Holiday at Magnolia Bay (Southern Born Christmas Book 1) by Tracy Solheim Page A

Evie,” he said already striding toward the doors to the beach. The flashbacks were flickering behind his eyes making his head ache. Drew made a beeline for the surf.

Chapter Eight
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    A s Jenna climbed the wide, wooden steps to Miss Evie’s guest house she reminded herself that her relationship with Drew wasn’t technically a relationship at all. So she really shouldn’t feel piqued that he hadn’t come by the beach house earlier. Or texted. Or called. This was supposed to be a sex with no strings attached fling. People her age did it all the time. At least that’s what she’d read in Cosmo .
    The only reason she was invading Drew’s privacy at nine o’clock at night was because she was worried about him. And Miss Evie. When Addison, had called earlier to cancel Jenna’s weekly dinner with Drew’s godmother, she had become concerned that something was wrong with the older woman. Drew going AWOL made her anxiety worse. She certainly wasn’t knocking on his door because she craved his touch or his kiss. That would be pathetic, and she’d already done pathetic. Twice.
    The light of the full moon danced upon the ocean and Jenna drew in a fortifying breath of the sea air that always calmed her. While Miss Evie’s house was dark against the shoreline, a single light burned at the back of the guest house. Jenna knocked quickly before shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts. All the better to keep her fingers from sinking into Drew if and when he opened the door, she told herself. A few minutes passed and she was ready to turn on her heel and head off into the night when the door finally opened. Dressed in pair of jeans slung low over his hips and nothing else, Drew exuded alpha male. The scent of his freshly showered skin invaded her nostrils and Jenna clamped her teeth together to keep the moan of arousal that had formed deep within her belly from escaping her lips.
    Drew sighed as he leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. “Jenna.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest while she tried not to read too much into his resigned tone. This is a casual relationship where no one gets hurt, she reminded herself. He’s leaving Magnolia Bay soon. He’s leaving me soon. Something fluttered inside her at the thought, but she stoically refused to acknowledge it.
    Instead, Jenna quickly surveyed Drew’s face. His eyes lacked the tell-tale glassiness that would indicate he’d been drinking, but there were other clues lingering in their depths: wariness, pain and something that looked a lot like anger. Jenna could deal with the first two, but the anger confused her. Had she done something wrong? He’d seemed happy enough when he left her bed this morning. Her instincts told her to leave, he was obviously not in any danger. But her concern for Miss Evie trumped her flight reflex.
    “Hey,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
    Drew’s mouth grew tight. “Just peachy.”
    Jenna pulled in a deep breath. The vibe he was giving off confused her even more. “We—I was supposed to have dinner with Miss Evie, but Addison called and cancelled. Is she all right?”
    He hesitated briefly, as though choosing his words carefully. “She’s just feeling her age today.” The sadness in his voice made her stomach clench.
    She took a tentative step forward before the warrior mask on his face stopped her in her tracks. Jenna wrapped her arms around her middle. “Miss Evie is the youngest person I know,” she whispered. Except the old woman wasn’t. At some point she’d no longer be there for Jenna, and the thought suddenly brought tears to her eyes. “She has to be okay.”
    Drew swore before he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his warm skin. “Jenna,” he said. Her name came out of his throat like a hoarse plea making her shiver. Her body settled a bit as it melted into his now familiar one. “She’s fine,” he murmured while his lips traced her