Page 33 of A Little Christmas Jericho
Colter looked at me, his brows furrowed, but he waited for my mirth to die down.
"You realise," I gasped out when I finally caught my breath, "that you now always have averygood reason not to let your mom set you up with someone at all those fundraisers?"
Colter’s laugh rumbled through his chest. “Nowthatmight be the most amazing Christmas gift I've ever received. I can already picture it. I'll tell her I'm living with a man with four freeloading dependents.”
I grinned, wiping at the corner of my eye. “Hey, they earn their keep. Emotional support, entertainment, chaos. Really, if you think about it, it’s a full-time job.”
“Mm.” He leaned in, brushing a kiss against my lips. “And you, baby? You’re the best kind of chaos I’ve ever let into my life.”
My throat tightened. I looked up at the tree—ourtree now—glowing softly in the corner of the room, and then back at him.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything. For making me feel safe, caring for my pets, and mostly… for letting me stay.”
He tilted my chin up gently until our eyes met. “You’re notstaying, Jericho. You’rehome.”
The next kiss he planted on me was absolutely perfect. Demanding, sexy, hungry, and claiming.
Chapter 20
As excited as I was about moving in with Colter, the big bulk of it would have to wait until after the holidays. After Christmas he had a couple of back-to-back shifts, and I couldn't very well push my friends to help with the move over the busiest family time of the year.
Which meant that until I could move all my stuff in, I would have to either make do with what I had packed in my mad dash to get to Colter's place or do a quick trip home so I could get what I needed.
The problem with that was that Colter had to go into the clinic for an emergency as he was on call, so he couldn't go with me, and I really didn't want to go alone.
I knew it was in the middle of the day, in a busy neighborhood, and nothing was likely to happen, especially two days before Christmas, but that didn't stop the paranoia clawing at me when I even justthoughtabout going there alone.
But dammit. I wanted a few more outfits, and there were a few games and toys that I didn't bring over in my rush.
I huffed out another annoyed breath, kicking my leg up and down drawing Daisy's attention. She slowly got up from the dog bed Colter had gotten her and lumbered over to me to lay her head on my knee. Large, soulful eyes stared at me as she let out a long sigh.
Without a thought, my hand reached over and stroked my special girl's ears and I watched as her eyes fell closed at the casual contact.
She was such a soft, mushy, anxious creature for a dog of her size.
A dog of her size.
Okay... so maybe she wasn't ferocious, vicious or particularly mean, but she sure looked it. So why couldn't I just take her with me? Why couldn't I just take Daisy as a buffer between me and the scary place my old home had become?
In the end, the need to grab my things won out. I clipped on her leash and told her we were going on a little adventure. She wagged her tail like I'd just promised her a T-bone instead of a trip to our old home.
The drive over was mercifully short, but my stomach was in knots by the time I parked outside. Everything looked the same, but it felt wrong. The kind of wrong that gave you chills... and not the good kind.
"Just a quick in and out," I told Daisy as we reached the front door. "Quick as possible."
Inside, the place smelled a bit musty after being closed up for a few days. More than that, itfeltabandoned.
A faint chill crept in from the damaged doorframe, the splintered wood still marked with the police tape from where they'd secured it.
I moved through the rooms fast, gathering a few clothes, my console, a couple of sentimental things I couldn't live withoutany longer. Daisy stayed close the entire time, my special girl knowing exactly when she was needed.
I was zipping up my duffel bag when the front door creaked open.
My heart stopped.
And then a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Wow," Oscar said, his tone a mockery of surprise. "You're off your leash, then? Where's the big bad vet you've been leaching off of?"
