But still, the fact remained that he didn’t much like the situation at all. There was something strange about this Gordon Ledbeter, and Hardwicke wanted to know what it was.Especiallyif he was doing something to threaten his mate. Or even just make her uncomfortable, really.
“I’m sorry I had to race off so quickly yesterday,” Celeste continued after a moment. “It’s just that Gordon had only just arrived in town, and he doesn’t know his way around all that well, and – and –”
Celeste trailed off, her words coming to an uncertain halt as she stared, not at his face, but rather around the region of his chest. Alarm rose in Hardwicke’s mind – was something wrong? Was Celeste in some kind of trouble she wasn’t sure how to talk about yet? Was it that –
Ah,Hardwicke realized after he glanced down at himself.No. It’s none of those things. It’s the sweater. Of course, it’s the sweater.
It certainly did seem to be the sweater. Celeste was staring at the grinning reindeer with wide eyes – and, Hardwicke was pretty sure, a tiny, barely suppressed smile tugging at her lips.
“Um,” she said after a moment, finally raising her eyes to his and having the decency to look alittlesheepish. “I was just… admiring your… uh. Well. I’m glad you had the time to buy some new clothes already, and that you’re getting into the spirit of the season!”
Hardwicke groaned inwardly.Great, the second time I see my mate in twenty years, and I’m wearing the world’s most hideous Christmas sweater. This is perfect. Amazing.
“I didn’t buy this,” he managed to get out after a moment. “It was in the cottage I’m renting. The clothes shop is closed until January, so I didn’t have any choice but to wear whatever they had there. I didn’t want to dress like this!”
He was aware, distantly, that he sounded like a petulant child who’d been forced into their Sunday best for their first day of school insisting to the other children that their parents hadmadethem wear these clothes, and, with effort, he reined himself in.
“I mean… it’s not that I don’tlikeChristmas or anything like that,” he added. “But grinning reindeer are just not my first choice of things to go walk around town wearing.”
“No kidding,” Celeste said with a quick, mischievous grin. “I didn’t think it seemed like you. But then, twenty years is a long time. Maybe you’ve gained an appreciation for goofy sweaters since I last saw you.”
Despite the mention of the twenty-year separation, Hardwicke found himself laughing. Celeste had, after all, always been able to make him laugh, despite his serious nature.
“Well, give me a day. By the end of it I probably won’t want to give the sweater back.”
“I think it’s cute,” Celeste said loyally, her eyes twinkling. “I should get a matching one. Like a real coup—”
Celeste’s mouth snapped shut halfway through the word, as if she hadn’t meant to say it, and was now hoping to bite it back from the air and swallow it down again.
Hardwicke immediately felt a surge in his heart – had Celeste, albeit accidentally, called them a couple? Did she still think of them that way, no matter how long it had been? Was there still a chance that –
Wait. Slow down.
Hardwicke forced his racing mind to stop. He couldn’t let himself get carried away. He was here to do ajob, not rekindle the romance he’d had long ago. No matter whether Celeste was his mate or not, he couldn’t simply neglect his duties.
Nothing is more important than our mate,the pegasus insisted, rearing up on its hind legs indignantly, plowing the air furiously with its front hooves.Our mate is the only thing that matters! We must court her, since you allowed her to slip away from us the first time. Will you allow it again?
Hardwicke loved how, to the pegasus, it was alwayswewhenever it thought it should be given credit for something, butyouwhenever it was finding fault. But that was to be expected, he supposed. Pegasi tended not to admit to mistakes.
“Well, I don’t know if there’s another one back in the cottage, but there might be,” Hardwicke said, choosing, for the moment, not to insist that Celeste finish her sentence, even though he was burning up with curiosity to know how it was she really felt.
“Oh, don’t worry, I think I’ll be okay,” Celeste said, laughing with obvious relief that Hardwicke was pretending not to notice her slip-up. “But you know, if I ever happen to lose every other item of clothing I own, I’ll give you a call…”
Celeste trailed off, seeming to suddenly realize how suggestive what she’d said was – or at least Hardwicke thought so, given the way her cheeks and the tips of her ears were starting to pinken, just the way he remembered them doing whenever she got embarrassed – or surprised, or most other strong emotions. She’d always hated it, but Hardwicke had always found itadorable. Just like everything else about her.
But for now, he decided, clearing his throat and looking studiously away, it was probably better not to notice it – perhaps Celeste was just pink from the cold, and shehadn’tinstantly thought about what it would be like for them to lose their clothes somehow. Hardwicke definitely didn’t think it would be a good idea to ask and find out – she didnotneed to know that that was definitely where his own mind had instantly gone!
But she is our mate,his pegasus said.It’s only natural we should find her the most desirable woman we have ever encountered. Have you ever seen anyone more beautiful? Have you ever felt an attraction like this to anyone else?
Of course, Hardwicke thought, his eyes drawn helplessly back to Celeste once more, the pegasus was right. And itwasonly natural. Shewashis mate, after all. But that didn’t mean he could just blurt these things out to her on the street! And besides which, Hardwicke had always thought of himself as rather staid, and not one to get carried away by passion. Even when they’d first met he’d been like that. He hadn’t been prepared for the torrent of emotion she’d unleashed in him, and which had been very hard to dam back up once she’d told him their future together wasn’t possible.
Even if,he thought, his eyes roving over her full, slightly parted lips, her softly pinkened cheeks, her bright blue eyes,she reallyisbeyond difficult to resist…
“Pierce,” Celeste said suddenly, her voice a little breathless. When he looked into her eyes, he saw his own disordered emotions reflected back at him – he saw longing there, but also confusion and anxiety. Hardwicke wasn’t used to having such muddled emotions – he’d developed the ability to cut things down to the essentials and make quick decisions based on logic and rationality long ago. He’d needed to. After he and Celeste had broken up, that was how he’d stopped himself from falling into a black hole of despair, after all – making sure he felt as few emotions as possible and throwing himself completely into his work. But now…
But now… I have absolutely no idea how to deal with any of this.
“Pierce,” Celeste said again, and this time her voice was hoarse, thick with emotion. “Pierce, there’s something I need to –”
