Getting Stuck with #Valentine’s Day by Christine DePetrillo

I always get stuck posting on Valentine’s Day and I don’t like Valentine’s Day. I’ve decided this year to treat you all to an excerpt of characters on their way to being in love instead of a rant on why I think Valentine’s Day is dumb. You’re welcome.

Enjoy.

From More Than Pancakes, Book One in The Maple Leaf Series, #FREE in ebook everywhere…

Rick pulled up a chair to the boxes of books Hope and Sage had left in the store by the display shelves. Poe took up residence on the floor beside him and sniffed all the corners of the closest box. He began loading the books on the shelves, turning some of the covers outward so customers could get a good look at them. He didn’t spend a lot of time in the store when customers were in there. He preferred a more behind the scenes involvement in the business and that was part of what had made him not so successful in New York. He liked dealing with the equipment, the actual trees, the land as well as the financial side. Running the business from the city had only allowed him to crunch the numbers and collect the profits. Maybe some folks liked that hands-off approach, but not Rick. He wanted to smell the melting winter, the blooming spring, and the boiling sap.

As he continued stacking books, Poe padded to the door and woofed once at it.

“No customers today, Poe. Not yet.” 

She barked again at the door and as she sat by it, a soft knock echoed in the store. Rick put down the books he had in his lap and limped to the nearest window. A Jeep he didn’t recognize was in front of the store along with footprints in the remaining patch of snow. The knock came again, but he couldn’t see who was at the door. He contemplated not answering as he often did when the phone rang, but figured it wouldn’t waste much time to explain the store wasn’t open yet.

He ambled to the door, resting his hand on the tables as he passed by without the cane. As he neared the door, another knock sounded.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “I’m coming.” He cursed his slowness and hoped he’d be rid of the cast soon. Not likely, judging by the ache, but a man could hope.

He reached the door and pulled it open. What was standing on the other side of it made him forget his own name.

A woman. Not much shorter than him with reddish-blond hair that brushed her shoulders and curled about a face meant for makeup commercials. Her skin had a wonderful glow he’d never seen on any native Vermonter, and her eyes were blue-green jewels. Slim, black jeans spanned down two long, shapely legs and disappeared into brown, knee-high leather boots that belonged on a runway not on his partly muddy, partly snowy doorstep. The rust-colored dress coat that hung to her thighs also seemed out of place in this setting, but not out of place on her. The woman was perfection in that coat, and the cream-colored scarf she had looped around her neck fascinated Rick.

Poe barked and the woman jumped. “Is that a coyote?” Her voice, soft yet assertive, matched her delicate mouth and intense eyes, but she looked as if she were ready to run for her vehicle.

“Yeah, but she won’t hurt you. She’s been raised to think she’s a big hamster.” What is this woman doing here? Then the pieces fell into place in his mind. “You’re one of Hope or Sage’s friends, right?” That had to be it, but he didn’t remember ever seeing this one. He didn’t think he could forget her if he had seen her. God, she was tall.

“No,” she said. “I don’t know Hope or Sage. I’m looking for whoever signed this.” She pulled an envelope out of her shoulder bag and rifled through it. While keeping a wary eye on Poe, she handed Rick one of the documents, and he scanned it quickly.

“You’re looking for me then.” Why did that make something in his stomach tighten?

“You’re the neighbor? You knew Gail Hinsdale?” A section of snow slid off the roof and landed in a pile about a foot away from the woman. She stumbled back and threw a glance all around her, almost dropping the envelope in the process.

“Come in,” Rick said, though he hadn’t remembered consciously deciding to invite her inside.

“Thank you.” She knocked the mud and snow off her boots and squeezed past him into the store. She smelled like grapefruit and coconut and sunshine. Like something far too exotic to be here with him. “Could you…” She motioned to Poe and made a shooing gesture with her gloved hand.

“Sure. C’mon, Poe.” Rick smacked his thigh and shuffled toward the kitchen behind the pastry case. He pushed open the door and guided Poe in. She whimpered on the other side when she realized he’d locked the door.

Poor girl. Rick felt like a big, fat meany.

“I appreciate that. Wild animals unsettle me.” The woman pulled off her leather gloves to reveal long, slim fingers with nails polished a deep crimson.

“She’s not wild,” Rick said. 

“Right. Tell that to her teeth.” The woman dropped the envelope on one of the tables and unlooped the scarf to expose a slender neck. She turned in a tight circle to survey the store. What was she thinking? She obviously came from a place where the stores didn’t look like his.

“You knew Gail Hinsdale?” She leveled her gaze on Rick, then flicked a glance down to his ankle. “Do you want to sit down?”

“I think I’m supposed to ask you that.” He indicated the chair across from the one he currently had a death grip on.

She slid the chair out and sat on it, but just on the edge, not like she meant to stay for any length of time. This saddened Rick, because for the first time in his life, he didn’t have the urge to get rid of company.

He eased onto the opposite chair, and the muscles in his entire body relaxed as the pressure was taken off his ankle. The woman noticed.

“What happened there?” She peeked under the table.

“Snowshoeing incident.” He shrugged, determined not to explain any further though the woman waited a moment as if he might. “How is Gail? I haven’t seen her in a little while.”

The woman’s lips twisted down at the corners, and Rick had this ridiculous urge to scoot over to her side of the table and… and do something.

“Gail died.” Those piercing blue-green eyes grew watery. “My grandmother is gone.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rick said. “She was real generous with allowing me to tap her trees. Nearly doubled my productivity.” He had reaped nothing but benefits from his arrangement with Gail Hinsdale. One of the smartest, healthiest business moves he’d ever made. 

“She left me the property.” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Lily Hinsdale.”

Taking her hand in his and noting how cold her fingers were, he said, “Rick Stannard.” He looked at the envelope again. “Are you thinking of moving to the property?”

At this, Lily let out a loud laugh. “Moving to Vermont? Are you serious? I don’t want to be here right now, never mind live here.” She brushed her hair out of her face with a shaky finger.

“What’s wrong with Vermont?” Rick asked. It was the perfect place as far as he was concerned.

“Umm, everything.” Lily stretched her magnificent legs out to the side of the table and peered down at her boots. Cringing, she knocked her heels together letting caked mud drop to the floor. “Vermont is no California.”

California, of course. That explained the tan and the fashion. And the disgust for mud.

“Vermont has a lot to offer.” Why did he feel the need to defend his fair state? Why did he want this woman to like Vermont?

“I’m sure, but I’m… high maintenance. Don’t have any real love for flannel or fleece. And don’t get me started about the woods.” She peeled off her coat revealing a fluffy brown sweater that ruffled at the collar and the wrists. Rick had never seen a sweater that fancy.

“The woods are the best part of Vermont,” he said.

“The woods are Hell.”

“I’ll bet I could change your mind about that.” Had he stepped out of his body? Who was this guy, talking to this woman, and actually picturing himself leading her on a hike in the thawing woods?

Lily regarded him for a silent moment, and for once, he didn’t like the quiet. What was she thinking? Probably that I’m the exact opposite of every guy she knows in California.

“No. I’m certain the woods and I don’t mix. Anyway, I’m here about the property, not to discuss the nonexistent finer points of this forgotten realm known as Vermont.” She brushed at her hair again, and the trembling in her hand was still there. Why was she so nervous? “I have a proposition for you.”

“Yes, I’ll buy the land from you.” He’d wanted to do that before Gail had constructed her fortress on the property, but he hadn’t had the money then. He had it now thanks to her letting him lease her maple trees and his barn-building business.

“Oh, umm, no. I don’t want to sell the property to you,” Lily said. “I want to sell it to another buyer and buy yours.”

Curious about Rick’s reaction to Lily’s proposition? Download MoreThan Pancakes, Book One in The Maple Leaf Series, for #FREE.    Amazon   Other Retailers  

If you like it, review it. If you don’t like it, read it again. I’m sure you missed something.

And Happy Valentine's Day... you know, if you're into such things. 

Toodles,

Chris 
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com 

Red Suit Surprise - Chapter Three by Christine DePetrillo

RED SUIT SURPRISE

Chapter Three

Cassie opened her front door at 9:17 p.m. “You’re late.”

“I know.”

Grayson had changed into jeans, a green flannel shirt which he wore open over a black thermal T-shirt, and a pair of black work boots. He wasn’t wearing a jacket though an arctic blast of December night air swooshed in through Cassie’s open door. Aside from the slightly frazzled expression on his face, he looked… casual. Sexy casual.

“I got held up.” He met her gaze. “By your dad.”

She started at his head and let her eyes scan down to his work boots. “You’re not bleeding.”

“Miraculously.” He grinned and a balloon filled with something hot and alive burst open inside Cassie.

How can he still be so beautiful after all this time?

Because there was no doubt. Grayson Northe was beautiful. No, scratch that. He was Beautiful. Capital B. His eyes were that forest green with hints of brown, reminding Cassie of all those summer afternoons the two of them had spent hiking in the woods around her family’s lake house in Vermont when they were teens.

Teens in love.

Cassie hadn’t felt anything close to what she’d felt for Grayson with any other guy. Probably why she was still alone, as Aunt Rae had so helpfully pointed out earlier this evening.

“Can I come in?” Grayson asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” Get it together. How long had she stared at him in her doorway, remembering the past? Moron.

She stepped aside and let him pass by her. The air around him smelled like soap and wood and man. She inhaled deeply then closed the front door, trying to trap his scent inside her home.

“You want something to drink?” She gestured to the couch in her living room.

He pointed to the mug on her coffee table. The one that said Touch This at Your Own Peril in bloody red writing along the side. “What are you drinking?”     

“Tea.” Could she sound any more nursing-home ready? Luckily the scarf she was knitting for her mother was in her bedroom along with her supermarket tabloid reading materials.

“Tea sounds wonderful.” He lowered to her couch with the grace of a leopard and instantly looked as if he belonged there.

Cassie scurried off to the kitchen before she did something stupid like cuddle up close to him. Unfortunately, tea preparation only took mere moments, and she was back in the living room before her body was armed and ready to stay away from him. His arm was draped along the top of the couch now, creating a nice little nook by his side. A nook that screamed her name and had a magnetic pull.

Setting the mug of tea down on the coffee table, she backed up a few steps and sat on the recliner, a safe distance away from him. “What did my dad say to you? Was it about that night?”

Grayson leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Okay, we can jump right into this conversation if you want.”

“I want.” She’d been waiting a long time to find out why Grayson had suddenly disappeared on her—right after graduation. Right after proposing to her. She hadn’t had to think twice about her answer. She’d loved him. Completely. Infinitely. Yes, they’d been young, but neither of them had wanted to waste any time. They were perfect together. They had a glorious future ahead of them. They couldn’t wait to get started on their lives.   

But she’d said yes that night, they’d kissed in their caps and gowns, and gone home with their families. The next day, Grayson was gone.

“Let me start by saying I didn’t want to leave, Cassie.” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes closing as if he were in pain.

She wanted to reach for him, but she forced herself to remain seated in the recliner. She had to hear what he had to say first. She had to know the truth.

“Then why did you leave?”

Grayson slid down on the couch so he was within touching distance. “I don’t want you to think I’m blaming him.” He rested his hand on her knee, and she could feel the heat of him through her pants. “Your father found me that night after I asked you to marry me. He somehow knew already. He told me we were too young. That we’d be ruining our lives if we got married right out of high school. That he wouldn’t allow you to marry me.”

Cassie had always suspected her father was involved in her one true love’s sudden disappearance. He’d never liked Grayson for reasons she couldn’t figure out. Grayson was a good student, a responsible kid even if he was from the “wrong” side of town, but he apparently wasn’t enough for the daughter of Captain Henry Shreaver.

“He told you to go?”

“He paid for me to go.” Grayson got to his knees now in front of Cassie. “Your father paid for my college education. In Australia. He made sure I was all set up, but warned me not to come back for you. He wasn’t going to let us get married. You know my parents couldn’t afford college, Cassie. It seemed like the right thing to do for both of us at the time. The only thing to do.”

“You could have said something to me, Grayson.” She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the pain his sudden absence had caused. Her heart had been bruised. Badly. She hadn’t been able to get close to anyone else, fearing that someone new would also leave her without a word. She wouldn’t have been able to take that kind of hurt again. “I didn’t know how to find you. No one would say where you went.”

Grayson rubbed his chest as if he had the same ache that she had there. He could have tried to contact her. Left her a letter. Something. The more she thought about it though, the more she knew her father would have stopped that contact. He had been so controlling when she was a teenager. He hadn’t let up much now that she was an adult.

“I hated every moment away from you, Cassie,” Grayson said. “Every moment. I loved you so much.”

“And now?” She was furious at her father, but there’d be time to deal with him later. And it was high time she dealt with him. At this moment, however, she needed to know how Grayson felt about her. If he still felt anything for her.

“I don’t know how it’s possible,” he said, taking both her hands in his, “but after seeing you again, I love you even more.” He cupped her cheek, his palm rough against her skin, causing her to want his touch everywhere. With that one connection, everything she’d felt for him came rushing back.

Not that it’d ever gone away.

“I know I was a coward,” he said. “I know I hurt you. I know I should have talked to you that night. I know it’s been too many years. I also know it’s way too much to ask, but tell me you’re willing to give me another shot, Cassie.”

She couldn’t stand the distance between them any longer. Sliding off the recliner, she landed on Grayson’s lap, her arms instantly going around his shoulders. His arms wrapped around her waist and they held each other, their years apart evaporating like frost on a window.

“I’ll give you another shot, Grayson, because I never stopped loving you. Not for a minute.” She ran her fingers along his bottom lip and he kissed her fingertips.

“Me either. I will always love you, Cassie.”

“I love you too, but you have to promise me one thing,” she said, pushing on his shoulders a bit so she could look him in those stunning hazel eyes.

“Anything. I’ll do anything.”

“No vanishing acts. Ever. No matter what my father may say to you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her up against his chest. “There’s only one place I want to be. Right here. With you.”

When their lips met, Cassie knew she’d gotten the best Christmas present ever. Her uncle’s passing had brought her soul mate back to her.

Thank you, Uncle Sammy. Maybe her favorite uncle had been more Santa Claus than she’d realized.


For more FREE holiday tales, visit www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com. 

Also check out my Maple Leaf Series Holiday sale going on NOW!

Enjoy our Roses of Prose free short stories all month long! Tune in tomorrow for Rolynn Anderson's story!

Happy Holidays!
Chris

Red Suit Surprise - Chapter Two by Christine DePetrillo

RED SUIT SURPRISE

Chapter Two

“Was Christmas his favorite time of year or something?” Grayson Northe shifted his gaze to Sam then back to Cassie. She was looking at him as if he were the one wearing the Santa suit and resting in a casket. A tiny crease separated her blonde brows, and her bright blue eyes definitely lingered on his mouth.

Interesting…

“Uh, yeah. He loved Christmas,” Cassie finally said, “but I wouldn’t have been surprised to find him in any number of costumes at his own wake.” She turned in her seat to face him more fully, and Grayson enjoyed the view. The V-neck on her otherwise demure black dress offered a hint of what hid beneath the fabric.

And he liked. Always had. Cassie Shreaver hadn’t changed a bit since high school.

Well, actually that wasn’t true. She had changed. She’d improved. She’d gotten sexier, which Grayson wouldn’t have thought possible. At sixteen, she’d been smoking hot.

At thirty, she was volcanic.

With any luck, Cassie had changed in other ways too. Like hopefully she’d forgiven him.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice brought him out of the past and away from his mistakes.

“I’m paying my respects.”

“But why?” Her voice had risen a bit and the man next to her gave him a sideways glance.

Grayson’s first thought was husband, but then he remembered Cassie had a younger brother. Devon. The scraggly kid had filled out and now sported a buzz cut, no doubt following in the combat-booted footsteps of Cassie’s army father.

Trying to ignore the memories of Captain Shreaver’s military-grade stare every time he’d come to pick up Cassie for a date, Grayson said, “I work for your uncle.”

“Construction?” Her dazzling eyes narrowed. “Since when? I thought you were in Australia.”

“I was. Running wildlife adventure tours was great, but my mom isn’t well.” He glanced down to his black dress shoes—his only pair of dress shoes—then looked back up to Cassie. “I came back last month to take care of her.”

Different emotions warred in Cassie’s eyes, but she blinked and they were gone. “I’m sorry to hear about your mom.”

“Thanks. I’m sorry about your uncle. He was awesome to give me a job.”

“He never said anything to me about you working for him.” She gripped the back of the chair with her left hand, and Grayson was encouraged by the lack of a wedding ring on her finger.

“I asked him not to.”

“And why would you do that?” Again her voice got louder and her brother coughed in warning.

“Take it outside, Cass, before Dad realizes who you’re talking to,” Devon said. “I always liked you, Grayson, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stop my father from trying to fit you for a casket while we’re here.”

“Good point,” Grayson said, shooting a quick glance toward Captain Shreaver who hadn’t taken his gaze off his Santa-suited brother. Thank God. He’d known it was risky to come, but he owed Sam that much. He’d been hoping to see Cassie too.

It was time.

 “Can we talk?” He held his breath, waiting for Cassie to answer, praying she’d say yes.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Her gaze went down to his lips again though, giving him all the green light he needed.

“It probably isn’t a good idea, but do it anyway.” He smiled and put his hand over hers on the back of the chair.

She stared at their touching hands and nodded, barely moving her head. “Meet me later.”

“Where?” He wasn’t leaving any details of their meeting unsettled. He didn’t want to give her a chance to back out.

Licking her lips in a way that made heat creep over his entire body, she slid her hand from under his, turned around, and dug in her purse, pulling out her phone. “Number?”

He gave his number to her and after a few seconds of her tapping away, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

“I sent you my address and a time.” She waved her hand toward the door. “Now scoot.”

“Quickly,” Devon added.

Grayson glanced to Captain Shreaver only Cassie’s father was no longer in his seat.

Crap.

He scanned the immediate area, but didn’t see the man, and he was a hard man to miss. His large, square frame made him easy to spot anywhere. Anywhere except at a funeral home in a sea of people all wearing dark clothing.

Cassie and Devon shrugged simultaneously when Grayson looked to them to reveal the captain’s whereabouts.

“Good luck,” Devon said.

“Hurry,” Cassie added.

Well, they were no help.

Grayson slowly rose from his seat, and with a final glance at Cassie—man, she still sent his heart racing—he side-stepped out of the row of chairs and mixed into the crowd. He kept his head low and made it to the main doors of Finwield’s.

Whew.

He opened the door and stepped across the threshold, heading for his truck in the parking lot.

“Maybe I wasn’t clear.” The deep, commanding voice made Grayson jump.

When Cassie’s father materialized before him, Grayson’s flight response definitely thought running was a good plan.

“Captain Shreaver.” Why did his voice have to squeak like an adolescent’s on the man’s name?

“What part of ‘never come back here again’ or ‘leave my daughter alone’ was confusing to you, son?” Cassie’s father folded his arms across his chest, the shoulders of his black suit jacket straining at the seams.

“No part, sir.” Did people die from the sheer force of a person’s glare? If so, Grayson was going down. At least he was already at a funeral home. Convenient.

A muscle in Captain Shreaver’s jaw twitched as his blue eyes drilled holes into Grayson’s skull. “You better have an outstanding reason for being here, kid.”

“I do.”

“I’m listening.”

Visit tomorrow for the final chapter of Red Suit Surprise! Check out my other tales at www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com.

Toodles,

 Chris

Christmas in Space by Diane Burton

Part 2

Why was I the only one left? It should have been Marsh. He was stronger. Or Gloria. She had the biggest heart.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

I was hallucinating. That couldn’t be Marsh’s voice. He was gone. Like the others.

Strong hands lifted me up. I knew those hands, had felt them under my arms before. Had felt them all over my body. Now they cradled me against a hard chest. A chest beneath which beat a heart so loud it hurt my ears. A wonderful hurt.

“It’s about time you got up.” His chuckle rumbled beneath my ear.

I looked into his laughing blue eyes and reached up to touch his face. “You’re alive.”

“I’d say that was obvious.” Again, he chuckled.

“B-But Hal said there was a malfunction in the tubes. I thought…”

“Yeah. We woke up early. All at once. You should have seen MT scrambling from one tube to the next.”

“Wait.” I held his face between my palms. “Are you saying everyone is alive?”

“And waiting for Sleeping Beauty to get her rear in gear.”

He led me down the passageway to the combo gathering/dining space.

“Merry Christmas,” they shouted. Laughing and cheering, the four surrounded us. Ana and Tom, Gloria and Bill. Alive.

After much hugging, Marsh said, “Give her some space.”

“Hal,” I said to the comm speaker on the wall. “Why did you let me think they all died?”

“As I recall, you ordered me to stop speaking.”

“Yeppers.” MT had followed us into the gathering space. “You ordered me not to talk, too.”

They were right. It was my own fault for jumping to conclusions. “My apologies.”

I clung to Marsh, reluctant to let him go, even when he seated me in a chair. I stroked his face and let my hand drift down his chest. My love was still alive.

Gloria brought over a container of the same liquid MT had given me to drink. “This will help.” Marsh took it from her and held it while I sipped.

Gloria returned to Bill’s side on one of the loveseats against the wall. Ana and Tom cuddled on the other. When I looked away from their obvious infatuation with each other, I saw the decorations. Garlands were strung around the doorframe and hung from the ceiling in loops. A small artificial tree sat on the table between the loveseats. I wondered who sneaked the tree into their gear. Sparkling lights blinked next to tiny ornaments on the tree.

Between sips, I asked how long they had been awake. When Marsh answered, I cried, “Two days! And no one thought I would want to be awakened, too?”

“It was my decision,” Marsh said. “I thought it best to let the procedure cycle normally.”

“I could have slept through Christmas,” I groused.

“Nah. I know how much Christmas means to you. Besides, how could I give you your present if you were still asleep?”

I brightened at that. I loved presents. More giving than getting, though. I loved watching others open my gifts and seeing their delight that I’d chosen the right thing.

“What present?” I asked.

He helped me up and with his arm around my waist for support he led me across the room. “Close your eyes.”

“Unfair,” I protested but obeyed.

With me clutching his side, we walked three more steps. He held me in front of him, his arms around my waist. He pressed his cheek against mine. “Merry Christmas, love.”

I opened my eyes. We were standing in front of the viewport. There, across the black. A magnificent blue sphere, with browns and greens, and a scattering of white clouds. Serenity.

“It isn’t barren.” I groaned at my inane comment. Serenity looked like Earth.

The next morning, our landing module gently set us down on the surface right on target at LZ-45. Four cargo containers sat nearby, one for each couple plus a common use container where we would work, eat, and hang out.

Despite Marsh’s instrument readings that indicated an atmosphere conducive to humans, we suited up and took our first steps onto the alien planet. As mission commander, it was my privilege to lead the procession.

I turned to the others. “Welcome to Serenity.”

So prosaic. Although I’d wracked my brain for months during training, I couldn’t top Neil Armstrong’s “One small step for man…”

“We should rename the landing zone,” Gloria said. “LZ-45 is so—so boring.”

The others nodded.

“What do you all think of naming it Christmas?” Bill suggested.

“Perfect,” Tom said. “We could enjoy Christmas all year long.” The rest of us groaned.

We each claimed a container. Marsh and I chose the farthest on the left. Once inside, he opened the control box and started up the artificial atmosphere. As soon as the lights changed from red to green, I helped him off with his helmet. He did the same for me. The air smelled musty, not surprising since the container had been closed for close to seven years.

“Would you like your Christmas present now or wait until we rearrange the module?” I asked.

He unfastened the top of his enviro suit. “I wondered why you didn’t give me something last night.” He gave me the silly grin that always set my heart aflutter.

We’d had a small celebration at midnight, singing carols and toasting the success of our mission. I’d handed out small tokens as gifts to the others, but to Marsh I’d whispered, “Tomorrow.”

“It’s tomorrow already. Think I could have my present now?” He reminded me of a kid who got his parents up at six on Christmas morning.

I shoved down my enviro suit and soon we stood before each other in our working jumpsuits. I put my arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss. “I’m your present, Marsh.”

Then I stepped back and reached for the zipper tab near my throat. Slowly, I lowered the zipper, one centimeter at a time. All the while I looked into his eyes.

When his eyes darkened, a shiver of delight rippled through me.

He brushed my hands aside. “I want to open my own present.” He yanked down the zipper. When he got to my waist, his eyes widened. “You aren’t wearing any underwear.”

I gave him a slow grin. “Why waste time?”

Within seconds, he shoved off my jumpsuit and dispensed with his own. We stood plastered against each other, bare skin to bare skin. I held his face. “Think we could get started on our mission?”

“Mission?” The disbelief in his voice almost made me smile. “You want to talk about our mission now?”

“Yes. The mission to populate the planet.”

“Oh, that mission. My pleasure, Commander. My pleasure.” His mouth came down on mine.

Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms, squeezed between containers of medical supplies and dried meals.

“Happy Christmas, Marsh.”

“A very happy Christmas, Sara.”

The End

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