Chapter 12
CHARLIE
“You should’ve woken me up last night.” Still can’t believe I fell asleep.
Pete glances away from the road long enough to give me a pointed look. “I knocked. Twice. Tried texting and calling.” His attention returns to driving as he adds quietly, “Then I caught sight of you asleep on your sofa and remembered you’d been up late working.”
“Oh.” Not sure how I feel about him seeing me like that.
“Sorry,” he says quickly. “I didn’t mean to look in, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t passed out hurt or anything.” He sounds so sincere and apologetic that any discomfort quickly fades.
“It’s fine.” I huff out a laugh and scrub a hand over my face. “Please tell me I wasn’t drooling?”
He laughs. “You weren’t.” He spares me another glance, this one packing a little more heat. “You looked warm and comfy . . . and I wanted to curl up with you.” He bites his lip after speaking, like he’s not sure whether he should’ve said that last part or not.
I’m fucking delighted, and my huge smile telegraphs it enough that Pete’s grinning too when he turns back to the road again.
“You should’ve used your key,” I say, realising that he must have another spare to my annexe as well as the one he gave me.
His head snaps round so fast I wince. “Absolutely fucking not.”
“Why?”
“That would be a gross invasion of your privacy.”
Honestly, I would’ve been happy to be woken up by him, but when I think it over, I realise that he’s right. And the fact he refused to even go there only reinforces the gut feeling I have that Pete’s a good guy.
An incredibly attractive mountain of a good guy.
Who I don’t want to waste any more time keeping my distance from.
Honestly? What the fuck was I thinking? And yes, now probably isn’t the best time for this conversation, not when we’re about to be in public, but I’m well aware that time is running out.
I’m only here for five more nights and I want to make the most of them.
If Pete wants to go there, too, that is.
Time to find out.
I shift in my seat to face him better.
He spares me another quick glance. “All right?”
“Yeah.” I hesitate, wondering how best to phrase this. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something last night.”
He snorts. “That sentence never bodes well.”
“I’m hoping this time it will.” Ah, fuck it, there’s only one way to say it. “I don’t want to be friends anymore.”
The car swerves towards the verge before Pete straightens it out, and okay, maybe I should’ve waited until we were parked. “What?” He doesn’t look at me this time, but his jaw clenches and his fingers tighten around the steering wheel.
In retrospect, that wasn’t the way.
“I want more kissing, more touching,” I clarify. “Just more.”
He swallows thickly. I watch his throat, already imagining tracing that heavily stubbled jaw with my lips and my tongue.
“If that’s something you’d be interested in?” I hold my breath, hoping I haven’t just made this the world’s most awkward car ride. We’ve still got a tree to pick out and decorate. Fuck’s sake, I so should’ve waited until later. If he says no, it’ll—
“Yes.” He licks his lips, and I follow that movement too. “You leave in five days.”
“I do.”
So what happens after that?
He doesn’t ask it, and neither do I.
I don’t want to think about leaving when I’ve got five days and nights here.
With Pete.
He nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
The look he sends me next is so filthy I melt into the seat. “Let’s go pick a tree and take it home.”
I’m tempted to ask him to turn around and go back now, but when I look out the windscreen, we’re pulling into the car park of his Christmas tree farm. “Are we still decorating it today?” I ask, my voice rough like gravel.
As much as I love dressing a tree, it is the absolute last thing on my mind right now.
He smirks as he turns off the engine. “Maybe later. Much, much later.”
Right, then.
Let’s go pick a fucking tree.
“Stop right there,” Pete’s sister yells as we enter what he calls the office. I recognise her from New Year’s Eve.
The office is more like a fancy shed, but it obviously has heating, and a I spotted a Portaloo out the back.
“What?”
She jabs her finger up at the doorjamb above Pete’s head. “You know the rules, Harbrook.”
We both look up.
A hearty sprig of mistletoe hangs above our heads.
“When did that appear.” Pete narrows his eyes. “It wasn’t there when I left last night.”
Sadie shrugs, feigning innocence. “You must’ve missed it.”
“Mhmm.” He glances back at the car park. The office has a great view of all the cars arriving. “You saw us pull in, didn’t you?”
She shrugs. “I have no idea what you mean.” Then she turns to me and smiles. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to kiss him. I’ll take one for the team.” Before I can react, she plants a wet smacking kiss on Pete’s cheek. “There you go, bad luck averted.”
Pete smiles fondly at her, then ruffles her hair, while I’m stuck there wishing that I’d kissed him instead.
“How are you liking the annexe, Charlie?”
It takes me a second to realise she’s asked me a question, and really, where the fuck are my manners? My mum would be horrified. “It’s lovely. And thank you so much for coming out in that rain and setting it all up for me. And for stocking the kitchen.”
Her smile widens. “It was my pleasure.” Her gaze darts between the two of us, and it’s only then I realise I’ve gravitated closer to Pete.
So close we’re almost touching. And still right under that mistletoe.
“I’m actually off to Tesco now. It’s a bit of a trek but so much cheaper. Want me to pick anything up for you?”
I do. I’ve been so busy working on my book, I’ve only nipped out to the local shops. But I can’t ask her to do my shopping too.
She reaches over and squeezes my shoulder, reading me easily.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded. I’m going there anyway, so you might as well give me a list, save you having to make the trip.
When you’ve obviously got better things to be doing.
” She says that last bit with a smirk, then turns to Pete. “You come to get your tree?”
“Yeah.”
When her eyes meet mine again, there’s a light to them as she obviously realises we’re picking it together.
“Lovely.” Her smile is warm as she adds, “I already put your wreath and some bits in a bag over there.” She turns and points to a white plastic bag propped on the table.
“And Charlie, send me your list. I’ll drop your food off on my way back. Or Pete’s if you’re not in.”
Oh.
If the next few hours play out like I’m hoping they do, then hopefully I’ll be naked somewhere in Pete’s house. And I don’t want his sister walking in on that. Pete stiffens next to me, and I wonder if he’s thinking the same.
Sadie must also have a key to the annexe since she turned everything on for me before. “You can let yourself into my place if I’m not there. If that’s okay?”
“You sure? I don’t mind leaving them with Pete.”
“It’s fine,” Pete and I say at exactly the same time.
My cheeks flame but I can’t look at him or I’ll laugh.
“Okaay.” Sadie doesn’t even try to hide the fact that she’s laughing at the pair of us. “I’ll leave your food in your fridge and will not, under any circumstances, go into Pete’s house.”
Kill me now.
“Have a lovely day, boys.”
I can hear her laughing all the way to her car.
“Fuck’s sake,” Pete grunts, and that sets me off. He knocks his shoulder against mine, grinning. “You know she thinks we’ll be having sex when she drops off your groceries.”
I sober and face him, hoping the heated look I send his way tells him that I’m very much on board with that idea. “And she’ll be right, yes?”
He swallows thickly, gaze never leaving mine. “Yeah.” It’s low and gravel-rough, and that one word skitters down my spine like a heated touch. Fingers brush the back of my hand, then curl around it as Pete shifts to stand in front of me. “Ready to help me pick a tree?”
“Quickly?”
Pete grins. “First one we see.”
“Let’s go.”
Before he can get out the door, I pull him back. “Wait.” I point above our heads. “Pretty sure the mistletoe gods aren’t gonna be happy with that kiss.”
“No?”
I shake my head and step closer, sliding my hands around his neck. I spare a quick glance outside. People are milling around choosing trees, but I think back here we’re covered enough in this spot. “We can do better.”
I kiss the smile off his face.
His hands grip my waist, pulling me into his big hard body, and once again I’m lost to the warmth of his talented mouth.
Why, Charlie? Why did you think missing out on this was a good idea?
This kiss is deep and thorough in a way that has my tongue sliding against his, my fingers gripping the back of his coat.
Pete walks me backwards until I gently hit the door, then he presses me against it and slides a thigh between mine.
It’s the best fucking feeling to have his body pinning me in place, and I have zero intention of ever moving, until a throat clears.
We don’t jump apart, but Pete steps back to put a bit of space between us.
“Knew that mistletoe was a bad idea.”
I lean around Pete to see who said it, and I’m met with amused blue eyes in a face that bears a striking resemblance to Pete and Sadie.
“All right, Tash,” Pete says, glancing over his shoulder, but I notice he doesn’t turn to face her. Probably suffering from the same problem as me. “Didn’t realise you were here, sorry.”
Tash snorts. “Who did you think was manning the place while Sadie goes shopping?” She leans around him to see me. “Hi, I’m Tasha. Pete and Sadie’s cousin. You must be Charlie.”
“Er . . . yeah.” I glance at Pete, who sighs.
“Sadie.”
“Yeah, Sadie,” Tash confirms. “Anyway, it’s lovely to meet you, but I’m just going to close this door so you don’t scandalise the customers with your live porn show.
” She winks at Pete, then pulls the door shut before he can get a word out, effectively cutting us off from view. Huh. Should’ve done that before.