Head over Heels for the Holidays

by Jennifer Bernard

  This was a side of Rune she hadn’t fully witnessed before. Dead serious, almost hard-edged, his usual easy manner gone.

  To be honest, he was extremely attractive to her like this. She liked his more lighthearted side too. But this—this was catnip to a sober-minded police chief like her. A thrill of attraction traveled from the roof of her mouth deep into her belly. Suddenly dry-mouthed, she cleared her throat.

  Back to business.

  “I don’t want to cramp your style, that’s all. Jerome, he…” She looked away briefly, then back at him. “He humiliated me. I can’t do that again.”

  He reached his hand out to cup her chin, his touch gentle but so strong. “You gotta trust me, Maya. I know you do, or you wouldn’t be asking me to do this. Right? So trust yourself. Trust the part of yourself that trusts me.”

  Either he was really good, or that totally made sense. She nodded and he dropped his hand. She missed its warmth immediately. Her chin tingled. “So do we have an understanding?”

  “Almost.” He flexed his hand, as if he could still feel the same sensation she did. “What about the kiss?”

  “The kiss on the boat?”

  “Or any other kiss. Am I the kind of fake holiday boyfriend who kisses you or the perfect gentleman kind?”

  “You don’t have to worry about it. No one kisses anyone at the cookie exchange. They’re too busy eating.”

  “What about the Haunted Harbor? We’re going to have to kiss.”

  “We will? Where’s your logic?”

  A smile tugged at his firm lips, the lighthearted Rune coming back to play.

  “Maya, Maya, Maya…I can tell you haven’t thought this through. That’s okay, it’s outside your police chief area of expertise. Here’s the problem. Everyone here knows we’re old friends.”

  “So?” What was she missing? How complicated could a fake holiday boyfriend situation be?

  “So they’re going to think we’re just buddies. Is that what you want? You said you wanted a fake boyfriend, not just an old friend playing plus-one.”

  “Yes. Exactly. I know it’s silly, but when people get that pitying look on their faces, I think about Jerome and—”

  “I get it. We have to make more of a statement.”

  “Like a press statement? Sergeant Hollister usually—”

  “Stop being a police chief for a moment. We have to make it clear from the start that we’re not just old friends going to a party together. A long, passionate kiss should do it. In front of Mrs. Holt or Toni or someone else in the gossip supply chain.”

  He sure was throwing himself into this project. His enthusiasm touched her to the core.

  “I guess I’ll just trust you on that.”

  “I’ll start dropping hints to some of my patients. People get chatty with their hot male nurses.” He sent her a sidelong smile with that comment.

  “I’m sorry I called you—”

  “Hey, no worries. We have more important things to figure out. Here’s another one. What do we tell Cara and Harris? I don’t want to lie.”

  Crap, he was right, she really hadn’t thought this all the way through. She couldn’t lie to her father about Rune. But maybe there was a way they could fudge things.

  “We did already kiss,” she said slowly. “That wasn’t a lie.”

  “It felt real to me. And you remembered it this time, so there’s that.”

  She made a face at him. As if she could forget that kiss. Come on. “So we can just tell people that we’re…seeing where it goes. That’s all we have to say. If Harris or Cara wants to know more, we can say that we kissed, and we’re taking things one day at a time.”

  “One party at a time,” he corrected with a grin.

  “Right. Haunted Harbor’s up first. The cookie exchange is the next weekend. Then there’s the Harvest Festival and—”

  He threw up his hand. “One party at a time. Please, for the love of God.”

  “Sorry. I really appreciate this, Rune.”

  “Babe, it’s no hardship. I like parties and I like Maya Badger.” He gave her such a tender smile that her knees went a little weak.

  “Babe?”

  “Just practicing. We have to look…intimate.”

  Intimate. Now that was a word that made her a little nervous, especially when he dropped down to that deep growly voice. But Rune just meant that there would be some kissing involved. She could live with that.

  No—she looked forward to that.

  “Okay, then. We have a plan.” She stuck out her hand to seal the deal. He shook it solemnly. The way he took her seriously and accepted things on her terms—she really appreciated that.

  “One last question,” he said. “This Haunted Harbor party. Do we have to wear a costume?”

  “Are you trying to give me a nervous breakdown? I don’t do costumes. I’m the police chief. I have my dignity to uphold.”

  He cocked his head at her. “I can’t tell if you’re joking. I can see why you wouldn’t go as a slutty stripper or something, but what’s the fun in no costume?”

  “I do the same thing every year. I have a set of vampire fangs and a black cape. I go as Chief Dracula.”

  “The same costume every year?” He shook his head sadly. “You need more than a fake holiday boyfriend, Maya. You need a new attitude. A fun infusion.”

  “A fun infusion?” She laughed at that. “Is that one of your hot male nurse lines? Does it work?”

  He shrugged off her teasing. “Leave the costumes to me. I got this.”

  “Fine, but I need to stay warm. That’s my one condition.”

  She remembered all the times when Jay-Jay had thrown himself headlong into some crazy scheme—selling coconuts to tourists or chasing a wild pig into a lava tube. Rune had that same look in his eyes now, that thirst for adventure that crashed through every obstacle.

  Which meant—there was a good chance she’d gotten in way over her head with this plan.

  Chapter 13

  Party number one. Haunted Harbor.

  * * *

  Rune kept his promise about the costumes. He used his own medical equipment to dress as a hot nurse—the female kind. Big fake boobs and all.

  Maya laughed so hard when she saw him that she nearly peed her pants, just like in the old days. Just like then, it made his day to get her laughing.

  For her, he found a fake fur Dalmatian stole at the thrift store, a form-fitting black floor-length dress and a cigarette holder—she made a fantastic Cruella de Vil.

  “This dress is tight,” she complained, plucking it away from her curves.

  “But toasty warm, right? It’s superfine wool, lined…and you look superfine in it.” He grinned and adjusted his boobs. “I met your one condition, so no complaints, lady.”

  “Oh, fine. Maybe no one will recognize me.”

  The Haunted Harbor event took place on the Coast Guard cutter Midway. The sailors cordoned off a section of the lower deck and went all out with Halloween displays for the kids. Things like fake graveyards with ghosts rising from freshly dug graves on cables attached to pulleys. Ensigns in full zombie makeup jumping from behind hatch doors. Skeletons dropping from the ceiling.

  The adults were invited to a private party in the captain’s lounge. Which was where he and Maya staged their fake hot-passionate kiss. His “hot nurse” costume made it funny too, but everyone bought their act nonetheless.

  As he held her in his arms, her dark honey eyes laughing into his, he wasn’t sure if the harder acting job was for the audience—make it look passionate—or for her—make it look fake.

  Quite a tricky balancing act.

  But the kiss did its job. He could practically hear the news spread like wildfire around the cutter. Rune and Maya…saw that one coming…she says they’re just seeing where it goes…

  The next week, his patients had all kinds of questions for him. Warnings too.

  “You’d better treat her right.”

  “Maya deserves a good ma
n.”

  “Not like that Jerome. Did you hear what he did on Christmas Eve?”

  “He got married just a few months later, to the McGee girl. Leanne.”

  What kind of person would dump Maya during the holidays…for someone just out of high school? And someone right in Maya’s backyard? Without even meeting him, Rune already despised Jerome. Anyone who would hurt Maya deserved nothing but scorn.

  But he had to wonder—did Maya still have feelings for him? Was that why she hadn’t had a “real” boyfriend since then?

  Party number four. Mrs. Bellini’s cookie exchange.

  * * *

  Neither Rune nor Maya had time to bake anything, so Rune paid Cara to make brownies for them to bring. Hand in hand, he and Maya squeezed the platter between some Mexican wedding cookies and a pan of creme brûlée.

  “Do we have to sample everything?” he whispered, looking at the array of homemade sweets—dozens of them.

  “God no. I want you to survive the night. We have the Harvest Festival coming up next.”

  “You really need to send me a spreadsheet.” He chose a plain old chocolate chip cookie and took a nibble. “How was your week? It’s a good thing we’re fake boyfriend and girlfriend, or I might never see you.”

  “Fall is always a busy time.” Maya was eyeing a gingerbread cookie shaped like a boot. Or maybe it was a stocking.

  “I had to check the police blotter to see what you’re up to.”

  “You did not.” She glanced up, cookie in hand.

  “Yup.” He recited the most recent blotter item. “Police called to the scene of a break-in. The culprit was revealed to be a young black bear. He was tranquilized and the forest service was called.”

  “It was quite the drama.”

  “Oh, and I saw that the reward for Mrs. Holt’s yak has gone up.”

  “Three hundred dollars. Boom.” She licked rock sugar from the gingerbread stocking. His groin tightened in response.

  To distract himself, he recited more blotter items. “Two vehicles collided on East Mountain Road. Both drivers were found to be inebriated and were arrested. They were also both discovered to be unclothed and also married to each other. Citations were issued.”

  “Relationships.” Maya shook her head sadly. “Whatcha gonna do?”

  He chuckled. “And then there was the bonfire on Seafarers Beach. Kids threw jellyfish at each other? I think I would have had fun growing up here.”

  “We would have had fun if you had.”

  The promise in her eyes drew him in, like a magnet he couldn’t resist. He brushed a kiss onto her mouth, tasting sugar and ginger and the thrill of a sigh from her parted lips.

  This kiss didn’t feel like something between old friends. It sent a charge of lust right into his bloodstream. It made him want to drag her off to a corner and take that kiss deeper. Make her burn with the same desire firing his blood.

  Take it easy, fake holiday boyfriend.

  He ended the kiss with a wink, as if to say, All part of the act.

  Her tongue slid across her lips. Surprise? Enjoyment? He couldn’t tell. “So you think we need to kiss at every party?” she murmured.

  “To be safe,” he said solemnly.

  Party number dozen-or-so. The Harvest Festival.

  * * *

  She seemed to agree, because at the Harvest Festival, surrounded by hay bales and winter squash displays, she kissed him. He slid a hand onto the slope of her lower back and rested it there until her body swayed toward his.

  “What are you doing?” she murmured against his lips.

  “Making it look real.”

  “Hmmm. Good thinking.” Her husky whisper seemed to travel into his brain and set up shop there. He wanted to hear that whisper in bed. When they were both naked. Maybe after he’d made her come apart.

  But for now…it was progress.

  “So how was your week, fake boyfriend?” she asked after they drew apart.

  “Busy. Lots of sprained wrists, broken bones, torn ankle ligaments. It’s getting icy out there. I’ve been taking on some more shifts with the volunteer fire department. Feels good to get the old muscles moving again.”

  Maya smiled up at him. “Darius mentioned that. He said you’re a huge asset.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t say ‘huge ass’?” he joked. “Just checking.”

  “No, he really appreciates the time you’re spending.”

  “It helps me, too. I’ve been talking to the crew about Cara’s stalker.” He’d decided to clue the entire department into what was going on. The more eyes, the better. So far, there’d been no sign of Stalker Chad—but he knew better than to relax.

  “What have you told them?”

  “To keep an eye out for a stranger in his mid-thirties who’s former military. That’s about all I know. I passed around the photo. Didn’t ring a bell for anyone.”

  “How’s Cara doing?”

  “She got that role in the Christmas play that we helped her rehearse for. You know, back when you had time.”

  Maya made a face. “I know, it’s crazy. I guess you can see why I don’t have a real boyfriend.”

  “No, not really,” he said, honestly. “Why don’t you?”

  She shot him a funny look. “Lots of reasons, I guess. Jerome thought I gave my job too much attention.”

  “Forget about him.” He pulled her against him again, so passionately he knocked a scarecrow off its perch on a hay bale. “Jerome’s about as smart as that scarecrow. Feel like checking out the hay bale maze and pretending to make out?”

  “How do you pretend to make out?”

  “I’ll show you.”

  Party number twenty-something. Veterans Day visit to Lost Harbor Assisted Living.

  * * *

  Rune had to put their simmering attraction on pause for the Veterans Day event. He helped Maya deliver flowers to those veterans who lived at the assisted living home, and joined her to chat with them. He and Maya didn’t flirt, didn’t kiss, didn’t even hold hands, and yet he felt their connection deepen.

  Something about watching her interact with the vets—with so much attentiveness and respect—really did it for him. They all knew her; clearly this was something she did every year, and maybe even more often than that.

  “I’m not sure that counted as a party,” he murmured to her on the way out. “But I’m glad I came.”

  “I’m glad you did too.” With a radiant smile, she took his hand. “They loved having someone new to tell their stories to.”

  “Good stories, too.” Except the feel of her hand in his chased them right out of his head.

  Party number “he’d lost count.” Shabbat Eve dinner at the mayor’s house.

  * * *

  Aaaand…it turned out that Shabbat meals were even less make-out friendly than visits to veterans. But he did learn that Maya looked beautiful in candlelight. Not that he was surprised, of course. She took his breath away in everything he’d seen her wear, from the maroon scarf she’d worn to a skating party, to the little black dress she’d rocked at cocktails with the town council members.

  Damn, these parties were just about killing him.

  Party number eleventy-billion. Sadie Hawkins Day Dance

  * * *

  At the Sadie Hawkins dance at the high school—Maya was chaperoning—Rune decided it was time to make a move. No more pretend make-out. He was ready for the real thing.

  He pulled her onto the dance floor for a slow dance. Gliding his hands up her sides, he found the swell of her breasts with his thumbs. Her breath sped up but she didn’t stop him. He stroked his hands back down to her hips, snug in a tight black dress, and tugged her against him.

  Against the erection pushing against the fly of his nicest linen trousers, the thin ones that didn’t do a thing to hide his arousal.

  “What are you doing? People are watching.” And yet she didn’t pull away, he noticed. She stayed right where she was, and maybe even pushed a little closer.r />
  “No one’s watching us. We’re the chaperones. We’re like wallpaper. Right now, anyone over the age of eighteen is invisible to them.”

  He felt her head turn as she scanned the dance floor. The theme of the dance was “Paris at Night,” which meant a cardboard Eiffel Tower and strings of twinkle lights hung from the ceiling of the high school auditorium. Most of the girls were wearing black party dresses, but the boys mostly wore their regular clothes, although a few were wearing vintage tuxedoes.

  One boy had gotten very creative and dressed half of his body as a woman and half as a man. When Rune complimented him, he explained that he’d invited himself to the dance, and since the girls were supposed to invite the boys, he’d dressed as both.

  Many of the teenage girls had just invited their friends, and were now dancing in little groups with each other.

  The twinkle lights didn’t cast much illumination, which meant that he probably wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the dimness.

  “I guess you’re right,” she concluded. “They have better things to think about than a couple of ancients like us.”

  One of those teenage couples nearly collided with them, and he swung Maya out of the way. She clung to his shoulders. “My hero,” she said breathlessly when they were clear of the potential collision.

  “That’s what I want to hear. Nurse Rune to the rescue.”

  “Seriously. Collisions aside, do you know how tedious this dance would be without you here?”

  “How could Paris at Night ever be called tedious?”

  “When it’s filled with teenagers trying to sneak alcohol into their fake champagne. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

  She ducked under his arm to bust a boy with a flask tucked in the back pocket of his pants. Rune watched, wrestling his arousal back under control, as she sternly lectured the kid. Always on the job, Maya Badger. Even when she’d been trembling in his arms a few minutes ago.