Page 28 of Mistletoe Love Match
Calliope’s bottom lip trembled. “You hardly know me, Alec. When we aren’t shagging, we’re insulting each other. And half the time, we’re shagging while trading barbs.”
He could sense her vulnerability, and it gave him the courage to open his heart. He twisted a lock of her hair between his fingers. “That’s not entirely true. I know you better than you think. I know you care about your family and children. You’re protective of your sister, and I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen your face light up when you’re with Sebastian. I know you’re a damned good teacher. I walked by your classroom more times than I’d like to admit. Your students adore you. And the medical staff was talking about how their kids were thrilled to have you volunteering in the childcare center.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. The walls he’d erected around his heart had crumbled, and there was no holding back now.
“What is it?” she asked gently.
“There’s more.”
She held his gaze. “You can tell me.”
Excitement and trepidation flowed through his veins. If Calliope’s touch wasn’t grounding him, he’d surely float away. He was the definition of punch-drunk.
He steadied himself. “I know that when you walk into a room, it takes every ounce of my strength not to gather you into my arms and never let you go.”
“That’s the second time you’ve told me you never wanted to let me go,” she said as the warmth in her smile echoed in her voice.
She was right. He’d spoken the same words in the car.
He tucked the lock of hair he’d been playing with behind her ear and tightened his hold on her body. “When the car started spinning on the ice, fear gripped me like nothing I’d ever experienced. But I wasn’t worried about myself.”
She observed him closely. “What were you worried about?”
“You,” he got out in a rasp of a breath. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. When we started sliding, everything slowed down. Flashes of you came to me. I saw your face, your eyes, that sexy as hell twist of a grin, and then one thing became overwhelmingly clear. My feelings went beyond wanting to keep you safe. I felt something deeper, something that tapped into a part of me I didn’t even know existed, and I can’t ignore it any longer.”
“What can’t you ignore?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Love.” The word fell from his lips like a flawless snowflake dancing in the air.
“Love?” she repeated.
He nodded. “From the moment I met you, I felt our connection. Even when you make me spitting mad, which you do a hell of a lot, I want to remain close to you. When I hear your footsteps, my heart races. When your voice carries on the breeze, I’m drawn to you like a moth to the flame. You’re the last thing I think about before I fall asleep, and when I wake up, you’re the first thing on my mind.”
“Alec,” she interjected.
But he couldn’t stop. “We make each other crazy, but we also challenge each other. We’re good together in a train-barreling-down-the-tracks sort of way. Our passion and our commitment to the people we care about drives us. And Jesus, the chemistry between us is explosive. I even like it when you call me Dr. Wanker. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what love is.”
That was one hell of a Christmas Eve confession. He’d put it all on the line. The snowball was in her court now.
For a beat, she remained silent, then the corners of her lips tipped into a devilish smirk. “What if I told you I had a thing for wankers?”
His heart hammered as a buzzy elation took over. “Are you saying you could love a wanker? Because we both know I’m off the charts when it comes to wankering.”
“Two things,” she replied, not missing a beat. She assumed her prim schoolteacher demeanor. “First, never saywankeringagain. It sounds bloody ridiculous.”
He suppressed a grin. “And number two?”
“Understand this, Alec Lamb.” Her expression grew earnest as she dropped her headmistress persona. “I couldn’t see myself loving any old wanker, but it’s quite possible that I’m already in love with a wanker doctor-in-training.”
Excitement flooded his system. “Mr. Krangle did say anything was possible on Christmas Eve. And here we are, just the two of us—you and a wanker.”
She stroked his cheek and chuckled.
“But I’ll tell you one thing that’snotpossible,” he added as his eye caught a flash of red and green.
She raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
He gestured toward the trio of leaves dotted with scarlet berries. “It’s not possible for me to stop myself from kissing you. I have it on good authority that a kiss under the mistletoe can lead a person in a direction they never expected. What do you say, Calliope Cress? Do you want to chase the unexpected with me?”
In all his life, he’d never wanted anything more.
