Claustrophobic Christmas (14 page)

As intriguing as it seemed at the moment.

Come on, girl, snap out of it.
Where the hell was Chase McKnight? Had he seen her with Peter? Would Tod say anything to him about Beanpole looking like a million bucks? Or nine hundred and eighty bucks, if you wanted to be precise about the cost of her designer duds.

“Bottoms up.” Peter tinked his glass against hers. “Then we can dance.”

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Not this early in the evening. I’ll work on that later.”

“In your dreams, Duvall.” Upon closer inspection, she could see the boy she’d known in his features. All he’d done was grow several inches, fill out, get a tan, lose the glasses and acne. Same cleft in his chin. Same hazel eyes. Same dark blond hair.

Same…personality? Or had he matured? What if he started with that competitive crap again? Lord knows she’d avoided people like that since graduating high school. Four years of feuding with Peter had been enough.

He lowered his head like he was going to tell her a secret, and his breath wafted across her face. Champagne and toothpaste. He had the most incredibly long lashes.

Winnie licked her lips and felt something inside her come alive at his proximity.

“Winnie,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.

“What?” It was like he’d cast a spell. She couldn’t move. A couple inches closer and he’d be touching her. Kissing her.

And then he was touching her. His hand slipped beneath her wrap, brushing her skin. “I’ve waited ten years to tell you something.”

Claustrophobic Christmas

Ellie Marvel

Travel Queen Survival Tip #23: If you get stuck in an ice storm, find a hot guy to keep you toasty.

Travel agent Darcy Burkell has a secret. She doesn't precisely jet around the world despite what’s implied in her popular newsletter about vacation destinations. When she hires photographer James Jones to illustrate her stories, they become close cyber-friends, comparing notes on exotic locales, vacation spots, and much more.

James is sure that Darcy is the woman for him—someone who’ll travel with him instead of expecting him to stay home all the time. Putting his ideas into action, James shows up at Darcy’s office unannounced and suggests they take a holiday trip together.

Darcy is too embarrassed to admit her phobia and turns him down flat. She knows what kind of woman he wants, and she’s not it. But her resolve is tested when she and James become gridlocked by an ice storm. Impassable roads force them to spend hours together in his vehicle…shivering. And cuddling.

But will the fires still burn between them after Darcy confesses her big secret?

Warning: This title contains dreadful weather, a medium-sized misunderstanding, jelly beans that taste like boogers and coitus interruptus by redneckus.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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Claustrophobic Christmas

Copyright © 2011 by Jody Wallace

ISBN: 978-1-60928-853-2

Edited by Heather Osborn

Cover by Angela Waters

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: November 2011

www.samhainpublishing.com