Page 125 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
“It’s also Christmas year-round here—I see all the decorations I need.”
“Still, it makes me sad. Walking into Aunt Cindy’s house was always my favorite part of the visit because she decked out the entire place for the holiday season. Every nook and cranny had something. The curtains, the rugs, the bathroom, the kitchen. Every inch of the house was covered, and it just made it feel so warm and cozy. Don’t you want that?”
“I never wanted anything to do with the holiday, I guess, until this year…” He swallows and then lets out a heavy breath. “Until you arrived.”
I roll my teeth over the corner of my lip.
Our eyes connect, and the electricity that’s been building between us bounces and sparks as he drags his fingers over my cheek.
I lean into his touch, my tongue peeking out to wet my lips.
Heat builds inside of me as he slips his hand to the nape of my neck, pulling me in just an inch closer. I press my hand to his chest and lean in, letting him know that I want this.
I want this so much.
I wanted it in the truck.
I wanted it when he was helping me pull the sugar on the hook.
And secretly, when he kissed me under the mistletoe, I wanted so much more.
But he’s hesitant, and I don’t know why. Is he second-guessing himself?
Is he second-guessing me?
Just one touch, like last time.
One taste.
Please, Cole…
He wets his lips, his eyes bounce down to my mouth and then back up to my eyes, and just when I think he’s going to pull away because he hasn’t made a move yet, he leans in an inch.
But still no connection, and it drives me nuts.
I can see it in his eyes that he wants this kiss just as much as I do.
I can feel it in his hold on my neck.
I could sense it in the truck before we parted ways, but something is holding him back, and I’ll be damned if I’ll sit back and miss out on another opportunity to feel his lips against mine.
So I sit up, mentally take a deep breath, and then straddle his lap, the blanket falling away. Immediately his hands fall to my waist as his eyes stare deeply into mine. His fingers dig into my skin, I catch the bob in his Adam’s apple as he swallows, and when he doesn’t shift away from me or ask me to get off him, I slide my hands up his neck to his cheeks and grip them both right before angling his head and pressing my lips to his.
And I swear on everything in me, the burst of electricity that pops between us when he kisses me back is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
It’s intoxicating.
I grip him tighter, angling my mouth down as a low growl flows through his throat, right before his hands slide up my back, bringing me in closer.
This kiss, this connection—it’s everything.
His mouth, his hold, his taste.
It’s perfect.
This is perfect.
Sitting under the green lights, the dark sky just blanketing us, the silence of the still night around us… It’s everything I could ever have asked for as he parts his lips, deepening our kiss. One of my hands slides into his hair while his tongue swipes across my bottom lip.
