Page 36 of A Holly Jilly Christmas

In response, Case dips his head and growls softly in my ear. “No dentures. And I’m only thirty-two. Six years apart is not so bad.”

“But when you were in college, that means I was—”

“Don’t say it.”

“In junior high,” I finish.

He nips at my ear. “See, now you just made it seem gross. But it only would have been gross back then. Right now is totally fine. Any more concerns I can demolish?”

It’s amazing how much calmer I feel now. The worries in my head have gone dormant, and I like them much better that way. I just don’t know how long they’ll stay quiet.

Will Case want to put up with my anxiety over and over? I’m skilled at imagining the worst case scenarios—and not just about quicksand or bear attacks.

“I’m not good at this,” I tell him.

“Define the this in that sentence.”

I shrug.

“Hm. Tell me if I’m getting warm,” Case says. “You aren’t good at hugging.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “Cold. You’re basically in Antarctica.”

“I agree. You’re definitely good at hugging. Let’s see … you’re not good at goodbyes?”

“A little bit further north. Sub-tropics.”

“Okayyyy. You aren’t good at talking about your feelings?”

“A little closer to the equator.”

Case pulls me in tighter and leans closer so his mouth is next to my ear, sending tingles through me. “Do you think you’re not good at relationships?” he asks carefully.

My voice comes out a little soft, a little watery. “More like I’m good at wrecking them.”

“I see. So, in the past, did you tend to be the dumper more than the dumpee?”

“You’ll be surprised to know I’m usually the dumpee. I’m quite skilled at making someone else break up with me. I’m kind of a ruiner.”

“Ah.”

“I mean, half the time the relationships sucked anyway. But even when they didn’t …”

I trail off, the heat of embarrassment rising in my cheeks. Surely this flaw is enough to scare Case off. If anything, it will highlight our differences and the age gap, because this is totally immature. I’m self-aware enough to know that.

Before he speaks, Case trails his lips over my cheek, then along my jaw before moving back to my ear, where his words land like caresses.

“You can huff and puff, Jillian, but you won’t blow me down.”

Relief is like a warm breeze, blowing through me. I sink further into Case’s chest, managing to free my arms so I can wrap them around his waist.

“Thank you,” I tell him, emotion making my chest tight, but a good kind of tight, matching the way he hugs me harder.

“I know things are new. There are conversations to be had about work and lots of other things. But I’m not going to let go of you this easily, Jillian.”

I smile. “I probably will try to blow your house down again,” I warn.

Case pulls back, cupping my cheeks as his gaze roams all over my face with something like adoration in his eyes. “Good thing I built my house out of brick, then.” He nips the tip of my nose. “And I happen to have a weakness for big, bad wolves.”

---