A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,93

bed together, they were acting far more like lovers than friends. “Probably. I’m in no position to make a sound decision right now, so I guess there’s no reason to take the risk.” If she had to give him up, she might as well do it right away, before she got in too deep. The wedding was on Saturday and Christmas only a week after that. Her stay in Silver Springs—and their time together—would soon be coming to a close, regardless.

“Right. Okay,” he said slowly. “I’ll...honor that, of course.”

He seemed disappointed. But she doubted he was as disappointed as she was, and that also indicated there was a problem. Better to chart a safer course as soon as possible. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do. I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to get back on my feet without you—at least not so soon. And the sex? Honestly, I’ve never had better. You’ve provided a glimmer of fun and happiness, and a sense of fulfillment, in a very dark time. So...thank you.” She walked over and pecked his lips before hurrying from the room.

She was afraid if she didn’t get out of there right away she’d change her mind.

* * *

What had just happened? Dallas had only meant to reassure himself that Emery was okay. He’d never dreamed that what he’d said could change the nature of their relationship, especially so quickly.

He sat propped up against the headboard and stared into the darkness long after she’d returned to her own room, feeling oddly bereft. But he knew he wasn’t the best man for her. That meant their last few minutes together had gone the way they should have. At least they were able to remain friends. She’d kissed him before she left, and thanked him, which suggested she didn’t have any hard feelings. That was the goal, wasn’t it? To end on a positive note—one where no one got hurt?

Scooting down, he tried to force sleep, but it was impossible. He was too restless.

After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning and adjusting his position, he got up, pulled on some sweats and went upstairs to get a drink of water. He made more noise than necessary, even hung out at the kitchen table for a while, hoping Emery might hear him and come down. He thought he might feel better if they could just talk things over, or if she reassured him that she wasn’t angry or too disappointed.

But she didn’t come down. He listened carefully to be able to determine if she was up—and heard nothing.

When he finally left the kitchen, he paused at the foot of the stairs. He would’ve gone up to her room, except his mother’s and brothers’ bedrooms were close to hers, and he didn’t see waking them as any kind of an improvement in the situation.

“Damn it,” he muttered, shaking his head. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. He could’ve waited. Things had gone so far now it was going to be difficult to establish a strictly platonic relationship. He’d become conditioned—like Pavlov’s dogs. Just seeing her created an automatic hormonal influx. He’d become used to the way she felt beneath him, the sound of her breathing as he was driving into her, the feel of her curves beneath his hands. He knew how and where she liked to be touched and could tell just by the subtle tensing of her body when she was close to climax. She was sexy and gorgeous and fun, and...

He felt a profound sense of loss as he remembered how intense their lovemaking had been only an hour ago. That kind of passion wouldn’t be easy to forgo or forget—not when they were still staying in the same house. The next week or two until one of them left would be a struggle.

In an attempt to distract himself, he sat in the living room and texted a climbing buddy he’d been with in Joshua Tree National Park for most of November. With temperatures in the sixties, Joshua Tree was the perfect place to climb through the winter. Damian Perego had stayed to ascend Illusion Dweller—a popular and difficult 5.10b climb Dallas had mastered just before he left. But Joshua Tree had over five thousand routes and more than a thousand bouldering problems. Damian had plenty of options even if he’d chickened out and hadn’t yet tackled Illusion Dweller.

Hey, man. Did you get it done?

Damian would immediately understand what he meant. Dallas had coached