Page 82 of Catching the Mistletoe

“I’m so sorry. We didn’t make it to the bathroom in time, so I had to go back to our room for a change of clothes.”

“Um, no worries,” Mack chuckled.

“And thank you. Both of you. Seriously. You guys are the bomb.”

“Happy to help.”

“Absolutely.”

Moving away, I headed for the gift pile, needing a distraction, a cold drink, and a sanity check. It looked like the distraction was coming my way, at least, since Josie stepped up to me with a friendly smile. “You guys ready to hand out the gifts now?”

“We sure are!”

“Great!”

Josie clapped her hands and within moments, the kids were all sitting in a circle, waiting as patiently as they could.

As Mack and I worked together, the excitement was infectious, the cheers and the gasps and the delight had me smiling wider than a country mile.

One teen, a rail thin, pale young man, grabbed a coat, a pair of sneakers and a backpack, his eyes glistening, his throat bobbing. “Thank you,” he croaked, his voice choked.

“You’re welcome,” I soothed, squeezing his arm.

“This means so much. Seriously.”

“We’re so glad.”

Another teen, a curvy, cheerful young woman, jumped up and down, clutching a scarf, a pair of headphones and a hat, her eyes dancing. “Hell yeah, Arabella. Mack. This is the shit.”

I laughed when she threw her arms around me in an exuberant hug and patted her back. “Enjoy.”

“Damn straight.”

We kept it up, handing out clothes and backpacks and sneakers, headphones and make up. It was the perfect antidote to my tumultuous mind.

When we finally handed out the last gift, I did my bit for the cameras, encouraging everyone to open their pockets as much as they could and hoping it was enough. Then we were saying goodbye, the camera crew were going on their way and Evelyn was giving Mack instructions while I climbed into the RV and took the opportunity to change out of my Christmas outfit.

CHAPTER29

Arabella

Afew minutes later, Mack climbed into the RV, his lips curved in a mysterious smile. He looked so hot that, of course, I couldn’t help myself. I jumped into his lap and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips. Inevitably, it turned hotter than I was expecting, and I pushed my fingers into his hair, opening my lips to him, sighing into his mouth when he tangled his tongue with mine.

I gasped when Mack abruptly pulled away and, with his hands around my waist, picked me up and dropped me back in the passenger seat. “Heeeey!”

With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he said, “Stay over there if you want your surprise.”

“Huh? What surprise?”

“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “And if you nag me about it, I’ll cancel it.”

That shut me up. Leaning back, I folded my arms and gave a fake glare. “Fine.”

Turning the key in the ignition, he shot me a look. “Anyone ever told you that you have the patience of a toddler?”

“Frequently.”

Mack chuckled and turned his focus back to pulling into traffic. Of course, I gazed out the window, trying to figure out where the fuck he was taking me, but it was just an endless stream of steel and concrete and Chicago traffic. Finally, he pulled up to the curb, and I looked around, letting out a surprised, “Huh?” when my eyes finally fell on the small sign above a shop door. “Inkspirations. Tattoos & Piercings.” The window was littered with images of stylized dragon scales, butterflies, motor bikes, Greek goddesses. You name it, I could see it.

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