Page 35 of Yuletide Hero

“I guess,” she said non-committedly, shifting on the couch like she was uncomfortable. He’d examined her carefully back at the office. Other than the cut on her forehead she didn't seem to have any other injuries. Even the cut wasn't serious, he’d closed it with butterfly strips and taped a waterproof bandage over the top of it.

“If we have to spend Christmas here, we’ll have a great time,” he encouraged her, glancing over at the stove. “We’ll get a turkey and make more food than either of us can eat. We’ll bake pies, and cookies, make eggnog, we’ll have a lot of fun.”

She mustered up a smile for him. “Yeah, I guess we will. And maybe we can have a second Christmas dinner with our families when we go back home.”

“Great idea,” he said, heading back to the kitchen to drain and mash the potatoes. “I don’t think anyone is going to complain about having two Christmas dinners.”

Hayley gave a small laugh. “I don’t think anyone would. And maybe we could make this place look a little Christmassy. We could make some paper chains.”

“And a handprint wreath for the door,” he added.

“Oh, yeah.” She laughed again. “What are we going to do for a tree?”

“I’m sure we can figure out something.” He ladled some soup into two bowls, scooped some mashed potatoes onto the plates, then added steamed cauliflower and broccoli. Brian set the bowls and plates on two trays, so they could eat on the couch. “What do you want to drink? We have juice, soda, and bottled water.”

“What kind of juice?”

“Orange and apple.”

“Apple please.”

Pouring two glasses of apple juice, he carried the trays over to the coffee table. “Dinner is served.”

“This looks amazing,” Hayley said, taking her tray and setting it on her lap. “Thanks for cooking again. Tomorrow, I’ll cook you dinner.”

“Can’t wait,” he said, flipping on the TV. They watched reruns of Friends while they ate, laughing at the Thanksgiving episode where the gang played touch football in the park, and the Gellers argued over their Geller Cup.

“That was so good,” Hayley said, setting her tray back down on the table. She’d eaten about half of the food on her plate, which was better than he’d been hoping. He had expected that given the shock of being run off the road she wouldn’t have a very big appetite. He didn't have much of an appetite and he wasn't even the one that Jay Turner wanted.

“You look tired. Why don’t you sit back here?” He grabbed some pillows, fluffed them up, and then helped prop them up behind Hayley. “Are you cold?” Brian didn't wait for an answer, just grabbed a throw and spread it out over her. “Do you need me to turn the heat up? Do you want some ice cream or I think we have some chocolate? Is the TV too loud? Do you want me to turn it down so you can close your eyes and get some sleep? Or if you want, I can run you a nice hot bubble bath. Or you could take a shower. If you’re too tired, I can turn your bed down so you can put on your PJs and go right off to sleep. What?” he asked when he noticed Hayley was looking at him with a bemused smile.

“You’re cute when you fuss like this,” Hayley told him. “To answer your questions, I’m not cold, so you don’t have to turn the heat up. I’m not really hungry so I don’t want dessert, but you can have something if you want. The TV is fine. I don’t want to close my eyes just yet, I’m not in the mood for a shower or a bath. And I’m not ready for bed. I think that covers everything,” she said with a smirk.

“You’re not worried about nightmares, are you?” he asked as he gathered up the dishes and went to put the leftovers in the fridge, rinse the dishes, and stack them in the dishwasher.

“No, not really. I don’t usually have them, and I didn't have any after the fire, I just feel a weird mix of exhausted and wired.”

“The aftereffects of shock. Adrenalin overload and now you're crashing. Why don’t we just sit and watch a little TV? Then when you’re ready you can go to bed.” As much as he wanted to sit down with Hayley and talk about their feelings for each other, he didn't think now was the time to do it. When they did have the conversation, he envisioned some making out afterward, and right now neither of them was in the mood for that.

“Come sit with me.” Hayley patted the couch beside her.

Brian sat down next to her, and she immediately spread the blanket over both of them, then snuggled back against the pillows. Their thighs were touching, and the urge to kiss her suddenly overwhelmed him, so maybe making out wasn't completely off his radar.

He had no idea what was playing on the TV, his whole attention was focused on his leg touching her leg. It wasn't really the most romantic of things, and he’d certainly done a whole lot more with other women, but he’d never felt like this about another woman. He had never felt this vice around his heart every time he thought of losing her. He had never felt this fluttering in his stomach over just the thought of something as simple as holding her hand. He had never felt so alone just because they weren't in the same room like a piece of him was missing.

Was this what love felt like?

Hayley shifted, her shoulder resting against his arm, and he very nearly gave up the leave talking about the two of them until another time idea. All he wanted to do was take Hayley into his arms, kiss her until she forgot her own name, then pick her up, carry her to the bedroom, and make love to her until the sun rose.

Her head rested on his shoulder, her breathing deep and even, and he realized that she had drifted off to sleep. Her mind might have felt too wired to sleep, but her exhausted body obviously had other ideas. She was warm and soft against him, and Brian gently maneuvered her so that she was lying down, her head resting on a pillow in his lap.

She was so beautiful.

The light dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks, the way her dark hair curled slightly around her ears, her long lashes resting against her cheeks, those pink lips that made him imagine what they would feel like pressed to his.

One day.

One day the two of them would explore each other’s bodies with their lips and hands.

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