Page 78 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

Eva’s eyes widened. “There’s more? What else?”

“Bagels and vegetable cream cheese.” Paine glanced at his sister. “From that place you like on Long Island.”

“In Riverhead by the Starbucks? They’re the best. So good.” Poppy closed her eyes in anticipation.

“I miss real bagels,” Eva agreed with a sigh.

Linc thought she was happy here but apparently she missed a lot about New York. And good old Paine had provided it all for her. His jaw clenched tighter.

“And there’s one more surprise,” Paine teased with his GQ cover model smile.

“What? Tell me.” Poppy bounced up and down on the sofa next to Ethan, who looked amused at his girlfriend’s enthusiasm. He was probably hoping it would carry over to him tonight.

“Jelly sticks from the Montauk Bake Shop,” Paine said. “A dozen.”

“No! Oh my God. You are amazing.” Poppy clapped her hands with glee. “Wait until you guys taste these. We can have them for breakfast in the morning along with the bagels.”

Their father usually made breakfast Christmas morning, but even the old man looked intrigued by the promise of Long Island bagels and the mysterious jelly sticks.

As Darcy stared from beneath her eyelashes at Paine like he was Prince Charming and even Wyatt had warmed up to the guy, it seemed Linc was the only one in the room not enamored with him. Who saw him for what he was—his biggest competition.

ChapterForty-One

Eva opened her eyes and was hit with excitement she hadn’t felt in years. If ever.

Growing up, Eva’s Christmases with her stressed out and overworked single mother—who she realized looking back most likely had undiagnosed depression—wasn’t a big affair.

It was more of a high stress situation that Eva waited out.

As an adult living on her own, it had been just another day. But a day that managed to make her feel exceptionally lonely when she didn’t feel that way the rest of the year.

But Christmas with the Wilder family was pretty much the opposite of all that.

She hated to admit it, since she hadn’t wanted to enjoy this whole family group celebration thing, but Christmas on Roan Mountain with the Wilders was magical. And waking up Christmas morning in the lodge felt especially so.

The sun had risen, illuminating the snow-covered trees she could see through the window of Linc’s bedroom.

The air in the room had a slight nip to it, but she was warm and toasty beneath the covers next to Linc’s hot body. He wasn’t just sexy, but also literally hot. The man was like a furnace next to her, radiating heat from his bare skin.

He was motionless, rolled on his side facing away from her. He’d been in that position since last night’s sex after the Yule Log celebration—which they’d nailed. Everyone loved the lodge decorations and the food. Winning this Christmas challenge was in the bag.

Linc stirred and she smiled. Leaning low, she whispered, “Merry Christmas, sleepy head. It’s morning.” And she couldn’t wait for this morning’s gift exchange at the mansion. Not to mention the bagels.

He groaned, rolled onto his back and pulled her down onto him. “Merry Christmas.”

His voice sounded gruff. It was sexy as hell. So was his bare chest, warm beneath her.

She felt him hard against her leg, telling her what was on his mind. “Nope. No time for this. Come on. Get up. We have to get to the mansion.”

“It’s not a mansion. It’s my family’s house.”

“It can be both. Come on. There’s presents,” she prodded, dying to give him his even if it was anonymous and she’d had to sneak it under the tree without anyone seeing.

“We have time.”

“Do we? What time do you usually open gifts?”

“I don’t know. Whenever everyone is awake.”

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