who had the roof repaired last month after the storm. It’s like you’re the mother to this whole house, and you’re amazing at it. Don’t let yourself believe anything less.”
Melody smiled at her friend. “I’m a firm believer in getting things done, that’s all.”
“Speaking of getting things done, are you going to do anything about Roman?” Emersyn challenged.
Her cheeks heated all over again at the mention of the handsome stranger. “Check out this sale on pocket knives. It’s for a limited time, so I’d better stock up while I can. I think the guys will like them.”
With one quick movement, Emersyn reached over and snatched the tablet out of Melody’s hand. “I’m sure they will, but let’s talk about Roman first. There was a connection between the two of you. I could tell.”
“Well, I mean, he’s a good-looking guy. I could see that, even with the Santa costume on.” As a matter of fact, Melody hadn’t been able to get that gorgeous face out of her mind all night. She’d gotten a glimpse of Roman after he’d come back in the house, when he’d ditched the big red suit and had brought in his suitcase to get settled in. His hair was dark, and he kept it in a short enough style to keep the curls from being too unruly. It matched the short beard that clung to his face and had been hidden completely by the Santa beard not long before that. Then there were those eyes…
“Yes, that part is obvious. But is there more than that?”
“I mean, I could tell he was, um, definitely attracted to me,” Melody admitted. She’d been so shocked when she’d scooted over and discovered that her body hadn’t been the only one reacting to their close proximity. “The hard evidence was right there, if you know what I mean.”
The two women descended into a fit of giggles.
Melody put her hands to her face, feeling embarrassed for Roman. “It was all my fault! I was practically wiggling around on his lap, trying to accommodate all the pictures everyone wanted to take, and I practically sat right on it!”
“No wonder he got up and left,” Emersyn replied, still laughing. “If the other guys know, they’re probably giving him hell for it right now.”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s incredibly flattering. I just wasn’t really thinking about it, because I was already feeling put on the spot just by having to sit on some random hot guy’s lap.” Melody swept her auburn curls out of her face and then wanted to pull them back down again just so she’d have something to hide behind.
“Even grown men can’t help those things sometimes,” Emersyn said. “Still, I swear I sensed something more than just a physical attraction between the two of you. As soon as you were close to each other, there was this little bubble that surrounded you, and you were the only ones in the room. Is there something you should be telling me?” Emersyn grinned as she tapped her fingers on the edge of the tablet.
Melody hesitated. Emersyn was her best friend. There was no one else in the world she would’ve rather talked to about this. After all, the connection Melody had felt to Roman had been intense. He was a complete stranger. She didn’t know him at all, yet she’d distinctly felt her inner snow leopard wake up and try to leap straight out of her chest. She’d wanted to curl up on his lap and purr, imagining his strong hands stroking through her fur. Melody had never had that sort of reaction to anyone before. She knew what it could mean, but what if she were wrong?
Even if Roman was her mate, she couldn’t just upend her life in L.A. She had obligations to the Force, which were important enough, but she was also committed to watching Lucas. Emersyn had just told her how vital she was to everyone there, and Roman lived all the way up in Wyoming, according to Amar. There were too many things to think about, and she was too tired to mull it all over.
“No, nothing’s going on there. I was just in a good mood because I had a little too much to drink. We had a great Thanksgiving, and I’m glad everyone agreed to let me do this Christmas kickoff party. I mean, who knows what Christmas itself will end up looking like.”
“That’s true enough,” Emersyn agreed. “I’ve thought about that a lot, actually. I’d like