A Christmas Rendezvous by Karen Booth

Author:Karen Booth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-08-09T16:05:06+00:00

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Having Isabel in his home—a woman he’d kissed, laughed with, made love to and even argued against—was leaving Jeremy off-balance. A different energy had tiptoed into his private world, and it was both confusing and exhilarating to experience. There was just enough inkling of his past to make him again question what in the world he was doing by allowing himself to be so drawn to her. He and Isabel might be opponents professionally, but there was no denying that they could effortlessly slip into comfortable conversation. They seemed to naturally fall in sync. There was a part of him, deep in his core, that craved that so badly he would do anything to have it. But a bigger part of him had hardened around his needs and desires. That shell was there to protect him, but it was exhausting to carry around all day. He could set it aside when he was at home, and with the snow coming down outside and the weekend stretched out before them, he was in no mood to put it back on again.

With her suitcase in tow, he led her upstairs to the guest room, carrying it inside and setting it down on a bench at the foot of the bed. “It’s no Bacharach, but the mattress is incredibly comfortable.”

“I’d say it’s a big step up for me. I haven’t heard a single fire alarm since I got here.” Isabel took her handbag and laptop bag and placed them on the bed. She smoothed her hand over the butter-soft duvet. “Ooh. Nice.”

Just like the night they met, Jeremy was having to remind himself to slow down. It would be way too easy to kiss her right now and show her exactly how nice that bedding was. “You have your own bath.” He traipsed over to the door and flipped on the light for her. When he turned back, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking as perfect as he could imagine.

“Thank you. Seriously. This works out great for me, and not just because I needed a place to sleep. I’m eager to get this case squared away. It’s of monumental importance.”

“To the Eden family or to you?”

“Take your pick. Yes, it’s a job, and I’m being paid well to do it, but over the course of the last few weeks, Mindy and her sisters have been amazing to me. They’ve even invited me to celebrate Christmas with them.”

“I thought you didn’t celebrate.”

“I haven’t made the effort, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take part. I love this time of year and I used to be the sort of person who lived for every minute of Christmas. It’s just been a while since I took much joy in it. Like a bad habit, which I suppose is possible for anyone to fall into. Something doesn’t feel as good as it used to and so you turn your back on it.”

That got the gears in his head going. It was an incredibly insightful thing to say.

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