Page 34 of Catching the Mistletoe

“Sorry?” I could not have heard that right.

“Yes, we share the main bed.”

“Mack, I—”

“Don’t be dumb about it. Neither of us can sleep out here. That’s all there is to it. Bring your own blanket and pillow. I’ll have mine. We won’t go anywhere near each other.”

If only he knew…Either way, my options were sleeping next to him and maybe feel a bit weird. Or sleep out here and have nightmares. It was a no brainer. “Alright. Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything in reply, but did I just imagine that flash in his eyes before he turned away?

I put my half-finished tea on the sink. “I’ll get my stuff.”

“Great.”

When I followed him into the bedroom, the first thing I saw was the rumpled blankets. He’d obviously got up in a hurry and it made my heart squeeze. He’d done that for me. “Which side?”

“I don’t mind.” Since I’d never shared a bed with anyone, I hadn’t developed a preference.

“You take that side, then.”

“Sure.” So he had a preference, which meant he’d shared a bed with someone?Don’t be fucking stupid. Look at him. Of course he’s shared his bed. Probably dozens of times.

We arranged the blankets, and I slipped under mine, rolling onto my side with my back to Mack. I squeezed my eyes shut when he got in next to me, shifting to get comfortable. The bed wasn’t small and there were layers of blanket between us, but even so, I could feel his heat. It made me want to roll over and curl right in. And oh, fuck, he smelled so good! The way this was going, I’d get more sleep out on the shitty mattress in the dining room.

“You good?”

Well, not really. I’m lying here developing a low-grade fever for you and thinking all sorts of dirty thoughts you aren’t interested in hearing about. But, “Yeah. Thanks.”

And that was that. He pretty much went straight to sleep. I lay there for a little while, working through everything that had just happened. It was such a relief to have figured out the mattress situation. Now maybe I could get to sleeping better and feeling better during the day.

That wasn’t what I was thinking about the most, though. No, it sure wasn’t. It was the sight of Mack, leaning over me, holding my hand. God, why had he acted like that after? When I saw him again? I let out a soft sigh. Maybe I should just ask him straight up.Hey, so you know we had that moment when I woke from my coma?Then when I saw you again months later, you basically acted like we’d never met before? Why’d you do that? I had to hold back a snort at that idea. As if.

Anyway, Liam McKinley was a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, tied up with an enigma. And now that I was starting to think in clichés, it was time to go to sleep. I let the sound of Mack’s quiet breathing lull me to sleep.

I was dreaming about something pleasant—standing under a waterfall, or something—when I slowly drifted awake. I frowned. Oh, I needed to use the bathroom. That explained the waterfall dream. I groaned softly, eyes flickering open, and that’s when I realized what felt different. Oh, hello, what have we here? I was being held against Mack’s broad, muscular chest, my head pillowed on one arm, with his other around my waist. Seriously, he was cuddled up to me like a kid clutching a teddy bear and I was here for it!

We were like two puzzle pieces, if one of those pieces was a stoic, emotionally guarded guy and the other was a woman who just realized her bladder was about to betray her.

I didn’t want to move, not really. The bed was warm, his breath was soft and even, and God help me, I was comfortable. The situation was ridiculously cute, and my inner romantic comedy heroine was having a field day.

But there was also the pressing issue of my bladder, which was starting to feel like an over-inflated balloon. I did a quick cost-benefit analysis. Wake him up and destroy this moment, but gain sweet relief? Or lie there, risking a bladder explosion but preserving this adorably unexpected intimacy?

I squirmed, testing the bladder. Then it happened. Mack shifted. The arm under my head tightened, pulling me closer. And the other hand? Dropped straight to my ass. Welp. I wasn’t going anywhere, bursting bladder be damned.

I turned my head slightly so I could breathe and closed my eyes again, my lips curved in a soft smile. Turns out my broody, stoic cowboy was snuggly as fuck. Who’d have thought?

CHAPTER16

Arabella

We pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the Twin Falls Community Center. I caught a glimpse of Mack in my peripheral vision, his jaw set and his eyes, which had been so soft last night, now shielded by some invisible wall. Weird, considering he’d been the snuggle monster just a few hours ago.

“Ready for this?”

He nodded, his eyes still distant. “Yeah.” He reached for the door handle, but I stopped him.

“Before you go…” His expression was guarded, but there was the faintest trace of a smile when I grabbed his Santa hat from behind his seat and plonked it on his head. He didn’t go all out with the Santa get-up like I did with Mrs Clause, but the hat helped him look the part. “Now you’re ready.”

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