Page 58 of A Scottish Christmas Hideaway
Jessica opened her eyes, momentarily confused as to where she was. She took in the cornicing on the ceiling and the wooden floors. Then she felt Reuben’s arms wrapped around her and he kissed the top of her head. They were still curled up together on the sofa in his flat where they had been since he’d rescued her from Zander. In a panic, she sat bolt upright.
‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ he said.
‘What time is it?’ She grabbed her bag and looked at her phone, then sighed in relief. ‘I thought I’d slept in.’
He chuckled. ‘If you’re worried about missing your curfew then don’t worry. I messaged Murray to let him know you’re here and okay and that I’d bring you home later. He was going to let your folks know.’ He pulled her back towards him. ‘We have loads of time. Don’t worry.’ He paused for a moment. ‘No pressure, but you can stay over.’
She groaned as she felt his stubble graze her mouth and found herself kissing him again. Never before had kissing felt like this. The pressure of Reuben’s lips sent sparks of excitement through her body. ‘I wish I could but I can’t.’
Reuben sat up this time and looked at her, confusion in his eyes.
She chuckled. ‘Don’t worry. You haven’t lost your touch. It’s just that I need my beauty sleep.’
He lazily raised an eyebrow. ‘I beg to differ.’
She sniffed. ‘I’ve got an early shift at the bakery in the morning. I need to be up before four.’
‘Ah,’ he said, pushing his sleeve up and glancing at his watch. ‘That’s okay. I’m happy to get up to take you then.’
‘If you’re sure,’ she said softly, sinking into his arms again. ‘I don’t want to move.’
‘Me neither,’ he said, tightening his grip on her. ‘But I don’t want to be a bad influence on you.’
‘As if,’ she said, before kissing him again.
* * *
The early morning sky was dark but clear and Jessica looked up at the stars as Reuben drove her home to Thistle Cottage so she could change before her shift. The snow had continued to fall overnight and everything was covered in a white blanket although fortunately the roads had been cleared. It was beautiful and Jessica was the most alive she had felt in such a long time. She couldn’t quite believe what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Especially the stuff with Zander. She frowned as she realised that she would need to call Ivan to tell him, although she was quite sure Zander would already have beaten her to it. He would have made up some story to ensure she was to blame. It would have to wait until later. She still couldn’t believe he’d behaved in the way that he had. She was also hugely relieved that Tim’s wife had backed off. She was now starting to realise just what a huge and constant strain it had all been for months. But when she looked at Reuben, all the unpleasant thoughts around what had happened disappeared. The last thing she expected to do when she came home to Rowan Bay was to fall for the neighbour. He glanced at her, which made her smile, then reached his hand across to cover hers. ‘What will you do now?’ she asked.
‘After I’ve made sure you’re safely home, I will return and put away my case,’ he said. ‘Then go to bed and dream about you.’
She felt a ripple of excitement at the way he was looking at her. His eyes were dark and smouldering and she wished he could just keep driving until they could be alone together in a remote cabin in the woods. She sighed in contentment. ‘Shall Ilet my mum know that you’ll be joining us on Christmas Day then?’
He nodded. ‘Aye. Thank you.’
‘And will I tell her what changed your mind?’
He chuckled. ‘Yes. The thought of her delicious Christmas dinner.’
She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him on the arm with a chuckle.
All too soon, Reuben was following the road into the village and making his way to Thistle Cottage. He pulled into the lane and stopped outside, turning the engine off.
‘Are you going to mention anything about this to your mum?’ he said, reaching over to clasp her hand.
She chewed her lip for a moment as she thought. ‘Let’s just keep it to ourselves for the moment. It would be nice if we can enjoy this even for a short time before everyone else knows.’
He grinned. ‘I’m sure they’ll find out soon enough.’
Jessica unclipped her seat belt and turned to look at him. ‘Let’s hope there are no curtain twitchers watching us kiss goodbye.’
He cupped her face in his hands and looked at every inch of her face. Then he kissed her.
‘That was . . . nice,’ she said coyly.
‘Not sure that was quite the reaction I was going for.’
She paused. ‘You’ll need to try harder the next time. Thanks for the lift. And thanks for everything. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t appeared.’
