Page 27 of One Week With You
“I would’ve liked to hear that,” I admitted softly.
“I wasn’t sure if it was patronising or not.”
“I wouldn’t have taken it that way at all.”
“Well, then.” He nodded, a shy smile playing with his lips. “That’s good to know.”
The width of the room narrowed, stifling all the air as we stared into each other’s eyes, wondering who would look away first.
For my heart, I had to.
There wasn’t much to say after that. Rafe grabbed his bag from the car while I checked the pantry to see what I could make for dinner. Cookies wouldn’t be enough now. I’d settled on soup with toasted cheese sandwiches when a gush of ice cold twirled at my feet and Rafe rolled a small suitcase into the living room, setting it by the stairs.
“Hey, listen,” he said. “I know I sprung this on you. If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
I shook my head. As much as I’d wanted peace and quiet, Rafe was right. The prospect of Christmas alone was unsettling and now that it inched closer, I couldn’t bear the thought. “This is your home. And some company would be nice.”
“That’s a relief because I’m pretty sure we’re going to be stuck here for a while.”
I frowned momentarily before rushing to the window in understanding, scooping back the curtain and peering outside. Snow was falling but barely dusted the ground. Disappointed, I let the curtain slide back. “That’s a sorry excuse for snow. It’ll have melted by morning.”
“You wanna bet?”
“Sure. What will I win if you lose?”
Rafe stepped closer, so close I had to arch my neck right back to look at him, our height difference considerable now I was barefoot.
“I never lose,” he said gruffly, and somehow I knew he wasn’t talking about snow.
CHAPTER6
TALIA
The next morningI padded down the stairs rubbing one eye, yawning so wide my jaw clicked. My limbs were heavy and sluggish, every step like walking through molasses. I’d been restless knowing Rafe was sleeping in the room next door, replaying everything we’d said and done yesterday, and all the days before that.
I could still feel the ghost of his fingers trailing up my thigh…
“Stop it, Talia,” I scolded under my breath.
But…Sunshine. He’d called me sunshine.
Something flashed in my peripheral vision and my mouth dropped the moment I turned to find out what. A Christmas tree, so perfect it could’ve been hand-drawn, sat in front of the bay window, twinkling with hundreds of warm white lights.
“What?” There was awe in my whisper as I wandered closer. I rubbed a spiky branch, then held it to my nose, the scent unmistakable and not at all artificial.
A real Christmas tree.
“Well, that was worth it,” Rafe said from the kitchen archway, his head tilted to one side, his smile softer than my heart could take. Steam swirled from his coffee cup and drifted into the air as he lifted it to take a sip.
“What was?” I asked, still dazed and drawn to the tree. I hadn’t realised how much I’d wanted – needed – one until that moment. Christmas wasn’t Christmas without a tree. I’d been fooling myself to think otherwise.
How did he know?
“Your smile,” he murmured. “Worth it.”
My heart fluttered like it had taken flight. “How?”
“Mrs Brown can get anything if you ask. I collected it on the way here and hid it in the shed.”
