Merry and Bright

by Jill Shalvis

  “Damn-A-straight you’ll go.”

  “—help you, however you need,” he said with infuriating patience.

  “I already told you, I don’t need your help.”

  “Maybe I could—”

  “I said no.”

  He merely looked at her in that quiet and steady way he had, except . . .

  Except not. They were toe to toe, standing just a little too close, and suddenly she realized she was breathing just a little too hard. But so was he.

  Why did he have to be so . . . sexy? Because that really wasn’t a fair distribution of the goods. And what the hell was he thinking about when he looked at her like that, with his eyes so heated behind those glasses? She didn’t know, but he leaned in a little, and she did the same, letting out a soft, anticipatory breath as—

  At the top of the stairs, the door opened. Lori stuck her head in and peered down at them. “Hey, did you guys know you were locked in?”

  4

  Danny climbed the stairs back to his room, not thinking about his job or what he was here for or the snow, but how Hope had looked in her pj’s, all hot and sweaty and so sexy he’d nearly swallowed his own tongue.

  They’d bickered.

  Gotten hot.

  Bickered some more.

  And gotten hotter. Not cold, which would have been the logical response to being locked in a cellar in the freezing alien turf he’d landed in.

  But hot.

  With a grim sigh, he pulled out his cell phone and called Edward.

  “You get a check?” his boss asked.

  That was Edward—always on a hell-bent wave to take over the planet. That had been attractive to Danny when he’d first hired on three years back, but was growing old. “Have you been out here at all? Your sister’s really done something with the place.”

  “Did you get a check?”

  Danny sighed. “She’s your sister, Ed.”

  “Fine. Renegotiate.”

  “Really?” Danny asked, surprised. Relieved. “Because she’s got the money coming from the lawsuit, or so she believes. A little more time would really help her out. What terms?”

  “One year, triple the interest.”

  “What?” Danny laughed. “Come on, man. She can’t afford that. No one could afford that.”

  “Those are the terms.”

  Danny’s smile faded and he scrubbed a hand over his face. “You can’t do this.”

  “Then make sure she pays on time.”

  “Yeah.” Danny slid his phone in his pocket and shook his head. He loved handling money. Specifically, loved handling other people’s money. Eddie’s had been a challenge and a lot of fun.

  But the fun had definitely gone.

  Plus there was something else. He needed something more. More fun, certainly. He also needed . . . well, he wasn’t sure exactly, but he was beginning to understand that he was going to have to make a change to get it.

  He stripped and showered, which didn’t cool him off. He’d rather still be locked in the cellar, stuck there with Hope so they could get past their differences.

  And their clothes.

  Yeah, and now he had that fantasy playing in his head, her naked and gorgeous and—

  The thundering sound echoed around him without warning, making the entire house shudder.

  Earthquake.

  He grabbed a towel, threw it around his hips, and barreled out of his room, taking the stairs so fast he nearly flew, but all he could think was that those rickety old stairs in the cellar were going to collapse and trap Hope, who was still down there with Lori.

  Hitting the bottom step, he pivoted toward the kitchen and crashed into Hope. The collision sent them both skidding across the tile entrance hall, and he lost his towel.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He would be if he wasn’t butt-ass naked. He grabbed his towel and resecured it, hoping she hadn’t seen.

  She was sitting on the floor, staring up at the ceiling in the awkward silence.

  She’d seen.

  “Well,” she finally said. “I guess it’s true what they say about a guy with big feet.”

  Danny felt himself blush. “That was an accident.”

  “Not a bad one, really. You perked the morning right up.”

  He closed his eyes, grateful he’d left his glasses on the counter in the bathroom so that he couldn’t see worth shit.

  Hope shoved her hair out of her face and let out a long breath.

  “I’m sorry,” he managed.

  “For nearly killing me, or for flashing me?”

  “There was an earthquake. Probably only a four, but I thought of the cellar stairs, and—”

  “There wasn’t an earthquake. It was just snow unloading off the roof and eaves.”

  He stared at her as she burst into laughter. “Not used to being wrong in your world, huh, Genius Boy?”

  He turned his head and looked out the wall of windows of the living room, which revealed . . .

  Snow.

  And more snow.

  It was piled high in berms along the roof line now that the roof had unloaded. Shit. With a sigh, he pushed to his feet, gripping his towel like it was a lifeline. He offered her a hand and she popped up so quickly that she had to put a hand out for balance, which happened to land on his chest.

  A simple touch.

  An accidental touch.

  And yet somehow, it rocked his world. He looked into her face, braced for a mocking smile, but she appeared to be as shocked as he as she stared down at her hand on his bare skin, almost as if it were touching him against her will.

  He wasn’t touched a lot in his world. He had friends, some of the female persuasion, and he dated.

  But it’d been a while.

  So Hope’s hand had a bolt of heat shooting straight through him. It weakened his knees and left a knot of anticipation in his gut.

  Possibly feeling the same, but probably not, Hope shoved free of him and headed for the hallway that led to her rooms. Her pj bottoms were low on her hips, her cami not quite meeting them, revealing a strip of smooth, creamy skin low on her back. Her shoulders were bare, too, and he stood there in his towel, feeling extremely naked. “Where are you going?”

  “To watch Oprah and eat bonbons,” she said over her shoulder. “Because that’s what I do, lay around all day and let this place fall apart.”

  “I never said that.”

  “I’m going to get dressed. I advise you to do the same. There’s enough cracks in this old house. Oh, and I wouldn’t bother with the fancy clothes.” She stared back at him. “Wouldn’t want you to get dirty.”

  The clothes he’d brought were his work clothes, but she had a point. They were good for his office, but certainly not hers. “I don’t mind getting dirty.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said, and kept moving, those thin cotton pants sagging even lower on her hips, making him wonder if she wore anything beneath. He didn’t see how, which didn’t help, and he gripped his towel tighter. Not that it mattered, she’d seen everything he had to see.

  Plus she was already gone.

  The storm had dumped four feet of fresh snow overnight, rendering Danny’s car completely useless and also temporarily closing the roads.

  Since Hope had made it clear what she thought of him being around, he decided to get some work done while she cooked up a breakfast for her guests. Problem was, the Internet connection was shoddy. The only place to get a steady connection was at the kitchen table, which apparently put him in Hope’s way because every time she passed by, he felt her boring holes into him with her eyes.

  “The roads are closed,” he told her lightly, not looking up from his laptop. “I can’t leave.”

  “Which apparently is karma’s idea of a joke.” With a sigh, she moved through.

  “Don’t worry about her.”

  Danny turned to Lori, who came in the back room door taking out the trash. She was taller than Hope, darker skinned and brunette. Beautiful, a
nd simply dressed in jeans and a hoodie sweater. “She’s all bark and no bite. Well, mostly.” Lori held out a mug of coffee, which he gratefully took.

  And then moaned in sheer pleasure. “That’s good.”

  “Better than Starbucks.” It wasn’t a question, and Lori smiled confidently when she said it. “It’s Hope’s homemade blend.”

  “She’s amazing in the kitchen.”

  “She is. She wants her guests to go back to their life and wax poetic about their time spent here.”

  “You just need more of them.”

  “True,” Lori said on a laugh. “She’s working on that. Working her ass off, actually. We’re having a big paint party next week—a bunch of friends are coming out, painting for her by night, skiing by day. And she’s placed a bunch of strategic ads for after the first of the year, which should be just about when we get the plumbing upgrade finished.” She nodded confidently. “She’s going to make it, Danny.”

  “She’s had all this time.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s been a rough year.”

  “Rough how?”

  “None of your business.” This from Hope herself as she came into the room and gifted Lori with a frosty look.

  Lori didn’t back down or apologize, just smiled sweetly and handed over the second mug in her hands. “Have some caffeine, honey. You need it.”

  Hope rolled her eyes, but sipped the brew, then sighed in what could only be deep pleasure. Her eyes were slightly less chilly as she turned to Danny, who was still quite certain her next words would be “get out if you have to fly out.” Except Lori subtly intervened, crossing directly between the two of them to walk up to a guy who’d appeared in the doorway.

  “Ben,” she murmured warmly, sliding her arms up around his neck and kissing him.

  And kissing him.

  “Ah, man. Get a room.” Hope set her mug down on the counter before sighing and looking at Danny. “They’re saying the roads might be cleared by four. But honestly? Probably not. Might have to stay another night.”

  “Let me guess. For quadruple the going rate?”

  She shrugged. “Depends on how big a pain in my ass you are.”

  “I’ll try to control myself,” he said dryly. “How about we go over your books and—”

  “Sorry. I have other things to do.”

  Lori came up for air and smiled into Hope’s eyes. “It’s a snow day, honey. Take a day off.”

  “You’re the boss now?”

  Ben headed directly to the refrigerator. “Lori likes to be the boss. Hey, baby, you can be the boss of me.”

  Lori laughed. “Already am, big guy.” And she gave him another kiss.

  “Oh, good God,” Hope said.

  Lori leaned into her husband with a silly laugh that somehow warmed Danny. Watching them banter was like watching a really great old movie. It gave him both an odd sense of comfort—they were a family, one who cared about each other—and also an even odder sense of longing.

  This. This was what was missing from his life. His family lived back East and there weren’t a lot of visits. His friends were nice, but they weren’t a replacement for family, not like these guys clearly were.

  Ben took a big bite of the bagel he’d taken from the refrigerator, squeezed his wife’s ass, and sighed. “I’ve got to run. The gas station’s electricity’s on the blink.” That said, he leaned in and kissed Lori again. And then, grinning, turned to Hope, who rolled her eyes but gave him a smacking kiss.

  “Hey,” Lori said to her. “You never kiss me.”

  “Maybe Ben kisses better than you do.”

  “Kiss,” Lori demanded.

  With another laugh—God, she was beautiful when she laughed—Hope leaned in and kissed Lori right on the grinning lips. “There. Now can we all get to work?”

  Ben’s mouth had fallen open. “I’ll be able to work all day on that alone.”

  Yeah. Danny, too.

  Hope took in the dazed expression on both men’s faces and shook her head. “Men.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ben said, and headed out.

  Lori grabbed her bin of cleaning supplies and followed him.

  Danny walked toward Hope, who was dumping leftover breakfast dishes into the sink. “I’ve already proven that I can do dishes,” he said. “Let me do those for you.” He gave her a nudge but she didn’t move out of the way. “What’s the matter, you can’t give up the control enough to even let me help with dishes?”

  “Hey, I’m not that much of a control freak.”

  “No?”

  “No.” She turned to the sink and turned on the water. “Give me some room, Genius Boy. Or should I say Runs Naked Genius Boy?”

  “I thought there’d been an earthquake,” he repeated on a sigh as she laughed.

  “Yes, and you were trying to save me.”

  “Yes,” he said as she once again tried to nudge him away. “You could just go do something else.” He reached for the dish soap.

  “I could,” she agreed, but didn’t move.

  “Maybe you want to be this close to me.”

  “I don’t do close.”

  “Because you’ve been burned.” He met her surprised gaze. “Right?”

  “Right,” she admitted.

  “How?”

  “Two exes, both assholes if you must know.”

  “They hurt you?”

  “Not physically, no. One stole my heart, the other my money. There’s nothing left of either.”

  “I’m sorry. About both.”

  “Truthfully? The money thing hurts a lot more than the heart thing.”

  “Which means maybe it was never really available for him to steal in the first place.”

  She stared at him. “Huh?”

  “Maybe he didn’t steal your heart at all. Maybe he just bruised it.”

  She thought about that as she dug into the dishes at his side, him washing, her rinsing and drying, and when she didn’t say anything more, he figured that was the end of that conversation.

  “Okay, you might be right,” she finally said. “No one’s stolen my heart, it just got run over a few times. I can’t tell you how much better that makes me feel.”

  He laughed softly at her sarcasm. “Hey, unless you’ve been screwed over, you can’t appreciate the good stuff. Consider it a rite of passage.”

  She cocked her head at him. “Have you been screwed over?”

  He thought of all the girls in high school and college who’d dismissed him as a nerd. And the women since, none of whom had stuck. “I invented being screwed over.”

  She shook her head. “Are you trying to tell me you’re a player, Danny?”

  He laughed. “The only thing I play with any skill is Guitar Hero. All I’m saying is that we’ve all been hurt. Everyone has baggage. You getting ripped off by your ex is a crime, but it happens. It’s how you move on with what you know now.”

  She arched a brow. “And what do I know now?”

  “Admit your taste in men sucks.”

  She laughed, as he’d hoped she would. “So you’re suggesting a change in men?” she asked.

  “Most definitely.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “As a matter of fact . . .”

  Her laughing gaze met his. “Let me guess, I should try a nerdy brainiac who’s attempting to ruin my world?”

  “More like a nerdy brainiac—a very sexy one, by the way—who’s going to do his best to help you stay in control of your world.”

  “Funny, but I’ve never considered nerdy brainiacs all that sexy.”

  “Maybe you haven’t met the right ones.” He waggled a brow, stood up a little straighter, and flexed.

  Which cracked her up as she slid another dish into the sink. The angle of the plate caught the stream of water and sprayed him in the chest. At first, he thought it was an accident, but then she did it again.

  “Sorry,” she murmured.

  Sorry, his ass. He pulled the wet plate from the sink and set it on the coun
ter. “You don’t want to take me on, Hope.”

  “No?” She grabbed another plate, but he was quick, reaching his arms around her and bracketing her wrists with his hands.

  “Okay, you’re good,” she admitted. “But so am I.”

  “Are you?” He shifted as she wriggled, pressing her between the counter and his body so that her back was plastered up against his front, her very sweet ass solid to his crotch.

  At the realization, she went still.

  So did he. Well every part of him except one certain part.

  “Danny?”

  “Yeah?” His voice sounded like his vocal cords had been roughed up with sandpaper.

  The moment stretched out, humming with tension that was no longer temper or good humor, but something far more dangerous, and Hope let out a low breath. “What are we doing?”

  No clue.

  He turned her to face him. She looked up at him, her face quiet and solemn, but there inside the watchfulness was something else, something he’d needed to see.

  Desire.

  Hunger.

  And her conflict over feeling those things.

  Slowly he reached out for her, and just as slowly, lifted her up against him.

  Her hands went to his shoulders, but she didn’t push him away. Instead, she sank her fingers into him.

  Letting out a breath, his mouth brushed her jaw, and he closed his eyes to better absorb the feel of her in his arms. Then she turned her head, and somehow their lips met.

  At the kiss, a soft sigh escaped her, a sound of both excitement and pleasure, and he opened his mouth on hers.

  God, yeah. He deepened the connection, and she met him halfway, sliding her tongue to his in a rhythm that took him from zero to full speed ahead, and only when they were both breathless and panting, did she pull away.

  Eyes wide, she lifted a finger and pointed at him. But though her mouth opened, words apparently failed her. “That was . . .”

  Amazing?

  Perfect?

  Both?

  “Unexpected,” she finally managed, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Clearly a fluke.”

  Hell if it was. “Care to test that theory?”

  “No.” She stepped clear when he reached for her again, and pointed at him. “You. With the amazing mouth.” She gestured him away from her. “You just stay over there, since obviously, when it comes right down to it, I’m the only one with any control around here.”