***
Heather nursed a mug of eggnog in her hand and watched the scene unraveling before her. She shook her head. Never in a million years could she have imagined this.
Tony knelt down next to the Christmas tree, rubbing the ears of the new cocker spaniel Adam had given Christy for an early present.
Next to him, Adam sat arranging presents beneath the tree as the two men talked. They’d been talking all night. Had hit it off instantly. Now that all the guests were gone, they were still talking.
“I’m so glad you guys got over here okay,” Christy said, suddenly appearing at her side. “You know the snow is getting so deep they’re talking about the pass being closed for a few days. Maybe until after Christmas.”
“Oh shit. I’m sorry, cuz. I should’ve realized this might happen. We can get a hotel.”
“Absolutely not. You guys can stay here.”
“But you only have one extra room.”
Christy nudged her in the side. “Don’t even tell me that’s a problem. I’ve seen the way he’s been watching you all night.”
Heather’s stomach flipped and her pulse fluttered. Had he really been watching her? Her face warmed as she thought about what had happened back in the car.
“We did something crazy on the side of the road,” she confessed, never having had secrets with her cousin. “Like Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow crazy.”
Christy burst into laughter and shook her head. “Well, there’s a nice way to stay entertained while the pass is being cleared.”
“Christy, we barely know each other,” Heather muttered. “He’s Barry’s co-worker. We met under weird circumstances.”
“I don’t care how you guys met. You need to keep him.” Christy turned to look at Tony again. “I like him. A lot.”
So do I. The idea was more than a little freaky. She hadn’t liked a guy this much since… oh, ever.
Tony looked up just then and caught her watching. He arched a brow and his mouth curved into a slow smile. Butterflies took root in her belly again and she bit back a sigh.
“I’m going to take Adam up to bed,” Christy whispered, and gave her arm a quick squeeze. “The room is all ready for you guys. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Adam saw his new wife approach and stood up. “Bed?”
“Yes.” She grabbed the puppy and then her husband’s hand. Christy gave Heather one last wink, before the couple hurried toward the staircase and disappeared a moment later.
Heather turned back to Tony and discovered him approaching her. Her heart leapt into her throat and she drew in a slow breath to steady her pulse.
“I told you that eggnog was good,” she murmured nervously. Nodding to his glass. “Could you taste the rum?”
“A bit hard not to. It was excellent eggnog.” He set his mug on a nearby table and then reached for hers and did the same.
“What are you—?”
“You’re under the mistletoe,” he explained, before his head dipped and his mouth covered hers.
Heather softened against him, her hands sliding around his waist as she kissed him back. And not for the first time since he’d picked her up tonight, she felt like she was drowning. Drowning in sensation. In emotion. In the possibilities.
He lifted his head and his gaze met hers. “Thank you for inviting me over here.”
“We may be stuck for a few days,” she said weakly. “Possibly even Christmas. The pass is going to be closed. Longer this time.”
“I heard.” He cupped her face in his large hands, making her feel impossibly small. “And I have to tell you I kind of like the idea.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah. I’ve got nowhere I need to be. But are you okay with it?”
“I’m… more than okay.” She gave him a slow smile, her chest expanding with joy. “Especially if we have a repeat performance of what happened in the car.”
“There is no if.” He brushed his thumb over her mouth. “You know, when I woke up this morning I never could have predicted this. That I’d be here. With you. Finally.”
Finally. The admission almost made her melt.
“Let’s go to bed and heat things up.” He winked and led her up the stairs. “Cause, baby, it’s cold outside.”
She laughed softly. “Cheeseball.”
“Might wanna get used to it… ”
Author Biography
Shelli is a New York Times Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her daughter where she writes various genres of romance. She’s a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.
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Dangerous Grounds Excerpt
Maddie laughed as she bantered cheerfully with the customer, and then she waved goodbye.
“Jeez, we barely get a second to eat, do we?” She grinned and walked past him to the back room again, plopping herself down in the chair.
“I feel like some kind of celebrity,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed. “Maybe getting robbed was a good thing. Business has been great.”
What? He narrowed his eyes, annoyance drawing his mouth into a frown. She had to be joking. “I hope you’re kidding.”
“Well.” She blushed, but raised her chin. “I mean, of course it was a bad thing. But no amount of money could have bought this kind of advertising.”
He leaned forward and looked her straight in the eyes. “He would have killed you, Maddie. That’s not worth selling a few extra mochas. It’s not a good thing that you got robbed.”
“But he didn’t kill me, Gabe.” She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a defiant glance. “I’m fine. I’ve got round-the-clock protection, and soon you’ll have the Bandit. If my business profits from this, I’m not going to complain.”
She tossed her head and went to the doorway to look out front.
Gabe blinked, made himself count to ten. He kicked his feet up on the desk, smashing the empty chowder bowl between his hands. He tossed it into the garbage can a few feet away, his jaw tight.
“Shit, Maddie. For a while, you had me convinced that you’d grown up.”
“Grown up?” She turned around, her expression taut with resentment. “I’ll have you know—”
The bell dinged, signaling another customer.
“Never mind.” She gave him an overly sweet smile. “I have another supportive customer to attend to. They just adore me and my shop now.”
“Don’t go up there without me.” He jerked his legs off the desk, but wasn’t fast enough. She’d already rounded the corner.
Damn it. He strode after her. He should have known better than to have gotten sexually involved with her. Maddie Phillips was still as spoiled and naïve as ever. Maybe more so.
“Gabe!”
The hysteria in her tone nearly catapulted him around the corner, just as a gunshot sounded and Madison screamed.
Enjoy the rest of the Seattle Steam series with Dangerous Grounds, Tempting Adam, and Seducing Allie.
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