A Most Shocking Revelation by Kristi Gold

keep her warm. Real warm. “I’ll meet you in front of the fire.”
    She shimmied out of the jacket. “Good. Then maybe I’ll finally get warm.”
    â€œI’ll warm you up. I guarantee it.”
    â€œI’m counting on it.” Smiling, she turned toward the hall while Gavin pulled off his own jacket. He needed to change, too, and he could very well change into a raving lunatic if she didn’t quit tempting him. As he passed her bedroom, he heard whistling from behind the closed door, followed by the sound of laughter.
    Gavin knocked and called, “You need something, Val?”
    She cracked the door open just enough to give him a glimpse of bare shoulder. “I just might, but I guess you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?”
    After she shut the door in his face, Gavin shook his head and leaned back against the opposite wall. She was the damnedest thing he’d ever seen and the most incredible woman he’d ever met. Instinctively he’d known that about her since they’d met and he couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of being around her. In fact, he needed to be around her about as much as he needed his morning cup of coffee.
    He could only hope that someday she might begin to trust him. Need him as much as he was beginning to need her. Maybe even tonight.

Five
    â€œT he fire looks great, Sheriff.”
    Crouched before the hearth, Gavin glanced back to see Valerie standing behind him, wearing the oversize shirt covering some sort of skin-hugging top and a pair of loose-fitting blue-striped pajama bottoms. Her hair hung down around her shoulders, reflecting the fire and making it look like a fall of gold. Although he should take this slowly, slowly didn’t seem at all interesting. In fact, he could have her on the floor in two seconds flat and her clothes off her in about five.
    Get a grip, O’Neal.
    He straightened and faced her, keeping a safe distance—for the time being. “It took a while, but now it’s going full force.” So was he.
    She clasped her fingers together and straightened her arms before her. “I love a good fire.”
    He loved the way she looked right then, all soft and feminine. But she also looked a little worried. “Why don’t we have a seat and enjoy it for a while?”
    â€œSure,” she said, surprising Gavin with the ease of her agreement.
    â€œOver here.” He moved the coffee table aside to allow a full view of the hearth, then sat on the rug with his legs stretched out before him and his back to the couch.
    She hovered over him, sporting a severe stare. “Do you have an aversion to sofas?”
    â€œNope. I just happen to like sitting on the floor.” He patted the space beside him. “Try it. You might like it.”
    â€œOkay.” She lowered herself beside him, keeping a moderate berth between them, and hugged her knees to her chest. “You know what you need?”
    Oh, yeah, he did. But he decided not to voice that right now. “What do I need?”
    She surveyed the room for a minute. “You need a Christmas tree.” She pointed to the window that faced the front yard. “Right there. A big tree with lots of lights and ornaments.”
    A host of bittersweet recollections flooded Gavin’s mind, followed by those so tragic that he’d made a concerted effort not to think about them too often. “I’m not one to decorate.”
    â€œWhy not? It’s a wonderful tradition. Some of my best memories are holiday memories.”
    Some of Gavin’s were his worst. “Do you prefer real or artificial trees?”
    â€œDefinitely real ones, although I learned a long time ago that you can improvise if you need to.” She curled her legs to one side and shifted to face him, one arm resting on the sofa’s cushions.
    â€œWhen I was little, we didn’t have much money, so we never had a real tree. But when I was about