Page 18 of Eight Days of Christmas
“What am I supposed to do? Huh, Leo?”
“Give me an explanation!” he yelled.
Leo’s shout shook the car and vibrated in her chest. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and the ache in her stomach felt unbearable. How had this night taken such a drastic turn?
“I can’t,” she mumbled.
“Right, what’s new.” He adjusted himself in the driver’s seat, crossing his arms and leaning his head against the headrest.
She hugged her knees to her chest and faced the window, struggling against the tears threatening to break free. She didn’t want it to happen, but she couldn’t stop it—the hard shell sheltering Isabella’s heart grew another layer.
Chapter Six
Leo
Faint light filled the car,waking Leo early. When he pried open his eyes, he realized justhowearly. The sky was void of the sun. Possibly the moon was still shining. Instantly, he shivered, too aware of how cold he was; his bones felt frozen inside his body.
He tore off his gloves and wriggled the car key from his pocket, jamming it into the ignition. When he did, Isabella stirred in the passenger seat.
He glanced at her. Still freaking beautiful, damn her.
Her teeth began to chatter, and she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She shifted in her seat, finally noticing him next to her, and they accidentally made eye contact, which had led to all sorts of bad last night, so he looked away.
The horrendous memories of their alcohol-filled make-out sesh from the night before flooded his mind. What had he been thinking?
She groaned and pressed a palm against her forehead.
“My feelings exactly,” he muttered, adjusting the heater settings and vents.
“What time is it?” she asked on a yawn.
“Early. But not early enough. We need to get on the road.” He scrubbed his hands down his rough face.
“Fine with me. The sooner we get back on the road, the sooner we get coffee. My head is pounding.”
Leo pulled his beanie down over his ears, cranked the defrost dial to full blast, and zipped his coat up to his neck before heading outside to clear the snow off the car. Semitrucks whirled by, beaming headlights through the dim morning. Without an ice scraper or snow brush, he improvised and used his arm to clean off the windshield.
He hopped back inside, and they both remained quiet as Leo merged the car into the sparse traffic. Silence was perfectly fine with him—concentrating on the winter road conditions seemed like a better idea than talking. Thinking was bad enough. If it had only taken a few hours with Isabella and a little alcohol to cloud his judgment, what would happen after an entire week?
They stayed silent until he spotted the first gas station adorned in twinkling, colored Christmas lights and with a small food mart attached. It was a relief Isabella hadn’t tried striking up a conversation before then. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to talk about last night.
Not yet, and maybe not ever.
“Good Lord, finally. Coffee,” Isabella said.
While Leo filled the tank with gas, Isabella went inside the food mart, taking a small bag with her. He hurried and used the bathroom while the gas finished pumping. He pulled the car into a parking spot, checking the time on his phone impatiently—5:50 a.m. He debated on sending a text to his dad or Landon but decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was wake them early. Dad was usually up by six thirty in the morning.
The passenger door opened, and Leo was about to exhale a dramatic,Finally, but before he could, Isabella handed him a Styrofoam cup embellished with mistletoe and candy canes. He raised an untrusting brow at her.
“Truce?” She smiled.
He wasn’t amused by her choice of wording, but he was enticed by the coffee, so he accepted and tipped the cup at her. “Thanks.” He took a sip and the bitter brew bit at his tongue. It was black—just how he liked it, but it tasted stronger than he preferred. Regardless, it was caffeine, so he gulped another drink while he pulled back onto the road.
“So,” she hedged. “Do you think we should talk about last night?”
A blur of her tempting, naked flesh fogged his mind momentarily—the feel of her in his hands, on his tongue.
Leo clenched his jaw. “Nope.”
