White-Hot Christmas by Serenity Woods Read Free Book Online

picked at the barbecued fish and tried not to cast longing glances at Neon. He looked over at her occasionally, and every time he did, her heart pounded at the thought of the events to come.
    In spite of her desperation for the time to pass, Merle had a great evening. With loud music on the radio, several bottles of wine being passed around and the Kiwis being such good company, she had an unusually good time being sociable for once.
    She had a couple of glasses of wine to relax her but stopped then, wanting to make sure she wasn’t incoherent when bedtime came. One of the guys tried to top up Neon’s glass at one point and he shook his head. “I’m on day shift tomorrow. And I want to keep my wits about me.” He cast a glance over at her and she shivered at the heat in his dark eyes.
    Eventually people started yawning and everyone agreed it was bedtime. Bree took Merle into the beach house and showed her the sofa bed. “I’ve put you here. Hope that’s okay.”
    “It’s fine, thanks.” Merle couldn’t look at Neon. This was crazy. She’d gone stark raving mad.
    Neon headed out with some of the others to the tents they had erected in the garden. “Good night,” he called to those staying in the house. “My little blue tent is calling me.”
    Merle sat on the sofa bed and drew up her legs, aware that he’d pointed out which tent was his for her benefit.
    “Night, sis.” Bree gave her a hug before disappearing into one of the two bedrooms with Jake.
    Merle went into the bathroom, clutching her night-bag. She swallowed, studying her reflection in the mirror, her heart hammering. Was she brave enough to carry this through?

Chapter Four
    Neon lay on top of his sleeping bag, staring up at the roof of his tent, just a couple of feet above his nose. It had been about half an hour since he’d left the house, and Merle hadn’t appeared. He’d tried to read for a while but couldn’t concentrate, every little sound making him tense. She wasn’t going to come. Disappointment filtered through him. He’d really thought she wanted to. Clearly her nerves had won out. What a shame. He shifted irritably as a stone dug into his back. It was humid and stuffy in the tent, and he was so keyed up now, he’d have trouble getting to sleep. He wore only a T-shirt and boxers, but it was a warm night and he debated whether to take them both off.
    Then, however, the tent rustled and he heard a zip opening. He pushed himself onto an elbow, looking at the entrance, and flicked on the small lamp by his sleeping bag, filling the tent with a warm glow. Her head appeared, her eyes wide in the semidarkness. “Sorry I’m late,” she whispered. “Jake kept coming out for stuff.” She got her shoulders in then stopped and looked around. “Christ, this is minute! Are you sure we’ll both fit?”
    “We’ll have to squeeze up.” He grinned, pleasure sweeping through him. He stifled a laugh at what she was wearing—if he’d needed any further confirmation that she didn’t usually do this sort of thing, her pyjamas were enough to convince him. They were cotton and covered in pink bunnies.
    She’d got stuck in the doorway, so he leaned forward and lifted her in, and she gave a small squeal, laughing as he zipped up the tent. He lay back, bringing her with him. She was right—it was incredibly small inside, but then it was supposed to be a one-man tent. Not a one-man, one-woman.
    He turned on his side, propping his head with a hand. She did the same, facing him, just a few inches away. Her cheeks were flushed and she’d brushed her hair, and from the mintiness of her breath, her teeth as well. He felt a surprising surge of affection for her, though he hardly knew her at all. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”
    “Well, I haven’t yet .” She rolled her eyes, then giggled.
    He chuckled, reaching out to run a finger down her pink rabbit top. “Sexy.” The smile broke out in spite of his attempts to hide it.
    She