Chapter 18
Violet
I stood there with my heart hammering in my chest, watching Easton drive off with my car.
It was a mystery to me how he’d even gotten it unlocked. He didn’t have the key.
Or how he knew where I lived.
But there was no doubt in my mind that he was taking my car to get it fixed. And that he’d bought a very expensive transmission for me.
He was my Secret Santa, and if I were to guess, I’d say he’d been spending a small part of his inheritance on me.
I wanted to chase after him, but I was completely carless and stranded. That’s when I realized how tenuous my connection to him was.
I didn’t have his phone number.
I didn’t know where he lived.
I didn’t even know his last name. He was just hot, hunky, dreamy Easton to me.
But I knew I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to see him again. I wasn’t sure what to do.
It was so cold out, the first decision I made was to head inside. There was no way I was going back to work today. I was too torn up over everything.
Tugging his coat tighter around me, I tried to hold tears back, then headed upstairs to the other man in my life while I tried to figure out what to do next. Snowball would be willing to console me in the best way he knew how. By sitting on my lap, purring and drooling.
As soon as my kitty was settled in and a glass of wine was sitting by my side, I pulled out my phone and called my sister.
“Melinda, I have a big problem and I need your help.”
Just like Melinda suggested, I’d gone to the line-dancing lesson that night. But Easton hadn’t shown.
It took all my bravery to walk into the Bear Den on my own. Especially wearing the flashy cowgirl boots Easton had bought for me.
I’d been broken-hearted throughout the whole line-dancing lesson, but also proud for putting myself out there and doing something new.
I hardly slept that night thinking of him, and then he wasn’t at work the next day.
Aemon was too proper and refused to hand out his phone number. But I managed to weasel it out of Peter, who happened to have it.
But when I called Easton, it just went straight to a voicemail box that chirpily announced it was too full to accept new messages.
I tried texting, explaining everything to him, but all I got back was a wall of silence.
And then it was Christmas Eve.
My flight was leaving later today, and I’d had to book an Uber because my car still wasn’t fixed. But I kept looking out the window at the steel gray clouds in the sky, wondering if a storm was going to come before my ride did.
A booming knock on my door startled me as I was finishing my hair. One-half was curled and the other half was completely straight.
“Oh, if that’s the Uber, they’re at least an hour early,” I muttered to myself as I went to answer the door.
When I swung it open, it wasn’t an Uber driver.
It was the most handsome man I’d ever seen.
“Easton,” his name slipped off my lips like butter, and I flew into his arms.
He had no choice but to hug me back.
I settled into his warm embrace, clutching him tightly as though he might disappear again.
After a few minutes, he gently pushed me back and quietly said, “Hi.”
“You’re a hard man to track down.” My pulse was flying, heart pitter-pattering like mad.
He shrugged. “Naw. I’m always around.”
He glanced over my head into my apartment, then settled a serious gaze on me, rumbling.
“Violet, I need to tell you something. Things don’t need to be weird between us, but you need to keep the gifts.
It’s okay that you’re in love with someone else.
I appreciate you being forthright about it.
I’ll back off after this. Uh, your car’s fixed.
It’s in the driveway. And I’d already bought the final few gifts for you, so you’ll just have to deal with that.
Donate them if you don’t want them. They’re on the passenger seat.
But don’t worry. I’m not going to go all stalker on your cute ass.
I’m man enough to know when to walk away.
I won’t get between you and the man you want. ”
I launched myself into his arms again. “You didn’t read my texts, did you?”
He sighed. “Nope. I actually tossed my phone over the edge of a cliff.”
“Why would you do a thing like that?”
He hugged me for a heartbeat, and then another, before quietly saying, “Because your name came up on my caller ID and it hurt too bad to see it.”
“Easton, you’re a silly, silly man. You should have read my texts.”
Easton gently pushed me away. “Yup. Look, it’s going to be hard on me if you try to get all cuddly with me now. I don’t want to get in the way of whatever man you’ve set your sights on. And all this hugging is giving me some mixed messages.”
I breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of him.
Wild woods and winter promises. That’s what he smelled like.
“Easton, you’re the man I was talking about. I didn’t think you were my Secret Santa. I was trying to let the other guy down easy.”
Confusion crossed his face. “So who’s the other guy then?”
I laughed and buried my face in his flannel shirt. Then peppered it with kisses.
“There is no other man. You’re the only man.”
This time he didn’t try to push me away. His arms came up around me, wrapping me in his universe.
“I’m a little confused, Violet. Explain this to me. Because I got your letter where you told me you were in love with someone else.”
This wasn’t the way I would have chosen for him to find out. It was too soon. And those words were so big. But they were out there now, and there was no taking it back.
“I was talking about you,” I whispered. “I’m in love with you.”
“With me,” he rumbled, still sounding mystified. “Am I hearing you right?”
I laughed lightly and hugged him as tight as I could. “Yeah. You heard me, Easton.”
He let out a deep, shuddering breath, then kissed me like a madman before scooping me right up as though I weighed nothing.
“How long until your plane leaves?” he rumbled, a deep husk in his voice.
“An hour or so until the Uber driver comes to get me. But where are you taking me?”
“Cancel the Uber,” he growled. “I’ll take you to the airport. But first we’re going to your bed.”
Easton had a crazy look in his eye as he took me to my bedroom and put down on the edge of the bed.
I hastily canceled the ride, then looked up at him, unsure about what would happen next.
He crawled onto the bed with me, then pulled me close, wrapping me in a kiss.
Was this really happening?
It sure was.
His lips felt divine on mine, and I lost myself in his kiss.
The whole world disappeared, and it was just the two of us in my teeny-tiny apartment discovering all the cheer that Christmas Eve could bring.
But when his hand slipped under my sweater, cupping my breast lightly, I whispered, “There isn’t enough time.”
“Violet, if you knew how long it’s been since I’ve slept with a woman, you’d know there was plenty of time. I’m liable to go off like a firecracker.”
Anxiety knitted into my bones.
Would he still like me once he knew?