Page 56 of A Holly Brown Christmas
She didn’t question it; she didn’t ask for details about the call. She simply held on, wrapping her arms around him and giving him the comfort he desperately needed.
He knew they’d talk about it later, but right now, this was exactly where he wanted to be.
Fifteen
The next few weeks flew by in a flurry of end-of-year reports, decorating the Brooks family’s massive home, and food tastings.
Her cousin was really nailing the menu, and Holly was confident that the party was going to be a success.
And really, that had to be her attitude, because it was only four days away. There wasn’t any time to second guess any of her decisions, or anything for that matter.
Crystal was handling everything at the office for the day, but would be coming over to help soon, along with about two dozen other people. Right now, Holly was walking around the grounds, double-checking all the decorations and making sure everything was impeccable and in place. The plan was to have a photographer come to the house tomorrow—well, her brother was the photographer and doing this as a favor—to take photos and video of everything so Lucas and his sisters could email it to their parents. She thought their plan was solid and was perhaps the right way to convince them to come home sooner rather than later.
She loved how committed he was to getting his family back together, especially after how semi-indifferent he was a month ago. His sisters were arriving on Friday and Holly couldn’t wait to see them and encourage them and then—hopefully—celebrate with them.
“This is going to be awesome!”
As she walked around, she completely envisioned which photos she wanted taken and what the video should look like. Inside the house, the tree had been delivered and was going to be set up tonight when all the volunteers were here. Everything else was almost in place and coming together nicely.
“Hey, there you are,” Lucas said as he strode across the entryway. “I’ve been looking for you.” He kissed her thoroughly before pulling back with a smile.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’d still be at the office.”
“My schedule is now officially clear through the third of January.” He glanced around. “So, where do you need me to be?”
A sexy image immediately came to mind and something on her face must have given her away, because suddenly he was looking at her with a knowing grin.
“How about we take a break, just the two of us, before everyone arrives?” he asked, his voice low and gruff, and it made her feel all tingly.
“I like the sound of that.”
“I’d say let's go upstairs, but those rooms are all freshly made for my sisters and their family, so we’ll have to sprint over to my place,” he said, already taking her hand and quickly leading her out the door.
They ran like two kids, laughing all the way across the driveway and back to the guesthouse. No sooner were they in the door than Lucas pulled her into his arms with a searing kiss. Holly was already kicking off her shoes and reaching for his belt to whip it off. It was a frenzy of wet kisses, flying clothes, and a few clumsy stumbles to get to his bedroom.
She loved the intensity—the honest and heartfelt need they had for each other. Actually, she loved everything about them. They had great conversations, they enjoyed a lot of the same interests, they had a similar sense of humor, and they were beyond compatible in bed. The connection she felt for him was unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
She loved him.
What had started as a crush had turned into something very real and wonderful. There was so much going on, though, that she didn’t want to pressure Lucas into talking about his feelings or where this was all going between them.
But she really hoped he’d be the one to bring it up eventually.
Although, he was definitely showing her how he felt right now with his hands, his lips, and all the wonderfully hard parts of his body.
It was madness in the best possible way. Holly arched beneath him, wordlessly begging him for more: more touching, more kissing, more…
Love.
Then she couldn’t think at all. She could only feel. And she was more than okay with it.
The sun was low in the sky, casting golden-pink light through the tall windows along the back of the house. Everything was quiet—for now. Boxes of garland, bins of ornaments, and a half-unrolled spool of ribbon were scattered around, waiting. Plus the ginormous tree that was still in the box. In less than an hour, two dozen semi-eager volunteers will show up to help Lucas and Holly finish turning the place into a spectacular holiday wonderland.
But for now… it was still just the two of them.
She was both exhausted and energized after their sexy romp in the guesthouse, but they never got the chance to simply linger and bask in the afterglow because there was work to be done.
So much work.
