Read Online Hers for the Holidays by Samantha Hunter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Samantha Hunter
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she stilled. He stepped away without another word, but the heat that leaped between them from the simple touch seemed to brand her.
Neither Smitty nor Kyle had seemed to notice anything. As the men ate, Lydia dug out some of her father’s winter clothes for Ely, since the ones he’d worn that morning were soaked. Breakfast passed uneventfully, and they went back to work outside, while she stayed indoors and worked on clearing out some more of her mother’s things.
As the men talked over coffee during an afternoon break, Lydia slipped away upstairs to take a shower and change. She was exhausted, not having slept much the night before, and she closed her eyes under the hot water of the shower only to shriek a few seconds later as it suddenly turned ice cold.
She jumped again as the bathroom door burst open and Ely was there, looking fierce, facing her as she wrapped the shower curtain around herself.
“Ely! What are you doing? Get out!” she demanded, her teeth chattering.
“You screamed. What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes, understanding why he would be in bodyguard mode after the events of the previous evening. She sighed, praying for patience.
“I didn’t scream, I yelled. In surprise. Cold water. The water heater must have broken.”
His body eased, the tension draining out of him as he realized she wasn’t in trouble, but his gaze didn’t leave her.
“I’ll let Smitty know,” he said distractedly, his eyes glued to her. The transparent plastic of the curtain wasn’t hiding much.
“Thanks,” she said, swallowing hard as she confronted the desire in his eyes.
“Um, could you hand me one of those towels?”
He blinked, as if breaking out of a trance, and grabbed a fluffy white towel from the counter, handing it to her. This time, when their fingers brushed, they both pulled back as if electricity sparked between them.
“You have to go,” Lydia said, fighting the wave of desire that had hit as soon as he walked through the door. She only wanted him to get undressed and join her. “The guys are going to wonder—”
“Ely? Everything okay up there?” Smitty’s shout interrupted them, yanking them out of their daze.
“Yeah, Smitty. Everything’s okay. Apparently the hot water heater broke,” Ely said, tearing his gaze away from hers and walking back out the door, closing it firmly behind him.
Lydia let go of the breath she was holding and wrapped the towel around herself, stepping out and sinking down to sit on the side of the tub.
Why did she have to feel this way about Tessa’s brother-in-law, for crying out loud?
The night they’d met, he’d told her about the woman who had dumped him, and about the life he’d thought they could have until he found out she wasn’t so perfect after all.
Chloe Roberts, an up-and-coming investigative reporter with a father who was highly placed in the U.S. Navy had been the woman to send Ely into a tailspin. And had shot him directly into Lydia’s path. Chloe was supermodel-gorgeous, smart, sophisticated and she’d had Ely wrapped around her little finger—except that she was also wearing an engagement ring on that finger—given to her by another man.
Ely hadn’t known, and he was crushed, not only by losing his dreams, but by unknowingly having slept with a woman who belonged to someone else. Lydia knew he never would have done that if he had known; Chloe had played him for a fool.
Lydia had taken him back to her place because she wanted to ease some of his pain. It wasn’t an instinct she’d often given in to, nor one she had very often; normally, sex was simply entertainment for her. But Ely had been different.
It made perfect sense that he’d used her to forget Chloe, at least for a night—Lydia was the exact opposite of the reporter. For the short while he’d been with her, she had made sure that he wouldn’t think about what he’d lost. Problem was, Lydia hadn’t been able to forget him.
Maybe she was thinking about this
Neither Smitty nor Kyle had seemed to notice anything. As the men ate, Lydia dug out some of her father’s winter clothes for Ely, since the ones he’d worn that morning were soaked. Breakfast passed uneventfully, and they went back to work outside, while she stayed indoors and worked on clearing out some more of her mother’s things.
As the men talked over coffee during an afternoon break, Lydia slipped away upstairs to take a shower and change. She was exhausted, not having slept much the night before, and she closed her eyes under the hot water of the shower only to shriek a few seconds later as it suddenly turned ice cold.
She jumped again as the bathroom door burst open and Ely was there, looking fierce, facing her as she wrapped the shower curtain around herself.
“Ely! What are you doing? Get out!” she demanded, her teeth chattering.
“You screamed. What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes, understanding why he would be in bodyguard mode after the events of the previous evening. She sighed, praying for patience.
“I didn’t scream, I yelled. In surprise. Cold water. The water heater must have broken.”
His body eased, the tension draining out of him as he realized she wasn’t in trouble, but his gaze didn’t leave her.
“I’ll let Smitty know,” he said distractedly, his eyes glued to her. The transparent plastic of the curtain wasn’t hiding much.
“Thanks,” she said, swallowing hard as she confronted the desire in his eyes.
“Um, could you hand me one of those towels?”
He blinked, as if breaking out of a trance, and grabbed a fluffy white towel from the counter, handing it to her. This time, when their fingers brushed, they both pulled back as if electricity sparked between them.
“You have to go,” Lydia said, fighting the wave of desire that had hit as soon as he walked through the door. She only wanted him to get undressed and join her. “The guys are going to wonder—”
“Ely? Everything okay up there?” Smitty’s shout interrupted them, yanking them out of their daze.
“Yeah, Smitty. Everything’s okay. Apparently the hot water heater broke,” Ely said, tearing his gaze away from hers and walking back out the door, closing it firmly behind him.
Lydia let go of the breath she was holding and wrapped the towel around herself, stepping out and sinking down to sit on the side of the tub.
Why did she have to feel this way about Tessa’s brother-in-law, for crying out loud?
The night they’d met, he’d told her about the woman who had dumped him, and about the life he’d thought they could have until he found out she wasn’t so perfect after all.
Chloe Roberts, an up-and-coming investigative reporter with a father who was highly placed in the U.S. Navy had been the woman to send Ely into a tailspin. And had shot him directly into Lydia’s path. Chloe was supermodel-gorgeous, smart, sophisticated and she’d had Ely wrapped around her little finger—except that she was also wearing an engagement ring on that finger—given to her by another man.
Ely hadn’t known, and he was crushed, not only by losing his dreams, but by unknowingly having slept with a woman who belonged to someone else. Lydia knew he never would have done that if he had known; Chloe had played him for a fool.
Lydia had taken him back to her place because she wanted to ease some of his pain. It wasn’t an instinct she’d often given in to, nor one she had very often; normally, sex was simply entertainment for her. But Ely had been different.
It made perfect sense that he’d used her to forget Chloe, at least for a night—Lydia was the exact opposite of the reporter. For the short while he’d been with her, she had made sure that he wouldn’t think about what he’d lost. Problem was, Lydia hadn’t been able to forget him.
Maybe she was thinking about this
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