Page 73 of Unwrapped

“Walking the cat.”

“Walking the cat?”

“Yeah. What’s your problem?”

“What’s yours?”

“Ugh! Stop repeating my question with the same question. It’s so annoying!”

I stomp my foot forgetting I’m at the edge of a shoveled path. I slip, falling backward.

“Oooffffff!” Flailing, I fall through layers of fluffy, white ice some falls on my face.

A large, gloved hand reaches down. “Take it.”

I don’t want to. Touching him is like falling even when he’s helping me up. I shift my body, grimacing at the wet snow at my back. Looking anywhere but at his face, I tentatively reach up and place my hand in his.

I’m hauled out in a nano-second.

My hands quickly brush the clinging snow from my pants but some soaked right in. “You missed some…right…here.” The brush of his bare hand on my cheek has me jumping back as if it burns. “Careful.” His arms snags me before I fall all over again.

“What is it with you today? It’s not like I haven’t touched you before.”

I gasp, remembering just how his hands have touched me.

The clearing of a throat has me turning around.

Sally stands two feet behind us staring back and forth at the two of us. Her arms are filled with shopping bags.

“Here. Let me take those.” I move toward her but Dare beats me to it.

“I was just unlocking the door as you crashed into me. I’ve got it.”

Scooping up the mama cat, I race back into the house. My heart’s pounding hard. How am I going to survive Christmas? When just standing near the man nearly does me in?

I place the mama cat in the box with her loves and race upstairs, closing my door firmly, I strip my wet clothes and fill the old, claw footed tub high with steamy water and bath crystals before I slide in and shut my eyes.

I need a plan. A good one. It’s him or me. Both of us can’t stay. It was stupid to think I could when casual sex has never been on my menu.

I stay submersed in the tub watching the snow start to fall again. My skin’s pruned and wrinkled, the water lukewarm. “I can’t hide in here forever.”

“No but you can try.”

“EEEK!” I grab a towel, wrapping it around me. “Get out! Don’t you understand boundaries at all!”

“Relax! I just came to tell you Sally has lunch ready.”

“My door was locked.”

“As if that could keep me out.”

My shoulders sag. “I changed my mind, Dare. We’re both stuck here for the holidays nothing more.” I study the drops of water dripping from me to the tile floor. His tips up my chin with his finger, studying my eyes, my face. With a sigh he steps back, turns and walks out shutting the door to my suite softly.

My balled fists want to pound the wall. But they don’t. Instead I get dressed, blow dry my air and paste the fake smile on my face that I’ve worn for years. The one I wear for the world, trying to convince everyone I’m fine.

19

DARE

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