Page 71 of The Mistletoe Bluff
I looked up from where I was crouched in front of him, his eyes flashing as they met mine. For a second, I thought he was angry. But then, with slow, deliberate movements, he took off his glasses, speckled with snow from the impact, and put them safely in an inner pocket in his coat before he bent down and gathered snow into his hands.
And then he dunked it on top of my head.
Everything sped up as all five of us dove into the snow, building as many snowballs as we could before unleashing them on each other. Luna romped around us, riled up from our frantic movements and little screams. Snow was everywhere—in my coat, in my gloves and boots, but I didn’t care. All I saw were Oliver’s blue eyes glowing in the moonlight, and the smile on his face as he joined my family in a snowball fight.
It was everything I never knew I wanted.
And in that moment I realized I couldn’t let Oliver get away because I was crazy about him too.
Oliver
Ididn’t know it was possible to have every inch of my body frozen while my insides blazed.
Even though I had been wearing winter gear, every inch of fabric was soaked through. The snowball fight had lasted for a full hour.I was sore in places I didn’t know couldgetsore, and by the way everyone shuffled around the room, I wasn’t alone.
When we were all reduced to giant shaking masses, the five of us retreated inside and huddled around the fireplace where Jameson had stoked a fire. All the wet snow gear sat in a pile by the door. Jameson’s dog looked at us like we were all a bunch of wimps even though she was soaking wet too.
Maya’s blonde hair dripped cold droplets onto the floor, her entire body shaking from head to toe. Elsie disappeared into Jameson’s room for a moment before appearing with an armful of clothes.
“Here.” She dropped them in front of us. “They’ll probably be huge on everyone but Oliver, but at least they’ll be dry and warm.”
Emma wasted no time snatching a T-shirt and sweatpants and ran down the short hall to the bathroom. Elsie and Jameson took turns changing next, and then it was just Maya and me.
I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you in some dry clothes.” I expected her to argue or say something sassy, as per usual, but she stumbled after me as I carried the clothes for her.
She walked into the bathroom first, setting the clothes on the counter and I made to close the door to give her privacy when she laid a hand on mine. The cold-induced foggy look disappeared from her eyes as she looked at me.She guided me closer until our chests were almost touching.
My wet clothes were frigid against my skin, but it was lost in the back of my mind as Maya skimmed her fingers up my arm and then brushed them against the stubble on my face.
“Maya…”
We were both shivering and sopping wet from the snow, in a tiny, cramped bathroom, but all I wanted was to lift her onto the counter and kiss her senseless.Somehow sensing my thoughts, Maya leaned onto her toes and pressed her soft lips to mine. Her nose bumped my glasses. She smiled against my lips and gently removed them, setting them on the counter.
If the Maya I had kissed all the previous times had been undecided about me, this had to have been “all in” Maya. There was no hesitation in the way she held onto me and pulled me toward her, desperate to be closer. There was no question in her body language as she put everything into that kiss. Did that mean she shared my feelings? I had a hard time believing she would kiss me like that if she didn’t.
Why are you overthinking this, you fool? Just enjoy it.
I put my hands on her waist and lifted her onto the bathroom counter. Her legs wrapped around mine, her lips never breaking contact.
Maya tasted like chocolate pie and snow, an odd combination, but the more I tasted, the more I wanted. Her fingers played with the bottom of my shirt, skimming the skin above my pants, erasing every ounce of cold from my body.
This is what I wanted. A lifetime of heated kisses, and a feisty woman that kept me on my toes.
Maya Beck was it for me.
“Ahem.”
We broke apart faster than lightning.
Emma stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her head cocked as she looked between the two of us.
“I was just coming to make sure y’all had the clothes you needed, but it looks like you haven’t even gotten that far.”
Maya’s cheeks were bright red as she hopped down off the counter.“We’re good.”
I grabbed my glasses, nearly poking myself in the eye as I struggled to put them back on, then my clothes, and stepped out of the bathroom. Maya closed the door a moment later. As I walked down the hall to change in one of the bedrooms, Emma stepped in front of me.
For the first time all evening, she glared at me. “Don’t hurt her.”
