Jamie Pope - Kissed By Christmas

Her cousin was on speed dial. She missed her family painfully, but it was her cousin whom she had the hardest time being away from. Derek was the mayor of their small town of Hideaway Island. He had encouraged her to move on after her breakup with Brent. He had given her the courage to step away from everything she had known and live a life that was simply just for her and no one else. But while she was living just for herself, she found herself missing the slow-paced life of her island home and the people that made living there so wonderful.

Her head throbbed steadily as she placed the phone to her ear, and she wanted to curse her cousin. If it weren’t for his unfailing support, she would have never slipped on the ice in the first place.

“My favorite cousin!” his deep voice boomed through the phone.

“Bite me,” she replied.

“Whoa. I’m pretty sure your mother taught you that you aren’t supposed to greet people like that.”

“I have a concussion. Spent all day in the hospital after I slipped on the ice heading to work and hit my head in front of a bunch of teenagers, and it’s all your fault. You big dumb jerk.”

“Did I cause you to fall?” he asked seriously. “I don’t remember flying to New York and giving you a shove. But if I did, I apologize.”

“You made me move to a terribly cold place.”

“I didn’t. I encouraged you to get off the island and be away from that pretentious jackass who you were giving up your dreams for. You took the job in New York because it was a great opportunity. I happen to like New York. It’s a great city. I would live there if my heart wasn’t so connected to this place.”

“I miss home.” She sighed. “I miss you, too.”

“You must have really hurt your head if you are admitting to missing me. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, but could hear the weariness in her own voice.

“I’m serious. Are you really okay? I can catch a flight out of Miami this afternoon and be there tonight.”

“No.” He was protective of her. The big brother she needed. “You don’t have to. I was just calling to ask you to look for flights for me. I have a long winter break this year and really need to be home for Christmas. I would look myself but I’m not supposed to be on the computer.”

“Does your mother know that you got hurt?” The worry in his voice was clear.

“Of course not. She would have heart failure if she did.”

“She worried all Thanksgiving about you. She was sure you were going to starve that day because nothing would be open for the holiday.”

“That’s one thing I love about New York. There’s always something open.” She suddenly got extremely tired, almost letting the phone slip out of her hand.

“Hallie? Hallie!”

“I’m here. I just zoned out for a moment,” she said as she heard the knock on her door. She already suspected she knew who was standing on the other side of the door.

“I really think I should come up there. You don’t sound like yourself.”

“I’m fine. My neighbor is here to check on me. He went to med school.”

“But you didn’t say he’s a doctor.”

“He’s not.” She eased herself out of bed, feeling every one of her muscles protest. “He’s a paramedic. I’ve got to go, Derek. He’ll probably break down the door if I don’t open.”

“Who is this guy? I’ve never heard you mention him before.”

“That’s because I didn’t know him before. Please let me know about the flights.”

She disconnected before he had the chance to question her any more. The phone call seemed to zap the tiny bit of energy she did have out of her.

The knocking on her door had turned to full banging by the time she got there. Asa stood there, his beautiful face twisted with concern. It wasn’t fair that he got to walk around looking like that. He wasn’t dressed for work today. She had expected he would be and on the way to a shift but he was in jeans and a T-shirt. Looking just as good in that as he did in his dark blue uniform.

“You look like hell.” He stepped inside, took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. Normally she would slap any man who touched her face like that after knowing her for twenty-four hours but she didn’t mind Asa’s hands on her skin. Big, warm hands that were a combination of rough and smooth and felt soothing when nothing else did.

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’re in pain.”

She attempted to nod, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Yes.”

“Just your head?”

“No. All over.”

“A side effect from slipping on ice. You probably have some minor soft tissue damage.”

He took a penlight out of his pocket and shined it in her eyes, which caused her to wince.

“Pupils look fine, but you have some light sensitivity. Sound, too?”

“Yes.”

“Turn around,” he murmured. He slipped his hand beneath her shirt and ran his fingers along her spine. It was in a medical way, not an ounce of seduction there, but Hallie had to admit that she liked the sensation of his hands on her bare skin. It had been a very long time since a man had touched her at all. Even when she was with Brent, their lovemaking had been very scheduled, very ordinary, pleasant but almost mechanical. Hallie was feeling different with Asa than she did with Brent and all he was doing was checking to see if she was injured. She wanted to chalk it up to being celibate for so long, and figured that she might react this way with any good-looking man but she knew it had more to do with Asa being Asa.

“No sore or tender spots?” he asked as he continued his examination. “Bend over for me just a little like you’re going to touch your feet.”

She did as he asked as his hands traveled across her back. “Does anything hurt when you do that? Any particular pain or twinge?”

“I’m just sore all over. My tailbone hurts the most.”

He pulled the band of her pants just a bit and looked. “You’ve got a bit of a bruise there.” He straightened her to standing and turned her around to face him where his fingers slid to the back of the neck.

“How’s your neck?”

“Stiff,” she answered and as soon as the word came out of her mouth his touch stopped being medical. He rubbed her aching muscles with his thick, long fingers. Too sore and sleepy to think about what she was doing, she pushed herself against him while he did it.

* * *

Asa’s intentions were pure when he’d begun his examination of Hallie. She’d opened the door and her appearance had knocked him in the gut. He could tell that she was in pain, her big beautiful eyes dull, her skin tone ashen. He still found her beautiful, but more than that he had this overwhelming need to take care of her. It was something he had never felt before, like something internal that was pushing him to. And then when he was examining her lower back, his need to take care of her had changed into a different kind of need all caused by the little tattoo of a seahorse on her back.

He had been surprised to see it there and then he realized what he had been doing, running his hands all along this woman’s body. Slightly aroused by her when he knew he shouldn’t be. He turned her around to face him, knowing he should stop, that he should go home, knowing that he had done his duty. But he looked at her tired, sad face again and couldn’t step away from her. She was a stranger, but he felt like he knew her, like he was supposed to be there. It was a crazy thought, but as he went to rub her neck and she pushed her soft body against his he knew that maybe he wasn’t the only one who felt a connection.

“Don’t think I’m crazy,” she said softly as she wrapped her arms around him. “But I think I’m going to cry.”