Free Christmas With Her Ex by Fiona McArthur Page B

of a woman’s body that stirred him like no other woman’s had. He could still feel the silk of her skin when he’d squeezed her hand that had burnt right through his defences so that he’d had to let go. There was no doubt he was playing with fire but hopefully neither of them would get burnt.
    He sat back and let the tension ease. They still had eighteen hours to go and he wasn’t rushing into anything.
    Selected cheeses, the plum duff with
crème Anglaise
and brandy butter, a sun-kissed dessert wine to be sipped and between them awareness swirled like the gold in the glasses as they smiled over firsts together.
    First hand-holding—how nervous she’d been. First kiss—how nervous he’d been.
    First fight and whose fault it was—not able to agree on that one.
    Old memories. Good memories that had been overlaid by guilt and shame and a lack of communication that now they could only shake their heads at.
    Both of them warmed to the shared moments that, despite the years, seemed like yesterday now they’d been allowed to escape.
    He glanced away to where a tiny Christmas tree spun in a corner with fibreoptic branches lighting the heads of the people sitting nearby in subtle colours.
    He tilted his head towards it. ‘Do you remember?’
    She glanced across and he saw the smile in her eyes as she nodded. ‘It was the year before you went away to school. My father had thrown out the old tinsel tree we had and I was heartbroken we weren’t having a tree. So you bought me a tiny little tree like that, with decorations and fibreoptic lights that came on when I plugged it in. I kept it in my room and it made me smile at night.’
    ‘I was so excited when I saw it but your father hated it.’ He smiled and shook his head. ‘And he hated me.’
    She shrugged. ‘He hated everyone. It was a lovely thing to do. If it hadn’t been for you Christmas would have been the same as any other day in the year.’
    He thought about it. ‘You made my Christmas special just by being there.’
    Kelsie couldn’t believe how light she felt. As if she’d found a dear friend she’d thought she’d lost. And that was what it was. Impulsively she reached across the table and took his hand. ‘I’m so pleased we’ve had tonight.’
    He brought his other hand over the top and held her hand on his. ‘So am I.’
    Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed itgently, and suddenly she didn’t want to be in this car any more.
    He must have seen that. ‘There’s not a lot of places to go but would you like to walk?’

CHAPTER SIX
    A WAY FROM PEOPLE? Should she?
    Not that they’d do anything they couldn’t in front of witnesses. Witnesses. She shied away from the word, like a wedding that hadn’t happened, thank goodness she hadn’t said that out loud—but, yes. She’d like to go somewhere quieter. More private.
    Connor rose and pulled out her chair, waited for her to precede him in the direction of her cabin, not his, and then followed at her shoulder so she could feel him brush against her as she made her way past tables filled with crystal and silver and satiated patrons.
    People she didn’t see. Past his grandmother, and the red-haired lady, and the couple who had danced, and always Connor’s hand hovered below her waist in case she lost balance with the rock of the train. So she was safe from injury but moving forward towards a different sort of delicious possibility.
    Her senses seemed more alert. Her skin more sensitive when he brushed against her. Her peripheral vision seemed filled with him and it was a very strange sensation amongst a sea of sensations.
    Connor leaned forward and opened the door for her,and for a crazy moment she wanted to bury her nose in his shirt and have him wrap his arms around her.
    She wasn’t even sure he liked her but maybe there would be time for that later.
    She couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips as she looked up at him and his hand tightened on her shoulder.
    ‘Best not to