Page 51 of Take Me Home for Christmas

His laugh lacked any humor. “Now you know why I’m such a pathetic mess.”

Kitty took the Santa from his trembling hands and returned it to the desk.

“You are neither of those things, Everett West. The story you just told me explains why you hold a bit of a grudge against veterans, though. It also hints at the reason why you are so hell-bent on experiencing every Christmas contest and tradition this town offers. As for what happened tonight . . .” She waved a hand through the air dismissively. “You’re a man who has suffered a great loss, and witnessed the world’s cruelness firsthand. But you survived it, Everett. And I, for one, am so glad you did.”

He risked a peek over at her. Those brown eyes he’d fallen for the moment they met were smiling at him.

“I don’t want you to pity me,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “What I feel for you is nothing close to pity.”

Her admission should have scared the hell out of him. It didn’t, though. His heart was racing again. This time with hope. He cupped the back of her neck with his hand and pulled her closer for a kiss.

Kitty tasted like whiskey.

And salvation.

ChapterThirteen

Hayden wassure he would expire right here in the big sleigh bed in Elle’s suite at her mother’s inn. But what a way to go. He peered through his lashes at the erotic image she made, her naked skin dewy and pink as she rode him with reckless abandon.

“Yes,” she cried when he dragged his fingers down her sweat-slicked torso to grip her hips more securely.

She was close to the edge. Hayden could feel her muscles begin to clench around him. He could sense her breaths becoming more fractured. Truth be told, he was holding on by a thread himself. His own breath sawed through his lungs painfully.

Elle was gasping now, her movements becoming more frantic. He decided to take pity on her, grazing his thumb against her sweet spot once, then twice, until she came in a rush. Hayden couldn’t make out the words she was crying out because his ears were roaring. The pleasure he felt when her muscles closed in around him was nearly too much to bear. He thrust his hips into her with such force, it was a wonder she didn’t go flying when he came.

Hayden gathered her up in his arms. Her wild hair formed a curtain around them. He could feel her heart racing beneath his palm pressed to her spine. She drew lazy circles on his abdomen. Neither of them seemed to have the strength to speak.

It was a good thing because he had no idea what to say. Today had been eye-opening. And not just because sex with his best friend was everything that he never let himself imagine it could be. But because it had been more than simply mind-blowing. It had touched his soul.

He brushed her hair off their faces so he could press a kiss to her forehead.

“Mmm,” she murmured.

When she looked up and her eyes met his, his chest grew painfully tight. Her expression was equal parts awe, passion and confusion. They were easy for him to identify because he was feeling them, too.

“Hayden?” she whispered.

He quickly shushed her by reversing their position and taking her lips in a possessive kiss. She moaned into his mouth while scraping her nails down his back. He tore his lips away and pressed them to each of her eyelids.

“I don’t want to ruin this by analyzing it to death,” he murmured against her skin. “Let’s not think about it too deeply. That way, we can enjoy whatever this is for right now. Please, Elle.”

She hesitated only briefly before agreeing with a nod. Her eyes fluttered closed. He rolled over onto his back and drew her into the curve of his arm before kissing the tip of her nose.

“Sleep now,” he told her. “I’ll be here to keep you safe.”

“But I don’t want to miss a moment with you.”

Her words made his throat tight.

Neither do I.

The realization shouldn’t have surprised him. If he were being honest with himself, he would admit he’d loved this woman for years now. He’d come clean that he never wanted to be apart from her. He would tell her she was his person.

Except doing that would likely send her scurrying back to New York long before the holidays were over. He couldn’t take that chance. Now that he knew all of her. Now that his body would forever crave hers. He needed to keep this light until he could figure out a way to persuade Elle that all she ever wanted was right here in Chances Inlet.

He waited until she was breathing evenly and deeply. Carefully, he slid his arm out from under her neck and replaced it with a pillow. She didn’t move when he sat up to attach his leg.

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