Page 13 of The Merriest Christmas

"Want me to put the bags in the kitchen?" Seaver asked.

I scoffed."I don't want or need you to do anything."

"Okay…"

Too much, Emmy.

Dial it back.

"I mean, whatever," I said nonchalantly. "Do what you want."

I froze as he put a hand on my wrist.

When he next spoke, Seaver's lips were beside my ear.

"What I want," he said, "is for you to stop running away from me."

My eyes widened."I'm not—"

"What I want," he repeated, voice going guttural, "is to take you up to your room, lock the door, and talk this out."

"Talk?"

"Yeah.Among other things."

That made my heart jump—and I hated myself for it.

But I hated Seaver so much more.

"There's nothing to talk about," I hissed.

"I disagree."

"And you're not welcome in my room.Not anymore."

I glared at him over my shoulder, but Seaver…he stared into my eyes before they dropped to my mouth then slowly came back up again.His thumb brushed against my wrist, causing me to release a soft gasp, and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"Bet I could change your mind," he said.

My jaw dropped.I bet he could too.The thought appeared before I could stop it, then I shook my head.No, I wasn't going there.Before I could say a word, another voice interrupted.

"Hey, can you guys move?"

I looked over to see one of the Wolves baseball players, sitting on the couch.He and two other guys were staring at Seaver and me, and with his next words I realized why.

"We're trying to watch the bake-off," he added.

I jumped back from Seaver, severing the connection, looking at my wrist in surprise.My skin still burned from his touch—but that was nothing compared to his words.They had an undeniable effect on me.He knew it too if the smile on his face was any indication.Jerk.The worst part was I was almost sure I'd leaned closer, desperate for exactly what he was offering, before I remembered who I was talking to.

And what he'd done.

We'd been standing right in front of the TV, so it was no wonder they asked us to move.

"Sorry," I said.

The guy shrugged then went back to watching the show.

Which reminded me…

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