Page 41 of My December Darling

Eventually, our movements start to lag, and I reluctantly call it a night once I catch Catalina stifling her yawn.

“Do you need me to take you home?” I ask when she stands and stretches her legs.

She cringes. “Gabriela offered, but…” Her gaze swings to Aiden’s shut door. No obvious sounds come from the room, so most likely they both just fell asleep.

“I don’t mind driving you.”

Her brows knit together. “Um, that’s all right. I can call for a ride. There’s no need to go out of your way to take me home.”

“It’s the least I can do after you saved Aiden earlier from making a huge mistake.”

Her cheeks turn a light pink. “It’s fine, really. I can just call for someone on the app and save you the trouble.”

Rather than push her on the subject, I motion toward her phone. “If you insist.” I sit back against the couch and bite back a smile.

Her eyes narrow at my mouth. “Thank you, though. That’s…sweet of you.” She trips over the words.

“Do you want me to get you another drink while you wait?”

“A drink?” Her brows pinch together. “The car will be here in…Forty minutes?” The pitch of her voice rises. “Seriously? And since when are rides this expensive?”

“Since all the rich people started moving here.” I swallow the last swig ofcoquitobefore placing the cup on the coffee table.

“This is ridiculous.” Catalina pockets her phone with a scowl.

“My offer still stands.”

She takes a deep breath. “All right. Thanks.”

With a grin, I head to the front door and pluck my keys off the hook while Catalina cancels her ride and grabs her purse. When she turns to the door, I’m already holding her coat out. I expect her to take it from me, but she pleasantly surprises me by turning around and inserting her arms into both holes instead.

My fingers graze her neck as I pull her hair free from underneath the coat, earning a sharp inhale from her that makes my smile widen.

She mightpretendto be unaffected by my presence, but her reactions tell a different story. One with an alternative ending where she doesn’t resist me at every single turn, but rather, she accepts that there is something…special between us. Something worth exploring, even if it scares her.

She spins on her heel to face me. Something pulls me toward her, and before she knows what I’m doing, I reach down and help button her coat.

She stands there, still as a statue, while I make my way down the row of buttons, taking my sweet time while her chest rises with each ragged breath.

“All good?”

“Yup.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” Catalina doesn’t look me in the eyes until I open the door and motion for her to exit before me.

“Thank you,” she says in a soft voice that can hardly be heard over the sound of me zipping my jacket.

“You’re welcome.” I lock the door behind us and lead her to my SUV. It’s a used model I purchased last year after my crappy car gave out on me, and one I’m grateful for given Michigan’s winter weather. My last one didn’t have blind spot sensors or seat warmers, so I appreciate the upgrades.

When I get in the car, I immediately turn on the seat warmers for both of us and arrange our heater settings, making sure Catalina’s vents are open and facing her.

She looks at me with a curious expression that has me asking, “What?”

“My dad always does that for my mom,” she says it with a hint of apprehension, as if the confession might cost her something.

I’ve seen Aiden and his dad do the same thing countless times for the women sitting beside them, so I never thought much of it until Catalina mentioned it.

---