Page 8 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“Fair. I like a yule log.”

“Basic.”

“Alright then, what’s yours?”

“Trifle.”

“The fuck is that?” Rook snorted.

“Fruit, cake, jam, sweet custard, and cream. What’s not to love?” I pointed at him with my fork. “Don’t judge me when you’ve got basic bitch chocolate cake taste buds.”

“A yule log isn’t chocolate cake.”

“Itbasicallyis because you havebasictaste, but don’t worry, I’m not judging.”

“Oh, I can tell.”

Then, for the first time in memory, Rook smiled. It was a small curl of his lips, but his entire face seemed to melt with warmth. It was gone as soon as it appeared, but it was amazing to see, and my fluttering heart skipped another beat.

“Why are you single?” I asked boldly.

Rook didn’t even flinch. “No one wants to date a soldier.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. Soldiers are a fantasy in theory, but in reality? Well, you said it yourself. Not a lot of personality remains under that mask.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” I said, setting down my fork. “I think you just need a safe place to admit what’s there—a place that isn’t like where you created the mask in the first place.”

“Are you trying to analyze me?” Rook tilted his head slightly.

“Maybe.” I smirked. “I’m taking notes.” Satisfied, I pushed my chair away from the table and stood. “I’m tired. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Have fun.” His gaze returned to his plate, and as I watched him, a daring thought stole through my mind.

Was it too risky to ask him?

One wrong move and he could vanish, quit because I came on too strong, or worse, tell my father.

Not that he needed more reason to be disappointed in me.

With a flick of my wrist up my shirt, I unclasped my bra and pulled it through my sleeves. Then I tossed it onto the table an inch from his plate.

Rook froze for a second, and then he slowly looked up.

“You should join me,” I said as my heart raced. “It’s been a hell of a day.”

4

ROOK

Her invitation was daring and so wrong that my first thought was to ignore her. Maybe it was a delayed response to the attack in the store or she was battling some anxiety over being in this strange place.

The way she had pressed me for details about myself made me wonder if she was just seeking a distraction, and that could be what this was now—a distraction from what happened and what it could mean for the next time she took a trip outside.

Her bra landed on the table an inch from my plate. It was pale yellow with cornflower blue flower petals decorating each cup. I couldn’t take my eyes off it for a long moment, unable to process what she was doing. When I looked up at Kitty, she had this knowing smile gracing her lips. Then she winked at me and headed out the door, leaving it wide open.

The bathroom was two doors down, with the bedroom in between, but the click when the shower turned on was so audible that I knew she had left that door open, too.

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