Christmas Ever After (Puffin Island 3)

She watched as he flung his coat over the back of a chair and thought absently that Richard never would have done that. He would have reached for a hanger to preserve the shape of the coat. The irony was that Richard, who gave so much thought to what he was going to wear and the impact of his appearance on those around him, didn’t come close to having Alec’s physical presence or charisma. He worked hard on something that to Alec came naturally.

She picked up her bag and carried it up the narrow staircase. The first door she opened led to a study. Three of the walls were covered in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, crammed with books of all shapes and sizes. Biographies as thick as her arm, novels with their spines creased, travel guides, books on history and archaeology. The floor acted as an overflow, with books stacked to hip height. In all she guessed there were enough books to fill a small library.

Under the window, facing out over the sea, was a desk strewn with papers, more books and pens. A pair of glasses lay abandoned on a thick pad of paper.

Here, in this space, she remembered how smart Alec was and felt a flicker of insecurity.

He was seriously academic, like her parents.

Alec walked in behind her. “I should have warned you not to come in here. It’s a mess. When I’m working on a book or a paper I don’t throw anything away until it’s done.”

“I’m the same. I like to keep all my ideas, even the terrible ones, until the final designs are approved. Then I have a ritual throwing-out session.”

He stared at her for a moment. “The garden room is yours while you’re staying with me. I rarely go in there.”

There was a tension about him that hadn’t been there earlier and she wondered if she’d said something wrong.

His phone rang and she smiled.

“Answer that. I’ll just nose around.” She moved toward the window, trying not to listen, although it was quickly obvious he was talking to his mother.

“I was going to call you … Yes, home safely. Just now. We have power although I doubt that will last long, looking at the forecast … Yes, the generator will still be working—” He paused, listening. “Yes, I’m sure she had a safe journey, too … Speak to you soon.”

Sky put down a biography she’d picked up. “You didn’t tell them I was coming here with you?”

“No. If I told them you were here, my mother’s hopes would be soaring into the stratosphere only to plummet down to earth when she realizes this isn’t going anywhere. I call it a selective exchange of information.”

“I need to try that.” But it made her feel a little strange that he hadn’t mentioned to his mother that she was here. It was a reminder that this was very temporary. “Are those glasses yours?”

“I wear them when I’m working.”

“Put them on.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Smiling, she picked them up and strolled toward him. “Because I want you to be able to see what you’re about to do to me.”

“WHAT DO WOMEN talk about when they close the door?” Ryan loaded plates into the dishwasher. “Press your ear to the keyhole, Alec. I want to know.”

“I don’t. What I want to know is how we ended up doing all the clearing up.” Alec sprawled at the kitchen table. “Aren’t you supposed to wash the food off those before you load the dishwasher?”

“If you think you can do it better, come and do it.” Ryan shoved the last of the plates into the dishwasher. “And where’s the ‘we’ in this? I don’t see you clearing up.”

“I don’t need to barter chores for sex.”

“Excuse me?” Ryan closed the dishwasher with a crash. “You think the only way I get sex is by doing the dishes?”

“It’s a proven fact that women are more receptive in the bedroom when men help in the kitchen,” Alec drawled and Ryan threw him a dark look.

“Then get off your butt and help.”

“Why? I don’t want to have sex with you. You’re not my type.”

“And to think I was looking forward to you being back on the island.” Muttering under his breath, Ryan continued clearing up. “I’ll have you know it takes an average of five minutes in my magnetic presence for a woman to want to strip naked.”

“Spare us the details.” Alec stood up and finished clearing the table, trying not to think about Skylar in the next room.

You didn’t need to be a genius to guess the topic of conversation.