Heating Up The Holidays Read online

  Plus he’d found true love with Brooke, and been taken off the market.

  But even before that, she’d fallen for Dustin. She hadn’t known back then the why or how of it, but Dustin had taken her off the market, too.

  It was time he damn well knew it. “Where’s Dustin?”

  “Gone.”

  The same queasy panic she’d experienced yesterday flooded her again. “What do you mean, gone? Where does a guy who’s been shot go?”

  Zach released the pole and hopped down. Letting out a long breath, he looked her in the eyes. “He’s at his mom’s house in San Luis Obispo.”

  Which was an hour north of Santa Rey. “Why?”

  “For Christmas.”

  There was something funny to his tone. “He’s coming back though,” she said. “Right?”

  “He didn’t tell you?”

  Oh, God. She wasn’t going to like this. “Tell me what, Zach?”

  “He gave his notice. He’s going full-time into the renovating business with his brother.”

  Cristina chewed on that for a moment while a very bad feeling sank in her gut. “Okay, I’m going to need his mom’s address.”

  Five minutes later she was on the highway heading toward San Luis Obispo. She didn’t want to think about why she was in such a hurry, or why the panic had grown and spread from her gut to every part of her body.

  Dustin had quit.

  He’d walked away.

  And she’d let him.

  10

  C RISTINA GOT STUCK in holiday traffic, which only upped her blood pressure, but finally, she got there. Dustin’s mother lived in the middle of suburbia, complete with a white picket fence and a well-kept yard decorated for Christmas with lights strung in the trees and boughs of holly along the patio decking.

  It was Christmas Eve.

  It was Christmas Eve and she stood on the porch, hand raised to knock, about to completely impose on a family she’d never even met.

  Because she had to see Dustin. She had to tell him-

  Oh, God. She still didn’t have the exact words but she had the gist now. She was going to get it right this time.

  Jason opened the door to her knock. Perfect.

  In an exact imitation of his brother, he arched a brow and waited patiently.

  “Um,” she said brilliantly.

  “Still working on your greeting, huh? Need a moment?”

  “No.” Yes. She stepped into the living room, filled with comfy, worn furniture and a huge Christmas tree, around which were so many presents they came halfway out into the room. “Wow.”

  “Yeah,” Jason said, amused. “We don’t get to see each other too much during the year so we tend to go a little overboard at Christmas.”

  She had no understanding of this. Christmases in her world were a whole different ball game. “Oh. Uh, I don’t want to intrude.”

  “You’re not. Everyone’s out doing their last-minute shopping. Probably be gone for hours. I was just leaving, too. Dustin’s upstairs.”

  And with that, he walked out the front door. She stared at the tree, gulped and headed toward the stairs. “Dustin?”

  He didn’t answer, and she began to make her way up, her heart in her throat. Upstairs in the hallway, all the doors were shut. “Dustin?”

  She heard a soft oath, some rustling, and then one of the doors opened and Dustin stood there in a thick, dark blue robe, braced on a crutch, looking pale and tense.

  And at just the sight of him, her heart warmed. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  He was hurting like hell, she could tell, and without a word, she went to him, slipped her arms around him, and took him back to his bed.

  Lying back on the mattress, he gritted his teeth and pulled himself into a better position. “If you’re here to have your way with me, I’m going to disappoint you.”

  “You could never disappoint me.”

  “Yeah? Try me.”

  As usual, he told it like it was, holding nothing back. What was it like to wear your emotions on your sleeve, she wondered, not to have a deep, dark secret festering inside?

  Her deep, dark secret was killing her. “You win,” she told him. “Your evil plan worked.”

  “Huh?”

  It was so clear to her now, and, needing it to be clear to him, she stripped out of her clothes while he sputtered, and then she climbed into bed with him.

  Two warm, hard arms came around her. “Cristina.”

  She kissed his jaw, and then his chest, and he groaned, the sound bringing her such raw relief she felt the sting of tears at the base of her throat. “You’re not mad at me,” she let out before she could stop herself.

  “Frustrated. Irritated. Hurt.” He shook his head and sighed. “But not mad.”

  “I’m so sorry, Dustin,” she whispered, slipping her hands into his robe, warming at the discovery that he was naked beneath. She tugged the robe off his shoulders so they could both be naked together. “This day really sucked golf balls.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Don’t ever get shot again.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “Dustin, I-”

  But his hands were busy skimming over every inch of her, wrenching a heartfelt and appreciative deep groan from his chest. It tugged at her, from loins to the tips of her hair, and she kissed him. She meant it to be a sweet kiss, a prelude to the I-love-you speech she’d prepared, but his hands swept down her back and cupped her bottom, nudging her closer until he let out a hiss and went still.

  “Careful,” she gasped. “I don’t want to hurt you-”

  “You’re killing me.” But he wouldn’t let her pull away. Rolling to his back, he urged her over on top of him until she straddled his waist.

  She understood. It was her move. If she wanted him, wanted them, then this one was on her. No problem there. Her fingers curled around him. He was ready. She reached for the condom she’d brought.

  “You came prepared.”

  “In many ways-” She broke off to put it on him, leaving them both gasping by the time she was done. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be. When you-Oh, yeah,” he managed on a rough breath when she sank down on him. Their twin moans mingled in the night, and she dropped her forehead to his, swamped with emotion. “Dustin.”

  “Much as I want to be the macho guy here and show you a good time, I can’t move. My leg-”

  “I’ve got you.” And for once, she did. She cupped his face and breathed his air and repeated it softly. “I’ve got you, Dustin.” Heart and soul…

  When she began to move, it seemed as though her entire world moved along in sync. For the first time she felt completely transformed, transfixed, beyond herself. He gripped her hips in his hands and let her ride him, and just when she began to go over, he stroked her where they were joined, making her his…except she already was.

  His.

  She let herself fall, and one stroke later, he fell with her.

  It took her a long time to recover. Still breathless, she rolled off him, shocked at the depths of what they’d just shared. “How was that for a first move?”

  He reached for her hand, bringing it to his mouth. “Nice.”

  “I have more. First moves, that is.”

  “You’re going to have to give me a minute.”

  “No,” she said, and laughed. Rolling over, she lay on his chest, looking through the dark to find his eyes glittering with interest. “I meant a different first move.” Her smile faded, replaced by nerves. “I’ve been an idiot, Dustin. A stubborn, closed-minded idiot.”

  His lips quirked in silent agreement, but he didn’t respond. His hands though, they moved, up and down her naked body, producing a set of anticipatory shivers. He had the most amazing touch.

  “And also-” She paused. “Okay, this is the hard part because I’ve never said this before-I was wrong.” God, those hands. And now his mouth got into the fray, too, nibbling at her shoulder, over her collarbone…“About