“That’s very sweet. Does she still do that?”
“No.” He shook his head and an almost sad expression crossed his face. “She hasn’t put up a tree in years. Our house used to be decked out in lights, but after my sister and I graduated from college she stopped doing all of that. It was too much work.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t do it again. I’m sure your mother would like it if you wanted to do it again.”
“She told me they’ve put the house up for sale and that they are moving to Florida. That’s why she stopped by yesterday, to tell me she’s retiring. There won’t be any more snowy Christmases at that house.”
“But what about this Christmas?”
“We’re going to my sister’s place.”
Hallie put her plate down on the table and wrapped her arms around his middle, feeling the need to comfort him. “Your childhood home is something you feel should always be there, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t realize I’d missed all those little traditions until I knew they weren’t going to happen anymore.”
“You can make your own traditions, you know. You’ll get married and have kids and you’ll do things for them like your parents did for you.”
“You’re right.” He draped his arm around her and rested his lips on her forehead. She closed her eyes, liking the closeness, the intimacy she had with him. She had never had this with Brent. They’d never just sat like this, their skin touching, their arms wrapped around each other, each lost in their own thoughts.
The only time Brent touched her was when he wanted to take her to bed. She barely knew Asa and yet was sitting this close to him on the couch. She felt closer to him than the man she had been planning to spend the rest of her life with. And then it dawned on her what she was doing.
She sat up quickly, retrieving her plate so that her hands would be full and not reach for him.
She barely knew him.
They were just supposed to be friends.
She wasn’t supposed to feel this kind of pull toward him.
Asa knocked on Hallie’s door two mornings later. She opened it almost immediately and smiled when she saw that it was him. She looked better than he had seen her look all week. The pain and exhaustion that had come over her the last few times he had seen her seemed to have disappeared.
“Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. I’m just heading out. I have an appointment with my doctor so he can clear me to go back to work next week.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here.” He looked down at her feet to see that she was wearing pink ballet flats. Better than the high-heeled boots she had worn the day she slipped and fell but nowhere near the right footwear for this very cold season. “I need to tell you something important. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Yeah.” She looked unsure, but she stepped aside. “What’s up?”
“I couldn’t in good conscience let you out of the building without wearing the right stuff.” He pulled a pair of black fur-lined boots. “Look at the rubber soles on these.”
“Oh, Asa.” She moaned as she took them from him. The sound caught him off guard and his groin grew tight. It had been hard for him to be with her the other day and not touch her. He had spent nearly four hours with her that night. They had eaten dinner together and talked about their friends and their college days. They had even watched a Claymation Christmas special that was on. It wasn’t a date, but if it had been it would have easily been one of the best he had ever been on. It was nice to come home after a long day of work and have somebody there waiting. And when it was time for him to go, he had to stop himself from pulling her soft, curvy body into his and kissing her until she melted. But he knew if he did that it would have been hard to stop at just a kiss. He would have wanted to tumble her onto her bed and peel every inch of clothing off her, just so he could kiss every inch of her lush bare skin.
He pulled himself out of that fantasy, because he could feel himself growing harder as he thought about her. He didn’t need to fantasize about her because the look of pure pleasure on her face would be enough to sustain him for years.
“I’ve never had a pair of snow boots. These are cute, too.”
“I got you something else. Hat, scarf, gloves and an official limited edition FDNY fleece hooded jacket.” He pulled them all out of the bag. “It’s water resistant, too.”
“Asa...” She looked up at him, eyes full of something he couldn’t name. Gratitude? Appreciation? He didn’t know. He just knew he liked looking into her eyes and when he hadn’t seen her at all the day before he’d missed those eyes. He found himself just missing her.
It was odd. He had never felt that way about another woman. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, what made her different from anyone else.
“I might cry again. This is the nicest thing any man has ever done for me.”
“It can’t be. Your ex must have done nice things for you.”
“He would buy me a lot of jewelry, but I think it was more for him than me. So he could parade me in front of his wealthy friends and show them what he could afford to buy. But this is...thoughtful. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
He nodded, wanting to kiss her, but holding back. “Put them on. I can’t let you out on the streets of New York City until you do.”
She sat down on her couch and slipped her feet inside of the boots. She moaned again as her feet touched the warm, soft lining. She was a moaner. She moaned when she ate cupcakes. She moaned when she was pleased. She’d moaned when he had kissed her. He was starting to become addicted to that sound.
“My feet will never be cold again in these.”
“How could you live in New York and not have a good pair of boots?”
“I’m from the South. I didn’t think about it. My cousin told me it was eighty degrees there today. When it gets below fifty-five back home we go into a panic.”
“Southerners.” He shook his head.
“I was stupid. I just didn’t think about it. I didn’t have a winter coat. It was the end of June when I moved here and so unbearably hot that I thought it was never going to cool down. In the back of my mind I knew winter would come. I just didn’t think it would be so cold.”
“This is not typical December weather. It’s one of the coldest on record. We’re responding to a lot of exposure calls. Frostbite, hypothermia. One man didn’t...” He stopped himself, not wanting to expose that detail to her.
“Why did you stop?” She looked suspicious. “What were you going to say?”
“Nothing.” He took the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. “Just stay warm today.”
“I will. Thanks to you.” She stood up. “Would you want to come with me today?”
He grinned at her. “Don’t trust yourself outside yet?”
“No.” She grinned back. “I haven’t been outside in a few days and I don’t want to hurry back. I could buy you lunch and take you to a movie. Whatever you wanted to do. It will be my small way of thanking you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. But I will go to the doctor with you. I don’t trust you on the ice, either.”
It was only