Page 12 of A Cuddly Christmas
“Yeah, I didn’t either,” I say, coming to crouch in front of her. I press my hand to her forehead, and she’s definitely getting warmer. “I’m so damn sorry for making you come out here.” I hang my head as guilt eats away at me. “This is all my fault.”
Chapter Seven
TILLY
He’s so willing to take the blame, and agreeing with him would be easy, but I can’t. This is on me.
“It’s not your fault.” I saw the storm getting worse but kept going.
“It is. If I’d?—”
“Hey, I’m letting you off the hook here,” I say, cutting him off.
“Maybe I don’t want to be left off the hook.” A lopsided smile pulls at his lips. Gah, he’s so charming, and it’s in the sweetest way.
“That’s nice of you, but it was my own doing. I’m from around here, and I should have called and told you the order wouldn’t make it today.” I only had a few to do, but I made sure this was last in case I ended up lingering.
“You should be wearing a coat.”
“I am.” I pull at the front of the coat he put on me. His expression turns stern. Holy shit, why does every face he makes look better than the last? “Okay, fine. Coats aren’t always needed when you’re from here. We’re used to the cold.” If it hits fifty out, people around here are ready to go swimming.
“It’s the wind.”
“It is,” I agree. It can cut right through you when you get a few miles out of town. The buildings and houses close to town help to buffer the worst of it. “You need trees. They break the wind.”
“See, it is my fault,” he says again.
“It’s not as fun if you want to take the blame.”
“You want to fight with me about it?” The playful smirk returns.
“Well, not right now. Paprika might hear, and we shouldn’t fight in front of her.”
"You're right." Why don't those two words sound as victorious as they should? "How are you feeling?"
When his thumb strokes the inside of my knee, it's a shot of reality. I'm sitting in his house with him on his knees between my legs. Sure, the coat he put on me covers a lot, but I'm still only in my panties. Shit, what panties did I put on this morning? For the life of me, I can't remember.
If my body wasn't already warming because of the fire, this would surely do it. The simple action of his body stopping me from closing my legs is so hot I’m hit with a wave of lust. I’m also feeling shy, which is something I'm not used to. Paxton seems to pull all kinds of things from me.
The sound of the exterior wall shaking has us both glancing that way. "I don't think you're going anywhere."
"I'll be okay as soon I get warmed up."
"All right, if that’s the way you want to do this. I'm not letting you go anywhere."
Who does this man think he is? He can't tell me what to do. This should be really annoying, but my body is having a different kind of response than my mouth. Fortunately, my mouth always has a way of winning any battle.
"Hey, I can?—"
"No," he says, lifting his hand and showing me he’s holding my keys. "I’ll let you get away with a lot, but when it comes to your safety, I'm drawing a hard line."
"You’ll let me? I love nothing more than a challenge." I lift my chin up defiantly. Not that it matters. He's on his knees, and I still have to peer up at him from my seat.
"All right," Paxton says, ready for a battle of wills. Does he think I'm bluffing? Am I bluffing?
The man is twice my size, so I do the only thing I can. I lunge for the keys. I’m trying to take him by surprise, but it turns out I'm the only one that ends up being surprised. Before I know what’s happening, I'm being pinned underneath him on the rug in front of the fire. Paxton’s wedged between my thighs again, but now he's fully pressed against me. My hands are being held to the floor with only one of his.
"How did you do that?" I huff.
