Page 31 of Hidden Shadows
Nixon wasn’t sure if he stepped forward or maybe just tilted toward Rad, but Finley reached out and touched his now-fisted hand, the warmth of her fingers slipping into his skin, providing a scrap of calm.
“I actually promised Nixon a sleigh ride before we go tonight. Sorry. Then we have to be getting back to our hotel so I can edit some of my footage. But maybe I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
Nixon could just about see the effort it took for Rad’s face to remain as it was. He gave a sharp nod as Finley grasped Nixon’s wrist and tugged him toward the sleigh rides.
The tightness in his chest eased, but that wasn’t just because of Finley’s words. It was the warmth of her skin against his. The way she stepped close enough to graze his side.
She stopped beside the sleigh, and the guy holding the reins smiled at them. “Ride?”
Finley nodded. “Yes, please.”
When she tried to climb up, Nixon set his hands on her waist and lifted her. She gasped but quickly shuffled to the side. He climbed up and sat beside her. The seating area was small, and with the limited space, his entire side touched hers.
The driver snapped the reins and they started moving.
Nixon had to remind himself to relax. The ride felt romantic. Intimate.
Finley beamed up at him. “Okay, you cannot tell me this isn’t getting you just a bit excited for Christmas.”
Those words slammed him back to reality. “No.”
Her smile turned into a frown, but she recovered quickly. “Fine. But you’re not having a terrible time, right?”
“Depends on what your definition of terrible is.”
This time she laughed, and that sound shot straight to his gut. “Definitely not a night of hot dogs and sleigh rides in the snow, but then, you are the Grinch of Christmas, so maybe in your eyes?”
“The Grinch?”
Finley’s jaw dropped. “You don’t know who the Grinch is?”
“Nope.”
Her gasp was loud. “Nixon…no!”
His mouth twitched. The woman looked at him with such devastation that he had to put her out of her misery. “I’m joking. I’m pretty sure everyone in this country has been exposed to that movie.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Thank God. For a second there, I thought you were literally living on another planet.” Then she seemed to take a moment to consider her next words. “Have you seenHow the Grinch Stole Christmas?”
“Do you think I’ve seenHow the Grinch Stole Christmas?”
Her brown eyes studied him, then widened. “You haven’t.”
She was right. He’d never sat through it as a kid, and as an adult, he wouldn’t go near it with a ten-foot pole.
“Okay, we need a movie night, and we need it fast,” she said, seeming far too excited by the idea.
His heart warred with his head. Because the idea of sitting beside this woman throughout an entire movie felt good. And a part of him wanted that…while the other part ran from it.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t think so.”
“Hmph. Fine, but let it be known, when you’re on your death bed and you missed out on watching one of the greatest movies ever created, I tried.”
“Not gonna happen.”
When the sleigh went over a hump, Finley gasped and grabbed his arm. It reminded him of the way she’d grabbed him on the plane. Only then, she’d just been a pretty stranger. Now, every touch felt familiar.
“You okay?” he asked, voice too gruff.
