White Christmas by Cheryl Pierson

Author:Cheryl Pierson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, holiday, christmas, nurse, fireman, fire star press
Publisher: Cheryl Pierson

Chapter Five

Dear Lord. What have I done? Carlie didn't open her eyes. She wanted to savor the guilty, seductive pleasure of Derek's sweat-sheened, muscular body atop hers. Because surely, once she opened her eyes, he would pick up his clothing and come up with some excuse to go home. He'd left a load of clothes in the dryer. He'd forgotten to turn off his computer. Maybe he needed to hurry home and cover his grill. After all, there was a fifty percent chance of snow tonight. Like that was going to happen.

One thing she knew about Derek Pierce. He was not ready for any kind of commitment. Was it wrong of her to want that? They barely knew one another—or so it seemed. Yet, she'd felt connected to him from the moment he'd been brought into the emergency room. Now, she had ruined whatever chance they might have had by—by practically throwing herself at him. She had never acted so spontaneously. It scared the living hell out of her.

He rose up on his elbows, still inside her. She finally opened her eyes. Might as well get it over with. Any explanation would sound ridiculous. Crazy. How could she tell him...she loved him?

Derek was watching her closely. He shifted his weight off her, withdrawing himself gently. A sigh of disappointment escaped her, and she was mortified when he actually chuckled.

"The night's young, Miss Thomas."

"Derek, I have some things I want to—to say to you." She kept her eyes averted as she started to sit up.

He put a staying hand on her shoulder. "Wait. I'll be right back."

Carlie relaxed back against the sofa, tears stinging her eyelids. Why did she always have to make a mess of things? Dan had been right when he'd accused her of that. It seemed like she could never please him. She was forever doing the wrong thing. This was something else in her long line of mistakes—allowing a near-stranger to make love to her here in her living room. They hadn't even made it to the bed, she thought ruefully.

Why did it feel so right? It hadn't felt wrong at all. It still didn't.

"Carlie?"

She opened her eyes to see Derek standing beside her. He'd slipped on his jeans. Obviously preparing to leave her.

But instead, he knelt beside her on the floor and laid a small package down beside him. In his other hand, he held a dampened washrag. "Here. Let me take care of you now." He parted her legs and ran the warm cloth across her still-sensitive flesh, soothing and cleansing her.

"Derek—" Her cheeks flushed at the sweetness of the intimacy.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he reassured her. "Let me do this." He continued gently until he'd finished, then laid the cloth aside. "I wanted to give you something," he said. "I thought I'd do it tomorrow, but maybe now would be a better time."

She nodded stiffly, still unsure of his intentions.

He reached for the box.

"I don't really know how to say what I want to tell you, Carlie.

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