Page 60 of The Mistletoe Trap
He relayed the answer, and Julie’s mouth formed a perfect circle. “Oh, that makes sense. Much more sense than your mom ignoring etiquette and coming up with clues that belong in a Rihanna music video.”
Gavin chuckled, his palm muffling the sound of another incoming text.
Niki:But you two have fun acting out doggy style ;)
Before Jules could see that one, he set his phone to silent and jammed it in his pocket. If only he could erase the words from his own memory, he’d consider their evasion tactics a great success.
But no surprise, tryingnotto think about sex only ensured it remained at the forefront of his mind.
…
The longer Julie stood there, the weight of the necklace pressing against her sternum, the heavier every moment seemed. As much as she wanted to close the distance, fling her arms around Gavin, and kiss him, they’d drawn lines.
Lines that’d become fuzzy, but the last thing she wanted to do was to throw herself at him and deal with the fallout of him explaining—again—that it was too risky.
She scratched at the suddenly itchy spot on the side of her head. “Well, I guess I should turn in for the night.”
Tell me not to go. Say you want me as badly as I want you.
Gaze glued to the floor, Gavin rubbed his neck and nodded. “Probably a good idea. It’s been a long day.”
Hard not to translate that to being dismissed, but Julie reminded herself she was an adult woman who could freely speak her mind. Then she turned and headed for the door, because she was also a chicken who was too scared to ruin her closest friendship, regardless of how horny she was.
And yeah, it was becoming an issue. The aching spot between her thighs protested every step away from Gavin. Her muscles seized as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
No words came from behind her; no plea to stay the night.
The door was too heavy, not budging even as she pushed with all her might, and why was it making this even harder?
“Jules,” Gavin said, and she turned around.
“You need to pull instead of push—looked like you were having some trouble.”
“Oh. Right.” No wonder he didn’t want to fling her on the bed and have his wicked way with her. She couldn’t even open doors.
She charged into the hallway before she lost her nerve—or was it because she’d already lost it? Either way, she’d committed to leaving, so leave she did.
As soon as the door snicked closed behind her, she leaned against the wood and pressed her hand to the aching spot in the center of her chest. While she’d done her best to hide the truth from even herself, that vital organ battering against the confines of her rib cage didn’t comply.
In theory, the Great Fling Experiment involved upping her sex game and nothing more. But walking away from Gavin felt like losing a lot more than passionate intercourse.
If she didn’t know better, she’d worry she’d left behind a literal piece of her heart.
You’ve got a choice to make. Either stride across the hall to mope or take control.
Julie spun and gripped the door handle. Then she rested her forehead against the wood, summoning up every ounce of courage she—
The door fell away, and she stumbled into a hard body that gave her a myriad of squishy feelings.
“I was just coming to get you,” Gavin said as he steadied her. “What are you doing?”
“Seizing the fucking moment,” she said, and then she cupped the back of his neck and tugged his face to hers for a searing kiss.
Chapter Twenty-One
Every time Julie had been brave enough to leap, she experienced a free-fall moment when, despite knowing there was no going back, she also prayed there’d be a safety net at the bottom.
The arms that encompassed her were the best safety netever, and Gavin towed her into the room and then used her body to close the door behind them. Every groove of the wood grain imprinted itself on her backside as Gavin pressed in to her, deftly pinning her in place.
