Hot Whisper

Hot Whisper by Luann McLane

Book: Hot Whisper by Luann McLane Read Free Book Online
Authors: Luann McLane
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needed.
    “Claire, you can’t let Jesse slip through your fingers. This is like a holiday love story. Hallmark . . . no, wait, Fa-la-la-la Lifetime.Those are steamier.”
    Claire laughed without real humor. “More like a Nicholas Sparks novel . . . no happy ending.”
    “But, Claire, you’re in charge of this ending.”
    Claire closed her eyes and blew out a sigh. “If only it were that easy. We live so far away from each other and have totally different lifestyles.This is silly. I need to just give it up.”
    “What, people don’t need their hair cut in . . . where are you again?”
    “Whisper.”
    “Why?”
    “No, that’s where I’m at.”
    “Gotcha.” Chloe laughed.
    Claire smiled in spite of herself.“I miss you. How could I ever move away from my family? My work? And why am I even talking about this? He made it clear that this was just a holiday fling.”
    “Duh, because he’s as scared and confused as you are.”
    “Don’t ever say ‘duh’ again.”
    “Duh,” Chloe repeated just as Claire knew she would. “Look, I love you, too, but if the man of my dreams comes along, I will live anywhere and you’ll just have to visit. And you’ve always disliked the stress of a high-end salon. What you’ve really enjoyed about cutting hair is interacting with the people. And you sound as if you love the cabin.”
    “It’s all a moot point.”
    “You don’t know that for sure. I just want to point out that this has the potential to work if you give it a chance.”
    “No . . . seriously we’ve both been watching too many holiday movies. Listen, thanks for letting me bend your ear. Please let Mom and Dad know I’m stuck here.Tell them I have bad cell reception. I don’t have the energy to talk to them right now and I know I’ll start crying and then Mom will start crying and Dad will have a mess on his hands.”
    “I’ll take care of it, sweetie. Call me if anything changes, okay?”
    “I will, and thanks again. I love you.”
    “Me, too.”
    Claire ended up taking a long, hot, steamy bath after all. When she was toweling dry, she noticed several pink abrasions on her skin from Jesse’s stubble. She closed her eyes and felt a hot shiver at the memory but then pushed it aside and slipped beneath the covers. She felt a bit hungry but heard movement downstairs as if he was moving things around . . . probably packing, and so she opted to stay upstairs and after a few moments fell fast asleep.

Chapter Eleven
    O h, it just wasn’t fair. Claire had dreamed about Jesse off and on all night long, and this one was so realistic that she could actually feel his smooth skin and the cozy warmth of his body. In fact, she could even smell his woodsy, spicy scent....
    Oh boy . . .
    No way . . .
    Claire’s heart hammered in her chest, and sure enough, when she opened her eyes a mere slit, she encountered wide shoulders and dark wavy hair. She had managed to hook one leg across his hips and one arm over his waist. She frowned while trying to figure out just how Jesse had ended up asleep next to her. She peeked beneath the covers. She was wearing his flannel shirt, and he was shirtless but in his sweatpants, and since there wasn’t any eggnog involved, she would surely remember....
    Oh God. He shifted and her hand slipped lower, but she didn’t want to move and wake him until she remembered how in the world he ended up in her bed! The last thing she recalled was talking to Chloe. Frowning, Claire eased up just a tiny bit to sneak a peek over his shoulder at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock! What about the train? Should she shake him awake?
    Claire inhaled a deep breath and blinked in confusion when she smelled cinnamon, coffee . . . and pine ? Oh . . . she caught her bottom lip between her teeth when she spotted several pine needles caught in Jesse’s hair. Nothing was adding up, and when curiosity got the best of her, she whispered, “Jesse?”
    He mumbled something and rolled to his

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