Free The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns Page A

bundle growing within her, but there was a special something about the man driving her back to the shop and part of her couldn’t help wishing circumstances were different.
    * * *
    M ATT WATCHED AS Hannah crossed the short pathway and escaped into Elliot’s Emporium, and then he thumped the heel of his hand against the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding beeping the horn. A string of swear words he reserved for rare occasions thundered off his tongue, and as he pushed his foot onto the accelerator and eased the car back onto the road, he had one destination in mind. If he didn’t deserve a drink after the encounter he’d just had, he didn’t know what warranted one.
    Being the day before Christmas Eve, the local pub was buzzing with activity, and cheesy Christmas carols blasted from the ancient stereo. A group of women who looked as if they’d come to have a drink following an end-of-year work lunch glanced up, giggled and waved perfectly manicured fingers at him as he crossed the floor to order a beer. Under normal circumstances he’d flirt back with such a group, happy for the attention, but today he couldn’t summon any enthusiasm. His body was taut and unsatisfied after his near miss with Hannah, and he thought the only way he might get her out of his mind was by downing a number of tequila shots in quick succession. Unfortunately he wasn’t much of a tequila fan.
    He sighed as he leaned against the bar and waited for the bartender to approach him. Midforties, faded blond hair, wearing reindeer ears and looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here, she offered him a tired smile as she poured him a beer. She looked about as enthusiastic about Christmas as he was.
    “There ya are, luvvie.” She pushed his drink toward him, took his money and scooted off to serve someone else. Matt was glad of the peace as he knocked back the first few satisfying gulps and began to ponder what the hell had just happened to him. He felt like something had been cut short, and it wasn’t just the sex.
    Less than half an hour ago, he’d had Hannah Elliot naked and in his arms, and she’d felt better than any woman ever had before. There’d been seconds the last few days when alien thoughts had invaded his mind. He’d imagined coming back to Wildwood Point for longer than a couple weeks. He’d imagined maybe even buying a house, putting down some roots. His mum would drink a whole bottle of bubbly in celebration if she’d known he was even circling around thoughts of settling down but he couldn’t lie to himself—all these thoughts came down to Hannah. Since he’d first seen her behind the desk at the emporium, she’d burrowed under his skin and knocked him sideways into a world where
commitment
didn’t seem a dirty word.
    He shook his head at the irony—the one woman who had ever brought him close to thinking long-term came with baggage he could never take on.
Pregnant
. Who’d have thought? Strangely, the thought of her carrying another man’s baby hadn’t killed his desire at all, but maybe it was a good thing she’d turned him down. Although kids hadn’t featured in his five-year plan, he guessed he wanted them eventually but there was one thing he was absolutely certain about.
    After the way his stepfather had treated him, he could never bring himself to take on someone else’s child. His heart pounding in panic mode, Matt downed the last of his beer and decided to take his thoughts elsewhere. If there was one thing that would take his mind off Hannah it was Christmas shopping, and fortunately he still had a few gifts to buy.
    * * *
    H ANNAH PEERED THROUGH the window as Matt drove away from Elliot’s, not caring whether or not he caught her doing so. He must already think her a total fruitcake, so what did it matter if she added pervert to that title? When his hired red convertible was finally lost in traffic, she returned to the desk and flopped into the swivel chair behind it. Thank God the showroom was