Page 28 of Emma and the Elf Next Door

My eyes are locked on her mouth and I sense the moment she leans forward. Taking her face in my hands, I stroke her cheekbones with my thumbs. With her sweet breath tickling my nose, I lean all the way forward and press my lips on hers.

And it’s magical.

She tastes like chocolate and strawberry and every one of my dreams come true. Her lips are soft and insistent and I lose myself in them. In her.

We kiss for minutes, hours, days and when we come up for air, I can’t help placing my lips back on hers. Now that I know what it’s like to kiss her, I never want it to end.

“Wow,” she sighs when we finally break apart, both of our chests heaving. “That was…”

“A Christmas miracle?”

Her laughter fills me up, and I gently lay my forehead on hers, not wanting to sever our connection. “I’m so glad that movie got us to meet. I can’t imagine you’ve been on the other side of my wall all this time…and I didn’t know…”

She nods, her eyes closed. “We could’ve gone months, years without ever meeting.”

I shake my head. No. “I don’t think so. I feel like, somehow, we were supposed to meet.”

“Even though you thought I was a crazy cat lady to begin with…?”

I smile, pressing my lips against hers for another small taste that turns into more. When we break apart again, I stroke her hair back from her face, letting my fingers linger on her soft, silk-like skin.

“Yes, even then. I would have bought myself a couple of cats and joined in the fun.”

Her laughter is delighted as she pokes me in the ribs, and I swing my arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to my side and resting my head on top of hers. Who would have thought only five days ago, when I’d listened to her sobbing on the other side of the wall, that we’d be here right now?

“I’m so happy,” she says softly, snuggling in closer to me.

I kiss the top of her head and silently agree. After days of neighbourly wars, it has ended in a very merry Christmas after all.

CHAPTER 13

Emma

We kissed!

We kissed! We kissed! We kissed!

Noah and I are walking home from the beach, hand in hand, and my fingers are itching to text Carly with an update.

The update being that I’d just had the best kiss of my life. Kisses. Plural.

“So, what do you think?”

Uh oh.I’d not been listening.

“Hmm,” I blink up at him. At his gorgeous face. “About what?”

He smiles at me like I’m a cute puppy and butterflies dance in my belly at his expression.

“About us having dinner together?”

YES!

“You want to have dinner? Tonight?” I squeak, all sense of playing it cool long gone. This guy has my heart melting like the ice cream I’d just inhaled.

His smile is indulgent, and he squeezes my hand in his. “We were just discussing what to do with all that leftover food fromlunch. And I suggested we make turkey sandwiches for dinner. I baked a loaf of sourdough bread this morning, which would be perfect for sandwiches.”

The man bakes his own bread. Carly is going to die when I tell her this.

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