Page 47 of Under the Mistletoe
He swore he could hear a small laugh as the lock snapped into place. “Good night, Logan.”
Logan pushed off the frame and hurried back up to his room.
He shut the door, settled into the chair, and opened his laptop. He was down to an hour to get this to Christina.
He scanned where he left off.
* * *
Astryn closed her eyes. Rand had gone back to detached rescuer, but she wasn’t the same. Every inch of her had become aware of him. His warmth, his strength, his smile. She was being pulled toward him in every way. She had fallen for the brother she couldn’t have.
* * *
A few hours ago, he’d hated this scene because Astryn was falling for the wrong brother. But what if she wasn’t? Logan clenched his fists, the tension coiling in his shoulders as he recalled the way her eyes had sparkled—not at Liam, but at him.I never thought Liam was the best-looking guy in the room.It hadn’t been Liam she’d been watching. It had been him. Logan who had stepped in to help her. Logan who had bought her the bracelet and helped her feel seen. Logan who she’d wanted to kiss tonight. Her warmth against him, the way she leaned in, the way her eyes had pulled him in, it all made him ache with a longing he’d never experienced. He wasn’t invisible to Devin. Maybe he was more like Rand than he’d realized.
Now it just needed an ending.
Logan closed his eyes, trying to visualize the scene, but all he came up with was Devin’s face. The warmth of Devin’s skin. How much he’d wanted to finally taste her lips.
Logan opened his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. Maybe that was it. If he were Rand, finally being this close to the woman he cared about might be his undoing, even if she was engaged to his brother. And he had no doubt that the kingdom would be the last thing on Astryn’s mind. Logan hovered his fingers over the keys a moment, then let the scene come to life.
* * *
Rand bent closer to inspect the wound. His thumb skimming along her neck, sending fire through her veins. Her eyes trailed along the scruff of his jaw and paused on his lips.
“It doesn’t look like more than a surface scra?—”
Astryn’s eyes darted to his. His caramel eyes bored into hers, his own expression a war of need and honor.
“Astryn.” His voice was low and raw. It was half plea and half warning.
And for the first time, Astryn grabbed onto the idea that the feeling, the desire, the deep sense that what was happening between them wasn’t one-sided after all. That just maybe he longed for her as much as she longed for him.
“You’re hurt.” Astryn ran her finger along a deep scratch on his chin.
Rand sucked in a deep breath as his eyes closed.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.” Rand made a low, guttural sound but kept his eyes closed. The muscle in his jaw twitched, then again. But he didn’t back up.
She trailed her finger over his jaw, and the muscle there seemed to soften under her touch as he leaned closer, his breath dusting her lips.
“Astryn!” Her father’s voice carried across the field. “Rand!”
Rand’s eyes flew open as he jerked back. He dropped his hand and stared at the ground for a moment. He gave her one last long look before he pressed his lips into a thin line and stood. He helped her to her feet, then quickly moved a few feet away, his head dropping back a moment before he yelled into the Cambrian forest in the direction the sound had come from. “Over here. We’re both here. She’s safe.”
Orin was the first to burst into the clearing. He dismounted before his horse had even come to a stop and ran to Astryn, lifting her to her feet then searching her over head to foot. “Thank Origin you are safe.” Then he seemed to freeze. “Where’s the pendant?”
“I-I wasn’t wearing it. I was afraid I would lose it and?—”
“Thank goodness.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But wear it from now on. It will protect you.”
Her father appeared and dismounted, then pulled her into his arms. “Are you really all right? It seems some will go to great lengths to keep our two kingdoms from uniting.”
Orin was there again. He gathered her hands in his. “You can trust me. This wedding will happen. It is only a week away, and I promise you nothing can stop it.”
The words were said as a promise, but they carried a sting. She glanced at Rand, who stood half shrouded in shadow. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable. Nothing could stop it. Not even the love of another.
