Page 14 of All I Want For Christmas

Everyone liked Logan. He and Matt would be good friends. If they had any time together. “I’m sure it meant a lot to him thatyou let him help,” she said, looking up at him. “He knows you and Chad were close.”

Chad, Dana’s late husband, had been in Matt’s unit. The men had served together for several years before Chad had been killed.

“Chad was a great guy,” Matt said. “But I’m really happy for Dana.”

“Logan’s really good for her.”

“Then it’s all good.”

She lifted a hand, running it over his beard again. Maybe he should keep it. “You were kissing other women. Right in front of me.”

“The only one that was any kind of real kiss was Ashley,” he said, his grin getting bigger. “And in my defense, she very much kissedme.”

Lindsey couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Yeah, she did. She’s going to be embarrassed when she thinks about it.”

He lifted a hand and dragged it over his lip. “Nothing for her to be embarrassed about.”

Lindsey laughed and swatted him on the butt. Then she pulled back. “We should probably get back out there.”

“And I’ve got some kids to see.” He pulled his boxers and pants back up, buttoning up.

She slid off the table and retrieved her bra. She redressed, watching him pull his shirt back on, already missing the view. But she quickly smiled. She had that view for the next…

Tears filled her eyes again. He was home.

Matt noticed the tears and laughed, pulling her close. “You’re a mess.”

“Just missing your abs already. You’d be willing to walk around the house without your shirt on the entire time you’re home, right?” she asked.

“So you can objectify me and lust after me the entire time?”

“Yes. Definitely yes.”

“Then yes I will,” he said. “As long as you promise to ravish me as often as possible.”

She wrapped her arms around him and arched against him. “I’m on Christmas break, big guy. I can be panty-less and horny pretty much constantly.”

He kissed her, hot and hard. “Excellent news,” he said, when he lifted his head. Then he smacked her ass. “Let’s get out of here.” He shrugged back into his leather coat and tucked his sunglasses into a pocket.

He really had pulled off the hot Santa thing.

“The boys are at Bea’s,” she said as they headed for the door.

Matt pulled the door open and let her pass through, then took her hand, linking their fingers. “I can’t wait to see them.”

“Should we plan a surprise for them too?” Lindsey asked. Then a thought hit her and because she was kind of a bad mom—and maybe a bad wife—she groaned.

“What?”

“They’re never going to go to bed once they see you,” she said. It was going to be past their bedtime when they got home, even without the biggest surprise of their year.

“You want to wait to tell them I’m home until tomorrow?” Matt asked.

She looked up, trying to gauge his emotions. Could she really keep them apart? That was crappy, wasn’t it? But she had to get up in the morning to take the car in for an oil change. And she’d already told the boys they could have breakfast at the diner down the street from the repair shop while the car was worked on. They loved the pancakes there.

“Lindsey.” Matt stopped at the end of the hall before the doors that would lead back into the main hall. “Your call, babe. Just tell me. If you want me to wait, I can wait. I’ll sneak in andlook at them while they sleep, but I can wait ’til morning to talk to them.”

“Are you sure?” She wasn’t sure. It sounded terrible to keep them from their dad. But it was only for a few hours. And a big surprise would be a lot of fun for them too. Something to always remember.

---