Mission of Christmas Read Free Page B

put them with his. “If I have to carry you over my shoulder, you’re going.”  
    “Hey!” She tried to reach for them, but he held them out of her reach.  
    “Get over it.”
    The clerk waved him to her counter, and when he handed over his pile, Erica tried again to snag her books back.
    “Knock it off, Hawkins,” Erica said. “And I’m not going to the holiday party. I couldn’t care less about it.” When he wouldn’t let her by, she tried to sneak a twenty to pay for her books.
    He pushed her hand back and handed the clerk his credit card instead, telling Erica, “You’re going to the party.”
    She growled at him as his stuff was bagged. They made it to the door before Erica tried for the sack. “Give me my damn books.”
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “You have to come to Mom’s to get them.” It hadn’t been his intention to blackmail her with presents, but it would work. He couldn’t explain how much he wanted her to come to the Christmas festivities. Just that it had to be.
    “You’re just plain evil.”
    She pouted as they headed out into the cold.
     
     
    “I hope you’re about done,” Erica said as they pulled into the Best Buy parking lot.
    “This is the last one, I promise.” Andy climbed out, and Erica followed.
    “You seriously are buying me lunch after this.”
    “Anything you want, my dear.”
    She raised her eyebrow at him, a strange look on her face.
    Man, she’d heard that . He looked away, hoping she didn’t see the embarrassment. He’d sounded like a horny jock, and he wanted to kick himself.
    He knew better than that. Erica was not one to be seduced by typical guy stuff. She wanted…
    Hell, he wasn’t sure what she wanted exactly. But he needed to figure her out.
    That was the weird thing about their relationship. They knew everything about each other, except how to be more than just friends.
    Uncharted territory, and all that.
    Well, not completely uncharted.
    There was that time, back in high school, where they drank a little too much out at the lake…
    They didn’t have sex or anything, though Andy would have jumped on that if Erica hadn’t held him back.
    But they did make out. Kissing for almost two hours under the stars, hands groping, all those fumbling things kids did together when they got alone.
    Yeah.
    A good night.
    Andy and Erica walked in the front door of the electronics store.
    “What are you thinking about?” Erica asked him.
    “Hanging out at the lake,” he said.
    She let out a long sigh. “Yes, that would be awesome. Lake, hot warm sun, splashing water. Smores.” She got this big grin on her face.
    “Beer. Stars. Campfires,” he added.
    They glanced at each other, and he wondered if she remembered what he remembered.
    Her cheeks went pink, and he knew she did.
    He grinned. “That was a happy time.”
    “Yeah. Uh-huh.” She took a few steps away from him. “What did you need to get in here?”  
    He sighed. Damn, he thought he had her there. “A video game for my brother-in-law. Some new Star Wars game.”
    “Your brother-in-law is a geek.”
    “Yes he is. Has to be. He married my sister, the ultimate nerd.”
    “I don’t know, I could probably give her a run for the money,” Erica said as she browsed the video game titles.
    He smirked. “I know my sister would love your Avengers dolls.”
    “Do not mock the Joss.”
    He laughed. “You are such a geek.”
    “Gotta love me anyway,” Erica muttered.
    “I try to,” he whispered, more to himself than her.
    “What was that?”
    “Nothing,” he said, and picked up a game. “I think this is it.”
    “Yeah, okay, I’m gonna go look at movies.” And Erica darted out of the aisle.
    He turned to follow her, and ran smack into Tawny and Mandy Sue. They were decked out in the latest Christmas fashions with low-cut sweaters and boots that couldn’t be good walking on anything slick.
    “Oh, hello,” he said, painting on a smile.
    “Why, I told you that was Andrew,” Tawny