Free A Hero Grinch for Christmas by Samanthya Wyatt

woman.
    Again.

Chapter Thirteen
    “Dani stretched her arms over her head. If her muscle aches were anything to go by, she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.
    Hunter .
    She still couldn’t believe it. One hit with a chisel in his stone barricade and the whole wall came tumbling down. She smiled, sliding a hand to his side of the bed. He was gone. She worried that he regretted his impulsive actions. Once he’d given in to passion, there’d been no stopping him. Knowing he wanted her as much as he did thrilled her. The man who’d made love to her was a completely different person than the one she’d been holed up with the last few days. After last night, she really hoped she wouldn’t need to deal with his dark moods again.
    Grabbing his pillow, she hugged it against her chest, and rolled onto her side. Her body tingled with pleasure. His hands had explored every inch of her. The man had an incredible mouth. And the things he could do with his tongue.
    The aroma of fresh coffee hit her.
    “Hey, sleepyhead.”
    She looked up. “Hi.”
    An honest to God smile was on his face. One that lit up his eyes, and had her glowing from the inside out.
    “Brought you some coffee.”
    “A man after my own heart.” She sat up, dragging the cover with her. “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome.” He set the cup on the night stand and shoved his hands into his pockets.
    Awkward? She hoped the morning wouldn’t be. Hunter hesitated as if he wanted to say more and wasn’t sure if he should. “Well, when you’re ready, come on down. I’m making breakfast.”
    She chanced another look at his face, but he turned around before their eyes met.
    ***
    Hunter exhaled and walked down the stairs, shaking off his itch. Dani had that just-loved look. Hair all mussed and face flushed, pink right down to the top of her luscious breasts. Remembering how they felt in his hands, he nearly missed a step.
    He’d never had any trouble before when it came to ‘the morning after’. Hell, most times he stumbled out of bed in the middle of the night to leave. He couldn’t exactly do that during a snowstorm. Lame excuse . He could try to justify with another excuse, but the truth was, he’d enjoyed being with Dani and holding her through the night.
    Hunter returned to the kitchen and took a gulp of hot coffee. Dani had even managed to drive painful memories out of his head for a while. Misery had been his companion for so long that, he didn’t know how to handle normal.
    But he did feel good. Exceptionally good. Dani did that to him.
    He took another drink, then jerked open the refrigerator, looking for the eggs. He cracked a few open over a bowl and then picked up the whisk.
    Just because she spent the night in his bed didn’t mean he expected her to sleep with him again. It was her choice. Whatever she wanted, he’d go along with it.
    Dani came downstairs just as he was setting biscuits on the table. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in waves, covering a few letters on his ARMY sweatshirt. He caught himself staring, remembering what she looked like without a bra. She had beautiful breasts. His gaze drifted lower. Her jeans hugged her hips, reminding him of the hours he’d spent between her legs. Dani was like a fine wine, deserving to be sipped and savored.
    He cleared his throat, resisting the urge to grab her.
    “Perfect timing.”
    “All of this without a scowl?” she teased.
    “If it makes you feel better . . .” He leaned forward and gave her his best frown.
    She laughed and sat down at the table.
    “It’s still snowing and the wind is probably blowing eighty miles an hour.” He heaped bacon on his plate.
    “I could hear it upstairs. You can barely see the trees out of the window there’s so much snow swirling around.” She spread butter on her biscuit and flashed pearly white teeth as she bit into the thick bread. When her tongue darted out to lick a dab of melted butter from the corner of her mouth, he damn near swallowed