She didn’t reply, because she refused to let everyone in this bar know she was rattled.
“Do you want to take a walk?” Rick’s voice was quiet so no one could overhear.
Yes. Lana desperately wanted to get out of this bar. And for the first time in a long time, she wanted to get out of this town. Guilt pressed in on her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Getting their coffees in to-go cups, they found a quiet hallway no one was using. It wasn’t scenic, but it was private. Decorative stone facing on the walls was punctuated by hand-formed metal artwork. Fish jumping in a stream. Elk grazing in a meadow. A solitary, majestic moose.
What would happen to the wildlife in Moose Springs if Silas got his way?
“I know this is just a holiday fling,” Rick said in a low, gruff voice. “But you can talk to me. If you’re upset, you can always talk to me.”
Realizing she had been abnormally silent, Lana paused by an unmarked door. Probably a supply closet, if the light scent of bleach reaching her nostrils was a tell. She took a deep, steadying breath. They were so close, the thick, scratchy fabric of his faded Carhartt jacket brushed the butter-soft leather of her own coat. Slowly, almost as if he was unsure of his reception, Rick slipped his free hand around hers, their fingers entwining.
Wrapping her arm around his neck, Lana made sure not to spill coffee on the back of Rick’s coat as she went up on her toes, kissing him. His reaction was immediate. Deepening the kiss, he released her hand, pulling her flush against his body.
“I had some bad news at work. I think I messed up.”
Rick leaned back against the wall, drawing her with him. “Everyone makes mistakes, sweetheart.”
“It was a big mistake.” Lana inhaled the scent of him. “The kind that wrecks people’s lives. It came out of left field, and now I’ve got to fight with the board of directors to make a case not to let it happen.”
“Is it a fight you can win?”
“It’s a fight I’m going to win,” she said determinedly. When people like Rick would get caught in the middle, it was a fight she absolutely had to win.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Rick asked with a quiet sincerity far rarer than he knew.
This sweet man had no idea how much his kindness meant to her. Lana wasn’t sure of how to verbalize it, so she tried to show him instead. The coffee cups kept getting in the way until they abandoned them on the floor. It was much better having two free hands. One to slide through his hair, boyishly messy, and another to press against his muscled torso, hard and strong beneath his shirt.
“Rick?” Lana whispered. “You know those porch swing activities? I could use some distracting.”
He took her hand, murmuring in her ear in a low, husky voice. “That’s definitely something I can do.”
* * *
Rick was a grown-ass man. He was not a teenager on prom night with a borrowed credit card.
There was no reason why walking into a hotel room should make him uncomfortable, not when he’d been there twice before.
Her suite had been decorated for the holidays with subtle touches of red and green in the bedspread and the blanket on her couch. The hand towel by the microwave was festive, as were the holly berries and frosted evergreen branches atop the mantel. The tree they had decorated together looked perfect next to the fireplace.
“Would you like a water or—” Lana began to say, but Rick caught her hands.
He lifted them, pressing a kiss to the inside of her left wrist first, then her right. The low tremor was something he’d noticed more often. When she was agitated, it seemed to be worse. The fact that her hands were shaking this badly meant that she was trying very hard to hide how upset she was.
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.