Page 32 of A Moon Lake Christmas Hero

I nodded.

“It feels like a mistake.”

I nodded again. Not that I agreed, but I could see where she was coming from.

“Will you say something?” she said when I kept my mouth shut.

“I don’t know what to say. I understand where you’re coming from, and ultimately, it’s your decision…”

“But?”

“No, but.” There was a but. But it was for entirely selfish reasons. Reasons like I wanted her, and I wasn’t ready to let her go again—now that I’d tasted her, now that every fiber in my body screamed that she was mine.

But despite all those reasons, I couldn’t be selfish. It wasn’t fair on her.

With all that, she told me she needed this job, needed this town, just as much as Moon Lake needed her—according to Alan.

Me wanting her couldn’t interfere with all that.

“Let’s just cool it down a little,” she added and gave a curt nod. She looked like she meant it, too.

I nodded even though everything inside of me rebelled at the mere thought.

But it was the right thing to do, the smart thing to do. If she needed space, if she needed to cool things off, then that’s what we’d do.

We reached the edge of the pool, and I was grateful both kids had learned to swim early and swam like fish. It had been important for me, especially living right next to the water, even though I would never let them out of my sight anyway.

The twins jumped in, without hesitation and sprayed us with water.

Erin flinched back. "Is it warm?" she asked, then dipped her toe in tentatively.

I chuckled. "Perfect temperature. One of the perks of having an indoor pool—no shocking cold water to deal with."

I watched the snowfall and the winter wonderland backdrop to our indoor paradise and forced myself not to stare at her.

But the contrast between the misty atmosphere in the room and the winter scene outside just enhanced the intimate atmosphere.

It would be hard to maintain the distance we'd just agreed to keep, so maybe delaying it a little was okay.

ERIN

The twins jumped into the pool, without hesitation and sprayed us with water.

I flinched back. "Is it warm?” Because the shower I just received didn’t feel warm at all.

I dipped my toe in. Then looked back at him, but he was focused on the winter wonderland outside.

"Perfect temperature. One of the perks of having an indoor pool—no shocking cold water to deal with,” he finally said, then looked back at me. There was something in his eyes, something that told me, the cooling off we’d agreed on, might not happen.

A glint appeared in his eyes. And before I fully comprehended his intentions, he swept me up into his arms.

“James, what?—”

He launched off and jumped. And took me with him into the water.

The water engulfed me, and it took a couple of seconds before my brain registered the contrast between the warm water and the cold air. I reached the surface again, sputtering and cursing at James. “What the…”

His easy grin made him look more like a boy than the powerful man he was. His slicked-back hair and dark lashes made him even sexier.

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