Page 62 of Take Me Home for Christmas

“I’d say they’reverycomfortable,” I managed to add as I traced the smooth, muscular contours of his back.

“Mia.” The way he said my name—low and gravelly and full of desire—made me shiver. Brax looked at me, his beautiful brown eyes devouring me.

“What is it?” I said, breathless.

“Just—I’ve never felt like this before with anyone.”

As the snow gently fell outside and melted on the windshield, his words melted my body and my heart.

And then, Dear Reader, we steamed up those windows.

Brax

Sometime later, I carried Mia into her house, the heavy, wildly spiky, netted high-heeled shoes dangling from her hands. I tried to be stealthy going up the stairs and managed to get us into her room, closing the door with my foot.

“I was going to pitch these,” she remarked, tossing the shoes on the floor near her closet, where they hit with a giant thud, “but now I’m going to call them my get-lucky shoes. I may have to keep them forever.”

“You don’t need spiky shoes to get lucky with me.” I deposited her on the bed and then joined her. We folded back the comforter and climbed into the too-cool sheets, shedding clothes along the way.

“I’m freezing,” she said, curling against me. “Do you mind if I do this?”

“Do what?”

“Snuggle,” she said innocently.

I felt her doing something under those covers that technically was a bit more than snuggling. Did I mind? “Honey, snuggle all you want. Just know you might be lighting a match to tinder.”

She turned her pretty face up to me. Her hair was wildly mussed, her eyes bright, her smile wide, her joy completely contagious. “Why, Dr. Hughes, do you mean you’d consider breaking your I-don’t-do-it-at-your-parents’-house rule?”

I nodded solemnly. “For you, I’d make that sacrifice.” And then I kissed her.

Best. Early. Christmas. Ever.

Chapter Nineteen

Brax

It was still dark on Christmas Eve morning when my phone went off. Mia lay next to me, her head on my chest, her hair wild and soft against me. When I reached to grab the phone, noticing that it was 5:00 a.m., I hated to leave the cocoon of warmth we’d created. I wished we could stay in bed all day today and tomorrow too.

I felt a weight on my feet, preventing me from moving. Suddenly, a lump moved up the bed between us, and the wiener dog popped out from the covers. “How do you get air down there?” I mumbled as I got out of bed and replaced the covers over Mia, the dog curling up beside her. I ran into the bathroom to take the call, closing the door so she wouldn’t awaken. It was from Tim Green, April’s husband.

“April’s in labor,” he said. A week early. I instantly knew that my holiday was over.

“I’ll cover her patients,” I said quickly. “No worries. Now go have that baby.”

As I reentered the bedroom, Mia stirred and opened her eyes. “April’s in labor?” she asked, groggy from sleep.

I sat down next to her. “I’ve got to go,” I said. “Stay and have Christmas with your family. I’ll come back for you after work tomorrow.”

“No need.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’ll catch a ride with Caleb. He works on the twenty-sixth too.”

Cooper sat at the top of the bed again, patiently waiting. As soon as Mia lifted the covers, he dove under them.

She smiled at what must’ve been my puzzled expression. “Doxies are burrowers,” she said.

“And here I thought he had a foot fetish.” I smoothed back her hair, gazing into her eyes. I wished I didn’t have to go, but duty called. To cover April’s ER shift, I’d have to leave as soon as possible, so I bent and kissed Mia’s forehead, then headed for the shower.

Mia

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