A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,33

a sensitivity gene.”

“He only cares about himself.” She tilted her head back to be able to see Dallas’s face. “Wading through my drama can’t be any fun for you. I’m sorry that I’m in your mother’s house and that my situation is such a downer right now. I’m not normally like this.”

“I don’t mind.”

The moment she started to notice how long his eyelashes were, she told herself to move away from him. He smelled and felt too good for her to be able to think clearly.

But she didn’t withdraw. Her feet seemed to be stuck to the floor, and her heart was pounding again—only this time it wasn’t in anger. She was beginning to feel something much more pleasant, and the unexpected reprieve made her reluctant to change anything.

Suddenly curious to know what it would be like to kiss a man like Dallas, she studied his lips. They were nice lips; well-shaped and soft-looking. He was so different from Ethan or anyone else she’d dated—much more rugged but also... What? She couldn’t decide. It felt strange to dub him as guarded when he’d been so nice. But he was holding back, reserving a part of himself that he didn’t allow others to see or know.

What was he like when he wasn’t holding back?

The change she felt in his body let her know he’d felt the change in hers, and that broke the spell. They both stepped back at the same time, and she quickly wiped the tears that were left over from that call with Ethan. “I’d...uh...better go to bed. I’ll try to figure out a way to reach Tommy in the morning. He might be able to tell me something that will help.”

“Is he on social media?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never looked for him. Until I decided to move forward with the suit, I didn’t have any reason to contact him. I knew Ethan was full of shit coming up with that bogus story. But now... I may have to prove it.”

“Instagram or Facebook might be an easy way to reach him.”

“I’ll check. Thank you for...for coaching me through this,” she said. “I appreciate your friendship.”

His mouth quirked as though he knew she was labeling their relationship as a way to get them back on stable ground. “I appreciate your friendship, too,” he said. “And don’t worry, I know I’m not the kind of guy you need,” he added with a wink.

* * *

Emery was breathless by the time she reached her room. She’d only scaled two flights of stairs, but she felt as though she’d run a mile.

What had just happened? There’d been that business with Ethan, which was upsetting. Then Dallas had tried to comfort her, and it had worked far better than either of them had expected. Not only had the anger and frustration, her constant companions of late, drifted away, she’d felt a flicker of desire.

She almost couldn’t believe it. Here she was in the depths of despair and yet she’d wanted to kiss Dallas? Right on the heels of having Ethan shout profanities at her and hang up?

Humans really were resilient, she thought as she dropped onto the bed. She’d figured her sex drive was gone for good, or at least for a while. That video was enough to make her want to remain celibate for the rest of her life. But Dallas had just proved that celibacy probably wouldn’t become her reality—and that meant she had to be careful or she could get herself into trouble again. She knew Dallas would never do anything like what Ethan had done, but her heart was too fragile right now. She had to protect it.

Besides, Dallas’s friendship was what was pulling her through this mess. She couldn’t risk losing it.

Trying to forget what was, she told herself, a minor blip and would amount to nothing if only she could forget about it, she opened her laptop and set up a new account on Instagram. She wanted to see if she could find Tommy.

He wasn’t listed by name, but sometimes people on Insta used only their handle. She tried various possibilities with no luck and decided to check Facebook. She couldn’t imagine Tommy used Facebook very often. Not many of her friends did. But it was possible he’d set up an old account—or she might be able to find someone associated with him who could get him a message.

Her phone dinged with a text. She cringed for fear it would be from Ethan—another attack. She