Page 27 of A Moon Lake Christmas Hero

JAMES

Iopened the door to the barn, and she followed me inside without hesitation. The horses neighed, and for a moment, the sounds and smells washed over me.

What the hell was I doing?

I should discuss some of what Bailey had shared with me when he took me aside earlier. There was something fishy about the brakes of her car. Bailey didn’t have time to do a thorough inspection, but since I’d given him the order to fix her car, he’d done a preliminary sweep to see what spare parts he’d need.

That’s when he found it. He wasn’t sure, but he would do a more thorough inspection tomorrow. Waiting to talk to her until I had all the details was the better way to go. Let her have tonight to be happy.

“I thought you might want to check out the apartment.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice when pronouncing the word apartment, when it was barely more than a room in a barn.

“The apartment?” Erin seemed confused and unsure, but still, she didn’t hesitate when I pulled her along.

I found the light switch and turned it on. The lighting in here wasn’t really good, but the horses lifted their heads and looked over to whoever had intruded on their evening.

It was freezing cold in here, and you could even see their breath escaping in puffs.

I led her up the steep, wooden stairs and opened the door to the single-room-apartment.

Clearly, Jessie and Alan had prepared the room because it was heated and smelled nice. There were Christmas decorations on the window, fresh sheets on the bed, and they seemed to have put in new furniture since the last time I was in here.

“Oh, this is the apartment. How charming,” she said, let go of my hand, and wandered inside.

Charming? Not the reaction I’d hoped for.

I thought showing it to her in the darkness would make her realize how remote, how alone she would be out here. Would hammer home the point I made earlier.

She would not stay here in a rundown room in a barn, unprotected and alone.

No way. No how.

Not as long as I was still breathing.

She looked at the bed, then blushed.

“What are you thinking?”

She blushed even more, and my insides tightened. This woman had me entirely wrapped around her finger. Her natural charm. Her shyness. Her unshielded reactions were sexier than anything I’d ever experienced.

“Did you bring me here to have sex?”

I froze, and my eyebrows nearly hit my hairline.

That was not my intention.

At all.

Why would she even think that? That thought alone was disturbing beyond belief. Did I not treat her with enough respect? Had I been coming on too strong?

Of course I had. I’d been naturally dominant in all my past relationships. But I’d never forced any one of my women to do anything they didn’t feel comfortable with.

But I’d kissed her without getting her consent. Pulled her onto my lap because I wanted to have her near, feel her against me.

It was time to lay off the gas a bit.

“No. And I’m truly, deeply sorry if I gave you that impression. I didn’t bring you here to have sex. Wouldn’t force you to do anything, and we just met yesterday. That kiss earlier…kisses. I’m truly sorry if you felt pressured by me in any way.”

I rubbed my neck. “Maybe we should go back to the others.”

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