Reawakened by His Christmas Kiss by Jessica Gilmore

Author:Jessica Gilmore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-09-09T18:38:42+00:00

* * *

The silence was absolute. Just the two of them stood there in the large, cavernous space, his words echoing around them. Alex was still, staring at him, wonder and fear warring in her expression.

‘You don’t need to worry about me. Not then, and not now,’ she said at last.

‘That’s nonsense. We were best friends. You gave me your virginity, Alex, and I gave you my heart. I loved you, and I think you loved me. And then your life fell apart and I just watched it happen.’

Her mouth quivered. ‘You were twenty.’

‘I was old enough to do more. Do something.’ He should have held on to her, should have offered her refuge and the unconditional love she had needed. But he’d failed her, utterly and completely. ‘I let you drive me away because you hurt my pride. What kind of man did that make me? Does it make me?’

At that, her eyes softened. ‘You were always the proudest boy. You would never accept help with anything. I should have trusted you, Finn.’

She touched his cheek: a fleeting caress, burning through him.

‘Never question what kind of man you are. Look at your girls, look at the village—I never knew it so prosperous. And look at this office, full of people willing to move their lives for you and your vision. You’re a better man than I ever deserved.’

‘Tell me what happened.’ It was as much command as plea. ‘Tell me where you’ve been.’

She regarded him for a long few seconds then sighed, a deep shuddering sigh that seemed to come from her soul. ‘I don’t talk about it, Finn. I try not to even think about it. It’s buried deep inside. It has to be. It’s the only way I can keep going. But you are right. You of all people deserve the truth. But not here. I need some air, need to breathe properly if I am going to do this.’

Finn glanced out at the still whirling snow, now ankle-deep on the ground, then nodded at the pile of clothes on the desk. ‘In that case it’s time you got branded up.’

It took Alex less than five minutes to change, and when she returned to the office she was outdoors-ready, the dark trousers showcasing long, lean legs, the berry-red top just visible under the half-zipped jacket. She’d already laced up her boots, and as she reached him she put on her hat before slipping her hands into the gloves.

‘You should be on the front cover of our catalogue!’ he said.

He was only half joking, but she shook her head.

‘My modelling days are well and truly over. I never enjoyed it, but my mother loved it. Loved people saying I reminded them of her. It was something that bonded us. And I needed that.’

‘Do you still see her?’

Her gaze fell, but not before he saw the dark shadows in her eyes. ‘She prefers not to be reminded of that time.’

There wasn’t anything anyone could say to that and Finn didn’t try.

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