Page 37 of A Christmas Auction

“For being a grumpy asshole to Colin?” My eyebrows rose, wondering if I was warm or cold.

“Again, no.”

“For flirting with me nonstop.” I picked up a French fry and ate it.

He chuckled.

“For…”

“Holly baby, stop talking.”

“Well now you should be sorry for that because…rude!” I grumbled.

Bruno’s head dropped as he half-sighed half-laughed. “You’re going to be the death of me,” his sparkling brown eyes found mine. “But what a way to go.”

I shoved at his shoulder. “Shut up. I believe you were apologizing to me…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you before you got hit by that deranged fan. I should have clocked that wacko, but it’s a new type of threat I wasn’t expecting. I haven’t had experience protecting celebrities. My work usually deals with corporate security, extractions, government contracts and a whole host of activities that walk the line of being legal. Colin’s guards said the event was safe on the way over. Promised me up and down that the event had a surplus of security. I trusted them.” His mouth twisted into a grimace. “I shouldn’t have. There is no world in which you should be getting hurt when I’m within ten feet of you. That will never happen again. I swear on my life, Holly.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened to me is not on you. They should have been better prepared. You saved me.”

He looked away, seemingly not able to look me in the eye. I reached over my plate and put my hand to his cheek. “It’s your turn to look at me, Mister.”

I could see his jaw firm as he clenched his teeth. A dark lock of hair curled over his forehead as he turned his head to face me, making him seem boyish and younger than his thirty-four years. It did not, however, distract me from how handsome he was.

“None of this is on you. Please listen to me when I say this. None of what happened to me is your fault. You’re the only person that has been in my corner through all of it. Thank you for taking care of me. I feel safe when I’m with you. You give that to me, and the only people that ever made me feel secure have been my parents. So, thank you, Bruno.”

He gave a solemn tip of his lips. “We should eat.”

“Oh my God, yes we should!” I picked up my burger and took a monster bite.

“Damn girl, you sure can eat. I’m used to women ordering salads and picking at their food. You eat with gusto.” He reached out and booped the tip of my nose. “I like it. You’re honest. In a town full of a whole lot of fake, you’re the real deal, Holly Knight.”

He got up and brought a Coke over and set it on my end table. There was a little bottle of Maker’s Mark right next to it. “You get one for now. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to drink after a head injury, so take it easy.”

“’K,” I mumbled around my food. Then he went and got his own plate and fully loaded whiskey, again rude, before coming back to settle on the other side of the bed. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

A movie I recognized and loved appeared on the screen. “OhhhHome Alone! This movie is awesome, have you seen it?”

He smiled and nodded. “It’s one of my favorites,” he admitted.

For the next hour and a half, we watched Kevin and his shenanigans against the robbers trying to get into his house. We laughed at the same parts, even mimicking the dialogue in the same places. It was really nice.

When it finished, Bruno took our plates and pushed the food cart into the hallway then turned off all the lights. I watched through the glow from the TV as he unzipped and removed his pants, letting them fall to the floor. I couldn’t help but sneak a peek of his body in a pair of well-fitting black boxer briefs, because damn, he had it going on. Thankfully, he didn’t do anything but slide into bed.

“Come here, Holly.” He reached for me.

I scooted over to his side and cuddled against his chest.

White Christmaswith Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney came on next.

“I used to watch this with my parents every year when I was growing up. Mom loves musicals. Have you seen this one?” I asked.

“Nope. I can’t say that musicals are on my list of favorites, but I’m willing to give it a shot for you.”

I tunneled my fingers into his chest hair and sighed. “What do you normally do for Christmas?”

“If I’m not on a case, or traveling, I usually spend it with Joel and his daughter Penny and my aunt Olympia. Joel’s my first cousin, but now that he’s remarried to Faith, who also has a daughter, Eden, I don’t want to intrude. And besides, I’ll be here this year, watching you get engaged.”

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