Not Just for Christmas

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I nside the bedroom, Lewis paused and gazed around. “I always forget how nice this room is.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Erin agreed.

While Lewis set the glasses on the table by the window and got to work on easing the cork from the bottle, Erin surreptitiously collected up the scattered clothes from the floor and hid them in her suitcase.

The pop of the cork drew her attention, and she moved to stand beside Lewis as he drizzled the fizz into the glasses. She took a seat in the cosy armchair and felt a pang of disappointment at it being her last night in the decadent hotel. She’d miss this room and these beautiful chairs.

“I have a funny story for you,” Lewis said, passing her a glass and then taking the other seat.

“I do like a funny story.” She clinked her glass against his and took a sip. “I thought you wanted to explain about the misunderstanding earlier, though.”

“The funny story and the explanation are the same.”

“Okay. ”

He set his glass down and stared out of the window for a moment. “It involves socks,” he said eventually.

“As does every good story,” Erin said, making his face break into a glorious smile. The sight of it swept her tension away, and she felt her muscles relax against the chair.

“I’ll set the scene,” he said dramatically. “It was two years ago, and somehow I had scored myself a hot girlfriend. Don’t ask me how, but I swear she was very attractive, and she was my girlfriend.”

Erin shook her head at his self-deprecation. Clearly, he genuinely didn’t think he was worthy of an attractive girlfriend. Which was ridiculous – he was a very good-looking guy and a total sweetheart too. Who wouldn’t want him?

“We’d only been together for a few months,” he went on, “but I thought things were progressing nicely. Everything was going well as far as I was concerned. Christmas was coming up, so I was trying to think of what to give her.” He picked his drink up, but only held it in his hand. “She was one of those people who was always complaining she was cold. With hindsight, I can say her low body temperature is most likely due to her being a cold-hearted bitch.” He grinned mischievously. “But at the time I felt bad for her for always being cold.”

“Is this where the socks come in?” Erin asked.

“Yes. I bought her a pair of socks for Christmas, but before you think I’m a terrible gift giver who absolutely deserved to be dumped on Christmas Day, I’d like to plead my case.”

“I’m listening,” Erin said, thoroughly amused by his storytelling.

“I’m not talking about a multipack of cotton socks from Debenhams, I’m talking pure wool. They were handmade locally. So it was supporting a local business, and the wool came from local sheep.” He nodded vigorously and Erin stifled a laugh. “The sheep live just down the road and the wool they produce would keep even the coldest ice queen warm. And, ” he said quickly, as though she might be about to interrupt. “The socks had a sheep pattern.” His eyes widened. “How do you knit a sheep pattern into socks? That’s some skill if you ask me. And, ” he said again. “They weren’t cheap. They were probably the finest socks money could buy.”

“I’m guessing your ice queen didn’t appreciate them?”

“No.” A flicker of sorrow crept into his smile. “She split up with me on Christmas Day after I gave her the socks. In front of my family, I might add. She was absolutely disgusted with me for having wasted three months of her life.”

“What a bitch,” Erin said. “I know it’s a cliche, but it really sounds as though you’re better off without her.”

“I am,” he said, his smile still a little strained. “I don’t want to spend my life with someone who can’t appreciate a good quality pair of socks.”

“Not many people do,” Erin said dryly.

Lewis put his glass down and ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, I suppose maybe I’ve been left with some unresolved issues about money.”

“That makes sense,” Erin said. “If it makes you feel better, I really think the socks sound like an excellent gift.”

“They had a sheep pattern, ” he said, with the faintest sparkle in his eyes. “Also…” His features turned serious again. “My family just aren’t extravagant gift givers. No one cares how much we spend. You saw us. We buy each other quirky, silly stuff or something you know the person would like… that’s how we choose gifts. Not by the price tag. My ex was all into designer stuff. And the humiliating thing was that lots of people had told me we weren’t right for each other.” He paused and dragged in a breath. “I really didn’t see it until she was hitting me around the head with a pair of socks.”

Erin couldn’t help but laugh. “Did she actually hit you with them? ”

“She really did. But those local sheep are as soft as clouds, so the joke was on her.”

“Stop it,” Erin said, when more laughter bubbled out of her.

“I can’t. I promised you a funny story involving socks, so that’s what you’re getting.”

She sucked in a breath to dispel her giggles. Leaning forward in her chair, Erin reached for his hand. “Your ex sounds like a complete idiot and I think you can do way better.”

“I like to think so.” His fingers softly stroked the back of her hand and Erin reminded herself she shouldn’t be getting any more involved. They’d had a nice flirtation and a couple of admittedly knee-quivering kisses, but that was all.

“I also wanted to mention something else about our conversation earlier,” Lewis murmured.

She nodded for him to continue.

“You implied that us kissing didn’t mean anything.” He kept his attention firmly on their intertwined fingers. “Which is absolutely fine… but I wanted you to know that it meant something to me.” Slowly his eyes came up to meet hers. “These last few days with you have meant a lot to me. And I know we don’t really know each other properly, but I also feel as though I know you.”

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat while she searched for a response. Honesty was probably the best approach. “It meant something to me too,” she admitted. “The kiss and the time we spent together. It definitely meant something. I shouldn’t have said otherwise, but…”

“But?”

“I leave tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” He reached for her hand again. “I wish you weren’t leaving, but I also meant what I said earlier about keeping in touch. If you want to?”

While her brain screamed at her, insisting she was adding complications to her life that she really didn’t need, her heart had other ideas.

“I’d like to see you again,” she said, shifting to meet him halfway when he leaned closer.

As soon as their lips met, all logical arguments were silenced. There was no way she could go back to her life tomorrow without a backwards glance. She wanted Lewis in her life, even if some part of her insisted it was a risk. The kiss deepened and a moment later, she was in his lap and kissing him frantically.

The first time Lewis’s phone buzzed in his pocket, Erin followed his lead in pretending not to notice it. The second time, he grimaced while he shifted to retrieve it.

“Do you need to get back to work?” Erin asked, trying not to show her disappointment.

“No. It’s only Warren wanting me to save him from my sisters.”

“He seemed to enjoy the banter earlier.”

He placed the phone on the table. “He does enjoy it. He just likes to complain.”

“So you don’t need to rush off?”

“Definitely not,” he said, then grazed his lips tantalisingly over hers.

She let her lips linger on his for a moment before pulling back again. Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair. “How long do I get you for, before you have to go and deal with hotel business?”

“How long would you like me for?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Her pulse skittered as she trailed a hand down his shirt. “All night?” When he didn’t reply immediately, she felt completely self-conscious. “Sorry. Was that too forward?”

“No.” He reached for his phone. “Warren seems to think he can run the place better than me, anyway. ”

Erin smiled while he tapped out a message. “He’s really going to wish he’d left straight after his shift.”

“He won’t mind.” Lewis hit send and put the phone aside. “He’s been nagging me to take time off.”

“That’ll teach him,” Erin said. Worried that she was squashing Lewis, she tried to shift her weight, but he slipped his arms around her and clamped her against him.

“Don’t try and wriggle away now,” he teased.

“I wasn’t.” She put a hand on his cheek to draw him close again. With his body pressed against hers, she felt butterflies take flight throughout her entire body.

Maybe she was being too impulsive, but she wasn’t going to deny herself a night of pleasure just because she didn’t know what the future held for them. She’d always been good at living in the moment, and she wasn’t about to stop now. Especially not when she unbuttoned his shirt to find his flawless, taut skin over some clearly defined muscles.

She definitely wasn’t about to deny herself that.