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When he pulls away, he rises again to sit down on the couch next to me.
“I need to tell you something,” he says. “About Doc Smith’s practice.”
“What about it?” I ask. “I thought there was a buyer already.
“There are two buyers,” he corrects me. “I tracked down the bidder and offered to go in with them. There’s some due diligence left to handle, but the buyer is an established vet with a good track record. Things should go pretty smoothly.”
I sit up and look him in the eye. “You’re going into business here?”
He nods. “Yeah. I’ll need to tie up some loose ends at my old job, but it’s time for me to put down some roots. and build the kind of practice that I’ve always wanted to run.”
“And what kind of practice is that?” I ask.
He drags me in close and brushes his lips against mine. “The kind that lets me have adventures and bring somebody special along. And when I want to, I can stay home. With you. If you’ll have me.”
“Well, gee, Dr. Locklear,” I murmur against his smiling mouth. “I guess I’ll have to do some due diligence and think about it.”
“As long as you do your thinking like this,” he says. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me on top of him to straddle his lean hips as he leans forward for a hot, greedy kiss. I melt against him, relishing the press of his hard dick between my legs.
He pulls away and I almost groan with disappointment. “Sorry, baby,” he says as he gives my lips another nip. “We have to go to Ruthie’s now. She’ll kill me if I don’t bring you over for Christmas carols and spiked eggnog tonight.”
“I thought it was tea and cookies tonight?” I ask, easing off of his lap and giving his cock a quick, exploring stroke as I stand up.
“That’s what she always says,” he says. He grabs my hand and drags it back to the thick bulge as he steals one more kiss. “I insist on a rain check. Be ready.”
Ruthie’s house is bright and warm, throwing welcoming lights onto the snow-covered expanse of her yard. Callum throws open the door and I hear shouts of laughter, the bang of Ruthie’s grand piano and lots of loud, off-key singing.
“Are you ready?” Callum asks as he helps me take my coat off.
I look him at him and smile. “I’ve been waiting for years.”
Callum grabs my hand and together, we walk into the informal sitting room.
“Everybody,” he says, “this is my girlfriend, Hazel.”
His brothers greet me with hugs, someone presses a drink into my hand and Callum leans down to kiss me on the forehead. Golden lights sparkle on the tree and for the first time since Tom died, I feel like I’m with family at Christmas-time. I don’t know these people very well yet, but they treat me like I’ve always been here. Like I alwayswillbe here.
A couple of hours later, I’m sitting next to Ruthie, drinking coffee while she shows me old photos of Callum, when he bends down behind the sofa to whisper in my ear.
“I need to show you something,” he says. His breath blows hot against my skin and I shiver at the light touch of his lips.
“Well, it looks like you’ve lost interest,” Ruthie says with a snort as she snaps the photo album shut and stands up. “Have fun, you two,” she says over her shoulder as she wanders over to grab another teacup. Based on her rosy cheeks, I suspect the drinks are spiked.
I giggle as he nuzzles at my neck. “Everybody can see, Callum.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he says as he presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll kiss my girl whenever I want.”
I stand up and walk around the couch to grab his outstretched hand. “No making out in front of your grandmother just yet,” I say. “Let’s wait until next Christmas.”
He shrugs as he leads me to the coat rack by the door. “Your rule, not mine.”
We put on our coats and he grabs my hand again to pull me out the door, into the cold, starry night.
“Did you know that noises reverberate like crazy in that old house?” he says as he leads me down the sidewalk and around the corner of Ruthie’s mansion. “All of those high ceilings and the creaky hardwood.”
“Makes sense,” I say. “But it’s still gorgeous.”
The mansion’s old carriage house looms in front of us as we crunch through the snow-covered driveway. He pauses to pull a key out of his pocket and unlock the door before he drags me inside.
