Page 9 of Holding Out For A Holiday Hero

True found she couldn’t say any word. She could only look into the darkness of his eyes and then…Her gaze dropped to his mouth.

“You went back to your maiden name,” Jake noted.

“I wanted my old life back. My name. My town.” So she’d turned away from everything in Atlanta and moved back to Rosewood. Rosewood was home. Safety. Or, it had been. Until the incidents had started.

His thumb brushed along her lower lip.

Her breath stuttered out.

“You’ve been here a year,” Jake noted.

Her eyes widened. “How do you know that?” Oh, no. Had her tongue just accidentally brushed along the tip of his thumb? It had. And why was she letting him touch her this way? She should get up. Move away. Put some space between them. She would have, too. If his touch hadn’t felt so good.

“People talk. The town princess coming home was a big deal.”

“I’m hardly the town princess.”

His gaze fell to her mouth.

Is Jake Hale about to kiss me?

Her heart slammed into her chest.

“What about the men you’ve been with since your divorce?”

“What men?”

He frowned at her.

Oh, crap. Hello, more embarrassment. “I, um, my social life hasn’t been very active. Been busy with the move.” Lie. She’d unpacked immediately after her move. “I’ve been busy with the new job.” Another lie. The job at the museum kept her busy, yes, but there would have been time to date. And… “I suck at dating.” A dismal truth. “I’m just not very good at it. Trust is hard for me, and I don’t…I haven’t.” He watched her with a faint furrow between his eyes, as if he still didn’t understand, so she rushed out, “I haven’t been with anyone since my divorce, so there is definitely no jealous ex out there who is thinking if he can’t have me, then no one can.”

Silence.

“I mean,” she cleared her throat and ignored the burn she could feel in her cheeks, “if that was your suspicion, it’s wrong.” She pulled away from him and rose. That had been way too awkward.

“You haven’t fucked anyone in a year?” Disbelief filled the rumble that was his voice.

True winced. “I haven’t dated anyone since my divorce became final. The divorce itself took about six months. So, technically, I haven’t, um, had sex with anyone in a year and a half.”

“Sonofabitch.”

Yes, indeed. It had rather been a sonofabitch. “I should get to bed. It’s late.” And she’d revealed enough painful personal information for one night. True glanced around. “If you could just point me in the direction of your guest room…?”

“Don’t have one.”

Her stare flew back to him.

He shrugged. “It’s a one-bedroom condo. Got a king bed in my room.”

An image of him in that king bed immediately flooded through her mind. And in that image, she was with him. Tangled in black sheets with him. Breaking that year and a half streak.

Once more, True cleared her throat. “The couch will be great. I can sleep here tonight.”

Lazily, he rose. And stood beside her. When Jake was right next to her, True was vividly conscious of just how big he was. It wasn’t just that he was tall. It was that he was muscled. Powerful. And he seemed to absolutely surround her.

“Sweets,” he murmured. “If I let a lady sleep on the couch while my happy ass stretched out in a king-size bed, then I damn well wouldn’t be a gentleman, would I?”

Her head tipped back as she stared up at him.

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