Page 35 of Perfectly Complicated
“Smooth, Riley.”
“Want me to stop?”
“I want you to stop talking and kiss me already.”
Without warning, she pushes up on her toes and closes the gap between us, fisting my coatto tug me closer.
I meant for this to be quick. Just satisfying the crowd.
But the second my mouth touches hers, I know I’m in trouble.
Electricity surges through my veins as Janie’s hands slide to my shoulders. My lips hungrily consume hers as her back arches and she leans into me.
Well, okay.There goes my self-control.
Even though it’s happeninghere—in the middle of this ridiculous festival, under some stupid plant, surrounded by everything I’ve spent years ridiculing.
But kissing Janie Bennett makes me forget all the reasons I hate Christmas.
Her hand comes to rest against my chest, and I can feel my heart racing under her palm. Can she tell that I’m completely undone? That my heart is beating faster than it does during a breakaway?
My fingers slide under her coat to her waist. The warmth of her curves against my palm lights a fire inside me.
I should pull away. End this before it goes any further.
Instead, I tilt my head slightly, and she responds by deepening the kiss, while my other hand slides to cup the back of her neck. She tastes like peppermint and sugar and—as much as I hate to admit it—Christmas itself.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t do feelings or get attached this quickly. I especially don’t fall for women who are the human embodiment of everything I’ve spent my entire adult life avoiding.
But here I am, kissing Janie Bennett under the mistletoe, and for the first time in my life, I don’t want it to stop.
When we finally break apart—too soon by my standards, though probably not soon enough—we’re staring like we’re seeing each other differently.
Not as rivals. Not as enemies.
Somethinginfinitelymore troubling.
Janie’s eyes are wide, her cheeks flushed. She’s never looked more beautiful.
And I’m completely, utterly screwed.
“That was…” she whispers, frowning like I’m a puzzle she’s trying to solve. “Confusing.”
“Confusing?” I repeat, because I’m definitely not confused about what I just felt.
“Yeah,” she says. “Very convincing, Riley.”
She takes a step away, putting distance between us, and I already miss the feel of her body against mine, the softness of her lips. “We should probably…go.”
Sure,because staying here in this overcrowded coffee shop is not doing me any favors. Especially when all I want is an encore. Right now, Janie just thinks that kiss was for show. Which might have been how it started, but definitelynothow it ended.
Now I’m not sure where the pretending ends and the truth begins. Or maybe I just need to get out of Santaville, away from the lights and the Christmas music and whatever just happened under that mistletoe. Back to reality, where I can think clearly and remember all the reasons why Janie Bennett is a complication I don’t need.
“Yeah, let’s leave before we find any more mistletoe.”
Her expression shutters before she turns toward the door. “Right.” She stops, her attention fixed on the scene outside. “Um. Everything is…white.”
I follow her gaze and swear under my breath. The festival has disappeared under a blanket of snow.
