“I…did. Friday there was a Christmas luncheon at work. A coworker gift exchange. I received a cross-eyed Santa with a chipped hat, and I placed it on the seat of my car thinking I’d try to fix it.”
“But what’s making you afraid?”
She shook herself and flicked her stare up to his. The depths swirled with more emotions that she quickly masked. It was as if the woman had dropped a theater curtain over her eyes, hiding away what she felt behind the barrier.
“I’m not afraid.” Even her tone adopted a chilliness that he hadn’t heard from her before.
A player came onto the small stage to announce the performance would begin in ten minutes and to urge the audience to grab snacks and hot chocolate. More people filled the seats in front of them. Freya seemed deep in thought, and Hunt didn’t want to pry too much. But he was curious as hell about what was going on in that mind of hers.
That had him reaching for his phone, hoping for a message from Penn. But he only saw two missed group texts to his team. He straightened. Attuned to his moods, Aries stood at attention.
“What is it?” Freya asked Hunt.
He pocketed his phone. “It’s nothing. My unit’s searching for someone two hours away.”
“Oh. Do you need to go?”
“I’m on vacation.” He sipped his hot drink.
Her shiver had him watching her close. “Are you cold?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Let’s get up and walk around. Maybe that will warm you up. Unless you want to watch the play.”
She looked to the stage for a moment. “Let’s see what else is going on.”
A short distance away, there was a Christmas tree lighting. They stopped to gather with a large group of people, listening while a state trooper gave a short speech about the holiday season in Tippin and how important it was to their commerce, so be sure to come back for more events later in the week.
When the twenty-foot-tall pine was lit up, a cheer came from the crowd and a quiet gasp from Freya. Hunt’s heart tumbled at the sound of her delight. And he couldn’t resist turning her into his arms.
“Hunt!”
He took more liberties by kissing her, square on those sweet, plump, tormenting lips.
She melted into him.
“Look! They’re kissing! How romantic,” someone nearby called out.
Instead of breaking away, Hunt deepened the kiss. He wasn’t going to waste a single moment with this woman. If their time together was limited, he was taking advantage.
When his phone buzzed with another text, Freya pulled back, her expression one of stunned wonder that he didn’t want to peel his own stare away from to check a stupid text.
But what if his team needed him on this rescue? If they were shorthanded…
“Damn.” He released her and withdrew his phone. Their “romantic” moment quickly faded as he skimmed over the words.
Freya searched his face. “Do you need to go on the rescue? I could…find someone to give me a ride home. I didn’t leave anything back at the cabin. I’m ready to go now. I—”
“No,” he cut across her.
His heart lurched at the idea of watching her drive away from him and not knowing much about her besides she loved Christmas and hot chocolate, was afraid of dogs…
And she was hiding something from him. Something that made her afraid.
“If you want to go on that rescue, I can take care of myself.”
The rescue.
“Damn,” he cussed softly. “The team does need me. Shane’s out with the stomach flu and won’t be there. And the chopper pilot has been called out on another rescue, so Cora Sullivan’s been pulled out of maternity leave to get in the cockpit. The text I just got was from her saying she can pick me up within the hour.”
She wouldn’t have a clue who he was talking about, but she nodded at his rambling. She stepped away from him. That small gap of air between them opened up a void in his chest.
“Then you have to go. Don’t worry about me, Hunt. You and Aries are needed.” The breeze swirled her wavy hair around her face. He reached out to brush it off her now pale cheek.
“Let me take you back to the cabin first. If I’m gone more than a few hours, I’ll make arrangements for someone I trust to come get you and drive you wherever you need to go.”
She offered him one of those smiles that never touched her eyes, but this time she didn’t drop the curtain on her emotions fast enough.
Not before he saw the glint of fear in the dark brown depths.
Chapter Nine
Hunt emerged from the bedroom dressed in clothing suited for extreme temperatures. Freya couldn’t help but stare at the way the performance shirt clung to his muscled chest. His defined pecs practically begged her to reach out and touch him.
When he walked to the door to grab his boots, his masculine scent fanned over her.
Their time in town had been cut short, and while she didn’t blame him for wanting to join his team in the search, she couldn’t help but feel disappointment. This was what she got for getting her hopes up. A lesson she learned long, long ago.
Hunt moved to a kitchen chair to sit and lace his boots. “I have to meet Cora in half an hour.”
Why did her stomach dip lower?
“Cora?”
He glanced up at her. “Bush pilot. I mentioned that they just pulled her off maternity leave to help out, remember? We don’t have much time.” He double-knotted his boot lace and moved to the other.
She knotted her own fingers. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that I stay here. I think I should find my way home.”
His head snapped up, and his stare pinned her to the floor. Those fleeting moments of connection with him flooded into her mind again—the heated kisses and morning spent at the festival.
“I don’t like the idea of you going home before you have your memory back.”
“Tomorrow’s Monday. I have work.” She chewed on her fingernail. She didn’t want to tell him it was unlikely she’d ever get her memory back.
He slowly pushed to his feet and took a step toward her. Each roll of his muscled body entranced her. Her breaths came faster as he took her by the upper arms and leaned over her. “I have a very strong urge to take care of you, Freya.”
Insides shivering at his words, she choked out a small laugh to dispel her nerves. “You take care of everybody—you can’t even take a vacation.”
He leaned in closer. “This is different.” His warm, minty breath passed over her lips.
“Hunt…”
“I don’t know what it is about you. Maybe I should stay. I’ll tell Cora to turn back.” He started to straighten, reaching for his phone in his pocket, but Freya grabbed his arm to stop him.
“You can’t do that. They’re relying on you.” She considered how shaky and unsure she still felt, not at all like herself. “I could take a day or two off work. I have vacation time saved up.”
He cupped her cheek. “That would make me feel better. The doctor did say you’ll probably regain your memory soon.”
When she nodded, his callused fingers rubbed against her cheek. “Okay. I’ll need to borrow your phone to call my boss.”