GUILTY OR HOT

by Carson, Mia

  “Don’t tell anyone,” he teased. “Nah, I'd just rather carry cash around than deal with a card. Got my Christmas bonus from work early.” He waited anxiously to see if she’d call him out on it, but she took the hundreds and slipped them into the cash box. “Mind if I ask you something?”

  “You’re taking care of my friend,” Cindy said. “You can ask me how much I weigh and I might even tell you.” Danny grinned and raised an eyebrow. “I said might, now what’s your question?”

  “I’m thinking of visiting my folks for Christmas on the farm in Iowa and want to ask Mel to come with me. Think she’ll go?” he asked, his hands twitching with nerves. “We only met three days ago. I don’t want it to seem too fast.”

  Cindy turned to stare at her friend laughing as she spoke with another woman in an opposite stall selling blankets and shawls. “She hasn’t left Westbend since she got the news,” Cindy confided to him quietly. “Getting out of here might be just what she needs.”

  “How should I ask her?”

  Cindy rested her hand on his shoulder and sighed. “Very, very carefully. But if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll say yes. Oh, and I slipped a little something extra in that bag from me to her. Make sure she gets it Christmas morning.”

  Danny promised he would, thanked her again, and left the stall. Cindy greeted more shoppers, happily showing off her wares, and Danny knew if she had shelf space in his hotel gift shops, she’d run out of items to sell before the new year was out. He watched Mel closely as she admired a plaid blanket of rich greens and maroons, holding it up to her face to feel the softness of the fabric.

  “Like that one?” he asked when he’d reached her side.

  She nodded, running her hands over it. “I do. I haven’t bought a new blanket for the inn for some time,” she said and reached into her coat for her wallet, but he stopped her. “Really, I can get it.”

  “Maybe I want to do something nice for you,” he insisted and motioned to the blanket to the woman selling them. He pulled out a hundred and quietly told her to keep the change as Mel took the blanket from the stand and wrapped it in her arms. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked as they walked on.

  She drank her hot chocolate, and her gaze wandered over the stalls and the townspeople saying hi to her. “It’s been so long since I’ve been out here. And I’m thoroughly enjoying myself, happy?”

  “As long as you tell me every few hours that I was right, I’ll be happy,” he said, nudging her arm with his. “We still have to pick out a tree before we head back.”

  “And ice carvings,” she said excitedly. “They should be doing them in an hour or so.”

  They walked a bit further until they saw the large, enclosed, heated tent the shoppers were stopping at for lunch. He motioned towards it, and Mel tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow as they went to grab a bite.

  “The dogs?” He glanced around. “Where are they?”

  “Not far, don’t worry.” They entered the tent and found a table towards the edge with a plastic window. “Robert trained them well, and most everyone in town knows them.” She peered out the window and laughed, pointing. “See? Made friends already.”

  Danny looked out and saw all three dogs wrestling in the snow with several kids who were playing and tossing snowballs. A woman came over and asked them what they’d be having after handing them a condensed version of the diner menu. They both ordered burgers and fries with more hot chocolate, and the waitress hurried away to put in their order.

  “Cindy’s a very talented artist,” Danny remarked.

  “Yeah, she’s been doing that type of work with her dad for years, long before I knew her,” she said. “Cindy was one of Robert’s friends until I came to town, then we were the besties and he was the outsider.” She smiled and tapped the table with her hands, lost in memories. “She ask about me?”

  “As any good friend would. She’s worried about you.”

  “And what did you say?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I told her the truth, but she seemed happy enough that you were out today, enjoying the festival.”

  “And with a guy,” she added. “I really hope they don’t pester you too much.”

  He leaned closer and captured her hands in his, staring deeply into the sapphire depths of her eyes. So many emotions warred there, but amongst them was the same desire creating a firestorm within his gut. He considered taking her by the hand and leading her back to the inn, but pushing too hard too fast could drive them farther apart instead of bringing them closer together. He settled on a sweet kiss planted on her lips instead, resting there until the waitress politely cleared her throat and set down their hot chocolates. They broke apart with a laugh, and Mel’s cheeks flushed bright red.

  “Wow,” she whispered as she cleared her throat, picking up her mug with trembling hands. “You know, I’m going to be really honest with you here.”

  “I think after last night, I’d expect nothing less.”

  Her face paled immediately, and she nearly dropped her mug. “Last night? Why, what did we do last night?”

  “What?” he muttered and shook his head. “No, no, I didn’t mean that. Besides a very few intense moments, we didn’t do anything besides kiss, I promise,” he assured her. “I just meant how open we were with each other last night.”

  Liar, you’re a goddamn liar, a voice whispered in his ear, but he ignored it.

  “Good, that’s good,” she babbled, and he raised a brow. “I mean not good as in I don’t want to, ever, I just… last night, I was a little unstable and then things got out of hand and I didn’t want to do something that you’d regret—”

  Danny placed his finger over her lips so she stopped rambling. “I’d never regret anything I did with you, Mel. Never. Understand?”

  She nodded slowly and he removed his finger, taking her hands instead. “Now, what did you want to be brutally honest with me about?”

  She fiddled with her mug and looked down as her cheeks reddened again. She tugged hard at her ear and cleared her throat before her lips finally parted. “It’s been a… been… You know, a long time since I’ve dated, let alone… let alone done anything else, if you catch my drift.”

  Danny’s hands slipped to his lap as he realized exactly what she was saying to him. All the fantasies of her in his bed that had taunted him the past two nights appeared before his waking eye as he watched her chest heave with each deep breath, those full breasts he wanted to hold and caress, those hips he desired to press against his as he drove her to crying out in pleasure.

  “Are you saying you want to?” He prayed that was exactly what she was telling him.

  “I think… maybe.” When her gaze flickered up to his, the smoldering heat there nearly drove him to dive across the table and kiss her hotly, no matter who might be watching. “I’m just out of practice and might be a little rusty.”

  “Well, you know what they say,” he uttered. “Practice makes perfect.”

  Mel swallowed hard, and she licked her lips as they lifted in the crooked grin quickly stealing his heart away piece by piece. “Let’s get through lunch first,” she suggested as the waitress returned with their food.

  They ate in silence, but the sexual tension charging the air between them was so thick, Danny imagined he could reach out and cut it if he wanted to. Each time she took a bite and licked those lips or her fingers, he imagined them on his body, forming moans and screaming out his name as he showed her there was, indeed, still life after so much loss. By the time lunch was over, he’d readjusted his jeans at least ten times and walking wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

  “Problems?” she asked as he winced again.

  “Nope, perfectly fine,” he replied, loving how easily her hand slipped into the crook of his arm. “Time to find a tree, I think.”

  “The lot’s at the end of the street,” she told him, and they shifted direction that way.

  They didn’t speak as they walked to the towering Christmas tree
s, but it was far from awkward. Instead, she leaned into his side and held his arm closer, resting her head on his arm. With all the women Danny had dated in the past, none of them acted like themselves around him. None were normal, just doing what couples dating do. They’d hang on him, but in a way to make other women jealous, fawning over him. Mel simply held him as he held her, and the extreme warmth of her actions stretched from his toes to his head until his whole body thrummed with that heat.

  “You alright?” she asked when they reached the tree lot and he didn’t move forward.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m great. Why don’t you start looking? I’m going to check in at the office real quick, make sure my boss didn’t leave me any messages about taking off more days.”

  He drew out his cell as she walked into the trees, taking off her right glove so she could run her fingers over the needles. When she was out of sight, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and ran his hand over his head. He needed to tell her the truth before this went any further, but every time he tried to think of the right way to explain, he panicked and nothing came out except a sigh. Hurting her was the last thing on his mind, but the moment he told her, that was exactly what would happen. He would hurt her, betray her, and he might never get a chance to make it right.

  “You look troubled,” a man said as he stepped up beside Danny in the snow.

  “You could say that,” he muttered, catching a glimpse of Mel in the trees, leaning her head back and laughing as she tried to see the very top of one.

  “Let me guess, a woman, right?” the guy said.

  Danny shot him a sideways glance, catching a baseball cap covering his face in shadow. “Isn’t that usually the case?” He didn’t recognize the man, but a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.

  “How can one woman cause you such a damn headache?” the guy sighed with a quiet laugh.

  Danny nodded along with him until he remembered a conversation he’d had with Todd the night before he left for Westbend. He’d said the exact same thing about the same damn woman. “Yeah. Yeah, makes you wonder if it’s all worth it,” he replied slowly, turning to stare harder at the man, but the thick beard on his face made it hard to make out any recognizable features. “Have we met?”

  “Nah, just swung by to see the festival on my way north,” he said.

  “Where you headed?”

  “Not sure yet.” The man shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets. “Figure I’ll know when I get there. This woman of yours, though, you care for her?”

  Danny rested his hands on the fence leading into the tree lot. “I do. We only met a few days ago, but man, I can’t even explain it. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever met before. She’s strong as hell, stubborn too, but damn, there’s a storm in those blue eyes of hers that could sweep a man away if he’s not careful,” he mused with a lilt to his lips. “I’m not sure how I managed to live without her.”

  “Sounds like one hell of a woman,” the man agreed. “So what’s the trouble then?”

  “She doesn’t know who I really am,” he muttered quietly. “I didn’t lie to her, but I haven’t told her the truth either, and the second I do…” He trailed off, imagining Mel chucking a hammer at his head when she found out the truth.

  “People do crazy things out of love,” the man replied.

  “Love?” Danny snapped and shook his head. “No, I didn’t say love.”

  The man grinned knowingly. “You can’t hide it. I can see it plain as day on your face, man. You love her.”

  Did he? Danny caught sight of Mel again, and his pulse quickened as his breathing grew ragged. His hands clenched the fence tighter. He thought this was all just from arousal, but was it really from something deeper? “You’re saying you believe in love at first sight?” he asked skeptically.

  “I believe in a lot of things now that I never thought I would,” the man replied simply. “The time will come to tell her what she needs to know when she needs to know it. Won’t be easy—hell, you’re going to have one intense fight ahead of you—but in the end, I swear it’ll all be worth it if you don’t give up on her.”

  Danny chanced a glance at the man’s hands as he pulled them from his pocket and caught the glimmer of a wedding band. “Speaking from experience?”

  The man’s eyes darkened, and he looked into the tree lot as a serene look came over his face. “Yeah, you could say that. Good luck to you, man. Just remember, she’s worth it.”

  He clapped Danny on the shoulder and walked away, tugging his hat down on his head. Danny craned his neck to find Mel, wanting to ask her if she knew the guy, but when he turned back, the man was gone. He walked a few steps one way then the other, but there was no sign of anyone in a baseball cap. Scratching his neck when his hair stood on end, Danny shrugged and pushed through the trees to track down Mel.

  “Find one you like?” He found her sitting in the snow at the base of a tree. When she turned her face to him with her crooked grin and bright eyes, he chuckled and plopped down beside her.

  “Think he’s big enough?” She tilted her head this way and that before she rested it on his shoulder.

  Danny moved his arm around her and drew her in close. “I think it’s definitely big enough,” he said, closing his eyes as the sense of home hit him hard in the chest. Maybe he’d talk to her about going to Iowa tonight after they got back to the inn.

  And when are you going to tell her everything else?

  He grimaced until he remembered what the man told him. It’d all be worth it, and there was a chance he could find another way to make the investors happy. Maybe when he told her the truth, he could tell her he wasn’t even looking at her inn anymore. He needed to call Todd and tell him to start looking at alternative properties and ideas. He knew the investors wanted ten total properties and desired this chunk of land in particular, but Danny had always been good at negotiating deals. He’d find a way to make them happy and hopefully, keep Mel as well.

  Chapter 8

  The tree stood a solid twelve feet tall in an open space on the opposite wall of the hearth. They cleared away all the tables and chairs except for one large couch and the coffee table with all the ornaments already laid out on it, thanks to Donna.

  “This place looks amazing,” she said again, spinning around. “I never thought I’d see it decorated again.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t tear it all down and throw it into the hearth,” Danny commented as he dragged another box filled with Christmas lights down the hall. “I half expected you to throw something at me, too.”

  “I still might,” she teased and held up a strand of lights, draping them around her neck and shoulders as she untangled the plug from another strand. “Thanks, by the way.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, then straightened with his hands on his hips. “Wait, for what?”

  She chewed her lip as she fought the lights and let out a cry of triumph when the plug came free. “For cleaning up my mess. You didn’t have to do that, really. I’m still embarrassed you saw it all,” she said and cleared her throat as her cheeks warmed.

  Danny set down his strand of lights and held her face softly in his hands. He didn’t say anything, but the serenity that filled Mel was enough to tell her nothing she ever did could embarrass her in front of this man. He kissed the top of her head and, lights and all, pulled her against his chest, holding her tightly. They stayed locked together until Xena head-butted Mel and they staggered backwards from the force, laughing as the other two dogs bounded into the living room.

  “Right, I guess we should get this tree decorated,” she announced roughly and went back to the lights.

  “I meant to ask you,” he said as he worked on another strand and finally managed to plug them in. “Damn, this strand is out.” Mel clicked her tongue, gave the strand a good shake, and the lights flickered back on. “Really? Just like that?” he asked with a laugh, scratching his forehead.

  “Just like that,” she said. “You were saying somet
hing?”

  He rolled his eyes but started laying the lights on the lower branches of the trees, working his way around the front. “I was going to ask if you knew the guy in town who wears a baseball cap? Pretty thick beard?”

  Mel pushed her tongue behind her upper lip in thought and frustration as she grumbled curses at the lights. “Doesn’t sound like anyone I know. Why? Looking for a date?” she joked, and Danny tossed pine needles at her.

  “No, he stopped to talk to me while you were lounging in the snow and looking at trees.”

  “Eh, there’s always people passing through for the festival.”

  “Which is another reason you should consider opening the inn again,” he suggested quietly.

  She removed the light set from around her neck and laid it out for him, not bothering to respond. They worked on the lights until the tree was covered with mismatched white, red, and green strands, covering the tree from top to bottom. As they moved onto the ornaments, Mel nibbled at her lip, knowing Danny was right about opening again for the holidays. The inn wasn’t completely broke, but she knew the profits they’d made during this time, and having that money in the bank again wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  “You think I should?” she asked a while later, standing back to stare up at the tree.

  Danny hung another silver bauble on a branch and shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, look at this place. You know how many people would love to spend their Christmas vacation in a cozy inn like this? You’ve got so much potential, and you’re not taking advantage of it.”

  Mel sank onto the couch with her head in her hands, torn between doing what she should and avoiding so much commotion around what she still considered the worst day of the year. Granted, with Danny around, he was steadily changing her opinion of it, but it was still hard to think of being so happy on a day when she’d lost the last part of Robert she had. Without meaning to, her hands slipped to her belly, wondering if there was ever a chance for it to be filled with a baby again when Danny started humming Christmas carols under his breath as he hung more ornaments up. Mel tilted her head, watching his broad-shouldered body move, how his jet-black hair caught the glow of the lights, and the smile lighting his eyes. The sudden image of her with Danny, marrying him, pregnant again, even being happy again flashed before her. She shook her head quickly to force the thought away.