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"You don’t have to do this" She shifted her gaze away fro at a point over his shoulder

Was she e the counter "Then you won’t mind if I eat your breakfast andthe plate froers collided

His throat caught on a sarcastic reply He hadn’t heard her laugh in four years No, the times he’d actually spoken to her on the phone had ended up with accusations, shouting and blocked nuuilty look in her eye re on hielica Braxton the su the soon-to-be college freshman had dwindled to the size of his shrunken libido as soon as he’d spotted Sage’s fiery hair He’d shouted her nahter belatedly ee and her best friend, Mandy, as they disappeared into the woods had added insult to injury The beauteous Angelica had stoiven hi his throat, he pushed his eggs around on his plate "So, I was thinking about e should do today"

She took a sip of apple juice, then speared a bite of pancakes "If it includes long talks about our feelings, how you rong to deceive e another chance--count ht had been a fluke Maybe he had iined the tenderness in her touch and voice Frustration siut, but he kept his voice cool as he said, "I was thinking we should take advantage of the weather today, ht they’re calling for sleet and more snow"

A glass door "I already have presents and a tree I’uest rooe Christmas tree sat on the back porch, its lie boxes of decorations in the rooone all out for Gage

God, he felt like an ass

Taking a last bite of scra the tree inside"

Rising from the barstool, she said, "I’ll help"

The s, he grasped the tree at the base and lifted it Water sloshed around the botto the tree extra heavy and aard to lift

"To the right," she said, helping hih the door "Now three steps to the left"

His hip hit the stove and he grunted A tree branch scraped his cheek

"Sorry, should’ve been two steps"

"We all make mistakes"

"Don’t turn this into a life lesson, Joaquin," she warned

Pursing his lips, he hefted the tree higher Luckily for hiinal exposed bea it "Where do you want it?"

"In the living rooet a sheet to put under it" He heard doors opening and closing, the sound of her footsteps "All set," she said

He peered around the tree Sage knelt on the hardwood, s forward, he , he brushed off his hands, then ood"

"Do you want to decorate it?" She rose to her feet andto face him, she smiled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear "I have a whole playlist of Christs"

Just as he was about to answer, his phone buzzed Drying his hands, he pulled it out of his side pocket and read the text e froht? When I--"

"Whatever" She shrugged, but disappointment clearly shone in her silver eyes before she turned away and began to rearrange the Christe on herher slender shoulders and turning her to face hi her cheekbones "Sweetheart, I’ you off"

"It’ doesn’tat hier under her chin, he lifted it up A pink tongue darted out to lick at her top lip and he couldn’t stop hi at his touch Never one to let opportunity slide by, he nipped at her full bottohtly resting on his chest The heat of her palath of her arain to cup her elbows and pull her closer Full breasts pressed against hirab the waistband on his jeans He hadn’t been with a wo of hiht stands weren’t part of the plan, which totally explained the hard-on pressing against the zipper of his jeans "Ask me"

What seemed like an eternity passed before she replied, "Kiss o in for the kill, , but she restrained herself, locking joints and tightening s in ue and teeth working in tandeooey

"I won’t hurt you, not this tiht kisses along it He teased the corner of lip "Open"

And as if that was soical command, she did In her next heartbeat, hisher in She couldn’t stop kissing hiing passed between therets and new frustrations erasing froues touched, then tangled as her body cried ainst her sto her hand under the waistband of his loose jeans and caressing him until she was so damn weak in the knees that she all but thanked God when Joaquin swept her off of her feet

Theirand showing exactly what the other liked as he carried her to bed Don’t think, don’t think, she chanted in her head