Page 17 of Everything Christmas

“Oh my god!” she whispered, her face draining of color.

“This is why you don’t go out with strange men. And you sure as hell don’t get in a car alone with them and let them drive you home. At the very least, he’s a mean drunk that beats on women. It’s a damn lucky thing I took out the trash when I did.”

He fell silent, imagining the worst.

“Since I’ve known you, it’s been one reckless action after another. Opening doors without checking, disregarding your safety by neglecting your car, going out with strange men...”

“Hanging flower baskets and piling up trash by the curb?”

Reese wasn’t amused, and her little joke fell flat. “I’m serious.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned in, placing a hand on either side of her hips. Using his size to intimidate was unfair, but he didn’t care. Right now, it was important she learn this lesson.

“This is going to sound sexist, but I think you’re one of those women who needs a man in her life. The lack of one is exactly why you keep getting into trouble.”

He waited for the explosion, counting off the seconds in his head. By the time he got to ten, he realized it wasn’t coming. Looking into her beautiful eyes, he didn’t see anger and outrage, but the shimmer of tears once again.

“You’re right. Ever since my dad passed, I’ve been at loose ends. I can run a successful business, but I can’t seem to get my personal life together.” She lowered her gaze and spoke to her hands in her lap, which had a ferocious white-knuckled grip on the covers. “Dad was always the one to worry about me and fuss over my safety. When I lived at home, he insisted on meeting the boys I went out with. I had a curfew until I was twenty-one, for goodness’ sake. Now, I can’t do anything right. It’s been four months and I’ve still got boxes to unpack in my living room. Dad would have had a fit about that. If he saw the mess in the front hall, he’d freak out because it was a fire hazard or something.”

“He’d be right. If there were a fire, they’d go up in a second and would be a trip hazard if the house filled up with smoke.”

She smiled slightly. “That’s exactly what he would say. He used to take care of my car, too. If he knew I drove around with brake fluid leaking out, he would have taken a paddle to my—” Her hand flew to her mouth, stopping her words, clearly horrified by what she had revealed.

“He’d have blistered your butt, huh?”

When she didn’t answer, he tugged her hand away from her gaping mouth. Moving closer, both arms bracketing her body, with her essentially trapped between him and the headboard, he pressed for an answer.

“What would your father have done after what happened tonight, Merry? The poor judgement and your total disregard for your safety, I mean.”

With her cheeks bright red, she turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. But Reese wouldn’t allow her to shut him out. His hand captured her chin, and gently but firmly turned it back, until she was nose to nose with him.

“Baby, look at me.”

While waiting for her to comply, he studied the rigid set of her jaw, her tense shoulders clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. But if she expected him to cut her some slack, she was wrong. Pressing her for information about her family and the kind of parents she had would help him determine if she could accept his own old-fashioned beliefs.

When her pretty green eyes finally met his, he asked her again, “What would he have done about your behavior tonight?”

“He would have, um... I guess...” Her voice lowered to a whisper as she finally spit it out. “He would have taken his belt to me, I’m certain. And, for my stupidity, I’d have deserved every lick.”

Her chin dropped to her chest, and although he couldn’t see more than the top of her head, he was sure it mortified her to share such an intimate detail.

“I’d have liked your dad. He sounds a lot like me.”

Merry’s head whipped up, and her jaw dropped open. “But you’re a cop.”

“I’m a cop because I believe in rules and order and justice. The woman I’m with would have clear expectations about what a relationship with me would entail. And agree with it, or we wouldn’t be in a relationship. If you and I were a couple, and you kept up this reckless streak, I’d have you over my knee, showing you the error of your ways.” Leaning forward, he closed her mouth with a gentle lift of his finger beneath her chin. He followed it with a tender brush of his lips against hers. “Consider that a warning, Merry.”

Reese stood at that point and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. He turned the screen toward her for a face ID. After a series of beeps and a few slides of his fingers, he put it back down and stretched out beside her once again.

“You’ve got my numbers now.”

“Um, Reese. Maybe we should talk about this.”

“Nope. We’re done talking for tonight.” He wrapped his arm around her and snuggled her up against his side. “Close your eyes.”

“What will you be doing?”

“Watching over a mischievous little elf until she falls asleep.”

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