surrounded by my team, wasn’t a challenge. That part was a disaster waiting to happen. Someone would say something, and I didn’t feel like making a public spectacle of myself. This thing with Holly was too new.
Too special.
And so what if I didn’t like to share my toys—or my heart? Holly didn’t say anything—just made some rustling noises that were sexy as hell because they made me think of her, naked and waiting for me in some movieworthy four-poster bed with silk sheets—so I grabbed my stuff and headed for my truck. The smoke jumper team had spent the day running practice drills and fixing gear. It had been a good day, but not the most exciting one. I loved my guys, but I was ready for a change of scenery. I had no idea what Holly wanted, but she wasn’t the kind of person who just picked up the phone to chat.
“I’m all yours,” I said—to nothing.
Holly didn’t speak—and she didn’t hang up. There was just silence from the end of the phone, which was weird. Then a breathy whimper whispered down the line. Clothing rustled, followed by another whimper. Holy. Shit. She was going to come—and I was about to miss it.
“Gotta go,” I said to no one and nothing, and sprinted for my truck. Putting the phone on mute, I tossed it on the dashboard and drove to the sounds of Holly’s little sighs and gasps. Girl wasn’t a screamer, but she was sexy as hell. Probably why I got to Lucky Paws Christmas Tree Farm in record time too. It was a damned good thing Sheriff Hernandez wasn’t patrolling the highway because the woman frowned on flying trucks, and she lived to pass out speeding tickets to the smoke jumpers. It would have been worth every penny though. I had no idea how long it took Holly to come, but I wanted to be there when she went off.
When I pulled into the farm, the place was mostly dark. It wasn’t terribly secure either—nothing stopping me from driving in and doing whatever. The only illumination came from a boatload of flashing Christmas tree lights and an inflatable twenty-foot Santa who listed to one side as the air leaked out of him. After the chaos of the tree seekers, it all seemed relatively calm. Kinda peaceful too, the lights blink-blink-blinking away in a regular pattern. It was spitting snow, which was an improvement over the morning’s rain that had just turned the snow into wet slush. I didn’t like the thought of Holly out in it.
Her POS car was parked in front of the furthest cabin. I probably should have brought flowers or beer. Something. Instead, I was empty-handed. All I had was myself—and from what I’d heard on my phone, she didn’t think she needed me. It was a challenge I could work with though.
I knocked on the door, phone pressed to my ear.
“Shit,” she mumbled and froze. Sheets rustled and I grinned. She could pretend all she wanted that no one was knocking on her door, but she was so busted. Guess that answered the question of whether or not she knew she’d called me with a big, fat hell, no .
“Holly,” I crooned into the phone. I knocked on the door again. “You called. I came.”
The continued silence told me she must have figured out she’d butt-dialed me or whatever it was she’d done. Her scrabbling for her phone about deafened me. There was a loud click and a new kind of silence. I knocked again. She didn’t get off that easily.
Footsteps pounded towards the door. It was cute how pissed off she got. Not like she had a whole lot of runway to work with, judging by the size of the cabin, but she gave the effort one hundred percent.
The door flew open. “What?” she demanded, hands on hips.
I gave her a once-over. Christ, she was cute. She wore plaid pajama pants, a thin white cami, and the pom-pom hat. A bright pink blush painted her face, but apparently she’d decided to play this off as nothing happening here, move along.
“Let me in.” I leaned against the door, inserting my boot so she couldn’t slam it on me.
“Did I
Too special.
And so what if I didn’t like to share my toys—or my heart? Holly didn’t say anything—just made some rustling noises that were sexy as hell because they made me think of her, naked and waiting for me in some movieworthy four-poster bed with silk sheets—so I grabbed my stuff and headed for my truck. The smoke jumper team had spent the day running practice drills and fixing gear. It had been a good day, but not the most exciting one. I loved my guys, but I was ready for a change of scenery. I had no idea what Holly wanted, but she wasn’t the kind of person who just picked up the phone to chat.
“I’m all yours,” I said—to nothing.
Holly didn’t speak—and she didn’t hang up. There was just silence from the end of the phone, which was weird. Then a breathy whimper whispered down the line. Clothing rustled, followed by another whimper. Holy. Shit. She was going to come—and I was about to miss it.
“Gotta go,” I said to no one and nothing, and sprinted for my truck. Putting the phone on mute, I tossed it on the dashboard and drove to the sounds of Holly’s little sighs and gasps. Girl wasn’t a screamer, but she was sexy as hell. Probably why I got to Lucky Paws Christmas Tree Farm in record time too. It was a damned good thing Sheriff Hernandez wasn’t patrolling the highway because the woman frowned on flying trucks, and she lived to pass out speeding tickets to the smoke jumpers. It would have been worth every penny though. I had no idea how long it took Holly to come, but I wanted to be there when she went off.
When I pulled into the farm, the place was mostly dark. It wasn’t terribly secure either—nothing stopping me from driving in and doing whatever. The only illumination came from a boatload of flashing Christmas tree lights and an inflatable twenty-foot Santa who listed to one side as the air leaked out of him. After the chaos of the tree seekers, it all seemed relatively calm. Kinda peaceful too, the lights blink-blink-blinking away in a regular pattern. It was spitting snow, which was an improvement over the morning’s rain that had just turned the snow into wet slush. I didn’t like the thought of Holly out in it.
Her POS car was parked in front of the furthest cabin. I probably should have brought flowers or beer. Something. Instead, I was empty-handed. All I had was myself—and from what I’d heard on my phone, she didn’t think she needed me. It was a challenge I could work with though.
I knocked on the door, phone pressed to my ear.
“Shit,” she mumbled and froze. Sheets rustled and I grinned. She could pretend all she wanted that no one was knocking on her door, but she was so busted. Guess that answered the question of whether or not she knew she’d called me with a big, fat hell, no .
“Holly,” I crooned into the phone. I knocked on the door again. “You called. I came.”
The continued silence told me she must have figured out she’d butt-dialed me or whatever it was she’d done. Her scrabbling for her phone about deafened me. There was a loud click and a new kind of silence. I knocked again. She didn’t get off that easily.
Footsteps pounded towards the door. It was cute how pissed off she got. Not like she had a whole lot of runway to work with, judging by the size of the cabin, but she gave the effort one hundred percent.
The door flew open. “What?” she demanded, hands on hips.
I gave her a once-over. Christ, she was cute. She wore plaid pajama pants, a thin white cami, and the pom-pom hat. A bright pink blush painted her face, but apparently she’d decided to play this off as nothing happening here, move along.
“Let me in.” I leaned against the door, inserting my boot so she couldn’t slam it on me.
“Did I
Similar Books
