скачать книгу бесплатно
“I don’t want to go out with anyone. I like my life just as it is. I have the life I’ve always wanted, and I don’t need the hassle of going on dates and all that.” Was she overexplaining? Definitely. But now she couldn’t seem to stop. “And then there’s my mother...” Ava rolled her eyes so hard, she was lucky she didn’t fall over backward. “I don’t even want to get started on her. She’s a hopeless matchmaker.”
“Ava.” He said her name slowly, as though he enjoyed the way it tasted in his mouth. “You have to know that what you’re giving me here just sounds like a bunch of excuses for you not to have to take a chance with a guy.”
She really hated that he was pretty much right, so she dug up another objection. “Well, you have to know that my brother Tom hates you.” Tom used to work for Bravo Steelworks. It hadn’t ended well.
Dare studied his boots for a second or two, then glanced back up at her. “I wouldn’t say Tom hates me exactly.”
“But you have to admit he doesn’t like you very much.”
“Ava.” A weary little breath escaped him. “I don’t care what our families say. I don’t care what anyone says.”
“Well, I do care. I love them, all of them. Dearly. But they all think they know what’s good for me, and they simply don’t. I don’t want to go out because when I do, I never hear the end of it. So, well, if you and I were to, um, start seeing each other, I wouldn’t want anyone to know, okay?” She backed up and dropped to the edge of the bed behind her. “Actually, I would prefer it if you didn’t even know.”
A low chuckle escaped him. “You’re a difficult woman, you know that? You always have been.”
“Which only proves you should show some good sense and stop chasing me all over your sister’s house.”
“But I like chasing you.” God. The way he said that. Rough and low, with enough heat to make her feel she might burst into flame. He held her gaze for a long count of five. Electricity seemed to arc in the still air between them. “And I know you’re offering something. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
Her throat clutched when he said that, and she realized he was right. She did want to offer him something: herself. Just for the holidays, just between the two of them.
Was there any chance he would go for something like that—and if he would, did she really want to follow through on it?
As she considered the very real possibility that she’d lost her mind due to long-term sexual deprivation, Darius left off leaning on the door and came closer. She watched him approach, her skin all prickly with awareness, her breath coming a little too shallow and too fast.
The bed dipped slightly as he sat beside her. “All right,” he said. “If not dinner and a movie, then what?”
She turned her head, met his eyes—and put it right out there. “I just want a man for Christmas, okay? No strings, no dates, nobody else knowing about it. Just a Christmas fling. You, me and the holidays. And we’re over and done on January 1.”
Chapter Three (#uf7dd171b-e02a-5333-88bd-8343b087be82)
There was a moment that stretched into forever. Darius stared into her eyes. She knew he would look away any second.
But he never did.
She broke first with a low cry. “Oh, God.” She face-palmed, because what else could a girl do at a moment like this? “Is that tacky and awful?”
“Not awful in the least,” he said gently. Evenly. “Look at me, Ava.” He waited until she lifted her head and faced him again. “You’re on.”
As she gaped at him in equal parts wonder and disbelief, there was a tap on the door. “Dinner in five,” called a woman’s voice. Ava wasn’t sure who. And what did it matter who called them to dinner?
Nothing seemed real. She’d just made a deal with Darius Bravo to have a Christmas affair.
Darius called, “Be right out.” And footsteps sounded, moving away from the door. He asked, “You okay?”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” She made herself stand, though her knees felt like rubber bands.
Before she could turn and race to the door, he caught her hand. “We’re not finished here.”
She gave a slight tug, but he didn’t release her. Her skin felt on fire where he touched her. “I...have to check on Sylvie. Make sure her hands are washed before dinner.”
“I’ll help.”
A weak laugh escaped her. “Really. I can manage. Just...let me go.”
That did it. He released her, and she felt a sharp stab of regret as the connection broke.
Oh, she was a mess. She never should have told him her fantasy, never should have asked him to participate in it with her. Never should have even let him lead her into this room.
There were so many nevers running through her mind right now—starting with how she never should have said she’d be waiting for him naked.
Really, she didn’t like herself much at the moment. She was acting like the kind of woman she despised, one of those girls who crooked her finger at a man with one hand and showed him the flat of her palm with the other. A c’mere, c’mere—get away, get away kind of girl.
“Ava.”
“Mmm?”
“It’s going to be fine,” he promised. “Better than fine.” How could he possibly know that? “We’ll talk more later.”
She should tell him never mind, should speak up right now and say, Forget it. I lost my mind for a second there, but I’m all better now...
But then he instructed gently, “Go on. See about Sylvie.”
And she thought how he was a much better guy than she used to give him credit for, that he was not only killer-hot, but also tender, sweet and funny—and maybe she should have given him a chance all those years and years ago. Truly, if she wanted a man for the holidays and he wanted to be that man for her, well, why shouldn’t they both get what they wanted for Christmas this year?
“Go now,” he warned, teasing and low. “Or I’m coming with you.”
That did it. She turned and left him sitting there.
* * *
The rest of the afternoon and early evening went by without another word shared between her and Darius. They sat across and down from each other at the long dining room table, which was so packed with Bravos everyone had to be careful to tuck their elbows in close to their sides. The food was amazing. Clara put apples and chestnuts in the stuffing and a combination of spices that had everyone coming around for seconds and thirds.
Twice, Ava caught Dare watching her. But as soon as she met his eyes, he just smiled and looked away. She tried to forget about those moments in the upstairs bedroom, to put all that from her mind and enjoy Thanksgiving with the Bravos, but she kept zoning out during conversations.
Nell asked her twice if something was bothering her. Both times, she denied it.
The second time, Nell tossed her thick head of ginger hair and laughed. “Liar.” She leaned close. “I’m always a phone call away if you want to talk about it—whatever it is.”
Really, Ava was grateful to have a friend like Nell, who might be nosy and bossy, but who also really cared. “Thanks, Nell. You’re the best.”
During dessert, as they chowed down on absolutely perfect pumpkin pie with heavy dollops of freshly whipped cream, Elise Bravo announced her engagement to Jed Walsh, the world-famous thriller writer, who’d returned to Justice Creek the year before after almost twenty years away. Clara and Dalton brought out champagne, and Jed got up and made a really beautiful toast to his bride-to-be, one that had them all laughing through happy tears.
And finally, after the dessert was cleared away, most everyone lingered to visit a little longer. Dalton took Kiera off for her bath, and Sylvie and Annabelle played “Super Mario Kart” with Darius and Annabelle’s dad, Quinn. Then the two girls went back upstairs for more fun in their fort.
At eight, when Ava went up to tell Sylvie it was time to go home, she found them both sound asleep in the cave of blankets. Gently, she folded back the covers and gathered her daughter into her arms. Chloe appeared then, looking for Annabelle. They carried the girls back down.
Sylvie fussed as Ava coaxed her into her coat and hat and then went right back to sleep as soon as Ava picked her up again. Clara appeared, and Ava gave her a one-armed hug of thanks as she went out the door.
Outside, a light snow was falling. Ava tipped her head up to the dark sky and caught a snowflake on her tongue. She thought of Darius, and the strangest sort of calm settled over her.
Sylvie sighed in her arms. Ava gathered her closer and moved on to the car.
* * *
Half an hour later, just as she finished putting Sylvie to bed, her cell phone rang.
It was Darius. “Just checking to see that you got home all right.”
“We’re here. We’re fine.”
“You certainly are.”
She laughed. “I’m not even going to ask who gave you my number.”
“Like it’s a state secret. I think there’s a stack of your business cards at every restaurant and shop in town.” It was true. She left a trail of business cards wherever she went, and she’d acquired more than one customer because they’d grabbed her card at a checkout counter. “Okay.” All of a sudden, he sounded grim. “You’re too quiet. Don’t you dare back out on me, Ava.”
“I’m not.” She realized she meant it. The calm that had settled over her when she carried her daughter out Clara’s front door had followed her home. “No stalling, I promise. We’re making this happen.”
“Come out to my place.” He owned a beautiful piece of property a few miles from town—or at least, his sisters claimed it was beautiful. She’d never been there.
And she wasn’t ready to go there quite yet. “Tomorrow,” she said, without stopping to think it through. “I’m spending the morning finishing up the staging of a house for Chloe. It’s out at that new Starview development, a Bravo Construction house. You take Mountainview west and—”
“I know where it is. What time?”
She would be there good and early and hoped to have everything done by lunchtime. “Noon?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great—I mean, good. I mean...”
“Ava.” His voice was like raw honey dripping fresh from the comb.
“Uh, yeah?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. Good. Perfect.” She heard a click on the line, and he was gone.
* * *
The next day, Sylvie’s sitter arrived at 8:30 a.m., so Ava got to the Starview house before nine.
Chloe had all the room plans uploaded to a private-access area of her website. She’d also come in early yesterday, unwrapped all the late-arriving stuff and had even gotten most of the furniture, art and accessories moved to the various rooms where each would be used. The beds, bureaus, larger tables and cabinets were all in place in each of the rooms.
And the three Christmas trees—one in the living room, one on the dining room sideboard and another in the family room—were up and fully decorated. Ava loved that Chloe had put such time and care into the Christmas stuff. Seasonal touches made potential buyers feel at home—and that was the whole point. Whoever finally bought this house had to experience it as the home they’d been looking for. Toward that end, Chloe had also provided acres of lighted garlands and some serious holiday table decor, which Ava would deal with today.
She turned up the heat a little, made a pot of coffee, plugged her old iPod into the dock Chloe had left on a side table and cranked up the Christmas tunes. Via her tablet, she accessed the room plans and got right to work.
By eleven thirty she had everything done. She stood in the beautiful living room with its giant Christmas tree that reached all the way to the vaulted ceiling and longed for a shower. Hanging pictures, draping garlands and moving chairs around was sweaty work. Her stomach growled with hunger.
And in half an hour, Darius would arrive to have sex with her.
Seriously, what had she been smoking to decide they should meet here and now?
She swiped a sweaty curl of hair off her forehead and pictured herself trying to seduce Darius all sticky from a hard morning’s work as her stomach rumbled, demanding lunch. What was up with her? Usually, she thought of everything. But today, she couldn’t even remember to bring a sandwich.
Her inexperience with casual sex was definitely showing. She had no time to go grab a burger or to run home for a quick shower.
Then again, she had hung gorgeous, thick designer towels in each of the bathrooms. And if, say, she was to pop into the shower for a quick rinse and then to use one of those pretty towels to dry off, she could easily take that towel home, run it through the washer and bring it back tomorrow with no one the wiser.
Ava headed for the master bath fast, before she had a chance to rethink the appropriateness of any of this. By ten of twelve, she’d cleaned up a little, wiped down the shower, primped her hair and makeup and carried the soggy towel out to her Suburban so she wouldn’t forget to take it home with her.
At a minute before noon, the doorbell rang.
Utterly breathless with her heart in her throat, she opened the door to him. He had a big white Dairy Queen bag and a box with two large soft drinks propped up in it. His face was freshly shaved, and he wore a shearling jean jacket over a gray sweater and a plaid shirt, blue jeans and lace-up work boots.
She couldn’t decide which looked better—him or that white Dairy Queen bag, which gave off the incomparable aroma of burgers and fries. “You brought lunch,” she whispered in wonder.
One wide shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “You said I wasn’t allowed to take you out, and I thought you might be hungry.” His breath plumed in the cold air.
“I’m starving.”
“Well, good then. Cheeseburgers, fries and two Cokes.”
“I worship you.”
He grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
She peered past his shoulder. “Where’s your F-150?” She stepped back to let him in.
He followed her to the open-plan kitchen. “You said no one could know. I thought, what if some random family member showed up and saw my truck? So I left it around the corner.”
“You’re clearly quite the expert at sneaking around.”
“That, I don’t like the sound of much.” At the breakfast nook table, he set down the bag and the box of drinks, hung his jacket on the back of a chair and sat down.
She took the chair across from him. “About the sneaking around, I meant it in the best possible way.”
“Right.” He tore open the bag and distributed the burgers and fries. She grabbed one of the sodas and had a long, lovely sip. “So good. Thank you.”
“Eat.”
So she did. For several delicious minutes, neither of them spoke as they demolished the food.
Eventually he remarked on the Christmas music and all the decorations. “Nice house. And definitely holiday ready.”
“Nell and Garrett build them right.”
