Tex hesitated for half a second, then reached out and stroked my thigh. “Oh, shit. You’re right. It’s like petting a cat.”
“Right?”
He handed me a glass of the wine, then kneeled down in front of the fireplace, stoking the fire higher.
It was warm and cozy in here, and it felt like Christmas Eve even without any decorations.
I settled down on the loveseat, sipping my wine. He was right. It was the best wine I’d ever had.
My eyes stayed on him as he worked the fire.
When he was done, he joined me on the loveseat.
His voice was warm and rough, sending a delicious thrill through me. “Is this how you imagined spending your Christmas Eve?”
“Definitely not. I thought I’d be soaking in a hot bath after a crazy shift at the diner. We’re always busy during the holidays. Even if the roads are bad, people will find a way to get there.”
I bit my lip and added, “They’re going to be pissed if I don’t make it in tomorrow. They went easy on me today.”
Tex wrinkled his brow. “But the roads are covered in ice. It’s out of your control.”
“You haven’t worked for anyone else for a while, have you? They’ll blame me for going out-of-town when there was a chance the roads could get bad.”
“What, like you purposefully trapped yourself out here?”
Shrugging my shoulder, I said, “Managers suck.”
He took a sip of wine, and I realized he’d already finished his whole glass and started on a second. “My manager is awesome.”
“What do you do?”
“Construction plus other stuff in the wintertime.”
“They don’t get mad if you miss a day?”
He shook his head. “Naw. They know if I miss a day, it’s for something real. It’s not like I play hooky for the fun of it.”
We settled into conversation, and the wine flowed until the bottle was empty.
By that time, we were laughing and getting handsy, making tiny excuses to touch each other. If we kept this up, we were going to fuck tonight.
I wasn’t sure if that was what Ishoulddo. But I knew it was what I was going to do.
I’d never slept with anyone before, and being around Tex made that seem like a crime. I needed to make up for lost time.
The fireplace was burning brightly, and a cozy feel filled the cabin.
Tex kept stroking me, claiming it was because of the cashmere. I didn’t mind. That man could put his hands all over me if he wanted. In fact, it would be better if he did.
“Tomorrow’s Christmas,” I whispered. “Tell me what your Christmas wish is.”
His eyes danced across my face. “I don’t have a Christmas wish.”
“Sure you do. It’s a tradition that Astrid taught me. Every year, you make a Christmas wish and reveal it to someone close to you. Since we’re the only two people here, we have to reveal it to each other.”
He swallowed hard, his face hinting at pain. “You better go first.”
I made a bold move and snuggled my way into his arms. Tex was surprised at first, but then he quickly relaxed into it and wrapped me in a loose bear hug. I could feel how strong his muscles were.
