Page 79 of The Hockey Grump Saves Christmas

The sleigh glides to a stop, and I pull the blanket off our laps and climb out.

“What are we doing?” Natalie asks.

I offer her my hand. “Walking back to my car, so I can drive you to my place.”

This woman has my brain working in all kinds of off-the-wall ways it’s never done before. She’scrawled under my skin and given me thoughts, ideas and desires that were unimaginable just seven days ago.

If any of the guys on the team told me they were acting like this, I’d tell them to get a fucking grip.

But here I am, about to show this woman a spontaneous thing I’ve done for her. While also hiding how crazy I am about her, in case she’s not crazy about me.

“I have something for you,” I tell her.

She makes a suggestive wiggle with her eyebrows and takes my hand.

My chest lurches with anticipation as I squeeze her fingers and help her out of the sleigh. “Okay, maybetwothings.”

CHAPTER 25

NATALIE

How I ever kept my hands off Gabe in the back of the sleigh, I will never know.

I could see the honesty in his face when he told me the ex-girlfriend’s stories were lies. And itfeelstrue. So, I choose to believe what I’ve seen and felt with my own eyes and instincts this last week over tabloid scandal.

Yes, Gabe was wrong to lose his temper with Wyatt. But I get that he was in a bad place at the time and not the man he is now. And he’s obviously sorry about it and has tried to make amends.

Decision made. Screw it. I’m going for it. I’m fucking going for it. Going for two weeks of fun. The first even vaguely irresponsible, hedonistic thing I’ve done purely for myself and no one else in my goddamn life.

Hence, I’m still kicking off my boots inside his front door when I unzip his parka and push my hands inside it.

Oh damn, it’s so warm and inviting in there.

And the last couple of hours have really revved my engines.

The way he made me laugh by firing the pig ears off my head with his water pistol, the intimacy of being squished together on the donkey/reindeer ride, how he immediately grabbed me when I was jolted from the seat. And when he casually draped his arm around me as we walked back to his car, my body naturally sank against him and my panties were already damp.

Now we’re in private and, oh, how my hormones are raging.

“Hey, what’s brought this on?” Gabe asks, pulling his jacket off his wide shoulders while I slide my hands up and over his ridiculously firm chest.

“Got to make the most of you while I can.” I wrap my arms around his waist, press my chest against his, and find a welcoming hardness in his jeans with my hip.

I’m not sure why my brain chose to acknowledge out loud that the clock is ticking on our time together, but I guess there’s no harm in speaking the truth.

“That’s something I can definitely get on board with,” he says through that sexy smile and sexy beard.

Before I know it, he’s hiked me up by the butt cheeks and my feet lock together behind him. “But first, the thing I have for you.”

“Why are you walking to the kitchen? Isn’t the thing in here?” I reach down between my legs and find that glorious shape in his jeans—the size of it more exciting than scary now.

“We’ll get to that thing in a minute.”

In the kitchen, he sets me down on the island.

“Ah.” I reach for his belt. “Got a thing about granite counters, huh?” I give him a dramatic wink.

“They’re marble. And no. Or maybe yes. Probably be a bit cold on your ass. Either way, and I really can’t believe I’m fending you off, but theother thingfirst.”

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