Page 64 of Under the Mistletoe
“She does. She most definitely?—”
His lips brushed across hers once, then a second time. With the simplest touch, everything in him ignited. He’d written a few kisses in his first couple books, but he’d totally underdescribed them. It wasn’t just the softness of her lips or the fact that she tasted like strawberries and cream. It was as if every cell of his body had woken up for the first time. Every piece of him hungered for this, for her, for what they could be together. And right now he’d give anything for the hope he could do this every day for the rest of his life.
He slid his hands behind her neck and deepened the kiss, and when she released the tiniest of moans, he nearly came undone. And despite the cold breeze at his back, heat radiated up his spine. How had he ever thought he’d get over her? She had always been the one his heart longed for, and he doubted that would have changed even if she hadn’t chosen him. But she had, and now they were here in a perfect moment that he never wanted to leave.
Her hands moved under his jacket around to his back. His sweater must have ridden up a bit, because her icy fingers brushed the skin just above his waist. He was more than happy for her to steal his warmth, but he hadn’t considered how quickly she might get cold out in this wind. He took a steadying breath and pulled back, trapping her hands in his. “I’m sorry. You’re freezing.”
She blinked several times as if processing his words, then her teeth pinched at her red, swollen lips. “I wasn’t complaining. Trust me.”
He ran the pad of his thumb over her chilled cheek again. “Now see why I thought it might be a bad idea to kiss you the other night?”
“Yeah.” The breathless word came out as a whimper, and the hunger in her eyes almost shredded his resolve to get her back to her event anytime soon. When she released a small shiver, it snapped him back to the problem. No matter what she said, she was freezing, and the last thing he needed was for her to get hypothermic.
He opened her door and waited for her to climb in before circling back to the driver’s seat. He climbed in and cranked the heat a little higher. “So how does it feel to kiss Victor Holt?”
Her face jerked toward him, her brow wrinkling. “I wasn’t kissing Victor Holt. I was kissing Logan Kingsley.”
“We are the same per?—”
“No.” She leaned over the console and trapped his face with her hands. “Hear me. I fell in love with Logan Kingsley. Not Victor Holt. If Victor Holt was Liam or some other Joe Schmo, I would still choose you.”
His breathing stopped for a moment. “You love me?”
Her eyes widened before she pulled her hands back. “Sorry. Way too soon. I just mean—I didn’t?—”
He grabbed her face and pulled it back to him, claiming a sweet, soft kiss. “I love you too. I’m pretty sure I have for a long time.”
For a romance years in the making, this sure was happening fast now.
Logan pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then sat back in his seat. “Let’s do something.”
“As much as I’m loving this, I really do need to get back, and I won’t be done with the cleanup until close to four.”
“I’ll wait. Besides, that’ll be about the time I need to get the next chapter sent off.” He started the engine and backed out of their spot.
“Then it’s a date.”
Did her cheeks just pink up a bit? “It’s a date.” Most definitely a date.
“So what’s the next chapter about?”
“Well, if you want Rand and Astryn together, I have to remove their biggest obstacle.”
She turned wide eyes on him. “You wouldn’t.”
“What can I say?” He laughed as he pulled out on the road toward Heritage. “Authors find sick pleasure in tormenting their readers.”
“You know that will break Rand’s heart. Then he’ll feel guilt.”
“That’s what I’m counting on. I still have six more chapters to write. Can’t very well give them a happy ending yet.”
“So they are going to get a happy ending?”
“No promises.”
A touch of fear filled her eyes.
“Hey.” He reached across the center and laced his fingers through hers. “The comparison to you and me only goes so far. I didn’t mean anything by that statement. Truth is, I haven’t decided what to do with their story yet, but I know what I want to do about ours.”
