Season's Greetings : Christmas Box Set

The light pierces my retinas, but it’s the explosion in my center that steals my sight. I grip the sheets, arching as my lips part in a soundless scream.

“Beautiful,” he whispers huskily.

Panting, I wait for embarrassment to eat me alive. It doesn’t. My lids flutter open. I gasp at the look of pure longing etched on Caleb’s features. Aftershocks continue to rocket through me. His chest rises and falls rapidly. Damn those parted, pillowy lips of his. His strong jaw tenses, and the nostrils on his Roman nose continue to flare.

“Romy.” He inhales sharply. “If I don’t leave right now, I’m going to taste you.” He licks his lips. “And I don’t think you’re ready for that.”

“Shower,” I squeak. “I need—”

“Right.” Rising stiffly, he stands and backs away from the bedroom, holding eye contact until he turns to leave.

Sighing, I collapse back down onto the bed. The man just gave me the best orgasm I had in months, and he didn’t even touch me. What the actual hell? It’s like he’s cast some sort of spell over me. Catching my breath, I ooze out of bed on loose limbs, strip down, and enter the en suite. The scalloped white pattern tile on the walls always reminded me of the sea. Gathering a lavender shower steamer from my glass jar on the shelf, I place it on the ground and turn on the water. I need to clear my head. The man has given me more intimacy than I’ve had with another man in years. He’s watched me come, seen me rock a silk bonnet to bed, and cared for me while I was sick. Even if it wasn’t in the traditional sense.

The hot water knocks out the lingering kinks in my back, and I step from the stall rejuvenated. I slip into a cozy, white sweater dress that hugs my curves just right. It has nothing to do with the beast of a man wandering around my house. I just want an extra boost. I tame the dark smudges beneath my eyes with a little concealer and head downstairs. The black sweater draped over his frame complements the form-fitting jeans that encase his tree-trunk legs. At five foot nine, I don’t often feel small. Next to Caleb, I’m damn near petite. It’s a rare, precious phenomenon I want to enjoy longer.

“Feeling better?” His gaze darkens as he looks over me, and he smolders like a damn male model.

“Much.” I give him a small smile.

“I made us bagels with cream cheese. I wanted to keep breakfast light in case you had any lingering nausea.”

I grab the perfectly toasted, crunchy slice of heaven from the plate and take a huge bite. I spent the previous evening grazing because my stomach was off, so this is mana from the gods. Chewing, I shake my head and swallow.

“Other than a very minor headache and a few bruised spots, I’m almost a hundred percent.”

“No more dizziness?”

“Nope. I can manage solo.”

“That’s not what I asked you.” The censure in his tone sends a thrill of excitement through me.

“You and your family have gone above and beyond. I can take it from here.”

“As long as you need me, I’ll stay.” His dark eyes are lasers seeking my innermost secrets. I glance away, unable to handle his intensity.

“The deal was twenty-four hours. We’ve exceeded that timeline. I’m sure you have more important things to do with your time.”

“Binge watching sci-fi television with a gorgeous woman cuddled up to me isn’t a hardship.”

He thinks I’m gorgeous. “I was asleep for the majority of that,” I quip.

“And yet you were excellent company.” He trails his long, elegant fingers over the back of my hand.

What would those massive digits feel like moving inside of me, reaching the places I never could?

“The holidays are a time to be with family, Caleb. I happen to know yours loves you a whole lot.”

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

“Why?”

“That’s what I want to figure out. From the second you saw me in the store, my nerve endings have been on fire. I don’t think I was the only one affected that way.”

A lump clogs my throat. The attraction is mutual. Do I tell him?

“The day is hazy to me.” Cop out.

“Ah.” He moves his hand away from mine.