Beach Blanket Santa (Holiday Brides Series) (7 page)

“These are going to be damn good cookies.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

The seconds ticked by like hours as Sarah’s heart beat
furiously. Was it her imagination, or could she feel Matt’s heart beating in
his chest behind her as well? All she could think of was Matt turning her in
his arms and kissing her, just as wonderfully as he had on that dance floor all
that time ago. But then the kitchen timer went off, indicating the previous
batch of cookies had baked.

Matt nestled his chin on her shoulder. “I think we’re done.”

“What?” she asked, her knees on the verge of collapse. The
timer beeped louder, intruding once more on their moment. He lightly squeezed
her hands in his.

“The dough, Sarah. It looks like it’s perfect.”

And it did, a perfect quarter-inch slab. They were ready to
cut.

Matt broke his embrace and headed for the oven, which
couldn’t have burned any hotter than she felt right now.

Sarah excused herself for a moment and strode quickly to her
bathroom, where she splashed cold water on her face. Then, she dampened a
washcloth to dab the front, sides, and back of her neck. That Matt Salvatore
was one hot man in the kitchen. Look at the mess she was in, and all from one
teeny little glass of wine. But inwardly Sarah knew it hadn’t just been the
alcohol that had sent her head spinning and her heart racing. That had more to
do with being deliciously wrapped up in the sexy Italian’s arms while moving to
that sultry music. When he captured her in his deep blue gaze, liquor was beside
the point. She was drunk on him, Matt Salvatore the man, and all the wonderful
things he was.

And one of those, Sarah reminded herself sternly, was
someone who wanted to be a father. She swallowed hard, gathering her nerve to
go back out there and face him. She needed to nix the wine and find a way to
get through the rest of this day on more even footing. Perhaps she could offer
to fix dinner and shoo Matt out of the kitchen for the next little while. There
was clearly too much combustible heat in the room for the two of them. Then
after dinner, maybe they could do something harmless like watch a holiday
movie. One of those funny family films. Romance, right now, was a no-go. It was
simple to see how quickly she could fall for Matt. The scary thing was, Sarah
worried that she’d started falling already. She needed to stop herself before
she got in deeper, in order to avoid a most certain and devastating outcome.
Walking away from Matt with a broken heart.

The second Sarah had cleared the room, Matt set the cookie
tray on the stovetop and pulled an ice cube from the freezer, pressing it to
the back of his flaming neck. It melted on contact, sending little dribbles
racing down the line of his back. Sarah had set him virtually on fire. She’d
been so subtle and giving in his arms, yielding to his every move. No wonder
he’d wanted to take her to bed before. It wasn’t just the way she kissed, it
was in the sexy way she carried herself, seemed to have complete control of her
body. Well…except for that sickness thing. She was definitely out of control
then. But everyone’s allowed a slipup now and again. He’d had his fair share of
his own, particularly in his younger days.

Matt rocked the open freezer door back and forth, rapidly
fanning his face with puffs of icy air. It was working already. He was feeling
better. Next best thing to a cold shower, he supposed, hoping Sarah hadn’t
noticed his level of excitement before she’d raced out of here. Or maybe she
had, and that was why she’d bolted like a scared rabbit. Matt felt suddenly
consumed by guilt, wondering if he’d done something wrong by laying it on so
thick. It wasn’t exactly like he’d planned their cooking lesson to turn extra
hot. It just serendipitously had. Of course, once it had headed in that
direction, he’d done nothing overt to stop it. He surely would have if Sarah
had protested. Yet she seemed to be enjoying their joint venture into the
culinary arts just as much as he had. Matt hoped he hadn’t imagined that. He
would feel awful if she felt he’d come on too strong and that had put her off.
For Matt was growing attracted to Sarah, way attracted. And in his heart of
hearts, he couldn’t believe he’d gotten her signals that wrong. She was growing
attracted to him as well. But Matt needed to be careful not to push it. Maybe
the best thing to do would be force himself to back off a bit and let Sarah
take the lead. If she was truly as interested as his instinct said, within the
next couple of days she definitely would.

Sarah returned looking all fresh-faced with her hair pulled
up in a ponytail. By this time, Matt had already washed the baking dishes and
was busy putting them away. “I was going to help you with that,” she protested,
a little after the fact.

“It’s all right. I didn’t mind it. Besides, the kitchen needed
to be tidied before I start dinner.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” Sarah bossily entered the kitchen and
took him by the elbow. He set down his dishtowel with surprise. “You’ve done
all the cooking you’re going to for the next little while.”

He was mildly disappointed by that. Mostly, he’d been hoping
they’d do some more cooking together. The good thing was that Sarah appeared
bright and cheery, not like she was upset about anything. Perhaps she had
enjoyed being close to him but was just too conservative to say so. She handed
him his glass of wine and steered him toward the sofa. “Why don’t you sit, and
I’ll refill that for you? I’m doing the cooking tonight.”

That sounded super to Matt. He could relax in front of the
fire and briefly check the score on the game. “Mind if I turn on some football?
Just for a moment.”

“Watch it as long as you’d like,” she called from the
kitchen with a smile. She pulled two frozen pizzas from the freezer, and Matt
chuckled to himself, wondering if back in Maryland she did any home cooking at
all. Not that it mattered to him. He was sure the dinner would taste just as
delicious as if she’d made the pizza dough herself. All he had to do was look
in Sarah’s eyes and everything seemed better. Even being trapped at the beach
in a storm was starting to seem pretty awesome.

Chapter Five

The next day was just as enjoyable. It was still too nasty
to go outdoors, with very high winds and lightning. But inside, they found
plenty to do. They’d watched a movie together, read companionably by the fire,
and had taken turns cooking. Now they were settled at the dining room table,
sharing milk and cookies over Holiday Scrabble.

“Not fair!” he challenged with a laugh as she chalked up
another triple word score
.
“You never
told me that you were a Scrabble shark.”

“It’s how you play the game.” She playfully met his eyes.
“No mercy.” She didn’t show any either, beating him in a close match. Afterward,
they were both tired and ready to call it a day. It had been such a good one,
Sarah found herself really looking forward to another with Matt. And what was
special about tomorrow was it was Christmas Eve.

“Thanks for another fun day,” she said after they’d put away
the game.

“Thanks for scorching me in Scrabble. Something tells me I
could learn a thing or two from you.”

She laughed, feeling lighthearted. The fact was that Matt
made her happier than anyone ever had. It was a fantastic feeling, almost like
having a partner and friend who was also very easy on the eyes. Sarah cautioned
herself against thinking of partnerships with Matt. Once he knew the truth
about her, he wouldn’t be able to think of her in that way, just as her last
serious boyfriend hadn’t. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” They stood in close proximity now, only inches
apart. He stepped forward, closing the small space between them. It was silly
to think he might kiss her, but she secretly wished for it just the same. He’d
been so gentlemanly in keeping his distance since their cooking lesson, Sarah
had started wondering what she’d been doing wrong. Then she reminded herself
that things were playing out just the way she’d wanted them to. But if this was
the case, why did the outcome leave her feeling sad and conflicted? If only
there was a way to make things work, she would find it. But at the moment,
everything seemed impossible.

“Sleep tight. I hope you have pleasant dreams.”

She held his gaze, knowing her dreams would include him. “You
too.”

“The storm’s supposed to let up tomorrow,” he said, his
voice raspy.

Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She certainly hoped not. Not
if it meant that Matt would be leaving. She was still wrestling with so much in
her heart and head, trying to sort everything out. And that was so hard to do
with him standing close enough to hold her.

“Of course, even if the roads clear,” he continued, “that
ferry won’t be up and running until late in the week.”

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, remembering. “That’s right,
the ferry,” she said, backing up a step. “Can’t go anywhere without the big
boat.” Wow, didn’t he look gorgeous just standing there in all of his studly
beauty, a few days of beard stubble lightly framing his face? Never had a man appealed
to her so much.

He raised his brow, watching her with amusement.

“You might want to turn around. You might bump into
something.”

She held up her hand in agreement and whirled on her heels. Quickly
enough, she hoped, to disguise her rabid blush. She’d been so intent on ogling
Matt she hadn’t wanted to take her eyes off of him. Him and that beautiful body
and his gorgeous blue eyes. It must have been a subconscious desire, because
she hadn’t even realized she was doing it.

Sarah ducked behind her bedroom door, closing it with a
gasp. Christmas Day was fast approaching, and she could think of only one thing
she wanted. Having Matt take her once again in his arms.

Matt approached Sarah as she stood sipping her coffee by the
oceanside sliding glass door. She looked beautiful this morning in a pretty
pink sweater and slightly worn jeans, her long, loose hair damp from her
morning shower.

“Looks like it’s still coming down out there,” he said,
referencing the rain.

“Yeah, but not as hard as before.” She smiled sweetly over
the rim of her cup, and Matt had the crazy notion that hers was a smile he
wouldn’t mind seeing at eight in the morning any old time of the year. He was
just glad he was getting this unexpected chance to spend the holiday with her.
It was way better than intruding on Robert and Margaret’s first Christmas as
parents. The view was a lot nicer too. And Matt wasn’t thinking about the
drenched stretch of sand ahead of them.

“Thanks for making the coffee,” she said. “It was a treat
finding it ready when I got up.”

“It’s no problem, really. I set it to brew before getting
dressed and right after phoning the ferry.”

Her delicate brow rose as she turned toward him. “What’s the
word?” She didn’t say it, but Matt could tell she wasn’t any more interested in
that boat taking off today than he was.

“Still down for the duration.” Even though the winds had
abated, storm damage to the docks would take some time to repair. Some of it
wouldn’t even get started until the rain had fully stopped.

“That’s too bad,” she said, faking her disappointment badly.

“Hmm, yes. A total shame.”

He studied her a long while, lost in the heat of her stare.
While it didn’t seem possible, each time he looked in those dark brown eyes,
they appeared even more enticing.

Her pretty mouth drew up at the corners. “You know, I was
thinking… I’m feeling a little cage crazy in here.”

“Seriously? I was just thinking the same thing.” In fact,
he’d awakened this morning feeling a dire need to stretch his legs. Get out on
the beach for a long walk. Only he hadn’t wanted to inconvenience Sarah by
suggesting she join him during the still-bad weather. He equally hadn’t wished
to cut out on her and leave her in the cottage all alone.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“I’d love that. Anything to get some fresh air. How about if
we go right after lunch?” He paused a beat. “Only…”

“What?”

“Did you come prepared for rain? Bring any gear?”

She reached over to a side cabinet and lifted a bright red,
compact umbrella.

In spite of himself, Matt spurted a laugh. “I meant
real
rain gear. A slicker or something?”

She shook her head, loose tendrils spiraling. Matt recalled
the feel of his fingers in her luscious hair as he’d cradled her head in his
hands and kissed that glorious mouth. He found himself aching to kiss her again
but knew he wouldn’t until she was ready.

“Even though the rain’s let up, it’s still coming down hard
enough that I don’t think you should go out with
that
. Not with those ocean winds at play. Tell you what,” he said
with a smile. “Why don’t you borrow a slicker of mine? I brought two.”

“Two?”

“I like to fish here, and I’m never sure what the weather
will be. I learned some time ago it’s good to bring a backup supply of
clothing. Helps ensure I don’t miss any opportunities.”

She met his gaze. “That’s really nice of you, thanks. I
think I’ll take you up on it.”

By early afternoon they were laughing companionably about
the oversized fit of Matt’s slicker on Sarah’s small frame. “I feel like the
Incredible Hulk or something,” she said with a giggle. “Something lumbering and
large that’s about to make its way down the beach. Do you think I’ll scare the
sand crabs?”

“You’re far better looking than the Hulk.” Blue eyes
crinkled at the corners. “Besides, for the next day or two, I don’t think we’ll
be running into much of anything out there, apart from maybe a few hungry
gulls.”

Sarah’s heart warmed at the thought of spending a few more
days in Matt’s company. She’d never felt so comfortable around a man. He was
alluring and attractive but had never once used his charms to try to seduce
her. Instead, he’d played the perfect gentleman, keeping his distance just
enough to drive her wild.