Beneath the breezy exterior was a woman who could be hurt. Then and there, Rick vowed to never, ever forget it. Sitting on the couch, he continued to hold her hands as she stood in front of him.

“Lana.”

“Holiday flings are supposed to be lighthearted and fun, not me word vomiting my bad day all over you.”

“Maybe I like a little vomit.” The words were out of his mouth before Rick could reconsider. Her nose wrinkled, then she giggled.

Lana sat on the coffee table across from him. “I guess I’m not used to having someone who wants my vomit.”

“Maybe we should change metaphors,” he said, chuckling. Rick ran a thumb across her skin, an invitation. “You’re too far away.”

Lana scooted forward an inch on the coffee table. “Better?”

He wanted to reach over and scoop her up, haul her into his arms, and kiss her senseless. But Lana wasn’t a woman to be hauled around. She was fine wine. A woman to be appreciated and waited for. Rick had as much patience as she needed.

“You can trust me,” he said quietly. “I know trust is earned, but I’m hoping you give me a chance to prove you can.”

She slipped over to the couch. This was what he needed, having her resting against him, her curves pressed to his chest.

“I do trust you, Rick. It’s just…this is new for me. I’ve been running solo for a long time.”

“I know the feeling.” Rick ran a soothing hand down her back.

“I think I was promised porch swing activities.”

Rick had always been a man of his word.

When she leaned in and pressed her mouth to his, Rick felt the tension inside him settle. With Jen, even when things were good, the tension never truly settled… No. He didn’t want to think about the things he’d done wrong or the things he’d tried to do right. Rick wanted to be here, with Lana. Appreciating every moment of whatever this was between them.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Rick lifted her up and turned, laying her back on the couch gently. Bracing his weight on his knee and his elbow, he waited for her to wriggle into the cushions to make herself comfortable.

“You’re still too far away.” She gave him a cute, hopeful look. He let the slender arms wrapping around his waist pull him closer. Wanting more but in the best way, not the desperate, painful way.

Rick settled against her, drinking in how good it felt to finally not be alone.

* * *

Lana could have stayed in his arms forever.

As the sun set in the early afternoon sky, the soft glow of holiday lights outside the window and inside the hotel room set the kind of ambience completely perfect for being with Rick.

Whatever this was, it was happening slowly, as if he wanted to memorize each touch, each sound she made when he held her just right. She’d never had slow leave her feeling so hungry for more.

They hadn’t even taken anything off, and Lana was close to losing her mind beneath his skilled hands.

“You’re killing me,” he groaned as she broke first, fisting his shirt and pulling it up to his ribs.

“You’re wearing too much. I may die from sheer curiosity.” Another sound escaped her throat unbidden. He was far too good at far too many things.

Lana’s phone beeped. If it had been for anything else, she would have ignored it, but Moose Springs was too important.

“I’m sorry,” she said, still rucking his shirt up higher. “I have to check this.”

If he minded, he didn’t let her know. Instead, Rick rolled onto his back, drawing her across his chest and giving her the perfect spot to reach for her phone on the coffee table, where she’d abandoned it forever ago.

“If it’s an evil moose attacking my Christmas decorations, ignore it. We’re busy.” Rick inhaled deeply to catch his breath. Lana knew the feeling. She wasn’t much of an exercise girl, and she was definitely winded.

“I’m going to have to start doing more cardio to keep up with you,” she said.

The pleased look on his face was so endearing, Lana made a mental note to repeat it as often as possible. He deserved to feel good. Rick certainly made her feel more than good and more than once. Had she ever had a hand stroke lazily down her back like this, finding the perfect places on her spine to make her toes curl? Lana could barely read the words in front of her face.

“Be less attractive for a minute.”

Rick’s hand settled on her hip. “You’re ruining me, gorgeous. Absolutely ruining me.”

“If I’m killing you and ruining you, then I had better make amends. But right after I send this text.”

Hazel eyes watched her, distracting her even as she read the message.

Pleased, Lana patted Rick’s chest. “Good news. Something very positive just happened. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cut this short because we have someplace to be. The emergency town hall meeting I asked for was just officially called.”

“I have it on good authority that town hall meetings have terrible cookies and mediocre coffee.”

“Yes, but this one will have something very important I need.” She headed to the hallway mirror. “Oh dear. You’ve mussed me good, and there’s no time to fix it.”

“You look great.” Coming up behind her, Rick wrapped an arm around her, pressing a soft kiss to her neck before looking at their reflection in the mirror.

Lana wasn’t at her best by far. Her makeup was smudged, and her hair was in desperate need of a combing. But Rick had never looked so relaxed. Lana turned, then kissed him, unable to help herself. A sound of masculine approval met her action, and Rick in turn pressed her back into the wall, hands roaming.

“I wish otherwise, but I really do have to get to the town hall. It’s for the good of the town.”

“The town is perfectly good,” he said even as he stepped back. “The town has never been better.”

Lana patted his muscled arm. “The town is fabulous. But trust me, this is one meeting I absolutely cannot reschedule.”

Lana did her best to fix what two hours with Rick had mussed up, then she gave up and called it as it was. She had make-out face. There was no getting past it.

“I’ll call for my car,” she told him as Rick drew on his jacket.

Rick pulled his keys out of his pocket, jangling them. “No need.”

“You’re coming with me?” When he tilted his head as if confused, Lana clarified. “I’m not…popular at the moment. I don’t want to cause you problems.”

Understanding dawned, followed by a frown. “You think I’d mess around with you but pretend we’re not together?”

Lana’s voice was soft. “I don’t want you to lose any friends because of me.”

“If I lose a friend because of who I love, then they weren’t a friend to begin with.”

Who he loved?

The words must have slipped out, because Rick’s face went all kinds of shades of red. “I didn’t…” Immediately, Rick clamped his mouth shut. Of course he didn’t. Who fell in love with someone so quickly? Especially when this was just a holiday fling, meant to help two people get through Christmas. This wasn’t a love story to last.

This wasn’t a love story at all. Just a holiday-themed coping mechanism.

So why was she so crushed?

“Lana.” Rick’s tone softened. Nope. She knew what was coming next, and this had been a rough enough day. She didn’t need to hear him explain that his blunder was just that: a mistake.

“It’s okay, dearest. We all slip up.”

She hustled around, finishing getting ready and not meeting his eye. Of course he didn’t love her. Rick was a smart man, too smart for that. It was the season of cheer, not the season of bad choices. Then she steeled her spine, because she would not let this hurt her. Turning, Lana smiled breezily at Rick.

“Okay, how do I look?”

“Lana.” Rick’s voice was quiet. “Just because there’s an elephant in the room doesn’t mean we have to pretend it isn’t there. I don’t know how I feel. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know. If I’m slipping up, it’s because I do care about you.”

Lana’s phone beeped again, and if a beep could sound more urgent, this one managed to pull it off. They really did have to go.

Resting her palm on his cheek, Lana said softly, “It never occurred to me otherwise.”

* * *

She’d let him off the hook far easier than she should have. Telling someone you loved them and then retracting it was the kind of screwup that should have resulted in a yelling match or at least some well-deserved tears. Instead, Lana had stood straighter, plastered that smile he was starting to hate on her face, and promised him everything was okay.

Everything wasn’t okay, not by a long shot, but Rick was determined to make it up to her. Lana was too used to having to stuff her feelings down deep, to ignore when she wasn’t being treated well, to the point that she was oblivious to what she deserved from a partner. Honestly, up until today, it hadn’t occurred to Rick that she’d never had a partner she could trust to have her back.

She hadn’t even thought he’d want to go with her to the meeting.

They’d driven all the way to the town hall when Rick realized he hadn’t said two words to her, so lost in thought as he was.

“I’m not ashamed of you.”

Lana had been scrolling through her phone, frowning at what she read in her email. Before she could respond, Rick added tightly, “If anyone has a problem with you, they have a problem with me too.”

“I can handle this,” she said softly, resting her hand on his arm. Then she shook her head. “We’re late, and I’m going to be in trouble if we don’t get in there.”

As they got out of the car and headed across the parking lot, Rick wondered at this feeling in his chest. Tightness, the kind he wasn’t used to. Not quite anger…more like he was ready to fight. Rick didn’t like the feeling, and it bothered him to think that Lana must feel this way all the time.