Page 117 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
“Jesus,” I mutter in a soft laugh. “Get in the truck. I’m taking your perverted ass home.”
She hops up into the truck, and I shut the door when she’s settled.
Christmas wants to be spanked—where the hell did she come up with that?
Shaking my head, a smile tugging on my lips, I get into my side of the truck, and I glance over at her. She’s smiling brightly, clearly pleased with herself, and I realize for the first time in a really long time, I feel…light.
I don’t feel the weight of this holiday on my shoulders, the dread of it all.
I’m actually having…hell, I’m having fun.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing.” I shake my head and start the truck.
“No, tell me.”
“No, it’s stupid.”
“It’s probably not,” she says, pushing at my shoulder. “Just tell me.”
I lean my head back. “Just…you know…just having fun is all.”
She gasps and tugs my hand, forcing me to look at her. “You’re having fun? With me? Your nemesis? Ring the bells, call the town crier, Cole Black is having fun with me.”
“And that’s exactly why I didn’t want to say anything,” I reply as I tug my hand back from her.
“I’m not even sorry. I’m going to shout it out the window when we get to Kringle, letting everyone know that Cole Black finds me fun to be with.”
“You do that, and while you’re at it, tell them how much you enjoy my kissing.”
She scoffs. “Okay, now we’re just telling lies, and during the Christmas season? Cole…” Shetsks. “I think we’ve deceived the people enough, don’t you?”
I pull out onto the road and head toward the highway, thankful it’s a straight shot from here. And given that it stopped snowing, and the roads are clear, it might take us less time to get home than it did to get here.
“We wouldn’t be deceiving them—we would be telling them the truth. I saw the way you looked at me, felt the way you kissed me back. All passion.”
She laughs. “That was not passion.”
I reach across and pat her leg. “It’s okay, Storee. No need to be embarrassed. I get it. I’m irresistible to you.”
“Oh my God.”
“Exactly what you thought when our kiss ended,” I say with a smirk.
“And now you’re back to being incredibly annoying,” she says, folding her arms across her chest.
“Then my work here is done.”
Storee
“Taran just texted me that the car was dropped off in the driveway and that Atlas said it was all checked out and everything was good.” I turn toward him. “Thank you, Cole.”
“Not a problem,” he says.
“She also asked how I was doing since I had to be in your presence for more than a few minutes. I told her my skin was melting off.”
He chuckles and glances at me. “I don’t know, your skin looks pretty normal to me.”
