Page 93 of The Christmas Holiday
Liv’s eyes got wide. Sandeep sucked in air between his teeth.
‘You wouldn’t?’
Hunter pulled a face that didn’t convince me of that.
Liv grabbed her phone from her pocket and clasped it to her. ‘I take it back. You’re a monster.’
Hunter laughed, dropped a kiss on the top of her head and began walking to the exit, Sandeep now beside him, having already shoved his feet into trainers. ‘Hurry up or we’ll be leaving without you,’ Hunter called back, throwing a wink. Liv stuck her tongue out and sat down to pull her boots on. She flicked her eyes to me momentarily.
‘I didn’t interrupt anything earlier, did I? My backsidewas killing me and I just blurted out, but when I looked up, Hunter looked sort of…’
‘What?’
‘I’m not sure. It’s hard to describe because I’ve never seen him like that before.’
I picked up the gloves she’d dropped and passed them over. ‘Here. Don’t lose these. I’ve already misplaced mine tonight. And honestly, Liv, you didn’t interrupt anything. I promise. He’d actually just finishedtelling me how impossible I was. That’s all.’
‘Hunter always did like a challenge.’ Her eyes twinkled like the fairy lights around us, but they were full of mischief.
‘Not this challenge. And stop stirring.’ I pulled her to her feet, and she linked her arm through mine.
‘Sorry.’
‘Are you?’
‘Not really.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ I laughed.
‘But you two—’
‘Are over,’I finished for her.
Olivia looked across at me, then let out a sigh. As the men saw us approach, Hunter spied a cab and stuck out a hand. The taxi slowed, its tyres making a slushy noise against the recently fallen snow as it pulled across the street and idled at the kerb waiting for us all to pile in. Sandeep gave the driver the name of the hotel and we chugged off towards it.
I rubbedmy hands together and then rammed them between my knees.
‘Didn’t you have gloves earlier?’ Hunter asked.
‘Yes. I think I managed to leave them somewhere. I’ll have to shoot out tomorrow morning and get some more, especially if this snow keeps up.’ I rubbed the steamed-up window with the side of my hand and watched for a moment as the snow floated down, catching on everything in its path,slowly coating it all in glittering white.
I jumped as Hunter’s hands encircled my wrists. Gently, he pulled my hands out from where I was trying to warm them.
‘Here,’ he said, pulling off his gloves and taking my hands within his large warm ones. ‘Christ, they’re freezing. Why didn’t you say? You could have borrowed my gloves!’
I frowned at him. ‘Because then you’d have been cold.’
‘I’d have preferred it that way round.’ His eyes were on me and that look was doing more for my body temperature right now than anything else.
The taxi slowed and Hunter’s gaze pulled away, along with his hands, as we all emptied out of the taxi. Liv hooked my arm and scooted me in towards the lobby as Hunter held back, waiting for Sandeep as he paid the cab driver.
‘What?’ I asked,laughing as she motored me into the warmth of the hotel.
‘One, I’m bloody freezing. And two, are you really sure you two are over?’
I halted our progress. ‘Yes. Definitely.’
‘So what was all that in the cab?’
