Luke

This trip already sucked and we were only one day in. My little brothers were miserable and I was freakin’ tired of pretending I wasn’t.

This whole Mexico idea was a bad one. But the worst part was, my mom was still on this crazy high, or at least she was pretending to be for the boys’ sake. Either way, it grated on me, and I think the boys too. There was nothing worse than being in a crappy mood and then having to deal with someone who was chipper.

After she left for her night out with Lila, my brothers and I sank onto the sofa to watch the only English channel on TV. They were playing old Matlock episodes that bored the crap out all of us, but even my little brothers who were basically just two balls of nonstop energy, didn’t care to do anything else.

Half an episode passed with us just sitting there in silence waiting for bed, when there was a knock at the door.

My brothers turned to me, their eyes wide in shock, like a knock on the door was the boogeyman requesting entry or something. Kids are such scared little things. “Relax, guys. I got it.”

I don’t know who I was expecting—a hotel staffer or something coming to tell us that the TV was too loud, maybe?

I definitely wasn’t expecting this girl. I couldn’t even call her Maya because she looked nothing like the stuck-up nerdy outcast I’d known forever.

Her hair was down. I know that shouldn’t have blown my mind or anything but it did.

I don’t know that I’d ever seen her hair down. Ever. It was…pretty. That sounded lame, right? Whatever. Her hair was pretty. Sue me. Long and black, it fell down her back and over her shoulders in these thick, silky waves. It made her look softer. Almost touchable.

But I knew better than to touch her, she’d probably punch me in the nuts.

She wasn’t wearing makeup—she never did as far as I knew—but there was something different about her features. Maybe it was just a side effect of the hair, but she looked less icy and more like a normal girl.

She also looked annoyed to see me. What, was she expecting someone else?

After a second she arched one brow and held up a bag full of stuff. “Can I come in?”

“Oh.” Crap. I hadn’t even realized I’d been standing there gawking at her like a creeper. “Yeah, sure.” I opened the door wider and stepped back so she could come in.

My brothers were normally pretty polite—neither of my parents put up with rude behavior—but I couldn’t really fault them for giving Maya the stink-eye before turning back to the TV. It’s not like they didn’t like Maya. They didn’t know her like I did so they thought she was just as cool as any other girl. Which was to say, not that cool. But they were currently in a foul mood because they hated that we were here, and so did I.

I mean, if I were at home, at least I could be hanging out with my friends right about now. The beach was nice and all, but with two moping little brothers and a mom who was constantly two steps away from a meltdown?

Yeah, that made it far less awesome. I understood what my mom was going for—a giant distraction. But no amount of waves or sombreros were going to fool my brothers or me into thinking that this was a fun holiday trip.

Worse than all that, my brothers were getting cheated out of a Christmas. I didn’t care all that much about that stuff anymore, but they still did. I knew without a doubt that they were upset about not having all the Christmas stuff as they were about the fact that my dad wasn’t with us.

So yeah, I actually felt a little bad for Maya as she stood there in the middle of the bungalow with a shopping bag in one hand. “What are you guys watching?”

“Something lame,” Adam muttered.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. But I kept quiet. I was too busy enjoying the view.

Now, here’s the thing you had to know about Maya, the class dork. She dressed the part to a tee. Like, all the time. Yes, people mocked her for being a nerd, but it was hard to even feel bad about that fact when she was basically asking for it.

The girl wore knee-length pleated skirts, for God’s sakes. She wore Peter Pan collars. She regularly sported knee-high socks and turtlenecks. And maybe all of that wouldn’t have been so weird if Briarwood had a uniform policy. But it didn’t. Everyone else wore normal clothes.

Everyone else dressed like they lived in the twenty-first century. But Maya—hell she wore her hair back in a tight bun like some kind of spinster from the olden days. She dressed like the quintessential nerd. The only thing missing were the glasses and the retainer, both of which she’d had during junior high but had ditched at some point along the way.

Seriously, the girl looked and talked like a nerdy prude, like some sort of time-warped weirdo who’d go on to do something amazing with her life but who would die surrounded by cats.

So why was I mentioning this now? Because I need to be clear on just how shocking it was to see her standing there in my living room wearing normal girls’ clothing. If I’d just said, she was wearing a cotton tank top and yoga pants, it wouldn’t explain why my jaw was on the floor.

When she’d first arrived I’d been too dumbstruck by the fact that her hair was down to look any further. But now…well now, I couldn’t look away.

Holy crap. Maya Rivero had been hiding a killer body this whole time. Underneath those ridiculous button-down Sunday school blouses were stunning curves, and those pleated skirts had been hiding the kind of hips and butt that made grown men weep.

The guys on the team would never believe me if I told them. And I already knew that I wouldn’t tell them. There was something oddly exciting about having this secret knowledge. Like I’d just gotten a peek at the holy grail or something.

The holy grail who, apparently, was also an elf in disguise. Out of the plastic bag she started pulling candy canes and other sweet treats that were wrapped in green and red for the holidays. She tossed them one by one onto the couch between my brothers and I watched in amusement as their eyes lit up and they dove after the candy like it was precious gold.

“I saw you guys eyeing this stuff at the store,” Maya said casually, as if it wasn’t freakin’ awesome that she’d gone back to get my brothers treats that my mom had clearly said they couldn’t buy.

As if to prove my point, she jabbed a finger in their direction. “Don’t tell your mom I got this for you, and hide the evidence when you’re through.”

They nodded quickly and I had to clap a hand over my mouth to smother a laugh. It was just so bizarre. She still had that cold, unfeeling voice, like she was a robot or something. So, what was she doing here? And why? Did she actually feel sorry for them or something?

That thought brought with it a pang of something unpleasant. It made her seem more human but at the same time I didn’t want anyone pitying my family. I definitely didn’t want anyone pitying me.

Not that she seemed to care much about me at the moment. She hadn’t pulled any presents out of that bag for me.

Besides, it wasn’t her candy that I wanted.

Oh hell. I had to shut down those thoughts right now. This girl was still Maya. Maybe a secret hottie version of Maya, and maybe even Maya with a heart—but she was still Maya Rivero, Briarwood’s least favorite geek.

She turned around and walked past me. I assumed she was leaving so I fell into step behind her. I followed her out onto the steps leading to our bungalow. “Hey, wait,” I said. I wanted to thank her, at the very least. Maybe ask her why she’d done it. I didn’t want to be curious about her, but I was. This gesture seemed totally out of character from the girl I knew from school.

But then she turned around again and I realized she had a giant suitcase on wheels at the bottom of the steps and was starting to tug it up the stairs behind her. It took me all of a heartbeat to realize that for some unknown reason, this new mystery girl was planning on bringing her luggage to our room.

I leapt into action, heading down the stairs and taking it from her, lifting it up the steps easily.

“Thanks,” she muttered before climbing the steps with her head down. I rolled it into the bungalow for her and she ducked past me, her head still tucked down.

Apparently I was still being ignored. But the boys had her full attention as they too stared at Maya who was now kneeling over the luggage, unzipping it in the middle of the room.

I sure as hell hoped my little brothers weren’t watching Maya for the same reasons I was. Because as embarrassing as it was, I couldn’t tear my eyes off her.

This was Maya. I had to remind myself several times that it was Maya Rivero I was currently leering at. But at that particular moment, I was more focused on the fact that I could see her skin. For the first time ever I was seeing more than just her face. Her shoulders and arms were slim but defined, her skin a golden hue. One day in the sun and she had the perfect tan. I had an overwhelming desire to see more of her, even as I told myself to stop looking.

This was Maya. No one would believe me if I told them I was lusting after her. She was a joke. A nerdy, humorless, untouchable joke.

But try telling my dirty mind that.

“What do you have in there?” Kevin asked as she slowly opened the case.

“More candy?” Adam suggested.

Nope, their minds were definitely not in the gutter like mine. They were solely focused on the magic of sugar.

Until Maya threw open the luggage and Christmas exploded into the room. That’s what it looked like. Lights and ornaments and decorations came flying out of the bag, along with some bags filled with God knew what.

My brothers leapt into action, finally getting their butts off the couch to see what kind of surprises she had.

Meanwhile, I was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Where had this come from? What was she doing with it here, in my brothers’ bungalow?

The boys gathered around her and Maya sat cross-legged between them, doling out tasks to each. “Here, Kevin, can you unknot these lights? Adam, there should be a bag of hooks in here somewhere, can you find it?”

The mood lifted instantly as my brothers set about the tasks they were given. Maya glanced back at me and for a moment our gazes locked, her dark eyes suddenly seeming mysterious in the face of all this newness.

For the first time in my life, I had no idea who Maya Rivero was. Surely it wasn’t this girl with the long, gorgeous curls and the heart of an angel. It was becoming clear that she was here to save my brothers’ Christmas and my heart pounded painfully in my chest at the sight of them smiling.

“Make yourself useful,” she said, her tone curt as she nodded toward a radio in the corner. “Go find a Christmas station.”

Okay, maybe this was still the Maya I knew. But this was still a whole new side of her, and one that was unexpectedly appealing.

I did as ordered, and adding a little music to the situation upped the happy level significantly. My brothers were so into this impromptu celebration, it was kind of adorable. Maya was like a lieutenant general of festivities. She might not have suddenly turned cuddly and warm, but I caught some smiles of amusement and even heard a laugh as she singlehandedly led her army of two on their crusade to turn the bungalow into a Christmas paradise.

She’d brought a fake tree in that giant suitcase of hers, along with all the accoutrements. She even had the makings for paper snowflakes and homemade ornaments and…I was not all that off base when I’d called her an elf.

With her tiny size, it was kind of fitting.

When the room was sufficiently tacky and the boys started to crash from their sugar highs, Maya was once again prepared. She pulled out that first bag that she’d walked in with and held up a handful of DVD options. The Santa Clause, Miracle on 34^th Street, A Christmas Story, among others.

“Take your pick, boys,” she said as she fanned them open like a deck of cards.

The boys were reaching that part of the night where a decision like this could set them off on a squabble that would turn violent. I stepped in, perusing the options for one that would make both boys happy while not boring me to tears. There was only one in the mix that wasn’t Christmas-themed. “Back to the Future?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It’s my mom’s favorite. It’s tradition.”

And that’s when it fully registered. All of this was Maya’s Christmas. The bag of goodies and the luggage filled with Christmas junk…she’d given my brothers her Christmas.

I stared at her for so long that my brothers started to get antsy, shouting out their choices. Anarchy would reign if I didn’t decide here and now. I plucked A Christmas Story out of her hands. “We’ll start with this one.”

My tone brooked no arguments, and since all three of us loved this movie, we were good to go. They’d both be fast asleep by the time it ended so I was ready to say this night would end without fireworks.

Success all around.

I turned to thank Maya, but she was smiling at the boys and when her gaze shifted to meet mine, she was still smiling.

Oh holy hell, that smile. It was a thing of beauty. It wasn’t a flicker of amusement or a cynical smirk like I’d seen when she was fighting with me over tacos.

No, this was a genuine smile. One that lit up her whole face and turned her eyes a warm shade of brown. It was a smile that made me wonder how I could ever have thought of her as an ice queen. “Good choice,” she said.

She set the others on the counter for us to watch later and started to gather up her things.

“Aren’t you sticking around for the movie?” I asked.

She shook her head, not looking at me as she stuffed some scraps and tools from craft time into the bag. “I should get back to my room.”

Why? I stopped myself because I had a horrible feeling if I asked that question she’d be able to hear the truth.

I was disappointed she was leaving. I wanted her to stay.

I, Luke Perona, wanted Maya Rivero to stay and hang out. What the hell was going on? It was like we’d entered some world where everything was flipped upside down.

Why did I want her to stay? I didn’t know. What did I think was going to happen? Nothing exciting. I might have developed new and insanely inconvenient feelings around this girl, but those feelings were entirely physical and this was so not the girl who would be up for that kind of thing.

Don’t ask me how I knew, I just knew. She was not a hookup kind of girl.

My disappointment was totally unwarranted. Logically I knew it was best that she leave so I didn’t have to suffer through any more of this weird physical attraction. I was going to have to take a cold shower tonight just to rid my brain of the mental images I already knew would be impossible to shake.

I’d seen too much, and now there was no going back. I’d never be able to unsee that golden skin or her sexy curves or the way her tank top clung to her waist and revealed just a hint of her lower back when she leaned over.

Still, that didn’t stop me from following her out. My brain was telling me one thing—namely, get your ass inside and don’t tempt fate. But my body was acting of its own accord.

Yup, I’d gone rogue.

Blame it on the cheesy Christmas music or the joy of seeing my brothers come out of their funk for once, but I was having a hard time remembering that Maya was not my friend, let alone a hookup prospect. My body was in denial that she wasn’t for us.

Total. Denial.

“Here, let me help you.” I snagged the luggage out of her hand and she let me haul it along as she walked quickly toward her room. No one was outside, and the pool lights made it glimmer turquoise as we walked past.

“Nice pool,” I said for lack of anything else to say. Without the buffer of my brothers, the silence between us was in serious danger of growing awkward.

I thought she was going to mock me, because that seemed to be our thing. She made fun of me for being a dumb jock and I teased her for being a nerd.

“Yeah,” she said. “This place is paradise over Christmas.” There was no mockery in her voice. She sounded oddly serious when she spoke. Well, not that odd. Maya always sounded serious. Unemotional and cold were pretty much the best ways to describe her personality.

But the fact that she wasn’t being snide was new.

She looked around and I followed her gaze. Paradise was a bit of an exaggeration. It was a cute little seaside inn, but it wasn’t exactly the Ritz. “Have you ever been any other time of year?”

“We came here over spring break once.” She shook her head, her nose wrinkling up in disgust. “Just not the same. Too many people.”

“Not…people.” I feigned horror and she darted a suspicious look in my direction. I kept my smile friendly and light. But I could see her close in on herself, just as surely as if I was watching her draw the curtains.

Jesus, I’d only been joking.

Her voice took on a defensive edge. “Yeah well, my mom and I come here to get away from it all. Work, school…” She shot me a sidelong look that was filled with scorn. “Briarwood people.”

I felt my friendly smile slip. “So that’s why you’re so pissed that I’m here. I’m a reminder of all those people you can’t stand at school.” There was that disappointment again. One nice night and I’d actually started to think I’d had her all wrong. “I guess my being here is your worst nightmare, huh?”

She stiffened and I cursed at myself in my head. We’d been having a good night. I might’ve even said we’d been having fun. Why did I have to come out here and walk her to her door like we were on some sort of date or something?

I blamed my stupid body with its completely illogical disregard for reality. Even now, it wanted to get closer to Maya. My hands itched to touch that silky hair, and my arms wanted to wrap around that waist. I wanted to pull her close and—

“Look, I don’t feel like fighting, okay?”

I blinked at her in surprise. Fighting had been the last thing on my mind. But my shock had more to do with that note of exhausted resignation I’d heard in her voice. It sounded so…human.

In a heartbeat I felt like the biggest ass on the planet. She’d gone out of her way to cheer up my brothers and I was giving her a hard time.

“I’m sorry.” I cleared my throat after forcing out those foreign words. When was the last time I’d apologized to someone? I couldn’t remember. Maybe never.

She came to a stop and so did I, that ridiculously large suitcase rumbling to a halt beside me. We hadn’t quite reached her bungalow but she stood still as she tilted her head up to look at me. “What did you say?”

Ah hell. Leave it to Maya to make me say it again. Eating crow once just wasn’t enough for this one. I sighed. “Look, I apologized, all right? I didn’t mean to start anything. I was just trying to make a joke.” I looked toward the pool and had the completely off-topic thought that I would kill for a swim. It sounded far more appealing than a cold shower and right about now, that was almost definitely in my future.

My body was so not keeping up with the current state of events. It was begging to touch Maya even as I rolled my eyes and found myself staring at the night sky.

She muttered so quietly I almost didn’t hear her. “Sorry.”

I dropped my gaze to stare in fascination as she kicked her sandal against the cement.

“I just assumed you were…” She shrugged, emotion flickering across her features. “Never mind. I should get back to my room and put this stuff away.”

She went to reach for the luggage but I tugged it slightly out of reach. Don’t ask me why. Logic was no longer in control. Reason was nowhere to be found.

Just then when she’d apologized and shrugged, I’d caught another glimpse of a human and it was—

Sexy.

Hot.

I shook my head slightly and took a deep breath.

It was endearing…and more than a little intriguing.