Page 70 of Catching the Mistletoe

He stroked my hair gently, and I felt him lift his head. “Hey, Little Dove.” His voice was so gentle, so worried, that I forced my eyes open. There was such deep concern and care in Mack’s face when he looked at me that it made me cry even more.

He went to move away, but I tightened my legs, making him stay. “Sorry,” I sniffled.

“It’s okay. I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m fine. Amazing, actually. Never felt so good.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” He brushed his lips against might. “But can I ask why you’re crying, then?”

“Because I knew it would be hot, but I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful. And I’m just overwhelmed.”

“Overwhelmed good?”

“Overwhelmed amazing.”

He sighed, a smile curving his lips. “You scared me. I thought I hurt you.”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“I’m glad.” Mack wiped my tears away, his fingertips lingering on my skin. “You’re something else, Arabella Snow.”

“Straight back to you.”

“I’m going to move now.”

“Okay.”

He did, easing away from me and climbing out of bed. Mack disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a warm washcloth. “Here.”

“Thank you.”

He cleaned me up gently, his touch reverent, his eyes dark and watchful. It was all so careful, so tender, it just had me melting even more. When he was done, he tossed the washcloth aside and climbed back into bed, pulling me into his arms.

I settled against him, laying my hand over his heart and closing my eyes, letting out a blissful sigh. “Thank you.”

His only answer was to press a kiss to the top of my head. It was enough. I was asleep in five seconds flat.

CHAPTER25

Mack

The moment I woke up, I reached for Arabella. My hand only found empty sheets. Rolling over, I blinked sleepily, looking around the cabin. She was nowhere to be seen. She was to be heard, though, humming a tune in the bathroom. Smiling as I scrubbed my hands over my face, I eased from the bed to throw a couple of logs on the fire and poke it into life. Fuck, even with the heating on, it was cold. I slid back under the covers, my blood humming with anticipation.

Arabella came out of the bathroom, saw that I was awake and the way her face lit up had my heart squeezing so hard I could barely breathe. She took a few running steps and threw herself on top of me. “Good. You’re awake.”

“I am.”

“I was worried I’d have to wake you up.”

“Oh yeah. What for?” I slid my hands down her back, smoothing my palms over her skin, loving the way she shivered, and not from the cold.

“So we can fuck.”

I gave a fake groan. “Not again.”

Grinning, she said, “Shut up. You love it.” But as she leaned forward to kiss me, her smile faded and her eyes clouded with anxiety. “Don’t you?”

My heart squeezed again. She was so brash, and funny and extroverted that sometimes I forgot that underlying all that was this incredible vulnerability. Hating that I’d made her feel even a shred of doubt, I shifted the blanket from under her and wrapped it around her shoulders. Gripping the edges, I used it to pull her close so I could press a tender kiss to her lips. “I sure do.”

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