She lifted a carton out of the bag. “Eggnog?”
“My one Christmas indulgence,” he explained.
“Orange juice, butter, sub rolls, lunch meat.” She nodded. “Pretty normal,” she continued, but then grinned when she unveiled a pint of strawberries, one apple, two oranges. “You are such a girl,” she teased.
“Hey, we were going to be snowed in. I didn’t want to get scurvy.”
She peered back into the bag and giggled.
“What now?”
“Really?” She lifted up a container of chocolate fruit dip. She wiggled her fingers. “Hand over your man card.”
Jesse shrugged and raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know—I guess I was wondering what I was going to do with all of that useless fruit, so I felt compelled to purchase that.” He raised his eyebrows. “Hey, let’s try it.” He opened the carton of strawberries and rinsed them off. After handing her a plump one, he took the lid off the dip.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Claire dunked her strawberry in the dip and took a juicy bite. “Oh, mmm, yeah.” She nodded. “Good stuff.”
Jesse grinned, then followed suit. “See, I knew what I was doing,” he told her and, after dipping his strawberry into the chocolate, he took a generous bite and groaned.
Claire had a comeback on the tip of her tongue, but when Jesse licked a bit of chocolate from his bottom lip, she completely forgot what she was about to say. For someone so big and strong he had a sensual grace about him that made her want to sigh . . . and so she did.
“You’re right—good stuff,” he said, mistaking her reason for sighing. “Want more?”
“Oh, you better believe it,” Claire answered instantly, but then felt heat creep into her cheeks.“I mean, yes, please.”When Claire accepted another strawberry, the brush of his fingertips against hers sent a warm tingle up her arm. Her eyes widened in surprise and she wondered if he was feeling the same way. She took a nibble of the strawberry and toyed with the button on her suit while she tried to regain her composure.
“You look uncomfortable,” he commented.
“Well . . . this is a bit of a situation I’ve gotten myself into.”
Jesse gave her a slight grin. “No, I meant you look uncomfortable in that suit.”
She lifted her shoulders. “It’s all I have, remember?”
He leaned forward and rested his hands on the granite island and then looked at her thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t have any female clothing on hand, but go on into my bedroom and rummage around.You can make do with rolling up some sweats, or long underwear might be a better fit since they’re tighter. Grab a flannel shirt or whatever you want. It’s all clean.”
Claire’s eyes widened.“I can’t dig around in your drawers!” She shook her head. “Wait, that didn’t come out right.”
Jesse’s low rumble of laughter did warm, fluttery things to her stomach. “You are one funny chick.”
“I get that a lot, but I don’t really try.”
“I’m bone tired and in a bad mood. And yet you’re able to make me laugh.What’s up with that?”
“Maybe Santa sent me.”
Jesse angled his head and gave her a hot look that almost made her slither to the floor. “I’m thinking he did.”
“Well then, you must be at the top of the naughty list.”
Jesse chuckled again, but the word “naughty” seemed to hang in the air between them. “Speaking of naughty . . .” He arched one dark eyebrow and then pulled out a six-pack of beer followed by a bottle of bourbon. “See? I have guy things, too.”
“Oh, now you’re talkin’. Mmm, I’d love me some bourbon in the eggnog.”
“Yep.” He nodded. “One of the few Christmas traditions I can’t resist,” he admitted, but his smile seemed a bit forced.
Claire angled her head in question, but when he failed to elaborate, she didn’t want to pry and let his comment slide.
“Let’s forget the beer and go for the good stuff.You in?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?”
Jesse put the heel of his hand to his forehead and cracked up.“I know firsthand that the answer is yes. God, you are something else.”
“Sorry, I was just getting into log cabin character. I can’t believe I just said that. My mother would be mortified.”
Jesse shook his head slowly. “Don’t be sorry. I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.” He shooed her with his hands.“Now, go and dig around in my drawers. When you come back, I’ll have some Christmas cheer ready for you.”When she hesitated, he said, “Claire, if you don’t, I’ll have to put on a suit to make you feel better. And I hate suits.”
“It’s not that.”
“What, then?” he asked as he uncapped the bourbon.
“Can I take a drink with me?” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and gave him a wishful look.
“Absolutely. I understand. It’s been a tough day.” He gave her a slow smile. “Coming right up.”
Claire felt another flutter in her stomach and suddenly felt the need to sit down. She watched him move with quiet efficiency and a fluid grace that was at odds with his size.When Jesse reached up to retrieve two glass tumblers from the cabinet, she admired the fit of his jeans and the stretch of flannel across his wide shoulders. She was used to seeing guys in designer clothes, but his Wranglers somehow seemed so much sexier. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing corded muscles in his forearms, and Claire guessed his thick, muscled body came from physical work rather than oiled machines in a sleek, modern gym.That thought brought an image of him shirtless, chopping wood....
Oh my.
“Here you go,” Jesse announced, and slid the glass across the shiny surface.
Claire took a healthy sip of the sweet creamy eggnog laced with a generous bite of bourbon. “Oh, wow.”
“Taste okay?”
“Excellent.” She took another swallow and then licked the sweetness from her bottom lip.“Oh yeah, this is hitting the spot big-time,” she commented, but then felt warmth creep up her neck once again. Why did everything she was saying seem to have sexual overtones? She watched Jesse’s long fingers drop ice cubes into his own glass and knew the answer.The man defined big, brawny masculinity, and yet there was an air of keen intelligence about him. The fact that he was a talented artist added another layer and created a fascination that she had never experienced until right now. There was also a sense of sadness lurking in the depths of his eyes . . . a vulnerable edge that he tried to keep hidden, but Claire could feel it and wanted to chase it away.
“Why are you looking at me so intently?” he asked, then grinned. “I bet you’re itching to cut my crazy long hair.”
When he reached up and shoved his fingers through it, Claire took another long pull on her drink. “I am.”
“A cut is long overdue, but I’ve been too busy to worry about it. Maybe you can shape it up for me?”
“Earn my keep? Good thing you didn’t ask me to sing for my supper because I suck.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Jesse shook his head. “You’re my guest.”
At first she thought he was teasing, but when he really appeared a little offended, Claire reached across the counter and put her hand over his.“I was only teasing. Guess it’s my big-city attitude coming out. I’d be happy to run my fingers through your hair.”
Oh God.
“And cut it.” She reached over and demonstrated. “You know, like this. Lift, snip, lift, snip.”
Wow, his hair is soft.
“Lift . . . um . . .
snip
.”
“Claire, I know I don’t look like it, but I have had my hair cut before.”
“Right.” She pulled her hand back and pressed her lips together.“Um, I’ll go change into your clothes now. I might as well keep the humiliation rolling right along.”
“You want me to change into yours to make you feel better?”
“You’d do that for me?” She clasped her hands to her chest and batted her eyes.
“Of course,” he replied, playing along.
“After all, what’s Christmas without a little cross-dressing?”
“I think you meant a little corn-bread dressing. . . .”
“Oh.” Claire slapped a hand to her forehead. “My bad. Wow, I’ve gotten that wrong for years.” Claire picked up her drink and headed out of the room but said over her shoulder, “I just hope you like thongs. . . .”
Chapter Four
A
fter Claire left the kitchen, Jesse put his cold glass to his forehead and groaned. “Damn . . .” It might be snowing outside, but he sure as hell was burning up.The more Claire let her guard down, the more attracted he was to her, and that last casual comment about her thong nearly did him in. He shook his head. She was a fascinating combination of shy and bold, making him wonder what she would be like in bed.
“Don’t even go there,” he reminded himself. He took another healthy swallow of his spiked eggnog and tried to gather his scattered wits, but when he spotted her slinky red sandals sitting on the black granite, he had a sudden vision of Claire lying on his bed wearing nothing but those sexy heels.
Not
going there
really wasn’t working out for him. With a deep sigh he absently added some bourbon and a splash of eggnog into his glass. “Okay, that was supposed to be the other way around,” he said under his breath, but then shrugged. He downed half of it while putting away the rest of his groceries and trying without much success not to think about Claire getting naked.At least she was going to be swimming in his big clothes and hiding her sweet curves. That should help matters a little, anyway.
Maybe.
“Okay, maybe not,” he mumbled softly when she walked into the kitchen.
“Excuse me?”
“I said you look hot,” he answered as if joking, except he wasn’t. His green plaid flannel shirt was an amazing shade on her with her deep red hair and moss-colored eyes. She had used her own belt to cinch it at her waist and wore snug-fitting long johns underneath.
“Right.” She wrinkled up her nose and looked down at her outfit. “Could I have a teensy bit more of your eggnog?” She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart and then pushed her glass his way. “It was de-lish.”
“Absolutely,” Jesse answered, and then refreshed her drink. After sliding it her way, he said, “Feel free to explore the cabin or watch television. I’m going to take a cold—I mean hot—shower if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, no, go right ahead.”
“Thanks.” He picked up his drink but then paused. “If you get hungry, there are a few snacks.We’ll cook dinner later, okay?”
She looked at him over the rim of her glass. “
You’ll
cook dinner. I’ll just sit here and look . . . pretty in flannel.”
When she stuck a pose as a joke, Jesse walked over and said softly in her ear, “My shirt never looked so good.” He didn’t look to see her reaction but heard her slight gasp and continued walking. It blew his mind that she didn’t know how hot she was, so he paused in the doorway and said, “Hey, that wasn’t supposed to be a cheap pickup line.”
Her cheeks were pink, but she gave him a smile. “We’ve already established that you can pick me up, remember?”
“You are correct,” he replied, but then looked down at her feet. “We will have to do something about shoes. That might be a little tougher.”
“I’m sure we can come up with something if we put our heads together.”
“Yeah, we’ll think of something,” Jesse answered, but envisioned a much more physical reason for putting their heads together, like kissing, for instance. “Damn,” Jesse whispered as he entered his bedroom. There was no way he could take advantage of the situation, he thought while he unbuttoned his shirt and then shucked his jeans.
“It wouldn’t be right,” he muttered as he turned on the multiple showerheads and then stepped into the walk-in stone-sided stall that he had remodeled the past summer. In honor of his parents he had left the essence of the cabin untouched, but over the past five years he had made changes to fit his own tastes. Updating the decor also muted the memories that were embedded in every square inch of the cabin.
The hot pulsating spray against his tired body should have been soothing, but all he could think about was how incredible it would be to have Claire sharing the steamy space with him, and his body instantly reacted. He looked down at his raging erection and groaned. “Look, I know she’s got a bangin’ body, but she’s vulnerable and she’s been drinking,” he said as he soaped up his chest, but his dick remained stubbornly erect. “Yeah, I know, buddy—it’s been a long time, but it just wouldn’t be right,” he lamented with a sad chuckle. As he lathered up his hair, he remembered the feel of Claire’s fingers against his scalp.With a groan he closed his eyes and turned his face up to the waterfall showerhead, rinsing the soap from his body. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
But as Jesse was toweling dry, the answer to his moral dilemma suddenly hit him. What if Claire came on to him? He smiled slowly.Yeah, he wouldn’t make any sexual advances toward
her
, but if Claire initiated something, well then, all bets were off. She couldn’t be hurt or pissed off then, right? With that thought in mind, he started shaving. When the beard was gone, he splashed on a bit of spicy aftershave and then headed to his walk-in closet. Not wanting to be too obvious, he tugged on another pair of jeans but opted for a body-hugging long-sleeved black T-shirt instead of his usual flannel. He felt kind of silly dressing to show off his physique, but this was his game plan and he was sticking to it.
After taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his too-long hair and then headed to the kitchen, but she was no longer sitting at the island. She must have gone exploring. “Claire?” he called, but all he got was silence in return. He walked into the great room and then spotted her sleeping on the sofa. For a moment he simply stood there and looked at her, and then he smiled softly. She had instantly brought a vibrant spark back into his life that had been missing for a long time.Yes, Claire Collins had stirred something deeper than just sexual desire, and Jesse felt a sharp pang of sadness that she was only passing through. In a few days she would be gone from his life. Jesse shook his head. He was overreacting to a woman he had just met and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling.