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“Anyway, we can use their cabin, but it only has four bedrooms.”

“Well, that’s enough, isn’t it?” Kai asked.

Beckett shrugged. “Maybe.”

“How wouldn’t it be enough?” Maddy asked, but I was already there.

Raina and Kaiden would share a room. Maddy needed one. I needed one and Beckett needed one. Where would the parents go?

“If the parent’s come, there might not be enough space.”

“I’ll take the couch.” Maddy proposed.

Raina’s lips stretched into the slowest, most worrisome grin I’d ever seen to date. Then she waggled her brows at me and it was all I could do to keep from scoffing, “And if you two bunk together, there would be enough rooms.”

By you two, I knew she meant me and Beckett. That was so not happening.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Think about it.” Raina beamed, naming herself as Cupid’s minion once again. “It would be perfect.”

I wasn’t sure who or what I hated more in this moment. Beckett, my friends, or Christmas.

“I’ll think about it.” I mumbled, when in reality what I really meant was—not a chance in hell.

“Great!” Raina clapped. “I’m so excited! This will be awesome!”

That right there decided it. I hated my friends.

But I must love them more, because even though my heart felt like it was tearing through my chest it was racing so fast, I knew I’d do it.

And I prayed I didn’t regret it.

After the whole Christmas cabin proposition, I started drinking a little heavier.

I wasn’t sure if I felt the urge to quench my thirst because I was so bloody hot from feeling Beckett’s warm hand on my shoulder, with the way his thumb caressed my skin back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, or if it was more to do with the fact that my nerves were strung so tight they needed liquid to keep them from snapping in two like a dry rubber band.

Either way, I did as Beckett propositioned earlier in that deep rumbling voice of his. I let go. I let go and trusted that the man who claimed to care for me, would do just that. I trusted that he’d care for me.

I tossed in my cards and for the first time in a very long time, I trusted in a man.

So now as Beckett guided my fumbling body into the back seat of the taxi behind Maddy, I moaned. “How could you let me do this?”

Maddy giggled. “It was fun.”

“I’m going to be sick tomorrow. I jusssssst—I know it.” I slurred. I knew it, but I just didn’t have it in me to care at the moment. Go figure.

“You’ll be fine.” Maddy said. “Beck will take good care of you.”

She sounded so sure of her declaration, and I couldn’t help but wonder how that could be? How could one girl have been gifted with so much trust in men, while I had next to none?

Because the men she’s known were good men, that’s why.

Beckett climbed in and closed the door loudly, shutting out the bite of cold winter air. Rubbing his hands together, he rattled off Maddy’s address to the cabbie.

Then he shifted his torso toward me, giving me more room. I took the room he gave me eagerly, entirely aware of his body so close to mine on a physical level. I mention a physical level, because mentally—well, mentally I had no level.

I existed on purely physical everything. The way Beckett’s warm thigh felt pressed against mine. The long arm that stretched out on the seat behind me. The way he smelled . . .

“I’m so tired.” Maddy said, cutting into my thoughts. “So tired.”

“Not me.” I fought a wave of dizziness as I let my head fall into the crook of Beckett’s arm, my face turned toward Maddy. “I could go all night.”

“Mmmm,”

Time sort of froze then until I felt the car lurch. Beckett shifted, and then I heard his voice rumble in my ear. “Gonna make sure she gets inside all right. Be right back.”

Then I felt Beckett’s body move and cold air replaced his warmth. Instantly, I felt disappointment, but I watched a little dazedly, as Beckett helped Maddy from the car. She giggled, trying to assure him she was fine, but he wouldn’t hear it.

I heard him rumble, “If anything happened to you, Kaiden would kill me.”

“That’s true. He would.” She agreed, sounding sad.

“Hey Maddy,” I called, and she glanced back at me. That’s when I saw it—the tears and heartache in her eyes. She was thinking about why Kaiden would kill Beckett if he let anything happen to her. She was thinking about her lost love, Austin. It was on that thought that I said, “Love you, babe.”

I hadn’t meant to say the words. All I knew is that as soon as they were out, they were true. I’d meant them with everything inside of me.

The shimmering in her eyes got more intense as she croaked, “Love you too, Mar.”

And then Beckett closed the door. I let my head fall back on the seat as I waited for him to return, and as I closed my eyes, I couldn’t help the bite of fear that tore through my heart at the thought of being alone with the cabbie.

If he wanted, he could drive away. He could take me to a bad place where he could do bad things to me.

Don’t think about it, Amara. Don’t think about it. Not every man is evil. Not every man takes what isn’t his to take.

Anger swelled inside toward Beckett. He’d promised to care for me, and here I was alone in a car with a man I didn’t know, or trust.

It seemed like an age, yet a mere blink of an eye before he was back, and I was again safe.

The door opened and cold air came rushing in.

Then he was there beside me with his big body and all his warmth.

I forgot about my anger as his arm came up to rest on the back of the seat, and this time, I didn’t fight the urge to seek more warmth as I let my body fall into the side of his.

I was safe. Safe.

Beckett didn’t say anything as I snuggled in, and I was glad for that. Because right now it appeared I had a bit of a loose tongue, and if he sparked even the faintest of emotion from me in this state, I’d let him know all about it.

I preferred to live behind a sheet of ice where I was safe from the heartache that came when one knew just how vulnerable you were to all that they could give you—so I didn’t want to shatter the ice castle I’d built with the truth that showed in the wake of raw emotion.

I didn’t want to ruin this. Whatever this was.

It was on that thought that I felt Beckett’s hand on my shoulder, shaking me gently. “We’re home, baby.”

“Oh,” I groaned. “Can he drive around the block just one more time?”

Beckett laughed. “Don’t think so.”

“But it’s so comfortable.”

“You’ll get comfortable when we’re inside.”

“Not like this.” I shook my head. “You are so warm.”

I thought I heard his breath catch. “You want me to carry you?”

I stiffened to alertness. “No! I do not!”

The words sounded on a surprisingly audible snap and Beckett laughed a full-throated laugh.

“That’s what I thought. Come on, I’ve already paid the driver.”

He opened the door and my teeth instantly started chattering.

I cursed Raina for her wicked manipulations as I thought about the little tank top I was wearing under the little thin jacket.

It didn’t matter to Raina that there were thick flakes of snow falling from the sky, or that the temperature was way past freezing, “This is the cutest jacket ever!” was way more important than the possibility of me saying “Hello” to hypothermia.

Beckett opened the door to the foyer of our condo and I stepped inside. Warm air blasted over me, but I was still chilled. “Raina’s a horrible friend.”

“Why is that?”

“She convinced me to wear this . . .” I huffed. “I feel like a frozen pixy stick.”

“Pink looks good on you.”

I snorted; the man really was colorblind! “This is not pink. It’s army green.”

“I’m talking about the little tank top you’ve got on under the jacket.”

“You’re defending Raina?” I raised a brow, hoping I’d donned a haughty expression. “How dare you?”

“Women,” he thumbed the elevator button. “Can’t win.”

“Besides, I’m not really a pink girl.”

“Your wall is pink.”

“Oh my god,” I drawled. “It is not pink. Beck, we need to get your behind to the eye-doctor.”

“I like that,” he grinned, his eyes warming in a way I didn’t entirely know what to do with.

“What?” The elevator rolled open and I moved inside. I could feel him following close behind me, probably watching in amusement as I stumbled.

“The way you say my name.”

Warmth flooded my belly, but somehow I shivered. I couldn’t find the words I needed for a reply. I knew they should be cutting and just mean enough to send him the warning he needed to obviously cut ties with whatever hope he was entertaining, but I just couldn’t find those words.

I couldn’t find them because my silly heart was turning to goo in my chest. Seriously, any more melting and I’d be little more than a puddle on the floor.

“Well that’s good—because that’s your name.” Seriously? That’s the mean and cutting comment I come up with?

For the love of all that’s holy, I was turning soft.

“Yep,” Beckett moved another step closer, but I was saved from whatever cockier than thou bull that had been about to fall from his mouth as the doors rolled open.

I darted into the hall and toward our condo, and then I waited for Beckett because I didn’t bring anything but my ID and two twenty-dollar bills to the club.

With the door swinging open, I was free to flounce inside.

And yes, I flounced inside, totally rocking my baby pink tank top that totally didn’t suit my hard-girl personality.

Purple was as soft as I got, and that was because purple was, well— purple!

“Do we got anything here to drink?”

“You want more?”

“I’m feeling my buzz go down and I’m not ready for that yet.

” I twirled to give him hopeful eyes, and this time when I wobbled, I really wobbled.

My booty connected with the arm of the couch, but I continued babbling without missing a beat, “You can’t tell me that you and Kai lived here and didn’t have a stash. ”

“You’re right.” He was watching me with an amusement that had my ovaries fluttering. Yes, my ovaries. “I can’t tell you that.”

God, the man was something else.

“Well,” I encouraged. “Where is it?”

Beckett pointed to the cupboard above the stove, and I frowned.

“Seriously?” Hands on my hips, I gave my attention to the cupboard that could have been on Mount Olympus for as high and out of my reach as it was. “Why would you put the booze all the way up there?”

“Because I can reach it all the way up there.” Beckett announced, moving to the fridge where the cupboard of impossibility sat. “What do you want?”

“Anything but rum.”

He pulled the vodka down and I skipped to the fridge where I knew I’d find a new jug of raspberry juice waiting, haloed in the light of the fridge. And I was right; there was a brand new jug, “Just like Heaven.”

“What?”

“Never ending supply of my favorite juice. It’s a little how I imagine Heaven might be.”

“Right,” he nodded, chuckling. “Well, someone in Heaven is going to be working hard every day to get you your juice.”

“Heaven doesn’t work like that,” I announced, pouring my drink. “In Heaven, the good things just happen.”

“I think I like your Heaven.”

“Me too.”