verbal vomit. “Oh God, you probably think I’m a lunatic.”

“No,” he replied, his voice as smooth as melted chocolate. “The fact is, I think you’re sweet, gorgeous, and sexy as hell.”

She heard the gasp leave her before she could stop it. Then she got frank with him—and a little panicky. “Well—that’s a problem.”

“What’s wrong with me thinking you’re sweet, gor—”

“It’s the sexy as hell part,” she explained, still talking too fast. “You can’t think that about me.” Even if she thought that about
him
. Because she wasn’t planning on acting on those emotions. But she suddenly had the funny feeling that maybe he was.

Across the truck from her, he let out a sigh she felt in her panties, and his next words came out slow and potent, reaching deep down inside her. “The truth is, Sue Ann, try as I might, I can’t
stop
thinking that about you.”

Oh. Wow. What now? “But . . . what about our agreement? To forget about what happened.”

“I’ve been trying,” he told her. “I swear. But . . . I haven’t been doing very good with it.”

The words hung in the air between them as her heart continued to thump madly against her chest. It was startling—and yet also . . . deeply, wildly gratifying to hear they were having the exact same problem. “You haven’t?” she finally whispered.

“Nope. What about you?” It felt as if his eyes were touching her, physically. And like earlier when he’d been looking at her, more parts of her body began to sweat besides just her palms now.

It seemed like a good time for a lie. “I’ve been fine with it. And I’d . . . hoped after today that we’d feel completely, um, back to normal. Like the old friends we are.” Then, for good measure, she leaned over and gave him a soft punch in the arm. Buddy to buddy.

Unfortunately, though, before she could pull back her fist, Adam grabbed her wrist again. And this time he drew her arm softly closer—and lowered a terribly scintillating little kiss to the top of her hand.

Oh. My. She felt it . . . everywhere. She didn’t even know a hand kiss could do that. So much for being just buddies. And so she simply sat there, frozen in place, absorbing the sensations still fluttering through her.

“Shit. Sorry. I just . . . God, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, finally releasing his hold on her hand.

But . . . she couldn’t seem to make herself draw it back now. So it just kind of hung there in the air for a moment, then slowly drifted downward, her still-bent fingers grazing the flannel of his sleeve before coming to rest beside him on the leather seat.