The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

Lily grabbed the beer from his hand, took a long drink, and then handed it back to him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She stretched and sighed.

“I don’t know what it is about your parents’ place, but I sleep like a baby when I’m here.” She gazed out across the lake. “It’s been a long time since I’ve slept like that.”

“Huh,” he said slowly, taking another sip, thinking that he was feeling pretty damn good too.

“So,” Lily said coyly.

Shit. Here we go.

“You look well rested.”

“Yeah, I feel good.”

“So”—she smiled—“you slept good too.”

Sure, when I wasn’t having the best sex of my life.

“Yep.”

“But you didn’t sleep here.”

“Nope.”

“So

where were you?”

“Out,” he replied.

“Out, as in out with your buddies, whooping it up at that hole-in-the-wall you all like to drink at? Or out, as in you spent the night with Raine?”

He tipped his beer and scowled when he realized it was empty. She wasn’t going to let this go. He knew Lily too well, and he knew that he may as well just get it over with and spill, because she’d keep nagging until he did anyway.

“I was with Raine.”

The screech that erupted from her mouth was enough to give any man a heart attack, and when she threw herself into his arms, he had no choice but to grab hold of her or the two of them would have landed on their asses.

“About time,” she said.

He hugged her tightly, this woman who had come to mean so much to him. And when she grabbed his face and held it between her hands, he couldn’t help but grin at the look in her eyes. It had been too long since he’d seen that kind of joy inside her, and to think it was there because of him—because she wanted him to be happy. That was really humbling.

His throat tightened as he gazed down at her.

Lily pushed away and shook her head. “Don’t go getting all emotional on me, Edwards. I’m not used to you being such a damn pussy.” She paused and glanced around. “Where is she?”

“In the basement.”

“What’s she doing down there?”

He shrugged, smiling slightly as he thought of the mischievous look in Raine’s eye just before she’d disappeared downstairs. That was well over ten minutes ago, and he had no clue what she was up to. She’d mumbled something about Christmas, and that was it.

“Oh God, Jake. Please tell me you’re not going to turn into one of those guys.”

“Those guys?”

“Yes, you know the ones. They get all emotional and pathetic every time they think about the girl they’re in love with.” Her eyes widened, as they tended to do when she was about to stir shit. “The girl they’re having sex with.”

“Lily,” he warned.