Page 28 of Wicked Love

“Gimme a few minutes to shower and change, and I’ll be all yours,” he said. He didn’t make any move to enter the bathroom. Instead, his gaze stole mine.

Our eyes fixated on each other for the longest time. Joe’s throat bobbed, and I followed the movement.

All mine. If only it were true.

Why did just a look from him still make me weak in the knees?

Clearly, my body hadn’t gotten the memo where it concerned him and our complicated relationship.

He pointed behind him, breaking the moment. “I’ll-I’ll just go now.”

I failed at not smiling. Joe’s expression turned boyish right now. Like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“Yeah, go. I think I can manage for ten minutes by myself.”

He added nothing, and seconds later, the door clicked behind him.

The tensed air evaporated.

Fluffing my hair with my fingers, I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror hung behind the door and slipped the Mistletoe Creek sweater over my head, loving how it looked with the pair of jeans I was wearing. Navy with a varsity-style design, it was a bit loose, but I loved the feel of it. It reminded me of the times I’d worn Joe’s clothes before. Each time I did, it made me feel special. That morning after we spent the night together, I didn’t mean to steal his T-shirt. But I also couldn’t find it in me to give it back. The only tangible memory of the night we shared. The only thing reminding me it really did happen and I hadn’t dreamed it.

For a second, as I stared at the girl in the mirror, I imagined what it would be like to wear his clothes more often. I couldn’t tell if it was the clean and manly scent of him clinging to the fibers that brought me comfort or just the fact they were his.

Tying my hair in a sleek ponytail, I admired myself one last time. Satisfied, I spent time in the contemplation of the town through the window. It was the cutest place I had ever come across. People with huge smiles filled the sidewalks.

A mother pushed two young children in a stroller using her elbows, manning a black Labrador puppy’s leash with one hand and a coffee cup in the other. The sight of them made me laugh.

A boy and a girl about my age walked side by side, the guy stealing glances at the girl, the latter oblivious to the love simmering in his eyes as she talked, gesturing with her hands.

A little girl with pigtails and owl-patterned earmuffs walked with a white Persian cat in a backpack, and the man, whom I assumed to be her father, held her hand while talking on the phone.

In the distance, I could see a building that resembled a castle, and I wondered what it was.

“Ready?” Joe asked from behind me, putting an end to my people-watching moment.

“Yeah. Sure.”

I turned around and smiled, trying to appear unaffected as my eyes trailed the length of him. In dark jeans that hung low on his hips and a fit, long-sleeved black V-neck shirt that molded to his chest, Joe was too hot for his own good. Couldn’t he look ugly for once? Just so my body wouldn’t react to his and I stopped ogling him.

I cleared my throat and spun around to grab my purse. “Let’s go.”

Keeping a safe distance between us, we ambled down the sidewalk I had admired minutes ago toward the coffee shop Joe told me about. Christmas music played from speakers mounted on the streetlights. A faint scent of cinnamon and pine lingered in the air.

“It even smells like Christmas here,” Joe said. “Walking around makes my mouth water.”

I chuckled. “Yes. I bet people here are always hungry. Restaurants must be a popular industry.”

“I hope the food here tastes as good as it smells.” He linked our hands, tugging me forward. “Come on, I’m starving.”

Everyone we crossed paths with either nodded at us or greeted us with a warm “How’s it going?”

“Can you believe how nice people are here?” Joe asked.

“I think it’s the whole Holiday thing they’ve got going on. It’s festive, and it makes people happy.”

He released me and stuffed his hands in his pockets. A tiny piece of me hated the idea that I’d prefer if he still held my hand in his instead. I debated inching closer to him and pressing my side against his, but I shook my head, pushing the temptation away before I did something awkward.

I had no reason to want to feel his warmth or his skin against mine.