Page 37 of Take Me Home for Christmas

I shook my head, smiling. My butt was wet, and I was a little freezing, but I loved seeing how much fun he was having, like a little kid sledding for the first time.

Then it suddenly occurred to me—maybe it was. The first time, I mean.

The very last trip down, we nearly wiped out at the bottom of the hill. When we’d almost slid to a stop, he purposely tumbled over to one side, taking me with him.

“You’re a terrible driver,” he teased, looking down at me. Our legs were tangled together, both of us sunken into the snow, where I could feel the shock as an icy chunk hit my bare back and sank under the waistband of my pants.

“You’re a bad passenger,” I shot right back. The moon was full, lighting up the hill and making the snow sparkle in spectacular shades of blue and gray. It was breathtaking, but not as breathtaking as Brax’s face above me, full of mischief and teasing.

“I shouldn’t have let you steer,” I complained weakly.

“You’re right,” he admitted. One second, we were laughing and joking. But then something happened. Maybe it was staring into his eyes for too long, watching them turn darker, moresomber, and very focused—on me. The only sound was my quick intake of air as we both got caught up in a moment where everything stood still. The earth became totally silent, the moon softly shining down on the snow, the lights from the house at the top of the hill glowing warmly.

“You’re a sledding virgin, aren’t you?” I was trying to be funny, but somehow, the mood had shifted. The intense look in his eyes told me so.

“Yes,” he admitted. “That was amazing. Thank you.”

For a moment, we stared at each other. His face was so perfect, so masculine, his eyes unreadable as they searched mine. His breath released in a puff of white. Before I could stop myself, I brushed his snowy hair back with one wet mitten.

His gaze dropped to my mouth.

I sucked in a breath. My body froze in place, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I was certain he could hear it.

“Mia,” he whispered, full of longing. I tilted my face upward in response. Snow had crept between my boot and my sock and the icy wetness was sinking in, but I forgot all about it as a slow, building heat pumped through me, and Brax lowered his head to mine.

At first, he kissed me tentatively, his lips softly brushing mine. But I sought his mouth, unable to disguise how badly I wanted this, how badly I wanted him. The next time, we met in a clash of need, our lips parting, our tongues meeting. He gave a little groan as he kissed me deeply and tenderly, making me dizzy and hot.

I got lost in his taste, the feel of him, in the solid, encompassing way he held me. I felt like the focus of his every thought, his every feeling, his every need. And I savored every precious moment of it.

I don’t know how long we lay there, but finally he lifted himself up, giving a little smile, and rolled to his side. I missed his warmth immediately. For a moment, we lay there together in the snow-covered field. The world was hushed, the moonlight casting a silver-blue light as it slanted across the snow.

He reached across and grasped my hand. There were so many stars shining, they looked like tiny Christmas lights, twinkling from far away. “Mia,” he said softly, turning his head toward me. “When were you going to tell me about Charlie?”

Chapter Twelve

Mia

I stood up abruptly, despite all the layers restraining me, and adjusted my hat. Snow fell off me in chunks. Some of it ran down my back. “I—because it’s not important.” I sounded ridiculous to my own ears. Itwasimportant. Things needed to be said—lots of things. And I had to muster the courage to say them.

Brax shook off the snow from his jeans. “Okay, well, were you planning on talking about it ever? Or were you just going to let me hear it from your family?”

I glared at him. His hat fell off, and he bent to retrieve it. He looked as discombobulated as I felt.

I’d given up trying to read his body language long ago. But I was tired of the mixed signals. And I needed answers too.

How did we get from kissing on a starry, snow-covered night to icy-cold reality? I did the only thing possible—began trekking up the hill. “Come with me,” I called back over my shoulder.

He jogged and caught up with me, dragging the toboggan behind him.

Both of us were silent, either because our digits were about to freeze off or because we knew we were about to have it out.

Once again, I’d gotten flummoxed by his kisses. Consumed by them. The man definitely knew how to kiss.

The first time we were together, it had been all about connection and passion and the magic of feeling that someone really got you. For me, anyway.

But that was finished. So why had I let this happen now? Who had kissed whom first? I knew the answer.Hehad. And I hadn’t even hesitated, getting swept right along with it.

I walked up the concrete steps to the stone patio, unzipped my coat, and tossed it onto the ground.

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