“Don’t
go.”
His
voice was raw and it wasn’t hard to tell there was a battle waging
within him. Normally, Emery enjoyed watching Carter squirm and
struggle, but for some reason seeing him this emotional after a call
with his mother affected her in a way she didn’t expect.
She
felt compassion for him—a need to comfort him and tell him it was
going to be all right.
She
made her way toward him. “I think it would be best for everyone if
I did. You didn’t deserve to be blindsided like this, and I’m
sorry it happened this way. I truly believed you were aware of what
was going on and you were coming here specifically to work on the
book. I had no idea your trip here had nothing to do with it or that
you were so against giving it more attention.”
Carter’s
shoulders sagged a little. “At any other time…”
“I
know,” she said softly, moving a little closer. “I get it. Hey,
there isn’t anything I can do about whatever else you’re dealing
with, but on this particular subject, I can. I’ll work with the
files you sent your mother and I’ll make it into something closer
to what she’s looking for, okay? And in the meantime, I’ll stay
out of your way so you can have at least one night’s peace.”
They
stood in silence for a long time, and as much as Emery wanted to pack
and get out of his way, she couldn’t seem to make herself move. In
all the years they had known one another, they had bickered and poked
fun at each other and essentially gone out of their own way to make
the other miserable. It was what they did. It was comfortable. But
right now, she couldn’t think of a single snarky or antagonistic
comment.
And
that freaked her out.
Swallowing
hard, she took a step back. And then another. Next thing she knew,
she had spun and was walking back to her bedroom, mildly trembling.
She went straight to her closet and pulled out her weekender bag.
Knowing she wasn’t going to be going out or doing anything other
than vegging in her hotel room, she walked over to her dresser and
pulled out a couple of pairs of yoga pants, a few T-shirts, a pair of
pajamas, and a pair of shorts and tossed them in the bag. Next, she
opened her lingerie drawer and was pulling out a handful of panties
when a large male hand closed over hers. Gasping with surprise, she
turned and found herself face-to-face with Carter.
While
they both held her panties.
Awesome.
Emery
wanted to be outraged—or at the very least annoyed that he had
invaded her space when she was clearly trying to be the bigger person
here, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to make herself speak
or react.
What
was happening to her?
“This
is crazy,” he said, his voice deep and low and borderline hypnotic.
So
he felt it, too? This sudden, crazy pull toward one another? The
change in the air around them?
“I
already said I didn’t want you to go, Em,” he went on and that’s
when she realized what he was talking about.
Forcing
her gaze away, she carefully pulled her hand and underwear from his.
“I think it’s for the best.” Then she moved away, tossing her
garments in the weekender bag along with the rest of her clothes. For
a few minutes, she busied herself collecting odds and ends—her
laptop, her e-reader, her iPod—before going into the bathroom and
grabbing her toothbrush, makeup, and brushes. Anything else she
needed she’d get from housekeeping. When she walked back out into
the bedroom, she found Carter sitting quietly on her bed.
And
her weekender bag emptied.
Okay,
now
she was outraged.
“Seriously,
Carter?” she cried. “Why can’t you just let me do this?”
He
shrugged. “I already told you. It’s not necessary.”
“To
me it is! There’s no reason for me to stay here. And, might I
remind you, I’ve been a thorn in your side since we were kids!”
It
pleased her that he paled a little at having his words thrown back at
him.
“I
would think you’d be thankful that I was leaving,” she said,
hating the tremor in her voice. “One less thing for you to worry
about.”
The
curse that flew out of his mouth followed by a huff of annoyance
didn’t really surprise her. This was them. This was the
relationship they had. And honestly, she preferred this to the
strained silence and whatever it was that she was feeling just
minutes ago.
Carter
stood and walked over until they were toe to toe. “What I said to
my mother,” he began and then stopped. “What I mean is, that was
said in the heat of the moment and really, it couldn’t have been
news to you. I’ve been telling you that to your face since we were
twelve.”
“Eleven,
but…whatever,” she corrected and smirked when he growled with
frustration.
“That!
That right there is why I said it! Can’t you just let some things
go?”
“Me?”
she cried. “How about you? I was being the bigger person here! I
was putting your feelings first, and where did that get me, huh? I
should be in a cab on my way to a hotel with room service, but
instead I’m here arguing with you again! Why couldn’t you just
let me leave?”
They
both instantly fell silent and Emery felt herself holding her breath
while she waited for his answer.
“What’s
the matter?” she finally asked. “Is it possible the arrogant
Carter Montgomery has nothing to say for himself for the first time
in his life?”
Yeah,
she was taunting him, but…she needed to. Needed things to be like
they always were. If she didn’t get them back on solid ground—back
on the familiar turf of a lifelong rivalry—she wouldn’t know what
to do. For years she’d been aware of Carter as a person. She
couldn’t deal with suddenly being aware of him as a man.
When
his only response was a slight tick in his jaw, she figured she’d
poke the bear a little more. “Did you burn the sauce? Is that why
we’re not eating yet? Or maybe you realized all that pretentious
crap you bought was no better than grabbing a couple of slices from
the pizzeria on the corner.” She noted he seemed to be almost
inflating before her eyes—his posture straightened, his shoulders
seemed to grow broader…
Go
big or go home, right?
Leaning
in, she said, “I bet you really don’t know how
to make homemade pizza. At least not good
homemade pizza.” She let out a devious little laugh. “Probably
thought I would be too naive to know the difference. You probably
could have served up one of my frozen pizzas and I wouldn’t know
the difference.”
He
was breaking molars now, no doubt.
“Not
that it matters. I’ve got some microwave popcorn I can have for
dinner, along with the last brownie. That’s the kind of stuff I can
count on—and will probably be a lot more enjoyable.”
This
time when Emery tried to move away, Carter’s large hand on her arm
stopped her.
She
had to hide her smile of satisfaction. “Problem?” she asked
innocently.
“You’ve
got a real smart mouth, Emery, but you don’t know what the hell
you’re talking about.”
“Oh,
really? Care to explain?”
But
he shook his head. “As a matter of fact, no. I don’t.”
She
shrugged. “Fine, whatever. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my dinner
awaits.”
“If
you so much as think of making popcorn for dinner, I’ll strangle
you,” he said, tugging her closer.
When
she leaned in until they were nose to nose, she said, “I dare you.”
“Such a smart mouth,” he said right
before he claimed it.
***
Excerpted
from A
Dash of Christmas by
Samantha Chase.
© 2019 by
Samantha Chase.
Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks
Casablanca, an imprint of
Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.
