Page 46 of Christmas at Hart's Ridge

It was a dangerous game he was playing, with Ethan right there working alongside us. Every touch was innocuous on the face of it, and Luke was an affectionate guy. I had often seen him pat Jasmine on the hip or bump his shoulder against Ethan’s. Luke wasn’t the problem here. It was me. Arousal and longing had made my skin flushed and heated—the unfortunate side effect of the very pale, sensitive skin that came with being a natural redhead.

There was no way Ethan didn’t notice. He was too perceptive.

Luke, however, seemed perfectly calm and collected. No blushing. No trembling. No goosebumps. It wasn’t fair.

When the last customers exited the restaurant—with Ethan quick on their heels, because he wasn’t on cleanup duty tonight, since he had to cover the Monday lunch shift by himself—I heaved a sigh of relief. I could finally stop faking—

“Gah!” I shrieked as strong hands clamped my waist.

“Finally,” Luke growled in my ear. His scent of cedar and fresh air surrounded me as he turned me in his arms. “If I had to go another second without my hands on you, bad things were going to happen.”

“What kind of things?” I asked. The rounded edge of the oak bar top bit into my spine as he crowded into my space, pinning me with his body. He had been just as affected by me during our shift as I had been by him. The evidence of exactlyhowaffected pressed thickly against my abdomen.

“Horny things, Red. Caveman things. I would have been forced to toss you over my shoulder fireman-style and carry you off to my lair.”

I giggled. “You can still do that.”

“I plan to, Red. But first, I’m going to kiss you.”

He immediately followed through on that, kissing me senseless. Ethan could have sailed into the restaurant with the William Hart High School marching band and I would not have noticed anything more than I hear music when Luke Buchanan kisses me. Anyone could have seen us through the well-lit window, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that Luke’s mouth was on mine.

When he finally pulled back, I could only blink at him, dazed.

He hooked his index finger through the beltloop of my jeans and tugged gently. “Let’s go, Red.”

I shivered with anticipation and followed him out.

I had expected Luke to take me back to the main house, like he had last night, but instead we drove across the property to a cabin, nearly hidden by dense pine trees.

“I didn’t know this was here,” I remarked.

“My grandfather called it his just-in-case cabin. Like, just in case a storm came up suddenly and he couldn’t get back home. Or just in case he needed to stay out here and keep an eye on a heifer.” He smirked. “Or just in case Maw Maw was sick of his shit.”

I laughed as he led me to the door. “It looks to be in pretty good shape for your grandfather’s cabin.”

“I made some upgrades. Added a bathroom, plumbing, and electricity. It’s still a two-room log cabin, but it’s cozy. I’m slowly making more additions. I’ll add another bedroom and a wraparound porch. The plan is to turn it into a vacation rental in the next few years. But for now, it’s just mine.”

He went in first and flicked a switch. Instantly the room was bathed in the soft glow of fairy lights that were strung along the cedar walls. In the center of the room was a large bed decked out in deep green linens.

I gasped, taking it all in. “It’s a sex shack.”

Luke’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind and he laughed into my neck. “It isnota sex shack, Red. Not yet, anyway. It can’t be because no one has ever had sex in it.”

I craned my neck to eyeball him suspiciously. “You’re telling me these are your normal décor choices? No offense, Luke, but you don’t strike me as a fairy-lights type of guy. And look at all those pillows. I mean, comeon. This place is made for sex.”

“I’m not telling you that at all. I came here this morning after you went home. It’s all for you.” His lips pressed against my temple in a brief kiss before he rested his cheek against the top of my head. “Do you like it?”

He sounded sweet and unsure. Hopeful. Not things I normally associated with Luke Fucking Buchanan. He had done this for me and was worried it wasn’t enough. I swallowed past the sudden emotion that clogged my throat. “So much.”

“Good. But first…” He shuffled me toward the bathroom. “This.”

The bathroom was what I would call rustic glam. The toilet was separated from the bathing area, almost like a closet. One wall was entirely windows. A large clawfoot tub was the main focus, but there was also a gorgeous, green-tiled shower that looked amazing.

“Wow.” I moved to the wall of windows and peered out into the inky darkness. It wasn’t late, but night came early in winter. “What’s out there?”

“A ravine, and more mountains after that. We face west, so the sunset here is amazing.” He ran the bath as he talked, then turned to lighting candles. “I come here sometimes, when I want to relax and be alone.”

I shook my head, marveling at all he had built. “I can’t believe you never brought a woman here. Seems like a waste.”

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