Page 81 of The Heart Shot
At her tone, my eyes snapped to hers. There was no amusement on her face, and I wondered what experience made her dislike surprises.
“Well, this is a good one.” I forced lightness into my tone, nudging her arm with my elbow.
Elsie crossed her arms, leaning away from me.
Well then.
I was not an insecure person. I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was a good guy, and I was confident—not cocky. Even so, her coldness had doubt inching under my skin like a knife. I thought we had moved past this.
Ten minutes later, we pulled up to my house, silence descending as I turned off the truck. I felt the need to say something, to reassure her somehow, but I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure how to crack her cold facade and get to the warmth and laughter from the other night.
Clearing my throat, I walked around to open the door for her, and she slid out of the cab, ignoring the hand I had offered to help her down. I stared at my outreached hand, brows lowered.
“Is something wrong, Elsie?”
“No,” was all she said before she turned on her heel and headed for the front door.
Running a hand through my hair, I blew out a breath.Later,I told myself. We could talk about whatever was bothering her later. There would be plenty of time for it. First, I wanted to get her inside, out of the cold, and surprise her with what I had planned for the evening.
Unlocking the door, I pulled her inside, and led her straight into the kitchen. Luna bounced around our feet, happy to see us. Eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and bottles upon bottles of decorative icing were laid out on the counter. Luna circled us, tongue lolling and tail wagging.
Elsie’s eyes widened as she patted Luna on the head. “And what are we doing with all that?”
“Having a bake-off of course.”
Her brows inched up her forehead. “What?”
I grinned. “We’re going to bake cookies and decorate them. Whoever has the best ones wins.”Something akin to happiness flashed across her eyes before she mastered it, hiding it away. “And then we’ll take all of them, both ugly and pretty.” I paused as she let out a small laugh and my insides melted at the sound. “And eat all the cookies our stomachs can handle.”
This time, Elsie didn’t try to fight her smile. “This is…not what I expected for a date,” she admitted.
“What were you expecting? Noise? Lots of people?”
She narrowed her eyes but nodded.
I stepped closer, putting her between me and the counter. “But you don’t really like that, do you?” Her throat bobbed as I pinned her between my arms. “You prefer simple, quiet nights in, don’t you?”
“How do you know that?” she whispered, eyes glistening.
I brushed her hair over her shoulder, my fingers trailing across her neck, and I didn’t miss the way her pulse stuttered beneath my touch. “I see you, Elsie.”
A shuddering breath slipped through her lips as I pulled her into my arms, relaxing as shefinallymelted against me.
“Besides, I’d rather have you all to myself tonight. No distractions.”
She tilted her head back to look at me. “What about dinner?”
“Cookiesaredinner,” I deadpanned.
A wide grin spread across her face, and I had that ecstatic lightweight feeling, like when I brought Luna home for the first time and knew I was no longer alone.
“I wholeheartedly agree with this plan,” she finally admitted, eyeing the cookie ingredients on the counter.
“Shall we get started?” I said, leaning in to whisper against her ear, eliciting a shiver from her.I opened a drawer and pulled out a bunch of cookie cutters in various shapes, though most of them were Christmas themes: trees, stars, a few leaf shapes, and a snowman.
She arched a brow. “Christmas cookies in October?”
I shrugged. “There’s never a wrong time for Christmas cookies.”
