Page 60 of The Mistletoe Bluff
“You always look beautiful. There is no trying. You’re effortlessly pretty, darling.”
She continued staring at me, as if my words were gibberish. I needed her to understand how I saw her. I laid my hands on her shoulders and guided her over to the mirror.
“Tell me what you see,” I told her.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Oliver, what’s the point—”
“Tell me what you see, princess.”
She sighed, her body tensing beneath my hands still resting on her shoulders.
“I see…dark circles under my eyes, and the heavy dose of concealer that I used to try to fix it. I see pale skin and dry, stringy hair, and too much extra fat on my body that I can’t bring myself to do anything about.”
She poked at her hips as if that’s where the offending fat was, but I had no idea what she was talking about. Sure, she had curves, but no one would ever dare to call Maya fat. Besides, I thought her body was perfect the way it was.
“I see…” A heavy exhale escaped her lips. “I see someone who’s tired of trying so hard for things to change and then being disappointed when it all falls apart.”
Maya’s eyes glistened and she bit her bottom lip. I waited for her to go on, but her chin trembled. I hated that that was all she saw in herself.
I brushed the hair over her shoulder, letting my fingers linger on her skin, bending so my lips brushed her ear, and stepped close until my chest was flush with her back. I met her eyes in the mirror.
“That’s not what I see. I see a perfectly imperfect woman who tries her absolute best, who’s an incredible friend, and who works her butt off every single day. I see a woman who has experienced awful things that no human should have to go through, and yet she’s risen above all the struggle and become an amazing person despite it.
“I see a woman with stunning blue eyes that squeeze the breath from my lungs, and a gorgeous body that makes it a struggle to keep my hands to myself when all I want to do is hold her. I see a kind, gentle person that goes after what she wants, but doesn’t step on people to get there.”
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from adding,I see a woman that I’m desperately in love with.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at me in the mirror. “You see all of that?”
“And so much more.”
Maya turned to face me, and I cupped her face with my hands, my thumbs brushing away the tears that escaped. I pressed my lips to her forehead.
“You’re stunning, Maya. Inside and out.” The words were whisper soft.
Her nose nudged mine once, twice, before her lips brushed against mine. They tasted like salty tears and chocolate.
As much as I wanted to lose myself in the kiss, I let her lead. I didn’t want to take advantage of her frazzled state. Besides, we still had dinner to get to. After another gentle kiss, she pulled back, swiping her eyes.
“Sorry.” Her cheeks flushed.
“You don’t need to apologize, princess.” The wordsI love youalmost slipped out again and I fought the urge to kick myself. I really needed to get a grip.
This wasn’t the time or place for that type of admission.
Maya didn’t know that I had liked her for over a year; that everything I learned about her, every moment spent with her, only solidified what I had always sensed about her—what had drawn me to her in the first place.
She was an incredible person and I wanted to give her the world.
An “I love you” would seem sudden and crazy.
Maybe itwascrazy.
“We should get going,” she said, snapping me back to reality, her eyes widening as she looked at the time on her phone. “Can you…” She gestured at the zipper still halfway up her back.
“Oh. Yes.” I stepped forward, my fingers brushing her back as I fought the stuck zipper. It took several tries, but it finally slid free. Trying to be a gentleman, I averted my eyes as it slid past her bra.
“Thanks,” Maya said, holding the front of her dress. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
