Off Limits Read Online Free PDF

at the look on his face.
    Oh God.
    My eyeswent wide and my heart gave a kick against my ribs.
    That wasn’t just affection. His eyes were hot and hungry, focused on me with searing intensity. My body became electrified and my knees trembled.
    “I think your mom bought those to hang on the tree.” Andrew’s voice had gone hoarse.
    I slid the candy out of my mouth, slowly, watching him. “No, I’m sure she bought them for me to eat.”
    His eyesblazed, but one corner of his mouth lifted. “If you say so, peanut.”
    My heart now squeezed. He’d called me the old nickname he’d used when we were kids. My brothers were both big like my dad, but my being only five-two had earned me that nickname from Andrew. Still, it was way better than “punkin’ butt” and “twinkle toes,” which Connor and Daniel had called me.
    My throat got tight and I shovedthe candy cane back in my mouth. Inside I was shivering and hot.
    Damnshitdamn. What was happening here? This was so bad.
    I’d met someone else. I was over Andrew. Way over.
    The sound of car doors closing outside had our heads swiveling. Mom, Dad, and Daniel tramped into the house with a gust of cold air, Mom and Dad arguing about how many lights Dad had bought.
    “You’re going to blow every circuitbreaker in the house with that many lights,” Mom said. “Clark Griswold.”
    My eyes met Andrew’s and we burst out laughing.
    “Let’s get this show on the road.” Dad dumped the bags he was carrying on the floor.
    “We have to wait for Connor and Jon to come back,” I said.
    “And Emily and Christopher to wake up,” Andrew added.
    “Christopher has to be here for his first tree decorating,” I said.
    Andrewlifted an eyebrow at me.
    “What? He does. Okay, okay, he’s a baby, he’ll never remember this.”
    “Two is a good age for Christmas,” Mom said. “That was the most fun, when you kids were two.”
    “That’s it?” Daniel said. “We were only fun for one year?”
    Mom laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”
    “I’ll go see if they’re still sleeping. Be right back.” Daniel bounded up the stairs.
    Jon and Connor showedup moments later carrying boxes of booze.
    “We should be good now.” Connor flashed a grin as he carried his box into the kitchen.
    Jon did the same, then came and gave me a kiss. It was nice that he and Connor had had some time together to get to know each other. As Jon’s lips touched mine, my eyes flicked sideways of their own volition, to glimpse Andrew watching us, his face expressionless.Awareness skittered over me. Conscious of Andrew, I kept the kiss brief and stepped back from Jon to smile at him. “So you got a little tour of Greenfield?”
    “Yeah. Cute town. Quaint.”
    The way he said “quaint” did not sound complimentary and my forehead tightened. But Daniel and Emily came downstairs and everyone was ready to decorate. Emily brought the baby monitor, as Christopher was stillsleeping. They didn’t appreciate my suggestion to wake him up.
    This time the lights were successful and soon the tree was wrapped with several hundred mini white lights. Then we got to put the decorations on, including some of the ones we’d made as kids that had survived the years—my glittery pine cone strung with red yarn; cookie dough ornaments we’d created, one of them Daniel’s snowman paintedall black, with fierce red eyes and mouth, which had honestly scared me when I was little; Connor’s Pokemon-shaped ornament.
    “You changed the music?” Connor muttered to me at one point.
    “Yep.” Mom hadn’t noticed yet.
    “Thank you.”
    “I can’t believe tomorrow’s Christmas Eve!” I hung a red bell on a branch. “Are we going to church tomorrow night?”
    “Yes.” Mom studied the garland she’d draped aroundthe tree. “This looks like a five-year-old did it.”
    “It always does,” Andrew said in a low voice near me, and we exchanged smiles. Louder he said, “It looks great, Brenda.”
    “Tomorrow