Hold Me Close Read Online Free Page B

cache. He took her spot and began using her own snowballs against her. As each one pinged off her back, she yelped. Two houses down, she raised her hands in surrender.
    “Okay, you win.” She huffed and bent over, bracing her hands on her knees. “I quit.”
    He approached with a wide smile. He liked winning. When he came up to her, he patted her back. “It’s okay, Magpie. Not everyone can be an athlete.”
    In a blink, she rose up and shoved a handful of snow down the front of his shirt. Damn, it was cold. It immediately melted against his warm skin and dripped a cool river that pooled at his waistband.
    She took off running again. This time, her laughter echoed in her wake. It was such a good sound to hear that he stood for a moment and just absorbed it, allowed it to captivate his entire being.
    But her taunt pulled him out of his bubble of enjoyment.
    “Sucker!”
    He knew he was, but he’d never admit it to her. He ran after her again, quickly gaining ground. Her harsh “Oh, fuck” whooshed out just before he tackled her in the snow. He grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it on her face. She yelped and squealed.
    Shane kept her pinned to the ground but gave her a minute to catch her breath. She blinked rapidly, knocking snowflakes from her lids and lashes. Instead of being pissed, she smiled up at him. “Okay, you win.”
    “Nice try.”
    “What do you mean?” Her eyes went wide as if she were some innocent kid.
    He held up another ball of snow and reached for her shirt. Her hand slapped down on her collar. “You wouldn’t.”
    “Of course I would. Fair’s fair.”
    “But I said you won. I give up.”
    “And I know better.”
    With her other hand, she shoved at his torso. “Get up, you’re squishing me.”
    In truth, he probably was, but he didn’t want to give her an inch. Maggie was the type of girl who’d run away with a mile if he did. She finally flopped her arms out wide in surrender. “I give up. You win. For real this time.”
    Watching her capitulate stirred some unwelcome feelings. He jumped off her and held out a hand to help her up. She eyed him through narrow slits. “What’s your game?”
    “Nothing. Truce.”
    She placed her hand in his, which felt natural, and tugged at those same unwelcome desires. He yanked her to standing. Her face was lit with a smile. Unfortunately for her, she was a little too smug. He scooped her shirt open at the top and dumped in a handful of snow. Her sharp intake of breath gave him great satisfaction.
    “Never underestimate your opponent,” he said, and then turned to take off.
    He’d only gotten a few steps when Maggie launched herself onto his back. She squeezed his neck tightly and wrapped her legs around his hips. “You called a truce!”
    “Yeah, and you fell for it. Now we’re even.”
    Instead of another jab, she rubbed the top of his head. “I’ve missed this.”
    The friendly gesture settled him back to where he should be.
    “Me too.” He continued to walk back toward his truck with her on his back. “You want to tell me what your family did now?”
    As he unlocked his truck, she slid off his back. “Just the usual.”
    “You’ve been in Ireland for over a year. How is anything usual?”
    She climbed into the cab of the truck and waited for him to get behind the steering wheel. “They treat me like a little kid. They fawn all over me like I’ve just recovered from a terminal illness, but then they tiptoe around me. It’s annoying.”
    He started the truck and asked, “Where to?”
    “Anywhere but here.” She stared out the windshield. Her cheeks were red from the cold and the snow. Her laughter was gone, and he wanted it back.
    “Dinner?”
    “Sure.”
    Because she didn’t offer an opinion about where to go, Shane just drove. She had something on her mind, something more than her family hovering. When he pulled into the parking lot of their favorite hot dog stand, she sighed.
    “How’d you know?”
    “Everyone knows