Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
DEAN
It’s closing in on eleven o’clock. My toes are frozen, my ears sting from the icy wind, and my hand is toasty fucking warm, wrapped around Anna’s for the last three hours straight.
Even when Fuckface was looking. Even when his eyes fired with bitter jealousy and thick contempt.
For me, not her.
I’ve watched her laugh with her friends for hours. Watched her fall in love with a Christmas tree. Watched her thaw out, as each old pal dropped by to say hello or share kind thoughts about her dad.
What began as oh God, please don’t talk to me soon transformed into he deserves to be talked about, dammit. I’m embracing this shit.
Awkward hugs became more genuine. Tears, while initially scoffed at, became a stunning accessory she wore like a crown. Hot chocolate was consumed, weddings were discussed, and even Nick’s little sister joined us.
Elena Ramos made six.
But Nick kept her far from Carter’s side.
There was no chance he was allowing this to become a triple date.
Now as the park empties and we wander toward the Road Runner, dark circles shadowing Anna’s eyes, she cuddles into my side, her feet tangling with mine while we walk.
“You sure you’re ready to go, Counselor?” Nervous, I peek down and wait for her eyes. “We can stay out as long as you want. I don’t mind.”
“You call me Counselor when you’re less confident.” Grinning, she lays her cheek on the ball of my shoulder and beams under strung lights now that they’re on again. “I’ve figured you out.”
“You think so?” I draw her to a stop at the hood of her car, pulling her around and bringing her in until our toes touch. “I’m never not confident, so I’m not sure you’ve figured anything out.”
Snickering, she huddles into her coat and shivers, her red nose bright enough to compete with Rudolph’s. “You act confident, but I see you under the bravado. You’re pretty cute all the time though.”
“Yeah?” I sneak a look around to see who’s watching. Can I kiss you yet? “I told you I was handsome.”
“Because your mom said so?”
“She was only ever wrong about one thing in her life,” I tease. “Are you tired? We could—”
“Anna?” Detective Dingleberry’s voice brings my shoulders up. His demand, dripping through each syllable of her name, brings my gaze around. Then his eyes locking onto mine spikes my temper.
I’ve seen that bullshit possession in a man’s eyes before. I’ve seen the repressed public appearance, the I’m a good guy, I swear I am, and I know for a damn fact that shit washes away just as soon as a door is closed.
Anna exhales a tired sigh, taking a step back and replacing the quiet contentment I felt ten minutes ago with desperation.
She takes a second step and shoves anxiety in to mix with the first.
Is the dread in my stomach a result of lived experience? Is it projection? Am I full of shit, superimposing my father’s face over this prick’s because I’m jealous?
“Anna…” Sick to my soul, I consider grabbing her. Tossing her in the car. Taking her away from here.
Instead, I glance down and gulp as she lays a gentle hand on my arm. Pat, pat, pat. Dismissed. “Give me a sec,” she murmurs, stepping around me and wandering to the guy who has no business being alone with any woman.
Ever.
Stony faced, I back up to the car and lean against the driver’s side door, digging my hand into my pocket and tilting my head to make it fractionally easier to block out the sound of wind, because I’d rather know what the duo are saying.
I hear my name. I hear Carter’s grunting displeasure. I catch Anna’s eyes as they come across to mine, and then as she turns back to him and shakes her head.
She stays with him for less than a minute, hardly a conversation, then even before he’s done speaking, she turns on her heels, her smile bright and alluring, her nose scrunching playfully now that the other prick gets to see none of it.
She steps off the curb, swinging her hips and looking me up and down, then she walks straight into me, our chests clashing, my arm screaming in pain.
“What are you—”
She pushes onto her toes and slams her lips against mine, wrapping her arms over my shoulders and walking her fingernails over the hair at the nape of my neck.
This is not how siblings kiss!
“Pay attention to me.” Anna’s tongue slides across to seduce mine, her fingers coming up to latch onto my jaw and force my focus away from the seething prick fifteen feet away.
“This is a special night for me, Dean Warner, so if you don’t mind, I’d like you to look at me when our tongues touch. Not him.”
“But—”
“Will you drive?” She reaches into my pocket and snags her keys, touching my dick without meaning to, and releasing a deliciously surprised gasp when her brain registers her actions.
Collecting herself and slapping on a sultry smile, she drags her hand out again and places the keys in my palm. “Get in the car and I’ll tell you.”
Fuck yes.
I loop my arm around her hip and push away from the door, unlocking it quickly and whipping it open. I shuffle her in, too rough, too handsy, and force her to crawl across the driver’s side instead of walking her around like a gentleman.
Yet, she snickers, plopping into her seat and fastening her belt while I do the same on my side. I slam the door and jam the keys into the ignition, flipping the heater on with a turn of the dial and pumping the air up to get warmth circulating.
“The fuck was that?” I release the parking brake and slip the gearstick into reverse. Pulling out of our space, I bring us onto the road and away from the park. Fuck, I still taste her on my tongue. “What’d he say that made you go kamikaze on your cover story?”
She grins in the dark, unzipping her oversized jacket as we rumble along a street lined with supermarkets.
A bank. A clothing outlet store. “He said he doesn’t believe that you’re my brother.
He even suggested you were lying to me, claiming to be my brother to get close to me to aid in your nefarious screw-Anna-over plan. ”
“Little does he know, the brother story was yours.” I scoff. “And since I’m feeling unfairly judged right now, it needs to be said: you were the one who ran me down with your car.”
She snickers, sliding across the bench seat as far as her belt allows. “Take a left up here.”
“Ohhhkay.” I follow her instructions, too curious to say no, but careful not to rev the old engine so I don’t wake any sleeping children. “Where are we going?”
“Christmas light tour.” She cuddles into my arm, forcing me to steer with my bad side. But I’ll be fucked if I push her away. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve ignored the holidays for a while now, which means I robbed myself of a chance to drive around and look at the lights.”
I peek down into her perfect, glittering eyes.
“Carter said it’s weird how you were looking at me all night. That siblings don’t look at each other like that, so his detective instincts could only lead him to the conclusion you were a big fat liar.”
“Yeah?” I wrap my palm securely around the steering wheel. “Well, he’s got small-dick energy, so what the hell does he know?”
“I told him the truth. Most of it,” she amends, amused. “I didn’t mention my driving negligence, but I said you weren’t my brother. I admitted that I was the one who lied, but that he’s not welcome to comment on the things I do in my private life. Then I turned around and kissed you.”
“Makes you a rebel,” I chuckle. “With a tasty tongue.”
“A tired rebel,” she happily sighs. “But I’m not ready for sleep, so if you’re up to it, I’d like to drive around for a bit. Look at the lights.” She places a whisper-soft kiss on the ball of my shoulder. “Spend a little more time wrapped in magic. Turn up here.”
I follow her instructions through residential streets bursting with bright displays and freaky-looking inflatable decorations, past houses that’ve already switched their lights off for the night, and along an industrial road leading away from the park we spent our evening in.
We travel three or four miles before losing sight of the tree illuminating the center of town, then as Anna directs me with hand signals alone, I pull onto a gravel covered road, storage sheds lined in rows, and at the very back of the lot, a frozen pond reflecting the moon’s light off its surface.
“We used to keep a bunch of decorations and stuff in one of the storage sheds here.”
As I bring the car to a stop, slipping the gear into neutral and pulling on the parking brake, I leave the engine running so we don’t lose the heat.
So Anna doesn’t grow cold and ask to leave anytime soon.
“We had so much of it.” She unbuckles her belt, turning on the seat and resting the side of her face against the leather.
“After a few years, people started donating stuff. It was nice of them to do, but it got to be too much, so once we ran out of space in our garage, we had no choice but to hire a storage shed, too.” She slow-blinks, her long, beautiful lashes coming down to kiss her supple cheeks.
“I handed a lot of it back to the committee once I decided I was done, cleared out enough to consolidate my garage at home, and moved whatever was left here, back to the house.” She casts dreamy, happy eyes toward the front.
“I always thought it was amazing how the pond would freeze every winter, but fish could still swim, even under the ice.”
I settle back and drop my legs open, unzipping my coat now that the car is toasty warm inside. Reaching across, I take Anna’s hand and smile when her lips curl higher. “You come here to watch them often?”