His Touch (24 page)

Another grin. Impossibly, it was more devastating than the first one. “Merry Christmas.” He extended a hand. “I’m Lucas but everyone calls me Luke.”

His attitude, the twinkle in his eyes, his smile, his dimples. Jeez, they could melt the snow under her feet, or under her – Oh God. She quickly dusted snow off her butt, feeling her face burn when his grin grew wider.

“I like your hat,” he offered. “My mother would have loved that.”

Loved
—past tense.

Elena couldn’t miss that. Her eyes snapped to his, held there, and yes, if she looked closely, she could see sadness under the twinkle. Courtesy demanded that she acknowledge his statement, but self-preservation compelled her to avoid it. Elena never spoke of her mother and the attack that killed her and did her best to not think of it. Discussing
his
mother would send her right back into that dark place she’d spent thirteen years clawing her way out of. Instead, she thrust out her hand, clasped his. “Merry Christmas to you, too. Thanks for rescuing me.”

It couldn’t have been warmer than twenty-five degrees and he had no gloves, but somehow, their brief connection shot a jolt of heat through her system.

When she failed to offer her name, Lucas shoved his hands back into his pockets and asked, “Can I give you a hand getting inside?”

“Um, no. I’ve got it. Thanks again.” Elena took a definite step back.

The move made his hands come up, surrender-style. “Not a line, not a ploy, I promise.”

“No, I didn’t think it was. I just don’t want to keep you from wherever you’re going. You’ve already done a lot. Thank you.”

“What’s your name, pretty lady?” He angled his head and her mouth opened all by itself because her brain was completely entranced by that smile.

“Elena.”

“Elena. Nice meeting you. Merry Christmas again.”

“You, too. Merry Christmas.”

She wheeled her suitcase and hefted her shopping bags through the door of her sister’s building. When she looked back, the man with the supernova smile was gone and she sighed in relief.

And, maybe, just a little disappointment…

Find out what happens next in A Match Made at Christmas

Buy now!

If you enjoyed
His Touch
, you’ll love the other Summer in New York stories!

His Touch
by Patty Blount

His Kiss
by Jolyse Barnett

His Love
by Jennifer Gracen

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Patty Blount
is a hopeless romantic who frequently falls in love with fictional characters, only to suffer repeated broken hearts when the story ends, kicking her back out into the real world. Goodness and Light is her first contemporary romance for adults—to date, three of her novels for teens have been published, with a fourth expected in 2015.

For more from Patty:

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PattyBlount.com

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