Festive Faking (Rust Canyon #1)

9. Aspen

Chapter 9

Aspen

There was no place like home. Millions of holiday memories came rushing back as I watched that tree light up. It was like I was a little girl again, and the magic of the spectacle threatened to overwhelm me. What I wouldn’t give to go back and warn myself that it would be over in a flash and to enjoy those precious moments when this place had been all I’d ever known.

“I have your ornament.” Mac’s voice in my ear brought me back to reality.

Lord, with how many people had approached to welcome me home since our arrival at the event, speaking with Rose and abandoning Mac with her seemed like a distant memory.

He offered me the horse figurine, and I ran a fingertip over its gray mane. I’d always loved this one so much because it looked like Snowflake. As a girl, I’d been fool enough to think that, someday, my daughter might be the one hanging this ornament on the tree instead of me.

After my many failed attempts at finding a partner, that felt like a pipe dream.

If I was lucky, Tripp and Penny would finally find their way together and I might have a niece I could pass it on to.

Slowly, those in front of us shifted, and we were able to shuffle closer to the tree. When we reached it, my lips pursed, eyes scanning for the perfect spot. I extended my arms, huffing in frustration when I couldn’t quite reach the branch I’d set my sights on.

“Need a boost?” Hands landed on my waist, and I let out a surprised yelp.

Immediately, Mac withdrew his touch. “Sorry.”

Blowing out a breath, I turned to peek at the man behind me. His eyes were cast downward, his hands fiddling with the peppermint ornament he held.

This was the second time I’d seen his confident mask slip. There was definitely more than meets the eye with this man, and I found myself wanting to learn more about what made him tick.

“Actually, I could use a hand. Do you mind?”

Mac’s dark gaze snapped up, and hope flickered in his eyes. “Yeah?”

Ugh. Why was I blushing?

Maybe because having his full attention feels like nothing else you’ve ever experienced.

Reaching around me, he placed his peppermint on the closest available branch before anchoring both hands on my waist again. He gave a testing lift, enough to have me standing on my tiptoes. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” I swallowed.

“One, two, three.”

On that final count, my feet left the ground.

His strong grip didn’t waver as I extended both hands to thread the ribbon over the branch, securing my Snowflake-lookalike figurine to the tree.

“Success!” Mac cheered as he lowered me.

Instead of letting go, he wrapped his arms around my middle, resting his chin on my shoulder as we both gazed up in wonder.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, but our lingering didn’t go unnoticed. As people moved around us, I heard a wistful sigh aimed in our direction more than once, and even one murmured, “Ah, young love.”

My first instinct was to hide from the attention we drew, but the comfort Mac’s arms provided kept me rooted to the spot. His scent surrounded me, his scruff tickling my cheek any time he shifted. His even breathing in my ear threatened to lull me into a trance.

That was, until a male voice broke through the moment. “Aspen?”

All my muscles tensed in unison.

Mac immediately sensed my distress. “What’s wrong?”

I pulled out of his hold, spinning on my heel to face the man who had spoken.

Tucker Grant. The golden boy of Rust Canyon.

In my mind, he lost that title when he blew up my best friend’s life.

I folded both arms over my chest, my voice growing deadly. “What do you want?”

Mac’s head was on a swivel, volleying between the two of us as we squared off in the middle of Main Street.

Tucker pulled on the back of his neck, his gaze dropping.

Coward.

“I was just, uh, wondering . . . Do you know if Bex might be coming home for Christmas?”

How fucking dare he?

My blood boiled, and I saw red as a scoff fell from my lips. “How’s your wife, Tuck?”

Mac sucked in a sharp breath at the venom in my tone.

When Tucker remained silent, I stomped closer, getting right up in his face. “You keep her name out of your mouth, you hear? You gave up the right to even think about her after what you did. Cheating, lying, no-good bastard!”

That last insult was screamed at the top of my lungs, and several heads turned to stare at us.

“Aspen, I only want a chance to explain—”

“Explain what? How you promised her forever and then ripped it away without warning? Or better yet, how you took advantage of a girl who supported your career ambitions, only to turn around and come home married to another woman?” Throwing my arms wide, I screamed, “I’m all ears, Tucker. Why don’t you explain to everyone how you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants when you had the most loyal girl this town has ever seen?”

Tucker sighed, his body visibly sagging.

The hushed whispers surrounding us did nothing to tone down my temper. I was too far gone to let him off the hook.

He’d started this. Now, he had to finish it.

“You ripped her fucking heart out!” I trembled from head to toe with rage, using both hands to shove at his chest.

He didn’t budge an inch, so I pulled a hand back, ready to strike again. This time, desperate to feel the vibration of my palm hitting the flesh of his cheek.

I was inches away from making contact when my feet were lifted off the ground, an arm banded around my waist from behind.

Kicking violently, I shrieked, “Put me down!”

Mac was in my ear, voice low enough not to be overheard by the spectators gathered. “Easy, killer. I’m sure the justice system out here is a little more lax than the in city, but I don’t wanna see your pretty face behind bars.”

“Sheriff’s my godfather,” I huffed before spitting on the ground at Tucker’s feet.

Murmurs of disapproval sounded around us.

Before I had a chance to utter another word, Mac carried me away from the crowd. I fought against his hold, nowhere near done giving Tucker a piece of my mind.

“Let me go!” I shouted, twisting in an attempt to break his hold.

The struggle had me panting, and I barely noticed when we moved into one of the alleys between shops. Truthfully, there wasn’t much I could see past the haze of red blurring everything in sight.

My feet touched the ground, and instantly, I spun on my heel, ready to charge back into battle.

A firm grip on my wrist nearly had my shoulder popping from its socket as I was yanked back.

I glared at Mac, opening my mouth to lash out at him for standing in my way, but the words died on a gasp when he planted both hands on my cheeks and his lips crashed onto mine.

The burn of anger simmering in my blood was quickly replaced with the heat of lust.

The last time our lips touched, the kiss had been slow, and so heady it made me dizzy. This was nothing like that. No, it was sizzling hot, frantic almost, as his tongue slid deep to tangle with mine. It was as if he were trying to consume me, and something triggered in my brain that maybe I wanted to let him.

Would it be so bad to let go? To be reckless for once? To let Mac be the one to claim my body for the first time?

He shifted us enough that I was pinned to the rough brick exterior of whatever store lay behind me. His hips pressed against mine, and I moaned when his erection brushed my belly. A power I’d never known surged in my veins. Mac wanted me; I had proof of that.

I gave a little shimmy, testing out how it would feel to rub against his hard length. The groan he let out vibrated through his chest, making my nipples harden even though countless layers of clothing separated us. A throbbing between my legs pounded in time with my heart, which was beating so fast that I feared I might pass out.

As if he could read my body, Mac nudged my legs apart with a knee, fitting his thigh between them. The pressure on my core when he pressed closer almost had me coming in this dark alley.

And it was just enough to bring me back to my senses.

Shoving at his chest, I broke the kiss.

Mac stepped back but didn’t go far. His ragged breathing was deafening in the silence that stretched between us.

My eyes tracked the movement of him adjusting his hard-on through the fabric of his jeans. He was completely unashamed of his physical reaction to me, and it made me weak in the knees.

Sagging against the wall, I breathed out, “What was that?”

He shrugged. “Giving you an outlet for your anger. You were about ready to burn this whole place down.”

Fuck. That kiss had blocked out the events that had come before, and I covered my mouth to muffle a frustrated scream.

Tomorrow, tongues would be wagging, talk centered around the Sullivan girl who’d returned from the big city without her manners.

Even after what he’d done to Bex, Tucker was well respected in town. A few years ago, he’d taken over for Doc Stevens, and now ran the family practice in Rust Canyon. There was no doubt I would be painted in an unfavorable light when word got around about our altercation in the middle of the season’s signature event.

“Tell me one thing.” Mac ventured closer, tugging my hands away from my face.

I blew out a breath, tilting my face skyward. “What?”

“Did my distraction work?”

My gaze lowered to meet his, and I rolled my eyes, which elicited a lopsided grin from the man standing opposite me.

Holding my thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart, I admitted, “Just a little.”

“Good.” He tugged me away from the wall, looping an arm around my waist as he led me back toward the gathering. Lips brushed my ear as he teased, “Bet if we turn that private show into a public one, it’ll make everyone else forget too.”

Playfully, I smacked his chest. “Shut up.”

His laughter floated through the air. It was infectious, and pretty soon, I found myself joining in, my mood brightening.

Even as we got the evening back on track—making small talk with those who approached us and sampling foods from the various stands—I couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d seen me spiraling and hadn’t hesitated to intervene. He could’ve just as easily stepped back to let me crash and burn, but he didn’t.

The only thing I couldn’t figure out was why.