Page 15 of Everything Christmas

“You’re what’s important right now.”

With a tender kiss on her forehead, he gently steered her toward the stairs, softly repeating, “Go.”

She did as she was told, but at the bottom step, she glanced back at him utterly perplexed. Who was this caring, considerate man? He looked like Reese Morgan, but she’d rarely seen this side of him. She liked him a lot more than his no-nonsense, not-so-nice alter ego. Glad that he was the one who showed up tonight, she put her faith in him and did as he instructed.

***

REESE CROSSED TO THEstairs and waited, listening for the sound of running water. Then he turned and sat on the stairs, his hands coming up to scrub his face.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered.

She was vulnerable. Of course, this triggered his protective instincts, and he was prepared to do whatever she needed to get through this. He didn’t know if he’d be able to keep his distance though. Even after she’d lashed out at him, deservedly so, seeing her trembling and in tears had softened his resolve. He hadn’t been able to resist pulling her into his arms and comforting her. He should have ended it then, but scared and alone, she needed him.

Hell, the woman needed a keeper, at the very least, someone to help her take charge of her life.

But it couldn’t be him. At least, it shouldn’t be.

The water turned off and a few minutes later, her bare feet padded across the floor. It took little imagination to picture her wrapped in a towel, warm, rosy, and wet from the shower.

“Reese?” she called. “Are you still here?”

“I’m right here, Merry.” Standing, he locked eyes with her as she came to a stop at the top of the stairs. Instead of a towel, she wore a fuzzy pink robe, her hair piled high on her head with a few damp tendrils clinging to her neck. And she was biting her lower lip, the image of uncertainty. She also looked sweet and sexy as fuck. To his tortured libido, she was the ripest, most tempting of forbidden fruit.

“Will you sit with me for a while, like you said? I don’t think I can sleep yet.”

He hesitated because it was a terrible idea. Women often developed hero worship for their rescuers, especially when they felt powerless and afraid. In this case, it could be worse since she knew him.

She was already attracted to him and had been since that very first day. That would just magnify her feelings. She was so easy to read. Her face flushed when she was excited, and the pulse at her neck fluttered whenever he was near. His plan to keep her at arm’s length was crumbling like a house of cards. He couldn’t leave her alone and frightened, and after contending with a genuine ass on her porch, he wouldn’t subject her to more by reprising his role. That would be unbelievably cruel. But he worried she’d get that look in her eye again. The one that said she wanted him as badly as he did her. And this time, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist.

She picked up on his reluctance and looked away, but not before he saw the tears pooling in her eyes. “It’s late. I shouldn’t have asked—” Her voice broke, and she coughed to clear her throat before she finished. “I don’t want to keep you. You’ve gone way beyond neighborly.”

Looking down at her hands, she seemed suddenly aware of wringing them because she jerked them apart and promptly put them behind her back. “Will you lock the door on your way out?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Merry. Would you rather talk upstairs or in the living room?”

“Oh, I, um... Maybe we... I guess we could...” She clapped her mouth shut, halting her stammering.

He seized control of the situation and decided for her. “Go lie down. I’ll be up in a minute after I secure the house and we’ll talk. Maybe you’ll relax enough to drift off after a while.”

Once again, she didn’t object, allowing him to take charge of the situation.

“Before you go, do you have wine or anything stronger? A drink might settle your nerves.”

“There’s an unopened bottle of pink Moscato in the fridge. The corkscrew is in the drawer to the left.” She hesitated, biting her lip. “Maybe I should get it.”

“I’ll find it. Do as I say now, baby. Climb into bed and I’ll bring it right up.”

Fascinated, he watched as she nodded and moved off down the hall. The women he’d dated recently would have had a fit. Ashley without a doubt would have had his balls in a vise if he dared order her to bed for anything other than sex. Was Merry submissive or in shock? He’d have to do a bit more testing to find out.

Don’t get your hopes up, he cautioned himself as he strode to the kitchen. He’d been so certain in the past only to crash and burn, leaving himself frustrated and alone. He could be 110 percent sure with Merry, but still have to tread carefully.

Stepping into her bedroom a few moments later with a full glass of chilled wine, he found her in bed but wide awake. Moving restlessly while fussing with the covers, she was clearly still wired.

“Scoot over,” he ordered quietly as he motioned her across the bed. When she shifted, he kicked off his shoes and sat beside her, making himself comfortable with his back to the headboard, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles.

“Come up here next to me.” He helped stack two pillows behind her and, when she had settled, handed her the glass. “Sip this and try to relax.”

As she drank, he gave her bedroom a quick once-over and couldn’t help grinning at her girly lavender and lace decor. To beat it all, the white lacquered four-post bed had a canopy top. He looked down to find her watching him.

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