Page 51 of Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That At Christmas
Like me.
Adam is quiet, still standing near the window, leash in hand, like he’s waiting for instructions I don’t know how to give.The morning light catches on his jawline, highlighting the stubble I felt against my skin hours ago.One night shouldn’t make my clinical detachment malfunction this badly.
“I can take the floor,” he says finally, his voice carrying that measured control that reminds me of how doctors deliver complicated news.“If that makes this easier.”
“Nope.”The word comes out sharper than I intend, my own defenses rising.
“The mattress, then, that Sally will bring.”His eyes meet mine, studying me with the same careful attention he’d give to a chart with concerning lab results.
“We’ll see.I can take the mattress.”I adjust my towel, suddenly aware of how little it covers.
He doesn’t move toward me.
I don’t move toward him.
The space between us is filled with what we didn’t say last night.And everything we still don’t know how to say now.My brain helpfully diagnoses the condition: emotional constipation with a side of potentially chronic stubbornness.
And apparently we’re getting more time for… I don’t know what at this point.Nothing?Yep.Nothing.we’ve moved from a Dateline holiday special to a full-blown Lifetime Christmas movie.Complete with dogs, emotional backstory, and one stupidly attractive vet who makes Dante feel like a second-rate book boyfriend.
Not that I’m the lead.
Obviously.
I don’t catch feelings.This isn’t a seasonal cold.
Chapter sixteen
PART TWO
ONEMONTH.ALMOST-KISSES.SEX.AND, AGAINST ALL ODDS, FEELINGS.OH, AND NOBODY IS PERFECT.
Amanda:Sex makes everything more complicated.Even not having it, because the not having it...makes it complicated.
Graham:That's why it's better to have it...some say.
The Holiday
Chapter seventeen
ADAM
Thisisn'twhatIplanned, but I can't let the animals here down.So what if that gives me a tighter timeline once I get to Sandwich Bay?I've handled worse.
And if staying means more time with Eve...well, that's not exactly a hardship, is it?
Me
Tell Megan I'm not leaving yet.I'll make sure to spend time with her.Tree lightning?
Wes
Will do.I'm sure you're helping someone by staying longer.But hey, maybe this time you won't miss your goodbye party.
"Yes, Mom.I'll let you know.Tell Dad I love him, too."Eve hangs up the phone, but despite the warmth in her tone, her smile isn't all there.
With her hair up in a bun and the dogs taken care of, her movements turn precise, focused, like she's prepping for surgery rather than getting dressed.
When I brush my fingers against her waist as I reach for my shirt, she shifts away, her shoulders tensing.Her pulling back would've stung worse than Mama Bear's claws if I hadn't noticed how she couldn't stop looking down my chest, her teeth catching briefly on her lower lip.My stomach clenches and my cock stiffens to say hello, not the only part of me not immune to her.That "one night" rule isn't about keeping me at a distance because she doesn't want me.It's about protecting herself from what we both know is happening between us.
