Page 35 of Snowed In With the Maverick
It was nice, having Seth there to decorate with her. The boxes with all of her parents’ Christmas decorations had lived in her condo storage unit for so many years. She hadn’t bothered to decorate at that time, given how much time she was spending at work, or at school.
The year she’d been with Harold, he’d been so insistent they’d spent the holidays at his place that even though a fresh Douglas fir would have looked so beautiful in her condo, it just hadn’t seemed worth it since she’d never be there to enjoy it.
Now, being with Seth, the nostalgia of her childhood mixed with the perfection of the man on the other side of the tree—it was idyllic in a way she didn’t know what to do with.
After about ten minutes, they reached the bottom of the box, and Seth handed Andrea the sparkly gold star topper.
She pushed the ottoman over closer to the tree, stepped up on it, then reached up and placed the star on the spindly top branch.
“Okay,” she said, accepting Seth’s hand to help her down. A spark of energy shot through her at the firmness of his grip and the warmth of his skin. The presence of his calluses reminded her that this was a man who worked a ranch. “Will you do the honors?”
Seth smiled, and Andrea’s stomach bottomed out. “Happy to,” he said. He took the end of the electrical cord in his hand, then plugged it into the socket nearest to the tree.
The vintage lights filled the space with a warm glow, and Andrea felt a lump forming in her throat, memories of her childhood Christmases flooding into her mind.
“What do you think?” Seth asked.
We’d better find something else to decorate,Andrea thought. “Looks nice,” she said instead.
Seth motioned to the other unopened boxes. “What else can we do? Might as well keep on going.”
Andrea opened the second box, which had a table runner, a snow globe and, wrapped in paper towels, all the individual pieces of the Christmas village set she’d collected over the years. “What do you think?” she said. “Have you had it with small towns yet?”
“They’re my favorite kind,” Seth said.
They pulled out each individual piece, and arranged them on the mantel, considering the placement of the different structures.
“The general store should go in the middle,” said Seth. “People think town halls are the most important. But the store is really the hub.”
“Agreed,” said Andrea. “And the library should really tie for center stage.”
“Don’t forget the coffee shop,” said Seth.
“Oh wait,” Andrea said. She rummaged through the cardboard both, then extracted the little extra piece and set it in front. “The specials board.”
“And look at that,” said Seth. “It’s advertising apple cider.”
He was so close that Andrea could make out the slightest hint of stubble on his smooth skin. The small cleft in his jaw.
She wanted him. Badly.
For a moment, she allowed the fantasy to play out in her mind. Seth’s arms around her again, this time with no one else around. His lips on hers, bodies pressed together in his firm embrace. A whole night with no interruptions.
But then what? She was finally in a place, after two terrible years, where she felt strong and independent and like herself again. She had quite literally changed her life after the rug was pulled out from under her. Was she really going to sacrifice that feeling of self-sufficiency, of unfettered independence, just because of a raging crush on the first attractive man she’d met since moving to town?
She needed to play the long game. The safe game. The all-about-Andrea game.
But with his smoldering gaze, broad shoulders and whatever the hell type of cologne that had invaded her space—well, he sure wasn’t making it easy.
“You okay?” Seth said, a glint of interest in his eyes.
Andrea nodded, although she was very much not okay. She was under Seth’s spell, and even her fierce determination and self-control really had no defense for the perfection of the man in front of her, and the pleasure she was certain he’d give to her if she gave in.
“You sure? You seem a little…distant.”
And she was, as distant as possible under the circumstances. But when Seth shifted from where he was standing, and plucked the miniature easel from her hand, the swift brush of warm skin on warm skin igniting a cascade of pleasure that whispered from her hand right down to her core, the crack deepened, and Andrea knew that no matter what kind of bargaining that was going on in her brain, her body now was in full control. And it was time for her to give in.
She opened her mouth to deny once again the feelings that Seth was so observantly picking up on. But just as she was able to tell him the truth, that she was indeed scared, because of how much she wanted him and how much that desire threatened to undo her, the lights cut out, and the room was blanketed in darkness.
