All I Want For Christmas by Julie Coffin Read Free Book Online Page A

his forehead, thick dark lashes feathering his eyes, lips slightly parted, his body completely relaxed. Lauren stood in the doorway, gazing across at him, her heartbeat racing.
    â€˜Daddy! Wake up! It’s teatime!’
    Slowly, he yawned, stretching his arms above his head, easing his shoulders, twisting his neck sideways and round, as his eyes opened. Then his wide mouth curved into a smile as he saw the laden tea-trolley.
    â€˜After the lecture I had in the canteen the other week, I’m interested to see what you eat at home, Lauren.’ He shook his head gravely. ‘Remind me to give you a cholesterol test sometime.’
    â€˜Well, it is Christmas,’ Lauren declared. ‘And sausage rolls and mince pies are part of the tradition.’
    â€˜Now, little Zoe, from the crumbs around your mouth, you’ve been sampling already. What do you recommend?’
    â€˜Everything! Lauren made it all.’
    â€˜Ah, well, it must be good,’ Matthew said, and began to fill his plate.
    â€˜You have to have a serviette,’ Zoe insisted, unfolding one and placing it over his long legs. ‘Look, there’s Father Christmas and robins and bells and everything on them.’ She gave a big sigh. ‘I like Christmas. And I really, really like having it in this house with Lauren, don’t you, Daddy?’
    Matthew didn’t reply and Lauren bent her head over the teapot as she poured more into her cup, not wanting to read his expression.
    How must he feel, she wondered, seeing his little daughter settling in so happily here? What memories must he have of past Christmases, spent with his wife Anna and their baby? Was he thinking that this is how it might have been, if Anna hadn’t died? The three of them, together, in their own home sharing the joy of Christmas?
    â€˜May I have a slice of that sponge cake? It looks fantastic.’
    Lauren realised that Matthew was speaking to her and quickly cut a slice for him, watching, fascinated, as cream covered his lips, to be licked away with a flick of his pointed tongue.
    â€˜Delicious,’ he said, somewhat muffled. ‘And now, regretfully, I’ll have to go. Off to bed when Lauren tells you, Zoe, and no dragging out the time with extra-long stories.’
    Zoe pushed out her lower lip and pouted. ‘It’s not my bedtime yet: Daddy. Not for hours and hours.’
    Matthew rose to his feet, his dark head brushing one of the silvery garlands decorating the ceiling, and he stooped to avoid it.
    â€˜Don’t stand for any fuss, Lauren.’ His mouth widening into a grin. ‘Not that I think you will.’
    Lauren led the way into the hall and watched as Zoe threw her arms round his neck and gave him a kiss.
    â€˜Make all the people better for Christmas, Daddy, won’t you?’
    â€˜I’ll try,’ he said, kissing the top of her silky hair.
    Then, to Lauren’s amazement, his hand cupped her own chin, raising her face while his lips brushed her forehead, leaving a trail that blazed her skin. The door opened, letting in a rush of freezing air, then closed swiftly again, and Matthew was gone. Lauren heard his Range Rover roar into life, before it throbbed away into the distance.
    It wasn’t a kiss,
she told herself.
It definitely wasn’t a kiss. A mere goodbye-and-thank-you-for-having-me gesture. People do it all the time.
    So why is my whole body feeling as if Matthew had just made passionate love to
me?
    Zoe was already running back into the lounge to continue her tea, and Lauren slowly followed, her thoughts whirling.
    I’m acting like a teenager. What on earth is the matter with me?
It wasn’t a kiss.
    And if it had been, she decided, there’d be a perfectly good reason. After all, she was looking after his daughter for Christmas. No wonder he was thankful. It had taken a load off his mind. He was showing his appreciation. It wasn’t a kiss.
    A flame of anger flared through