Sullivan sighed. “Great. Something else I get to have anxiety about.”

  Claire laughed. “It’s going to be fine.”

  He gave her a quick glance. “I’m being overprotective again, aren’t I?”

  “No. You’re not being overprotective. You didn’t say she couldn’t go, you’re being concerned. It means you love your daughter.” Which she appreciated more than she could say. A man who cared about his child? Total bonus points in her book.

  They arrived at the mall and went inside. Like every place in the city, it was fully decked out for the season with lights and a nauseating amount of Christmas decorations. Add the music piped in and it was holiday overload. Determined to ignore it, she decided to window shop instead.

  As they came to one of her favorite lotion stores, she turned to Sullivan. “I need to pick up a couple of things in here. Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. I’ll come in with you.”

  She was surprised by that. Most men she knew wouldn’t be caught dead in a frilly but also awesome-smelling lotion and soaps store. Then again, Sullivan had proved he wasn’t like most men she knew.

  She went inside and made a beeline for her favorite lemon-scented bath products. She was running low and the store was having a sale, so why not stock up?

  He peeked over her shoulder. “This stuff must be why you always smell amazing.”

  Sullivan had whispered that in her ear, his breath sailing along her neck. She shivered in the most delightful way then turned and smiled at him. “You think I smell good?”

  “Yes. Makes me want to lick you all over.”

  At his heated look, her body nearly melted to the floor. She looked around, but fortunately no one heard him. Then again, would she care? She thought about that for all of a fraction of a second then decided she didn’t. She smiled at him, lifted on her toes, and pressed a kiss to his lips. She’d meant for it to be a brief brush of lips. After all, they were in public. But it ended up being a little bit longer than brief. How could she resist that pull of attraction she’d felt for him ever since she’d met him? And when his arm came around her, she leaned into him, grabbing his shirt, sighing against his mouth, wanting that kiss to go deeper. It was Sullivan who broke the kiss, the passion in his eyes reflecting the heat igniting her.

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah, you need a lot more of that lemony stuff.”

  If this was the kind of response she got, she’d buy a truckload of it.

  She ended up picking body wash and lotion, along with a few things for Brooke. Then she helped Sullivan choose a couple of stocking stuffers for Maddy. Once they checked out, Sullivan took the bags and they left the store.

  “What is it in particular that you’re looking at for Maddy?” she asked.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed her a link. “She sent me this, along with sizes and a couple of color options.”

  Claire looked up at him. “You know you could have just bought it online.”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to look at it in person to make sure it wasn’t utter crap. Did you see the price on that thing?”

  She laughed, then nodded. “Okay, let’s go there.”

  Once in the store, Claire found a salesperson and showed her the photo. The woman directed her to the correct department, and they headed there.

  “I would have never considered asking someone where to go,” Sullivan said. “I’d have wandered aimlessly looking at all the racks until I hopefully spotted the sweater.”

  She laughed as they walked along. “You are not a pro shopper.”

  “Clearly I’m not.”

  Claire found the sweater almost immediately. It was a super cute, fuzzy, pink thing, and obviously a popular item since it was placed on the aisle.

  “A size small for Maddy, right?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She rifled through the sweaters and pulled one out then turned to Sullivan. “Got it.”

  He let out an audible sigh of relief as he took the sweater from her. “Great. Thanks.”

  While Sullivan paid for the sweater, Claire wandered the racks and found an adorable shirt that she knew Brooke would love, along with a skirt that would go perfectly with the top. She went up to the counter just as the cashier was handing Sullivan his bag.

  His brows rose. “You shopped that quickly?”

  She shrugged. “I know what Brooke likes.”

  “I’m impressed—and a little jealous.”

  She could imagine his frustration. “What’s next? You mentioned shoes?”

  He nodded. “Boots.”

  She linked her arm in his. “Off we go.”

  They ended up at the shoe store where they found the exact boots Maddy wanted, in her size. Cute, flat, knee-high boots, too, in a distressed brown. Claire would have liked a pair for herself, but she decided against copying a teenager’s look. She did try on a pair of super cute, black hiking boots, which looked great with her jeans.

  “I like those,” Sullivan said.

  “So do I. What I don’t like is the price tag.” She took the boots off and placed them back in the box.

  She picked up a couple of pairs of socks for Brooke, though, and then they checked out and left the store.

  Their last stop was for a silver bracelet. It was simple yet delicate, and on sale.

  “That’s lovely, Sullivan,” Claire said.

  “She’s been eyeing it, but it’s expensive, so she said she’d save up her money.”

  “She didn’t ask for it for Christmas?”

  He shook his head. “She doesn’t like me to spend too much money. Her mom is always extravagant with gifts from other countries, and she doesn’t want for much. She thought the sweater would be more than enough, but I asked her what else she might need. She’s been wearing the same boots for a few years now and I knew she needed another pair. The bracelet will be a bonus she won’t expect me to get for her.”

  “That’s thoughtful.” And heartfelt. And showed how much he cared for Maddy.

  The clerk handed him the bag and they left the store.

  “She’ll love anything you get for her,” Claire said. “Because you took the time.”

  He stopped and tilted his head. “Thanks for that. And for helping me shop. We did it in record time. Unless there’s more you need to do.”

  “No, I’m good.”

  They headed to the mall entrance and out to the car, where they loaded their packages and got in. Sullivan started the car and they drove off.

  “That wasn’t too painful, was it?” she asked.

  He smiled. “It was easier when it was dolls and sports. Clothes and jewelry and makeup have always escaped me.”

  “It’s okay. It’s not your thing. I’m sure Maddy knows that.”

  “She does. Normally her mom takes care of all that and I do gift cards for whatever else she might want. But I wanted to give her something besides a gift card this year. Thanks for helping me with that.”

  “It was my pleasure. And I got some shopping done as well.”

  He made a right turn at the corner. “Now we get to eat. And have some drinks.”

  She was so ready to spend some time alone with him. Well, as alone as a restaurant could be.

  When they got to the restaurant, they had to wait for a table, so they went to the bar and ordered glasses of wine.

  Claire took a sip, then another, and sighed in utter pleasure. “Mmm. This is nice.”

  Sullivan swirled the dark liquid around his glass. “I’m definitely a lot more relaxed now that the shopping part is over.”

  “It wasn’t torture, was it?”

  “It wasn’t, thanks to you. I’d probably still be wandering around staring into windows if you hadn’t been with me.”

  She gave him a critical once-over. “You don’t appear that helpless.”

  He took a sip then peered at her over the rim of his glass. “You’d be surprised how inadequate I am as a shopper.”

  “Oh, but you’re more than adequate in other areas.”

  He laughed “Good to know. But shopping? Not my thing.”

  “See? This is why you should shop online.”

  “Mostly I do. But I wanted to get the right thing. And now I’m done. Mostly.”

  “Really. You have more to buy? For Maddy?”

  He shook his head. “No. I have her taken care of. I just have a couple of other things. Or maybe I might pick up more Christmas decorations.”

  She gave him a horrified look. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  He laughed. “I am.”

  “Thank God. You put any more geegaws or thingamajigs up on your house and it might collapse under the weight.”

  “Come on. It’s not that awful, is it?"

  She shrugged but didn’t answer.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  She lifted her glass and took a sip. “About what?”

  “Your dislike of all things Christmas.”

  “Not really.”

  “Okay.”

  She was relieved he hadn’t pushed. She wasn’t ready to talk about why Christmas wasn’t a fun time for her. Besides, she wasn’t sure he’d understand. Or how he’d feel about her if she told him. Maybe he’d think her entire reasoning was ridiculous and he’d walk away.

  Maybe she was being unreasonable. But since she never talked about it with anyone, how would she know?

  Fortunately, they got called for their table, which took that topic off the table.

  They sat and read the menus, decided on a bottle of wine, and ordered their food. Claire chose the sea bass, and Sullivan ordered the rainbow trout.

  While they ate their salads, she said, “Oh, I meant to tell you I read your graphic novel. All the ones you gave me, actually.”

  His eyes widened. “You did?.”

  “They were so good. I was hooked. I went to the store and picked up the next four in the series.”

  “Really.”

  She took a bite and swallowed then washed it down with a sip of wine and nodded. “Your characters come alive on the page. The stakes are so high for them. I was so tense reading about Taki and Sheleen and how they had to run away and hide, and right after losing their parents? It was heart-wrenching, Sullivan. I felt for those kids. I was so happy when they found others along the way. It’s good to have people to trust, who have your back.”

  He smiled at her. “Yes, it is.”

  She shuffled her salad greens with her fork. “Anyway, it’s fabulous and you should be so proud of your work.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me. It’s a dream come true to be able to do this.”

  “Oh, and I told Brooke about it, but she already knew from Maddy. She’s been reading them, too. She loves it.”

  He took a deep breath then let it out. “That’s…awesome. Thank you for letting me know. I knew Maddy read the series before, but I didn’t know she still did.”

  “She still does. She was raving to Brooke about it.”

  “Wow. The things you don’t know about your kids.”

  Claire laughed. “Are a lot.”

  Then he laughed. “So true. I think a lot about the fact that in only a couple of years, Maddy will be gone and off to college.”

  “And we’ll be alone.”

  He reached over and slid his hand over hers. “Whatever will we do with all that alone time?”

  Her pulse spiked. Before, she had looked upon that impending alone time with dread. Now, though? She was beginning to think in an entirely different direction.

  “I’m sure we’ll both find something to fill the hours.”

  His lips curved. “Yeah. I’m sure if we put our heads—or our bodies—together, we will.”

  Again with that heat, that spark that was always there with Sullivan. That man could melt a snowman just by standing next to him.

  She wondered if by close proximity he could also short-circuit those annoying light-up decorations on her front yard.

  They ate dinner, had coffee after, and then left. On the way home in the car, Claire looked down at her phone.

  “Brooke texted. The girls are at your house, hanging out.”

  “Okay, good.”

  Her phone pinged again and Claire smiled as she read the message. She looked over at Sullivan. “They want us to pick up snacks on the way home.”

  Sullivan’s lips curved. “Of course they do. Find out what they want and we’ll make a stop.”

  She texted back. “I guess it’s good we didn’t have dessert after dinner.”

  “I guess it is. Though I would have liked a different dessert.”

  Just the thought of Sullivan’s hands—and mouth—on her, had her body pulsing. “Maybe before we stop at the store, we could stop at my house.”

  “You want to sneak inside and have a quickie? Like a couple of teens?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a thought.”

  “It’s a damn good one.”

  They were only a few blocks from the house when Sullivan’s foot went heavier on the gas.

  “If you get a ticket, we’ll never have sex.”

  He grinned at her. “Wanna bet?”

  She laughed, her body tensed up with anticipation. “Fine, then. Hurry.”

  He turned off the lights as he parked on the street a house ahead of Claire’s. They snuck into the dark house, and Sullivan’s mouth was on hers before she even got the front door locked. She dropped her purse and grabbed hold of his coat, needing the feel of his body closer to hers.

  Coats were dropped to the floor, and Claire somehow managed to get her boots off while standing up, which was a feat, all while still kissing Sullivan. His hands were on her breasts and then her top was off, followed by his shirt. He dragged her pants off and then lifted her, carrying her to the stairs, which was as far as they made it before they got into deep, heavy kissing that overcame them both. She felt consumed, needy, so ready to feel him inside of her that she couldn’t take another step.

  “Now,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He pulled a condom out of—she had no idea, maybe his pocket? She was just glad he had one, because then he was inside of her and it was so good as he scooped her butt with his hand to lift her against him. And then it was sweet, delicious movement and all that explosive sensation that overwhelmed her. She clawed at his shoulders as tension built, as he ground against her until she came with a loud cry. He drove deep and shuddered against her, intensifying her orgasm.

  Claire was pretty sure she saw stars.

  They lay there sprawled on the stairs. As they caught their breath, Sullivan lifted his head and looked at her. “How come we’re the ones sneaking around having sex like teenagers?”

  “So our teenagers don’t find out we’re sneaking around having sex?”

  “Huh. I’m gonna have to think on that one.”

  “You do that. In the meantime, these steps are digging into my back.”

  He stood and hauled her up then pressed a kiss to her lips, warming her all over again.

  “I wish we had all night,” he said.

  She sighed. “Me, too. But this was very good.”

  He smoothed his thumb over her bottom lip. “It sure was.”

  They dashed upstairs and cleaned up—in the dark in case one of the girls looked out the window, which made Claire giggle. They found their clothes and climbed back into them. Claire couldn’t help but cast knowing smiles at Sullivan, and he back at her.

  She felt—she didn’t know—giddy, she supposed. It had been way too long since she’d done something so utterly impulsive. With Sullivan, she felt safe, able to be spontaneous.

  It felt good. It felt right.

  He felt right.

  And wasn’t that thought dangerous? She blew out a breath as she brushed through her wayward hair.

  They snuck out and got back into the car, Claire lost in her own thoughts as they stopped at the store and picked up snacks.

  When they got back in, he grasped her hand. “Hey.”

  She looked up at him. “What?”

  “You went quiet. Are you all right?”

  “Of course.”

  But she really wasn’t, because she was developing feelings for Sullivan that had gone well beyond fun and sex.

  And she didn’t know how she was going to deal with that.

  Chapter Ten

  They were settling into a routine, and Sullivan didn’t mind that at all. Maddy and Brooke had a volleyball game early Tuesday evening, so he and Claire went together to watch the game. The girls team won handily, and it was exciting to see them play so well. He was happy that Maddy was fitting in so well at her new school and that she was making new friends.

  After the game they grabbed pizza and ate at Claire’s house.

  “We should have eaten at your house,” Brooke said to Maddy.

  “Why?” Maddy asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s so much more Christmasy, and you have the huge tree.”

  Sullivan saw Claire wince, so he said, “You have a tree, too, Brooke.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes. “That’s a one-foot tabletop tree. It’s sad.”

  “It’s not that bad,” Claire said. “And at least we have a tree.”

  “Oh, right. Not like we can put presents underneath it.”

  Sullivan was not going to comment, though he did agree about the sadness of that tree.

  “We could go get you a tree,” Maddy suggested, and now it was Sullivan’s turn to wince.

  “Maddy,” he said, using his warning voice.

  “That’s a great idea,” Brooke said. “Can we, Mom?”

  “It’s four days before Christmas. Why would we put a tree up now?”

  “Doesn’t that make it even better?” Brooke asked. “Then you wouldn’t have to look at it for as long.”

  Claire looked helplessly at Sullivan, who could only shrug. “I’m happy to help?”

  Brooke grinned. “Yes. We’re getting a tree tonight.”

  While the girls chattered to each other, Claire leaned over. “Why do I feel like you somehow orchestrated this whole thing?”

  “I swear I had nothing to do with it.” But he had to admit, he was happy about the outcome. This house needed the joy of an actual Christmas tree. Not that sad, droopy plastic thing in the corner of the living room.