Читать книгу Under the Mistletoe - Katherine Garbera - Страница 12

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PENNY PUT HER hand on his jaw and felt the stubble of his five o’clock shadow. She liked the way it abraded her fingertips and she sighed.

“Sex. That’s what you’re proposing, isn’t it?” she asked, withdrawing her hand from him and getting to her feet.

Penny shivered a little bit from the cold but stood her ground. She’d never been wishy-washy in her life. Even with her bad relationships, she’d gone into them with her eyes open.

“No. I’m talking about the fact that we both know we’re going home in two weeks. It would be silly to pretend we didn’t.”

“Go on, I’m listening,” she said as her teeth chattered.

She got back under the blanket and he tucked it around her. He smiled at her—it was tentative and roguishly charming, and she had to smile back. “The next two weeks, leading up to Christmas and then New Year’s Eve, we spend together. We do all the things that couples do and we enjoy it.”

She nodded, trying to be analytical about it, to treat Will as if he were a businessman pitching an idea to her. “What’s the catch?”

“That we both know it ends on New Year’s Eve. That this is just temporary. To pretend this could be anything else is a lie.”

She thought about it. She’d had her fill of lies that were told to her by men. “So you’re proposing a vacation fling?”

“No, a Christmas affair...a sort of gift to each other,” he said. “Unless you’re not interested in me.”

“I almost kissed you,” she reminded him.

“The almost is the part that I’m concerned about,” he said, frowning slightly.

“You kind of said you had a proposition for me. I needed to see what you meant before I took this any further.” She hitched in a breath. “But for the sake of argument, why not try to make this into something real? Don’t you believe in love at first sight?” she asked. “I know not everyone does, but some people do.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and reached for his drink, taking a couple of swallows before looking her in the eyes. She knew stalling when she saw it.

“No lies,” she said. “That’s my rule if we even consider doing this. I don’t care if it will hurt my feelings or if it’s too raw for you. I will not tolerate any falsehoods.”

“I think there is a story there,” he said wryly.

“You haven’t convinced me you should hear it yet,” she retorted. “But it involves Jerk Butt Face.”

He laughed. “I am not good at relationships. Courtship and romance I can do—no problem—but the heavy-duty lifetime-together crap, not so much.”

She arched her eyebrow at him. “Might have something to do with the fact that you call it crap.”

“Might be. But experience has taught me two weeks is my maximum,” he said.

She wanted to know more about that but didn’t push. He offered her something temporary. “You’re proposing that we just both go into this with our eyes open. Have a great time and keep it light?”

It seemed almost too good to be true, but she was tempted. She needed something to make her remember all the things she loved about her life. And all the things she liked about being with a man.

Before Butch had come along and made her feel nothing but bitter resentment... “Yes,” he said. “That’s precisely what I’m looking for. But I’ll understand if this isn’t for you. Not everyone is good at compartmentalizing.”

“I take it you are?” she asked.

“I am. But as you said, we don’t know each other well enough to go into all that.”

“The nice thing about what you’re offering is that we don’t have to. I don’t have to try to make you into the man of my dreams.”

“No, but I wouldn’t mind being the man of your fantasies.” His voice dropped a seductive notch. “I find that when women and men are too focused on making ‘it’ work, they lose out on experiencing all the things they truly want.”

Boy, was that the truth. She hadn’t been too pushy with Butch because he was her boss, but also because he had seemed like a nice normal guy. She’d called that wrong.

“Can I have some time to think about it?” she asked, biting her lip.

“You can, but we only have two weeks,” he reminded her. “So don’t take too long.”

That was true. But— No, no buts, she thought. Thinking and weighing the pros and cons had netted her a holiday by herself. The gift she’d really wanted was a sexy man to share it with. Will was offering her that very thing.

It was only her fear that was keeping her from leaping into it. She didn’t want to make another mistake. Who did?

“I have arranged for a little surprise for you,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Why don’t you think it over and meet me in the lobby under the mistletoe in thirty minutes if you’re interested.”

“What kind of surprise?” she asked, but she already realized that she liked his surprises.

“An outdoor one, so you might want to get changed,” he said.

“What if I don’t show up?” Penny asked. She tried to imagine him standing there waiting for her. No guy she’d dated in the past would have done that, would have left themselves so obviously open to being stood up. “Won’t you feel silly standing there?”

“Not at all. I’ll feel like a man who missed out on knowing a very special woman. I hope you’ll take the chance and let me make this a Christmas we can both remember.”

* * *

PENNY WASN’T TOO sure about Will or letting herself know him any better. Two weeks sounded fun in theory, but the truth was that she wasn’t always supersmart when it came to love. She fell for all those losers and the sweet promises they made—but seldom kept—because inside she desperately wanted to be loved.

She knew it. Her therapist had confirmed it. And let’s face it, all those bad boyfriends over the years had just reinforced it.

But Will was different. He wasn’t making her any promises. All he’d said was, Let’s be each other’s Christmas present. Meet under the mistletoe to accept. And now she stood in the corner of the Lodge’s big reception area, waiting to see if he was going to show up.

She’d taken her time with her hair and makeup, wore a pair of slim-fitting black pants and a cream-colored silk top that showed off her curves. She looked her best. But now she just had to believe in herself. That was part of why she kept falling for those guys who couldn’t give her what she needed.

But believing in herself in a relationship was always a slippery slope.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Will said, coming up behind her.

She flushed and turned toward him. A few snowflakes still clung to his thick brown hair, and his bangs fell forward, brushing his face. His blue eyes were bright, but she noticed that he was watching her carefully.

He wore dark jeans and an olive green sweater that accentuated his muscular physique and broad shoulders. A few snowflakes still clung to his thick brown hair and his bangs fell forward, brushing his face.

“Hello.” She reached up on the premise of brushing the snow away but really just wanted to touch his hair.

“Are you waiting for me? Or hiding?”

“Neither,” she said. “Just giving myself a swift mental kick in the attitude.”

“Why is that?” he asked.

“I’m not sure about you yet, Will. I don’t have a good track record with men—something we’ve discussed. And I have to be honest here, you are almost too good to be true.”

“A sort of Christmas miracle?”

She had to laugh at the way he said it. He had enough confidence for both of them.

“I haven’t decided yet. You could be a mean old Jack Frost just blowing chilly air and leaving ice in your path.”

He gave her an enigmatic look as he peered down at her. “I have no way to prove I’m not. But we both know the girl who threw her phone in the snowbank wants to take a chance on me. So I’m going to go stand under that mistletoe and wait.”

He walked away, his stride long and confident, those jeans still hugging his butt. Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Canon” played in the background and Penny stood there, hesitating for a second before she realized that she wanted Will. Wanted him enough that she was going to go for it.

He’d said two weeks was the optimum time to just enjoy each other, and she was going to just have to take him at his word. Besides, Will seemed like the perfect sort of Christmas surprise that she couldn’t wait to unwrap.

She walked slowly toward him, the music dipping and swelling, the scent of the large pine Christmas tree in the lobby filling the air. Her courage and her hope were building with each step.

She stopped right in front of him and he gave her a cocky grin. “Knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Maybe I just felt bad for you standing all alone under the mistletoe,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.

His mouth was soft and firm as his lips moved under hers. With their breaths mingling together, sheer physical need inundated her senses. She felt the tip of his tongue brush against her lips, then gently part them. Shivers ran down her spine until she forgot everything except this man. Will.

He put his hands on her waist to draw her closer, but she broke the kiss and stepped back. Just because she’d decided to take a chance on him didn’t mean she was going to lose her head. She was going to keep her attraction to him under control.

“What was that?”

“A kiss,” she said.

“A pity kiss? I expected more from you,” he said.

“You’re going to have to show me a little more of the man who thinks two weeks is enough time to get to know someone.”

“Fair enough. I have a surprise for you,” he said, sliding his hands up her back and pulling her into his arms for a more thorough kiss. He took his time with it and she was struck with how good he tasted. It wasn’t just the fresh taste of his mouthwash; it was more than that. Something that seemed to stem entirely from Will.

He angled his head to the side and thrust his tongue deeper. She lifted her hands and framed his face with them. Spread her fingers over his five-o’clock shadow and then drew back.

“Where’s this surprise?” she asked, even though she wanted to pull him into a nice private corner and have her way with him. Keep kissing him until they were both so turned on that they could forget about everything except each other.

“Outside. Did you bring a coat?”

“I did,” she said.

She’d left it at the coat check and they walked over to get both of their coats. Then he led her out the door, which led to the ski slopes and outdoor area with fire pits and trails. A chill wind blew a light snow around them as they walked. Her neck was cold and she wished she’d brought a hat with her, but she’d forsaken it for vanity’s sake—so her hair would look good.

Warm sounded better than nice hair at this moment, however. She turned her collar up around the back of her neck and shoved her hands deeper into her pockets.

“Damn, it’s cold. We’ll be warm in a few minutes,” Will said. “Wait right here.”

She watched as he strode away in the lightly falling snow. She almost felt the first tingles of that same worry that had bothered her in the lobby but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She’d made her decision. She had two weeks of just being with Will before she had to deal with the fallout from it.

* * *

THE SLEIGH WAS big and looked like it had come from a scene from one of the Currier and Ives lithographs that had hung in her grandparents’ hallway when she’d been little. The driver introduced himself to them and as Will talked to him, Penny moved to the front of the sleigh to get a closer look at the horses.

She’d grown up back East in a fairly suburban area, but her best friend growing up had been raised on a horse ranch and Penny had always loved the animals.

“Ready?” Will asked.

She nodded, even though she felt a little nervous. Hell, after the way her last relationship had broken down who would blame her...but she’d made her decision and it was time to enjoy it.

“This is for you,” he said.

“I didn’t get you anything,” she responded, taking the long square box that was wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a simple red bow.

“You can owe me,” he said with a wink.

“Have you done this a hundred times before?”

“It’s a little unflattering you think I’m old enough to have experienced a hundred Christmases,” he said flippantly.

“You know what I meant.” Penny held the package with one hand and just watched him, wondering if he’d been serious about not lying. She was sorely tempted to embark on a red-hot affair with this handsome stranger, but if he was going to hedge and evade questions, she’d call the whole thing off.

“I do. And to answer your question—no, this isn’t my normal MO. But I have had two-week affairs before. As I mentioned earlier, I pretty much don’t do long-term.”

She nodded. “Should I open this gift now?”

“Yes. The driver has gone to get the hot cocoa I ordered.”

Penny turned the box over in her hands. Her first present from Will. She untied the red ribbon and took a moment to slip it in her pocket. It was that soft fabric kind. Then she carefully undid the wrapping paper.

“I’ve never seen anyone take as long to open a present.”

She laughed. “Sorry about that. I like to savor things.”

He reached over, pulling off his glove, and touched the side of her face. His hand was warm against her skin. “Me, too.”

She leaned over and kissed him, just a quick brushing of lips before removing the rest of the paper. He took it from her and wadded it up in his hand and tossed the ball of wrapping into the nearby trash bin. “Open it.”

She took the lid off the box and pushed the tissue paper aside to reveal a pretty, thick wool scarf. The colors were soft and muted, almost like the sky just after dawn. The wool was so soft that she couldn’t stop touching it. It was an exquisite gift. “Thank you.”

He nodded then reached into the box and took out the scarf. He stepped closer to her and wrapped it around her neck, tying it carefully before pulling her hair from the back where it had gotten trapped by the fabric.

“I really like it,” she said.

He cupped her face and tipped her head up so that their eyes met. Even in the darkness his were still brilliantly blue. “I really like you.”

He kissed her then, slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. Passion built inside her as his mouth moved over hers. His tongue was gentle but firm as he thrust it into her mouth and she dropped the box to the ground to reach for him. Putting her arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him close to her, she reveled in his power and strength. His chest was solid against hers even through the layers of their winter coats. And the snow that fell lightly around them was a counterpoint to the heat they generated.

He wrenched his lips from hers and then dropped a series of soft kisses on her face before he stepped back and bent to retrieve the box she’d dropped. He walked over to toss it in the trashcan. As he slowly headed back toward her, she watched the way he moved, with that confident stride and the languid grace of a man sure of himself and his woman. His woman. She had pretty much agreed to be that. Penny rubbed her lips, which still tingled from his kiss. She was electrified from his touch. Couldn’t wait for him to kiss her again and to see how this evening turned out. What kind of lover would he be?

“Why are you watching me?”

“I like the way you move,” she said, getting more excited by the prospect of this Christmas romance. There was no pressure to be what he wanted so they could make things work out. There was nothing for her to do except enjoy her time with him. Something about him just made her feel warm inside. When he was just a few feet away, she leaped toward him and saw a look of surprise before he opened his arms to catch her.

She laughed as he hugged her close and spun her around. She threw her head back as the snowflakes fell on her face and she released all the past hurts and emotional baggage that she normally carried with her. For this Christmas, she was ready to let go and enjoy it.

He slowly lowered her down the length of his body and she kissed him with all the fierce desire building up inside of her. She couldn’t believe that it had only been this morning when she’d met him.

Savoring the moment, the feel of his lips ravaging hers, she marveled at how someone’s world could change that quickly. How a chance encounter could completely make her open her eyes to a world she had never realized existed until now.

“I guess you like the scarf,” he said wryly as he put her on her feet.

“I do. But I like you more. I think this is going to be the best Christmas I’ve had in a long time.”

“Me, too,” he murmured.

The attendant returned and the driver climbed into the front of the carriage while she and Will were seated in the back. The blankets they had for their legs were thick and woven in a traditional red, green and gold plaid. They were handed a thermos and two insulated mugs for their drinks, which were stowed in a small basket on the floor.

“Ready?” the driver asked.

They nodded and the sleigh took off, pulling them through the snow with only the sounds of their breathing, the bells on the horses’ necks and the whistle of the blades over the snow to accompany them.