Christmas Ever After Read online

  There was a tension about him that hadn’t been there earlier and she wondered if she’d said something wrong.

  His phone rang and she smiled.

  “Answer that. I’ll just nose around.” She moved toward the window, trying not to listen, although it was quickly obvious he was talking to his mother.

  “I was going to call you … Yes, home safely. Just now. We have power although I doubt that will last long, looking at the forecast … Yes, the generator will still be working—” He paused, listening. “Yes, I’m sure she had a safe journey, too … Speak to you soon.”

  Sky put down a biography she’d picked up. “You didn’t tell them I was coming here with you?”

  “No. If I told them you were here, my mother’s hopes would be soaring into the stratosphere only to plummet down to earth when she realizes this isn’t going anywhere. I call it a selective exchange of information.”

  “I need to try that.” But it made her feel a little strange that he hadn’t mentioned to his mother that she was here. It was a reminder that this was very temporary. “Are those glasses yours?”

  “I wear them when I’m working.”

  “Put them on.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  Smiling, she picked them up and strolled toward him. “Because I want you to be able to see what you’re about to do to me.”

  “WHAT DO WOMEN talk about when they close the door?” Ryan loaded plates into the dishwasher. “Press your ear to the keyhole, Alec. I want to know.”

  “I don’t. What I want to know is how we ended up doing all the clearing up.” Alec sprawled at the kitchen table. “Aren’t you supposed to wash the food off those before you load the dishwasher?”

  “If you think you can do it better, come and do it.” Ryan shoved the last of the plates into the dishwasher. “And where’s the ‘we’ in this? I don’t see you clearing up.”

  “I don’t need to barter chores for sex.”

  “Excuse me?” Ryan closed the dishwasher with a crash. “You think the only way I get sex is by doing the dishes?”

  “It’s a proven fact that women are more receptive in the bedroom when men help in the kitchen,” Alec drawled and Ryan threw him a dark look.

  “Then get off your butt and help.”

  “Why? I don’t want to have sex with you. You’re not my type.”

  “And to think I was looking forward to you being back on the island.” Muttering under his breath, Ryan continued clearing up. “I’ll have you know it takes an average of five minutes in my magnetic presence for a woman to want to strip naked.”

  “Spare us the details.” Alec stood up and finished clearing the table, trying not to think about Skylar in the next room.

  You didn’t need to be a genius to guess the topic of conversation.

  Dinner had been fun, the conversation lighthearted, and there had been plenty of laughter, much of it from Sky. She had an irreverent sense of humor, a wicked streak that she didn’t hold back, and she laughed the way she did everything else, with her whole self.

  There had been no tension, and yet he felt tense.

  Alec cleared away the empty wine bottles and Ryan glanced at him.

  “So Sky has moved in with you. Didn’t see that one coming.”

  The words jarred. “She hasn’t moved in with me.”

  Zach raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? Because that was a pretty big suitcase I hauled off the plane into your car.”

  Tension spread across Alec’s shoulders and down his spine. “She’s staying awhile, that’s all.”

  And he was starting to regret the impulse that had driven him to invite her.

  How did he control what a “while” looked like?

  When he’d started dating Selina she’d moved her things into his London apartment without asking him.

  One day he’d been living his life, and the next he’d been sharing it with another person. Gradually everything had been eroded. Space, freedom, happiness.

  Ryan gave him a long look. “A while being until you’ve worn each other out.”

  “Something like that.” How could he have thought this could ever be simple? The sex was spectacular, but what would they do when they weren’t in bed together? One of the things he loved about Puffin Island was the peace and isolation. He was used to working late into the night, getting up when it suited him and spending time outdoors. Explaining himself to no one. Apologizing to no one.

  Now Sky would be under his feet, wanting to know what they were doing, expecting him to keep regular hours, needing to be entertained …

  The moment they’d walked through the door she’d started suggesting things they could do together. Build a snowman, try tobogganing—

  What the hell had he been thinking?

  One of the advantages of being in snowy Maine was that you were frequently cut off. He wanted to be cut off. He needed to be cut off. He had a deadline. He didn’t need company.

  Heat broke out on his skin.

  He just had to hope she’d want to spend time with her friends.

  “Why do they use so many pans when they cook?” Zach grumbled as he piled the pans in the sink. “What’s wrong with using one pot for everything? Can’t these go in the dishwasher?”

  “It’s full.” Ryan picked up an apron hanging on one of the doors. “Is this yours? Brittany really has tamed you this time. Never thought I’d see you looking all domestic.”

  Zach swore under his breath and threw the apron over the chair.

  “It’s not mine. And unless you want your head dunked in a sink full of greasy water, you’d better back off.”

  “I’ll back off if you make the coffee.” Ryan opened three different cupboards in the hunt for mugs. “When Emily was staying here in the summer I knew my way around this kitchen. You’ve moved everything.”

  “Brittany had a clear out last time we were snowed in.”

  “Is it driving you crazy?” Alec’s mouth was dry. “Being on top of each other all the time?”

  Zach’s eyebrows rose. “You’re asking about our preferred sexual positions?”

  “No!” Alec ran his hand over the back of his neck. “I’m asking whether the two of you are finding it claustrophobic living together during the winter months.”

  Ryan frowned. “Did you buy a seat on the plane for your bad mood, or did it come along with the baggage?”

  He felt a flash of guilt. “Sorry. Work pressure.”

  Ryan gave him a long look. “Yeah? You’re sure your ‘work pressure’ doesn’t have long blond hair, a loud laugh and a fantastic pair of legs?”

  Alec gritted his teeth. “I’m sure.”

  “Because I can see how having that around might distract a man from his job.” Ryan opened the last cupboard. “Hallelujah. Mugs.” He pulled out mugs while Alec watched, getting more stressed by the second.

  “It’s not going to distract me.”

  He wasn’t going to let it distract him.

  “WELL, CRAP, IT WAS supposed to be your big night and that bastard Richard spoiled it.” Brittany was curled up on the sofa, a glass of wine in her hand. Her hair, oak brown, was caught in a casual ponytail. With her athletic body showcased in skinny jeans and a black sweater, she looked ready for anything the great outdoors threw at her. “It would have been better if he hadn’t shown up at all.”

  “No, it wouldn’t because I finally saw things as they really were.” Sky sat on the floor in front of the flickering fire, enjoying the warmth of Castaway Cottage. How many times had she, Brittany and Emily sat here, talking through their problems? This cottage had witnessed most of the highs and lows of their lives. “I should have broken it off before.”

  “Yes—” Brittany sent her a stern look “—you should. He was wrong for you.”

  “You shouldn’t be passing an opinion.” Emily was quieter, less emphatic. The summer had brought huge changes to her life, but underneath she was still the same, measured person she’d always been. �
�What if they get back together?”

  “He hit her,” Brit said flatly and Sky rubbed her face with her fingers.

  “He didn’t hit me. But we won’t be getting back together.” She thought about Alec and wondered what he was doing.

  He’d been quiet on the drive over.

  “At least your bruise is healing.” Brittany was still talking. “But if you get back together with him, we’ll be forced to do an intervention. We almost did, back in the summer when he made you go home early from the beach.”

  Emily sighed. “Brit—”

  “What? It’s true. You were worried, too!”

  “I know, but—”

  “There is no ‘but.’ He tried to shrink her. Make her less than the person she is. How is that a good thing? The person you’re with is supposed to support your dreams, not kill them dead.” She turned back to Sky, ponytail swinging. “Did you bring chocolate? Because if you did, now would be a good time to hand it over. You know I love British chocolate and if we eventually get our coffee—” She turned her head to look at the closed door. “What are they doing in there? How long does it take to load a dishwasher?”

  The person you’re with is supposed to support your dreams, not kill them dead.

  Sky stared at her friend. “If you felt that way, why didn’t you say something?”

  “I did. I texted you. I said ‘Bring chocolate. Urgent.’”

  “I meant why didn’t you say something about Richard?” It was always the same when they were together. Parallel conversations. Comforted by the familiarity of the exchange, Sky opened her bag and pulled out the chocolate she’d bought at the airport.

  “Yum, thank you.” Brittany reached for it, the ring on her finger glinting in the firelight. “Your love life was none of my business.”

  Emily raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you develop boundaries?”

  “I’m commenting on her decision retrospectively. It’s different. Hey—there are some decisions you have to make by yourself. Who you get naked with is one of them. Sky was the one dating him, not me.” She tore the wrapper off a bar of chocolate. “And although the relationship looked pretty toxic from the outside, no one can ever know what the inside looks like. For all I knew he might have had a magic wizarding wand or something.”

  Skylar snorted. “He didn’t have a magic wizarding wand.”

  “Then there was no reason to stay with him as long as you did. Only truly memorable sex could have justified staying with a controlling shit like Richard. Coffee would go well with this chocolate. It would also wake me up. Seriously, what can they possibly be doing in there?”

  Emily blinked. “Did you really just say ‘magic wizarding wand’?”

  “I did. And you don’t need to play the prude given that you and Ryan have been tearing each other’s clothes to pieces for the entire summer.”

  Emily turned scarlet. “There are times when I wonder how you and I ever became friends.”

  “And then you thank your lucky stars. Without me, you wouldn’t have met Ryan. And don’t tell me he isn’t the best thing that has ever happened to you because I know he is. You walk round glowing.” Brittany grinned. “And talking of sex, come on, Sky, spill. You and Alec are having lots of angry sex, yes?”

  “Why would we be having angry sex?”

  “Because over the summer the two of you were attacking each other like two rabid dogs. He was awful to you. Rude. I would have said that the two of you together would be a hot mess of disaster.”

  “A moment ago her love life was none of your business,” Emily murmured and Brittany ate another piece of chocolate.

  “That was her past love life. Her present love life is definitely my business.”

  “Alec was coming out of a bad divorce. Ryan told us that.” And she’d never given much thought to the detail, but now she thought about it all the time.

  She wanted to know why he took so much responsibility for the breakdown of his marriage.

  Brittany licked her fingers. “He’s pretty damaged. I don’t want to see you get hurt a second time. I love him and he’s definitely hot, but I’m not sure moody Alec is the best person to help you heal.”

  Sky thought about the past several days. “He isn’t always moody.”

  Emily cleared up the chocolate wrapper. “He helped her when she was in trouble. That’s what counts. And so what if he has a bad relationship in his past?” She defended him. “He’s not the first person to make a mistake.”

  “And you would know, because before Ryan there was boring Neil.” Brittany shot her a look and then turned back to Sky. “What I want to know is how you went from breaking up with Richard and knocking yourself half-unconscious to getting into bed with Alec. It didn’t sound like a romantic situation from here.”

  “It wasn’t romantic. First I bled all over him, then I threw up.”

  Brittany gave a laugh. “What wouldn’t I have given to see that. I bet he made a rapid exit.”

  “He didn’t.” Sky stared into her glass. “He sat with me.” There was silence.

  Emily exchanged looks with Brittany.

  “Well, damn. He sat with you while you were ill?” Brittany stared at her. “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not kidding.”

  “You mean he sat on the edge of the bath and watched you from the opposite corner of the room?”

  “No, I mean he sat next to me and held me.”

  “Okay, this isn’t just sex.” The chocolate lay abandoned in her lap. “Any man who doesn’t run for cover when you’re ill is a keeper.”

  Sky sighed. “He isn’t a keeper, but he was kind.”

  “And he took you home to his family.”

  “Because he didn’t want to leave me alone in London with a head injury.”

  “So he took you home to his family and—what then?”

  “They thought we were together. It was—” Sky sighed “—awkward. Why are you laughing?”

  “Because then you did get together, which is kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

  “They don’t know that. It wasn’t— His family want him to have a serious relationship again and that’s not what’s going on here.” Sky shrugged. “We’re just having fun, that’s all.”

  Except she was fairly sure that at some point between opening the door of Fisherman’s Cottage and walking upstairs, something had changed.

  “You wanted a big, overwhelming passion.”

  “I still want that, but I’m not going to sit at home alone while I’m waiting for it to come along.”

  “Good point.” Brittany snapped another piece of chocolate. “You need to audition people.”

  “Just as long as she doesn’t fall for Alec.” Emily walked to the door. “I need to tell them to make me decaf or I’m going to be awake all night. Anyone else? Brit?”

  “I don’t want decaf. In fact I need double strength. And of course she isn’t going to fall for Alec. The two of them are so different I’m amazed they made it to the bedroom in the first place.”

  “Why do you need strong coffee? Aren’t you sleeping? Is something wrong?” Emily asked.

  “She’s being kept awake by Zach’s magic wizarding wand.” Sky leaned across and helped herself to some of the chocolate. She didn’t contradict Brittany. Why would she? She was right. There was no way she’d fall for Alec. “Go and look for them, Em.”

  What were they talking about in the kitchen?

  Were Zach and Ryan grilling Alec? No, Zach wouldn’t be interested in the details, but Ryan had an almost pathological need to uncover facts.

  Brittany curled her legs under her. “You still haven’t told us how the two of you got from angry vertical to passionate horizontal.”

  Emily paused with her hand on the door. “Perhaps she doesn’t want to talk about it.”

  “Well, she’s going to talk about it. We made that promise, remember? We’re here for each other, no matter what. That means I get to hear the juicy bits.”

 
; “We had sex, that’s all.”

  “And he invited you back here. So either the sex is really, really good,” Brittany said slowly, “or the Shipwreck Hunter really, really likes you.”

  Sky thought about how withdrawn and remote he’d been earlier. “Or maybe he issued the invitation on impulse—”

  “Thinking with his magic—”

  “Yes, that.”

  And she wondered if they’d been hasty. “If this doesn’t work out—if something goes wrong, can I stay with you?”

  “You don’t even need to ask.” Brittany frowned. “Of course you can stay with us. No biggie. And talking of biggies …”

  Emily rolled her eyes and left the room.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ALEC WOKE TO find himself lying in a wash of winter sunshine.

  He didn’t need to check his watch to know it was late. That was the price he paid for pulling a night shift.

  He’d waited until Sky had fallen asleep, then gently disentangled himself from the strands of her hair that wound themselves round him like silken threads and retreated to his study where he’d worked until 4:00 a.m. He hadn’t made the progress he’d been hoping for and all he wanted was a whole day uninterrupted at his computer with nothing for company but a giant flask of strong coffee.

  Unfortunately there was no chance of that.

  Sky had no doubt been up for hours already and was probably bored out of her mind.

  He took a quick shower, pulled on some clothes and went in search of her, weighed down by a sense of obligation.

  What had seemed like a good idea in London now seemed like the worst idea he’d ever had.

  Except for marriage.

  That one topped the list and always would.

  A glance through the window showed him a menacing gray sky and a sea that bounced and danced in the freezing wind, like a puppet being manipulated by a higher force.

  Normally the weather would have been the only encouragement he needed to dive into a long working day, but today that wasn’t an option.

  Today, thanks to a collision between impulse and an overactive libido, he wouldn’t be working.

  Sky would want to build a snowman, explore the forest or try tobogganing down the slope behind the house.