Aiden couldn’t believe his eyes. It’s as if his thoughts conjured the one thing he couldn’t stop thinking about. Why was she here?
He heard someone pull into his driveway as he sat at the dining room table having a cup of coffee. When he heard no knock or ringing of the doorbell, he figured he should check it out. He had almost been tempted to grab his firearm from his bedroom, but nixed the idea. Not much bad happened in their small town of Mulberry.
“What are you doing here?”
That came out sounding harsher than he intended. But he was upset. Just so damn pissed he dreamt about her all night, picturing her gorgeous body next to his. Then this morning, his mind still skipped around in circles wondering what she was doing at that very moment. Still sleeping? Having a cup of coffee like him? Working on her necklaces?
It all pissed him off.
“I’m so sorry to bother you. This was a mistake.”
She turned around and scampered down the stairs so fast that her feet slipped on the frosty ground and landed hard, knocking her head against the ground.
“Theresa!”
He scrambled out of the house so quickly, he didn’t even register he was walking on the cold snow with bare feet. She moaned as he knelt by her side.
“Are you okay?” When she moaned again as she felt the back of her head, he didn’t care whether she could walk on her own. He scooped her up with ease and headed for the house as quickly and safely as he could.
He closed the door with a kick of his foot and walked to the living room where he gently laid her down. And damn if he didn’t want to continue holding her instead.
“Let me see. I sure hope you didn’t crack your head open. You fell hard.” He knelt by her side and tenderly lifted her head, feeling with his hands and searching carefully with his eyes for any sign of blood. He saw nothing of concern, although could feel a small bump on the back of her head. “How’s your butt feeling? Head looks okay, besides a tiny bump.”
“Like I fell on it hard.” She chuckled, yet her eyes didn’t shine with laughter as they normally did when she laughed. “I’m okay. I should go.”
“Stay.” He stood up. “Just rest for a moment. I’ll go get you something warm to drink. Coffee?”
She nodded, but said nothing.
He quickly walked out of the room, but took his time pouring her a cup of coffee. Why did she come here? Did she feel the intense attraction as he felt for her? He couldn’t give her anything. Nothing that would keep her in his life for the long term. Just the idea of long term had his body convulsing with tremors. He could never do forever, even as badly as he wanted it with somebody.
But it had been so long since he’d slept with anyone. Too long. Even before Cynthia died, he had a dry spell for a few months, because connecting with her had been difficult to do. His entire body ached. Badly. He needed to release all of the tension.
Theresa wasn’t that kind of girl. He’d never use her as a fun toy, then kick her to the curb. She deserved more than that. She didn’t need a man in her life who would let her down, or worse, hurt her beyond repair.
When he walked back into the living room with her coffee, he knew he’d have a helluva time keeping his hands to himself. It wasn’t right to want her the way he did, and he could feel himself slowly losing the control he tried so hard to keep together.
“Here.” He sat on the edge of the couch near her legs and held out the mug.
She scooted her butt a little to sit up better and took the mug. He was so thankful not one finger touched his. Just the littlest of contact might’ve sent him into a frenzy. One little touch and he’d have her naked in under five seconds flat. Although he was sitting near her legs, not one part of him was touching her.
“Thank you.”
“How’s everything feeling? You fell hard. Do you need to go to the hospital?”
She shook her head, then winced from the movement. “I’m fine.”
“That didn’t look fine.”
“Just a small headache. It’s nothing to worry about. I’m sorry for barging in on you.”
He ached to touch her. To reach out his hand and stroke her cheek, her arm, anything. “Why are you here? How do you even know where I live?”
She chuckled, this time with the laughter in her eyes. It made his heart soar from the beauty of it. “Small town. I think everyone knew when you put an offer in last year. Heck, before you even thought of putting an offer in.”
He couldn’t help it. He chuckled at that, his lips almost curling into a smile. “So true. A bunch of gossipers. Daphne’s the worst, although she doesn’t mean it maliciously.” Then, his lips turned down into a low frown. “Please tell me you didn’t walk here.”
“Didn’t you see the car parked outside?”
He wanted to smack himself in the face. No, he didn’t see it. All he saw was how beautiful she looked standing on his porch. How much he ached to pull her into his arms. How pissed he was for feeling that way. Then all he saw was fear and rage that she could’ve hurt herself. And why? Because of him.
All he ever did was hurt people.
His frown turned fierce. “Whose car?”
She averted her eyes. “My brother’s.”
He jerked to his feet upset. Couldn’t she see how dangerous her brother was to be around? “If you feel better, you should go.” He didn’t even care why she came, or that she borrowed her brother’s car. At least she didn’t walk all the way here.
She slowly turned and set her feet on the floor, then leaned forward to put her coffee down on the small table in front of the couch. Standing up, she avoided his eyes. “I’m sorry if I upset you somehow.” Without a word, he let her walk away toward the front door.
Wait. No, damn it. He wanted to know why she came here.
He followed her, amazed how fast she made it to the front door. She was obviously eager to leave. Before she could open the door all the way, he slammed it shut. She stumbled as she turned around in surprise. Her back fell lightly against the door. He moved closer, effectively boxing her in.
A sweet scent of roses drifted his way, reeling him in even closer.
“Why did you come?”
“I…” Her eyes glossed to his lips that were precariously close to hers. “I finished your mother’s necklace. I just wanted to drop it off.”
That’s not the reason he expected. It pissed him off. The anger stirring in his veins before she arrived skyrocketed. Perhaps she didn’t feel the connection he felt.
He was about to find out. Because he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He needed to feel her lips against his.
His lips grazed hers. Tentatively at first, then more insistent. A low moan echoed throughout the hallway, giving him the confirmation she wanted more just like him. His tongue swooped in as her arms circled around his neck.
Yes. She felt wonderful in his arms. So soft. So sweet. So his for the taking.
He pressed closer to her, the kiss turning hotter than he intended. Because he couldn’t control himself. Not when he dreamt about Theresa the last few nights. His dreams didn’t compare to the real thing. Theresa felt so right in his arms.
No!
He abruptly broke the kiss and backed away.
He shouldn’t be kissing her. He shouldn’t be enjoying it. None of this was right. It couldn’t be.
“Why did you just kiss me?” Her eyes narrowed instantly. “And don’t give me that mistletoe crap. There’s no mistletoe here.” Although, she must’ve doubted her words because she glanced up to make sure there was no mistletoe hanging.
For once, he had no good excuse to why he kissed her. How could he explain he wouldn’t be good for her? That he’d end up hurting her?
“You should leave.”
The hurt in her eyes was swift and painful to look at.
“I don’t understand you, Officer Crowl.” She sighed, then turned around and pulled open the door. It closed with a quiet click.
Why did she always call him that? Thinking back, he couldn’t remember one time where she called him Aiden. He wanted to hear his name on her lips. Just once.
No. What he wanted was to forget about her.
Locking the door, to add an extra measure of security to his impulses, he almost ran to his bedroom so he wouldn’t be tempted to watch her leave. Hell, the temptation to rush out there and stop her ran unbridled through his veins.
What was wrong with him?
A beautiful, easy-going, wonderful woman seemed to like him just as much as he liked her and he pushed her away by acting like a world-class jerk.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands in his lap, the loneliness engulfing him, he realized Theresa never gave him the necklace.
A very good reason to seek her out was right before his eyes.
Sinking back into the bed, his eyes glossed over in madness as he stared at the ceiling.
Would it hurt to let someone in for once? It already hurt keeping people out. Could it really hurt much worse?
It didn’t matter. Theresa deserved better than him.
Someone who didn’t kill the person they loved. Someone like him.
Of course, the day Cynthia died he didn’t love her anymore.
That just made what happened a hundred times worse.
❄
Theresa wiped her hands across her jeans before pulling open the door to Lynn’s bakery. Only thirty degrees outside today and her hands were sweating.
Who was she kidding? Her entire body was still on fire since the latest kiss with Officer Crowl. He left her so flustered, she didn’t even put her gloves back on before she left his house. She left them in her pocket, even when she got into her car and drove away.
He had moments of grumpiness, of being so indifferent, it bordered on rude. But today…he broke her heart. One second he’s kissing her as if he’d drown if he let her go, and in the next second, he’s telling her to get the hell out. Well, at least he said it nicely, but she heard the tone in his voice. You should leave, translated into, get the hell out.
She read him loud and clear. From now on, she wouldn’t be as nice. He wanted to act that way with her without an explanation to his actions, then fine. She tended to let people run all over her. Her mother. Her brother. Bonzo, on occasion, but he did it because he worried about her. She was done letting Officer Crowl do it.
And no more kissing.
“Theresa, what a surprise?” Lynn’s brows puckered as she boxed up a batch of cookies from the front display case for Mrs. Miner. “Are you okay?”
Plastering a smile, she nodded. “I was driving by and saw how busy you are. Thought I’d offer my help. You shouldn’t make such delicious baked goods, especially around Christmas time.”
Lynn laughed with her and tossed her head toward the swinging door that led to the kitchen of the bakery. “There’s an extra apron hanging on the pegs to the left. I would love some help.”
The smile in her eyes didn’t mask the concern. Lynn wanted to know what was going on, and eventually Theresa might tell her. But right now, she just wanted to work this frustration out. Going home to work on her jewelry, while it would be good to get ahead of the orders she had, didn’t sound appealing. She didn’t want to be alone.
Pushing open the door, she smiled at Gabby, who was standing at a counter bagging loafs of cinnamon swirl bread. Oh, man, did Lynn make the best cinnamon swirl bread. Her mouth started to water at the sight of the deliciousness staring her in the face and the wondrous scents drifting to her nose.
“Hi, Theresa.”
She grabbed an apron hanging not far from her. “Hi, Gabby. I thought I’d help out some. Excited for Christmas?”
Her eyes beamed wide with happiness. “Oh, yes. All of my kids are coming home for Christmas. Gregory insists that they all come over to his house, and I’m sure I’ll give in. I just don’t want to intrude on Elliot and Lynn.”
“I’m sure they don’t mind. And I imagine Gregory is already going nuts with presents.”
Gabby laughed with delight. “You know it.”
The last time she experienced a Christmas filled with presents galore and family filling the house, almost overcrowding the place, was when she was younger, before her dad really started to drink. His family and her mother’s side used to visit all the time, especially around the holidays. The house boomed with laughter and joy, presents piled high under the tree, and all the food they cooked and baked left the counters with no room for anything. She missed those days. The last few years she had a quiet dinner with her mom, and if she was lucky, her brother. Her dad didn’t come around anymore. Heck, she didn’t even know where he was. Maybe living in St. Cloud.
This year would be one of the loneliest Christmases by far. Her mother met someone a few months ago. His family was from Ireland. She left last week for a month long vacation with his family. Like the free-spirited woman she could be, she left without much of a goodbye, or an offer to come join her for Christmas. She probably would’ve declined because her boyfriend was a little odd, and she didn’t want to spend the holidays with people she didn’t know. But an offer would’ve been nice.
Heck, maybe she would’ve said yes. Ireland sounded like a great place to visit.
Theresa tied the apron around her waist and internally debated whether she should help Gabby or go out by Lynn when the door swung open.
“Hi, Chief Duncan.” Theresa smiled at him as she patted the front of her apron, suddenly nervous and very self-conscious. Which was silly. Just because Chief Duncan was Officer Crowl’s boss didn’t mean he knew she kissed him.
“Hey, Theresa.” He smiled. “Lynn mentioned you just got here. I thought I’d lend a hand as well. Why don’t you head out by Lynn and I’ll tackle whatever Gabby needs me to do back here.” He threw a special smile to Gabby. “My dad’s out front. He wants to go shopping for a few more gifts. He mentioned you might want to tag along with him and Laura.”
Gabby chuckled as she started to untie her apron. “That silly man has no control. I better make sure he doesn’t buy the entire store.”
Chief Duncan laughed. “You know him. There’s no stopping him sometimes.”
Gabby patted his shoulder in a motherly gesture and then left.
An awkward silence drifted between them.
“Are you okay, Theresa?”
She nodded, afraid if she said anything, the wrong words would come out. Something crazy like, “Why does Officer Crowl like me one moment, then hate me in the next?” That would be the dumbest thing she could possibly say. She really wanted to know, though.
Before he could say anything else, she slipped out the doors to the front. Lynn put her to work immediately refilling the display cases and helping the customers as they steadily stopped in for the delicious baked goods Lynn created with a magic touch.
Two hours later, sweat trickled down her back and her armpits were wet with the energy she exerted running back and forth from counter to counter. But, thankfully, the rush was over.
Leaning against the counter, she swiped a lock of hair out of her eyes and blew out a breath. “Is it like this every day? Because, seriously, you should hire someone to help you.”
“I’ve thought about it. I could probably afford to hire one person, and it would give me more time at home. I feel like I’m always working. When I’m not here, Elliot is. He’s such a sweetheart. Even Gabby helps me out so much.”
Theresa smiled at the joy on Lynn’s face. Why couldn’t she have something like her? A beautiful relationship with a man who did the most wonderful things for her just because he wanted to. She couldn’t imagine Officer Crowl showing up to her home to help her string beads. Ha! She couldn’t even imagine him dropping by just for a visit.
“I appreciate the help.” Lynn leaned against the counter as she pierced a friendly but hard glare at her. “Now tell me what’s bugging you. You walked in here with the saddest look I’ve ever seen from you. Is everything okay?”
Untying her apron, she nodded. “I wanted to say thank you for sending so much work my way. I can’t believe how many jewelry orders I have before Christmas. I’m just not used to all this work. I’m a little tired.”
“And here you are, helping me out. I—”
“No! I wanted to help. Don’t feel bad.” Theresa set the apron on the counter near where Lynn was resting. The look on Lynn’s face portrayed she didn’t believe a word she said. “I love making jewelry.” She shrugged, looking away. “I guess I just didn’t want to go home to an empty house.” She glanced back at Lynn. “I don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay. I didn’t mean to pry.” Lynn stood straighter and grabbed a hug before she could protest. “I know what it’s like to need a friend. I just want you to know I’ll be here for you whenever you’re ready to talk about it.”
“Thanks, Lynn.”
“Oh…uh…I’ll just…yeah.”
Lynn chuckled at Elliot’s retreating back as he went through the swinging doors without another word, then she moved away from her. “He’s so adorable when he gets tongue-tied. Laura asked him the other day about boys acting a certain way and he blushed like a big red light bulb, stuttering over his words.”
“You found a great guy.” Theresa chuckled to ease the awkwardness floating between them. Unless she was the only one feeling it. “I should probably go home and get some of those orders done.”
“Thanks again for your help.”
Theresa smiled as she walked out. Time to drop off her brother’s car and go home to an empty house. None of that sounded like fun.
But a nice bubble bath sounded like a great plan. And a glass of wine.
That’s what she’d do. Screw making jewelry. She needed one night to herself just relaxing. To get her mind off a man who didn’t merit an ounce of her thoughts. Not with the way he continued to treat her. Hot then cold. She couldn’t take it anymore. She wouldn’t.
If she saw Officer Crowl again, she would give him a piece of her mind.
Or completely ignore him. She wasn’t sure she’d have enough bravery to call him out on his bullshit.
❄
“Hey, mister. Go home. It shouldn’t be too busy now.”
Elliot wrapped her into his warm embrace, kissing her soundly on the lips. It felt like years since he kissed her when in reality it was only a few hours ago. Every time he kissed her, it was like coming home. It just felt right.
“Everything okay with Theresa? She seemed out of it or something.”
Lynn chuckled as she rested her head against his chest. “Or something.”
“Meaning?”
Looking up, she brushed her lips against his. “It’s girl stuff. I don’t want to bore you with it.”
“In other words, you don’t want to tell me.”
“I do, but…I don’t want to make it awkward for you or anything.”
Elliot tensed as his brows rose. “Theresa has a thing…”
Her laughter echoed off the walls. “No, silly, that’s not what I meant, although who wouldn’t want a thing for you. Too bad you’re all mine.”
“Yes, you are.” He suddenly picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and started walking until her butt hit the edge of the counter. “You know what the smell of your delicious cookies do to me.”
“Elliot, we’re in my bakery. Don’t be naughty.” She giggled as he started to nibble on her neck in playful delight.
He kissed her tenderly on the lips, then cocked a brow. “So. Tell me what could be awkward.”
Lynn debated with herself for about half a second, then decided she would never want him to keep secrets from her so she wouldn’t start now either.
“I’m pretty sure Theresa likes Officer Crowl and…I could be wrong, but I think he likes her, too.”
The smile on his face dipped. “Aiden…well…he hasn’t been the same since his fiancé died. I like him, but I’m not sure he’d be a good fit for Theresa. She has enough problems with her brother. Not to mention, Aiden arrested him.”
“She’s the one who called the cops. Her brother hit him. That wasn’t Aiden’s fault.”
“True.” He rubbed his face, then pulled her tighter into his body. “Is there something brewing in that beautiful mind of yours?”
“Not really. I just want everybody to be happy, especially around Christmas time.”
Elliot kissed the top of her head. “I know you do, sweetheart. Maybe Santa will do what he did for us.”
“Maybe,” she whispered.