Page 78 of All I Want For Christmas

A minute later, Theo killed the engine, and the boat drifted for a few feet before it gently bumped against the legs of a tall, wooden dock.

Savannah let out a long breath and ripped her headphones off. She looked around. The trees were definitely close here, but she could see several yards downstream—was it called downstream on the bayou?—before there was a bend. There were trees all around, and when she looked up, there was a canopy of sorts, but she could see through it. When she looked over at the cabin, there was a clearing, and she knew she’d have an unobstructed view of the sky from the porch.

That made her feel less claustrophobic.

If she ignored thethere’s no way you can leave this cabin without Theo and his boat. You’re totally stuck and at his mercy.

Because she knew she could call him and beg him to come get her.

And then lose this project, maybe even her job, along with her dignity and ability to ever set foot in Autre ever again.

She took a deep breath and studied the cabin. It was actually cute. The cabin was a wooden structure, and the brown of the sides and roof blended into the trees and brush, but it looked well-maintained. It had a stone chimney, which she assumed meant there was a fireplace inside. There were large windows on either side of the front door, five steps up onto the porch—could alligators climb steps?—and a railing around the porch. There were two rocking chairs to one side, and she smiled. A porch like that needed rocking chairs.

Now that she was focusing, she could hear insects, bird calls, the faint gurgle of the water, leaves rustling in the slight breeze, and…nothing else.

It was freakingquiethere.

Then she heard heavy footsteps on the bottom of the boat as Theo moved toward the side by the dock. He reached out and grabbed one of the posts, grasped the rope that was looped on the floor of the boat, and tied them to the dock.

Okay, the cabin was cute, but watching Theo’s shoulder, back, and arm muscles bunch, and his ass as he bent and worked tying up the boat wasnotcute. It was hot. And she hoped it would take him an hour to get the boat secured.

It didn’t. It took about another minute.

“Let’s go, New York.” With one booted foot still on the boat and the other on the first rung of the short ladder that led up to the dock, Theo held his hand out as he straddled the space.

She grabbed her suitcase and handed it to him.

He shook his head, but he took the bag and swung it up onto the dock. Then he extended his hand again. “You know those shoes are ridiculous, right?”

“These shoes are amazing,” she corrected.

“Maybe for traipsing around in New York, but not for Autre.”

In her opinion, they werenotamazing for traipsing around in New York. Her feet would have been killing her after an hour on city sidewalks in these. But she just smiled at him. “It’s not like I’m going hiking here.” She looked around. “These will be just fine for porch sittin’.” She gaveporch sittin’a little southern drawl of her own.

The corner of his mouth twitched. But he just curled his fingers. “Come on.”

She knew touching him was a bad idea, but she didn’t really have a choice. He was very firmly in her way. And her damned shoes were not going to be great on the ladder that was basically six slats of wood that went straight up.

She put her hand in his, immediately registering three things—how hot his skin was, how big his hand was, and how rough his palm was against hers.

Okay, four things.

She also definitely registered the sharp shaft of need that arrowed through her belly to her pussy.

She wanted his handthere. There was no denying it.

Dammit.

He pulled her up, and she stepped to the side of the boat. He shifted, letting her move in front of him.

“Up you go.” He turned, still balancing with one foot on the boat, one on the ladder, and put his hands on her hips.

Savannah worked very hard tonotgasp or moan. She grasped the ladder with both hands and put a foot up on the first rung.

Theo lifted her, his hands steady and strong and she climbed up, very aware the entire time that her butt and then the back of her thighs were right in his face. If he’d puckered his lips, he could have kissed her ass, literally, without even having to lean in.

The climb up six rungs seemed to take twenty minutes. She finally stepped up onto the dock and let out a long breath.

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