Page 47 of Catching the Mistletoe

He didn’t say anything, just loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, his movements controlled and precise.

“So that’s it.”

“Yep.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Fine. It’s your choice.”

He didn’t answer, just finished cleaning up and went outside, the door banging shut behind him.

CHAPTER19

Mack

Arabella had changed everything. I paced back and forth in front of the RV, unable to settle, unable to quiet my mind. The fact that she was a virgin shouldn’t matter, shouldn’t change anything. But it did. It made me question everything.

I was so fucking hot for her and the memory of her lips, the heat of her body, had me burning up. But I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t taint her, couldn’t ruin her. Fuck, she deserved so much more than me, more than someone like me could give her.

Rubbing my hands over my face, I cursed that moment this morning when I’d let my control slip. The feel of her body wrapped around me had seeped into my subconscious, making my blood hum before I was even awake. Truth be told, I thought I was half dreaming when I kissed her. Then it had gotten way out of hand and now here we were.

The sound of the RV door opening had me turning, my heart kicking into overdrive when Arabella stepped out. She was wearing a sweater dress and a pair of knee-high boots, her glossy hair swinging around her shoulders. So fucking gorgeous. And hot. Fuck.

Her face was perfectly calm, and she smiled politely. I huffed out a breath of relief. The last thing I wanted, the very last thing I wanted, was to hurt her.

“Any news on the activity for today?”

“Not yet.”

She nodded, leaning against the RV, her hands tucked into her pockets.

“Look, Arabella...”

“It’s okay, Mack. We can pretend it didn’t happen.”

Fuck, now she did sound a bit hurt. “I don’t want that.”

Tilting her head to the side, she surveyed me. “What do you want, then?”

You. But I’d already ruled that out, and now I was just being confusing and contradictory. “I guess I just want you to be happy.”

That made her smile. “Then fuck me.”

Before I could reply, Evelyn rounded the end of the RV. “Hey, you two. So sorry for the delay. We’ve finally got today’s visit arranged. It’s a school with kids with special needs. They’re expecting us before lunch.”

“Sounds good.” Arabella’s voice was perfectly calm and I couldn’t help a flare of admiration. She was all class, no doubt about it.

“Excellent.” Evelyn turned her gaze on me. “Is everything alright with you, Mack?”

“Sure.”

She raised an eyebrow but only said, “Let me know when you’re ready and we can get going.”

“Sure thing.”

As Evelyn disappeared around the RV, Arabella turned to me, her blue eyes cool. “Guess we’d better get our shit together.”

Jesus fuck, this was a mess. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

She shrugged and headed back into the RV. And I was left wondering what the hell I was doing.

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