Page 44 of Maybe This Christmas
“Are you sure?I mean…”
“You don’t have to say it, Caleb.I don’t want to think too much about this.We’re having fun.That’s what matters, right?”
He squeezed her gloved hands.
“Right.”
Emma scanned her card, and the door beeped.She pushed it open and stood in the doorway.
He followed her without hesitation.
Chapter Fifteen
Emma set her bag on the counter and began peeling off her coat.
“Just so we’re clear, I don’t want you to feel any way about this.We can just hang out, or sleep, or whatever—”
Her sentence was stopped by the presence of Caleb’s icy fingers on her cheeks.“I have a feeling you and I are both overthinkers.”He must’ve realized how cold his hands were, as he pulled them from her face and rubbed them together.
She tugged her other arm out of her coat, letting it fall to the floor.“I like to think of myself as a recovering overthinker.But yes, you’re not far off.”
“I know it’s early for New Year’s resolutions yet, but I think mine is going to be to think less and do more.”
“Good.Let’stalkless, too.”Before she could lose courage, she arched up onto her tiptoes, bringing their mouths together.
Some small part of her worried that their earlier spark had come from the fact that it’d been so long since she’d kissed anyone but Davis.
Newness, and all that.
Thiskiss proved her worries were unfounded.He tugged her closer until there was no space between them.
Even her overactive brain had no choice but to quiet as they kissed.
She brought her hands to his chest.How long they stood like that, intertwined, she would never know.It could’ve been five minutes or two days.
When he eventually pulled away, she emitted a little gasp.He cupped her chin.“I know we were just saying that we were going to stop overthinking, but I do think we should address the elephant in the room.”
Emma’s eyes shifted from side to side.“I was unaware of any elephants, but okay?”
He smoothed his thumb over her cheek and took a step back.
“I kind of need to knowwhatthis is.As I mentioned, I’m not exactly the playboy type.”
A jesting comment about him being more of aPlaygirltype died on her tongue.He was trying to be serious.
“My reservation lasts until January first.It’s December fifteenth.Let’s say we spend the holidays together, and if that’s all this is…” She trailed, desperately wanting to say she’d do anything for it not to be.“Then that’s all it is.Are you on the same page?”
She wasn’t great at playing it cool.Caleb could probably tell.
Something passed across his face.“So, no pressure?”
“None at all.”She kept a bright smile on her face.“And no hard feelings either way, right?”
He exhaled.“Right.I feel better saying the words.Dodging the elephant has been hard for me.”
She brought her arm around his waist.“Especially with it being imaginary, I can see how that would be especially difficult.”
He gave her a half-hearted poke on the side.“As much as I’d like to stay here with you, the sledding competition starts obnoxiously early tomorrow.I should go.”
