She tastes like adrenalin and too-sweet coffee. She kisses me back like she’s fucking mad that we don’t kiss more often, and I share that bittersweet opinion.
I drag her up against my body, filling my arms with all of her fight. She sinks her fingers into my hair, making little fists, and I don’t think she realizes just how tight she’s holding on to me as she kisses me back with everything she has.
I love you, you hellion, I want to say. But she doesn’t want to hear that.
Instead, I let her take what she needs from me, and when she finally sags back, I hold her close and just keep breathing.
“If you want to stay here and do research,” I finally whisper. “Stay and do that. I could go have some Kincaid family time anyway. My cousin texted me. But I’ll drive back down and collect you tonight.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
But I want to. Ineedto. “We have two more nights, Rory. I want to spend them together.”
I’m not going to get another chance at these last moments ofus. I know how I fucked things up the first time, by letting her retreat. No more of that.
Her fingers tighten on my jacket. “Weather is rolling in.”
“Weather is always rolling in. And sometimes it actuallydoes. But I’ve got big tires on my truck, and I’m not letting you sleep in an on-call room unless Dani’s life literally depends on it.”
She’s forced to admit that it does not.
I kiss her again, and send her back inside.
Then I hit the highway and head north.
There’s a pile of cars in front of my cousin’s place when I pull up. We’ve never done Christmas together, except one year when I was a young teenager and my dad was in the hospital. Owen had a young daughter at the time, and his brothers were all young adults. I was an awkward in between age, and an extra burden on a stressed single dad.
Now that daughter, Becca, is all grown up, and she has a little boy with her high school boyfriend, who now plays pro hockey. And Owen is remarried, and he has two little girls with his new wife. Most of his brothers have kids now, too.
And once again, I’m the odd guy out, stuck in between the generations.
But I trudge up his walk anyway, because the other two options—staying at the hospital all day, or going back to the tree farm—are even less appealing right now.
At least nobody here has talked about my dick so far today.
Of course, it is Pine Harbour, and the day is not over.
I knock at the door, and it opens immediately.
A large man in a cowboy hat gives me a big grin. “Is this Garrett?”
“It is,” I say cautiously, glancing past him.
The living room isfullof Kincaids. Every brother waves back at me, and a bunch of kids are playing on the floor in between them.
“I’m Zane.” He grins, like he’s barely containing the punchline to a joke. “Zane Kincaid.”
Four hours later, I pull my truck to a stop in front of Rory’s parents’ house.
I turn off the engine, but I don’t get out right away.
I’mreeling.
Part of me wants to still be at Owen’s place, learning everything I can about Zane and his brothers and their mother.
I have an aunt.
Holy fuck.
