Merry with a Playmaker (Love Beach Holiday Collection)

Chapter Twelve

"Careful, Robinson. People might get the wrong idea seeing us sneaking off together."

"Let them wonder." I shrugs unapologetic.

We stand side by side, shoulders brushing, gazing up at the snowflakes drifting from the night sky. The chill nips at my cheeks but Evan's warmth seeps into me, thawing a piece of the careful guard I've kept around my heart all these years.

Our breaths mingle in visible puffs, the air charged with unspoken possibility. I sneak a glance at his chiseled profile, drinking in the strong lines I once knew so well. Time has been kind to Evan de Nemours. Unfairly so.

"Beautiful night," I murmur, the shared silence both familiar and thrilling. Like slipping on a favorite sweater and remembering how good it feels against your skin.

"It is now." The velvet rumble of his voice ignites a long dormant need for him. "I'm glad you're here, Merry."

Evan reaches out, his fingers brushing mine before interlacing them together. The simple touch sends sparks skittering across my skin, bright and electric. I freeze, torn between the instinct to pull away and the traitorous part of me that never wants him to let go.

"Is this okay?" His thumb traces soothing circles against my palm, the gentleness at odds with the solid strength of his grip.

"Yeah. It's...nice."

Nice. As if the point of contact isn't burning like a brand, marking me as his. As if every nerve ending isn't attuned to the heat of his body, the soft rush of his exhale. Get it together, Robinson.

When I muster the courage to meet his gaze, any prayer of keeping my composure fractures. The snow collects on Evan's long lashes, his eyes molten in the amber glow of the street lamps. They flicker over my face, searching, hoping, full of a tenderness I'm terrified to trust.

"I've missed you, Mer." A rough catch in his voice, barely audible over the tripping staccato of my pulse. "More than you know."

I wet my lips aware of how he tracks the movement. "Evan..."

A sigh escapes, condensation curling around us. I want to believe him. Want to sink into the promise of his touch, the honey warmth of his words. But if there's anything life has taught me, it's that wanting doesn't make it real.

Evan steps closer, a hand coming up to tuck a strand behind my ear. His fingertips linger, blazing a trail along my jaw. Goosebumps bloom in their wake and I shiver, eyelids fluttering shut. Just for a moment. Just to catch my breath.

"Tell me you feel this too," he murmurs, resting his forehead against mine. "That it's not just me."

Raw . Pleading. Impossible to resist.

My walls tremble, the mortar cracking to let his light filter through. And for one suspended heartbeat, I stop fighting the gravity that's always pulled me into his orbit. Stop denying the piece of myself I left with him long ago.

"It's not just you." Barely a whisper, fragile as spun glass. The truth laid bare, stripping me to the bones.

I open my eyes and tip my head back, letting him see the struggle. The hope. The reluctant unfurling of something tender and new breaking through the frost.

Evan's face transforms, the force of his smile stealing the air from my lungs. He draws me to him, strong arms banding around my waist until we're flush, two mismatched puzzle pieces finally sliding into place. The heat of his body envelops me, chasing away the winter chill and I burrow closer, greedy for more.

For a long beat we just stand there, wrapped up in each other. No more words, just the synchronicity of our breaths and the steady drum of his heart beneath my cheek. Snowflakes kiss my skin, tiny icy blessings, and Evan sways us side to side in a dance only we can hear.

I could stay like this forever, I think. Held. Cherished. Safe.

Evan's fingers skim up my spine, leaving tingles in their wake, until they tangle in my hair. He tips my face up to his, eyes alight with so much tender affection it buckles my knees.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mer." His thumb strokes my cheek, the calluses rasping against my skin. "I'm here, for as long as you'll have me."

My throat squeezes tight. I want to believe him. Want to grab hold of this shimmering thread of possibility with both hands and never let go.

"You say that now, but what about when rugby season starts up again? Or some new endorsement wants to ship you off to Dubai or Milan? I can't just drop everything to follow you around the world."

"Ah, Mer, those days are behind me. I'm ready to plant roots, build something real."

He makes it sound so simple. So inevitable. Like all the obstacles and uncertainties mean nothing in the face of this bone-deep connection neither of us can deny.

I search his face for any hint of hesitation. Any sign that he might not be all in. But those warm brown eyes hold only steadfast promise. Unwavering commitment.

To us. To this.

I blow out a shaky breath, hope and vulnerability leaving me exposed. Raw.

"Okay," I whisper. "Let's give this a shot."

Evan's answering grin could power the whole damn town. He swoops in, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss that sends my head spinning and my pulse skittering.

I cling to his shoulders, surrendering to the delicious slide of his lips against mine. He kisses me deep and thorough, with the pent-up longing of years apart. It's dizzying. Consuming. I never want it to end.

We surface for air, foreheads pressed together as we catch our breath in the space between. Evan's eyes are molten, desire simmering just beneath the surface. But there's a softness there too. An aching tenderness reserved only for me.

"Best Christmas gift ever," he murmurs, nuzzling into my hair.

I huff a laugh, giddy and drunk on possibility and good wine. "Even better than that signed 2011 All Blacks jersey you got when we were fifteen?"

"Better." He kisses the tip of my nose. "Though you in nothing but that jersey might be a close second..."

I shove at his chest, giggling. "You haven't even unwrapped me yet."

Evan waggled his eyebrows. "Is that an invitation?"

"Take me home and find out." I bite my lip, thrumming with anticipation.

His eyes flash hot, zinging pleasure down to my core. Then his face gentles into something almost painfully sweet.

"As you wish."

I whimper. I think I came a little.

His smirk is all knowing.

We meander back through the bustling streets of Love Beach, steps unhurried despite the eager anticipation thrumming between us. Holiday lights twinkle overhead, casting a soft glow on Evan's face. The sheer joy radiating from him takes my breath away. How did I get so lucky?

"Penny for your thoughts?" He bumps my shoulder.

"Just...savoring the moment."

"It is pretty perfect, isn't it?" Evan sweeps his arm out, encompassing the festive charm surrounding us. Carolers singing on the corner. Wreaths adorning every lamppost. The distant crash of waves against the shore. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Me either." I squeeze his hand, happiness unfurling like a sail catching the wind. "Though I could do with a bit more alone time..."

"Why, Merry Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?" He gasps in faux scandal.

"Depends." I slide him a coy look. "Is it working?"

"Minx." Evan swats my bum, making me yelp. "You know full well I'm putty in your hands."

I lean into his solid warmth, pulse fluttering at his nearness. "Ditto, de Nemours."

We walk on in comfortable silence, basking in being together again after so long. Laughter and cheery greetings swirl around us as locals enjoy the festivities.

"Ready to face the masses?" He nods toward the white party tent glowing in the distance, lively music spilling out. "Or should we sneak off while we can?"

My responsible side puts up a valiant fight. We should make an appearance. Do the rounds. Be polite. But then Evan trails a finger down my spine, igniting sparks with each vertebra, and all higher reasoning flies out the window.

"Take me home, Evan." I turn to him, eyes hot and intent. "Now."

A slow, wicked smile unfurls - full of sinful promise.

"Yes, ma'am."

Hand in hand, we slip away into the night, delicious tension stretching taut between us.

We climb the steps to my little beach cottage, hearts rabbiting in sync, I know without a doubt...

Best. Christmas. Ever.

**********

Evan's hands skim my waist as I fumble with the key, his solid heat branding me through layers of wool and down. After three failed attempts, the lock yields and we tumble inside, a tangle of limbs and laughter.

"Smooth, Robinson. Real smooth." His voice is a dark rumble against my ear, and my core clenches at the contact.

I spin in his arms, looping my own around his neck. "You were distracting me with your..." I wave a hand at his general everything. "Unfair advantage."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Next time I'll be less..." He affects an exaggerated thinking face. "Magnificent? Dashing? Irresistible?"

"Impossible," I grumble, fighting a besotted grin. "You're impossible."

"And yet..." Evan walks me backward, crowding me against the wall. The heat of his body seeps into mine, chasing away the last of the cold. "You love me anyway."

The words hang between us, at once playful and weighted with significance. Because it's true. Wholly, unequivocally true. I love this man with every piece of my heart.

And that realization, the sheer rightness of it, fills me with a profound sense of peace. Of gratitude. For second chances. For coming home. For him.

Pressure builds behind my eyes but I blink it back, threading my fingers into his hair instead. "I suppose I do," I rasp, the words trembling only a little. "Lord knows why."

Evan's expression gentles, a sunrise of aching tenderness. "Merry..."

Then his mouth is on mine and we're no longer talking. No more quips or confessions. Just a tangle of lips and tongues and wandering hands, saying all the things we can't quite voice. Not yet.

Later, spent and sated in a cocoon of quilts, Evan sleeps, but I lay awake watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Marveling at the miracle of us. At this moment, fragile and precious as spun glass.

*********

My eyes flutter open, the first rays of morning sun peeking through the curtains. For a moment, I'm disoriented, the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across my waist sending a jolt of panic through my sleepy brain.

Evan murmurs something unintelligible, his breath tickling the back of my neck as he nuzzles closer. I revel in the steady rise and fall of his chest. The beat of his heart a soothing metronome against my spine.

Evan stirs. His lashes flutter open revealing the laughing green eyes I adore. "Morning, beautiful." He rasps. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

La fin