I pulled around back of the cabin and parked. Normally, I’d put my truck away in the garage and make the trek to the back door, but that wasn’t gonna work tonight. One, I didn’t want Danny to have to walk that far in the snow. While he seemed to love it, I could tell he wasn’t used to it. His sun-kissed skin gave that away. And two, I had a tree to haul inside.
I still couldn’t believe I bought a damn tree. What the fuck had I been thinking? I was damn glad the old man had a base for me to use too.
“Go on in. I’ll get the tree,” I said. “Door’s unlocked.” Because I never bothered to lock the back door. No one was gonna mess with the place. Hell, most people probably didn’t know it was out here.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, popping open the truck door.
I hesitated for a moment, even as the wind blew snow into the cab. I was feelin’ a little reluctant to move away from hisheat. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but I liked the press of his thigh against mine. I liked the cute way he cuddled up to me on the drive home.
I’d never had anything like that. Truth was, I never had the urge for that kinda shit. It wasn’t me. I didn’t need anyone, didn’t want anyone.
Or so I thought.
Danny was starting to reshape my world, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
Did I like it? Maybe a little, but that wasn’t saying that I could stomach all his sugar and spice all the time. Lord help me, I couldn’t keep up with him, and there was no sense in trying. But sticking to the sidelines and watching him, well, maybe that wasn’t so bad.
With a grunt, I forced myself to move. I didn’t think much of it as I turned and helped him out of the truck. The last thing I wanted was for him to slip and fall. It would make the whole tree thing pointless if we ended up at the hospital tonight. Right?
“Thanks,” he said, all teeth and bright eyes.
“Yeah,” I clipped out as I let him go.
With a shiver, he headed for the back door.
After some grumbling and awkward maneuvering, I got the tree into the mudroom. I paused to ditch my boots and jacket. I also needed a minute to catch my breath. I wasn’t weak by any means, but moving a fucking tree was a lot of work.
It took me a few minutes to shake off the snow that had collected on it. Then I headed inside, doing my best to be gentle as I hauled the fuckin’ tree in with me.
“I’m making hot chocolate,” Danny announced. The excitement in his tone was almost infectious. Maybe I didn’t show it on my face, but I felt it in my chest.
When I turned my head to look at him, his smile was wide, and it breathed life and warmth into the cabin.
Could it have been that I was starting to like that damn smile? Was I starting to fall a little bit for it?
Yeah. Yeah, I was. If I had any doubts before, that kiss he’d given me in the truck would have been a big hint. It damn near blew my socks off. I’d never been into kissing. It had always been a thing you did, which usually led to other things. However, kissin’ Danny had in itself been a fuckin’ treat.
I had to play this right. Danny was special. He wasn’t just aone night and walk away. And though I’d been against all that shit most of my life and had never thought of even looking for a partner or forever with someone, my mind was beginning to open up. If I kept on the path I was on, my future looked a little lonely. I wondered if, perhaps, it didn’t have to be.
While our hot chocolate cooled, we fiddled with the tree. It took a lot of grunting, huffing and puffing, shifting, and terrible communication before it was just right.
“Perfect,” Danny said as he stepped back and beamed at the bare tree.
And that right there was all that mattered.
While he admired the tree, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Careful, Scrooge,” he said with a teasing tone. “Someone might think you like Christmas…” He turned his face my way, smile never dimming as he held my eyes. “Or me.”
I cleared my throat and dragged a hand over my beard.
Instead of saying anything back, I hooked a finger into the waist of his pants and pulled him flush against me. He chuckled as he about near lost his balance, but I held him up.
“Oh,” he said, blinking those warm hazel eyes up at me as the breath caught in his lungs.
My mouth descended on his slowly. He didn’t push me away, so when my lips brushed against his, I went in for the kill. I devoured him like I’d been wanting to do since he kissed me in the truck. Fuck, more like since I first laid eyes on him, thoughI wouldn’t admit it back then. He moaned into my mouth as his body melted into mine. His hands were on my chest, and I didn’t doubt he could feel my heart pounding inside there.
