Page 16 of Feels Like Christmas
But Ian stood up. “I’ll carry it up for you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of carrying a box, Ian.”
“I know you are, butI’mnot perfectly capable of sitting here on my ass while a woman carries a heavy box up a flight of stairs.”
“It’s not that heavy.”
“Good. I won’t need half a tube of muscle rub and a nap after I carry it up.”
She was going to argue—the box really wouldn’t be heavy and he was a guest—but she stopped herself just in time. Alone with Ian. In the basement. It would only be for a few minutes, but a few minutes was all she really needed.
After letting Rosie know she’d be right back, she led the way to the basement, and past the commercial washer and dryer set-up to a darker corner of the basement where boxes of liquor and other beverages were stored. After grabbing an empty box, she put in a bottle of rum and half a dozen cans of seltzer.
When she’d gotten what she needed, she didn’t step aside so Ian could lift the box. Instead, she looked at him, her head tilted back, while she mustered the courage to tell him what she wanted.
He made no move to pick up the box, either. He simply looked at her, desire and uncertainty seemingly at war in his eyes. If she wanted a kiss, she was going to have to make the first move. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “You want me to?”
“If I stand here much longer with my head tipped back like this, I’m going to end up with a crick in my neck.”
“It won’t make it any easier.”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant by that because she already knew, and she’d spent a lot of time considering Rosie’s take on the situation. “Why should I deny myself a bite of delicious cake just because I can’t have thewholecake?”
“Cake, huh?” He closed the last little bit of space between them and put his hand on her hip.
“Yeah, like a little holiday treat.” She ran her fingertip over his bottom lip, making him shiver. “What happens at the Northern Star Lodge stays at the Northern Star Lodge and all that.”
“You can have as much cake as you want.”
She didn’t want to explain to himhewasn’t the cake, per se. A fling was a fling. Him beingthe onewas actually the flavor of cake she was craving—she wanted Ian to be her soulmate. But if she told him that, there was a good chance she wasn’t going to get her kiss. There was even a chance he’d run screaming into the cold night, though that didn’t seem likely.
Rather than risk that slim possibility, though, Nola reached out and gave the front of his shirt a tug. She had just enough time to register his grin before his hands were at her waist, and her eyes closed as his mouth claimed hers.
From the instant his lips touched hers, Nola was lost. Every movie kiss she’d ever sighed over and every kiss she’d ever fantasized about—all of them paled in comparison to Ian kissing her now.
She never wanted it to end. His hands slid up her back, holding her close as his tongue dipped between her lips. As the kiss deepened, Nola cupped the back of his neck for a moment before sliding her fingers into his hair.
Her mouth muffled his low moan, but there was no concealing the hard length of his erection pressed against her body. She wanted to reach down and unfasten his jeans, craving the feel of him in her hands.
When she started wondering just how long they could stay in the basement before somebody came looking for them, she knew it was time to end the delicious kiss.
After nipping at Ian’s bottom lip, she braced her hands against his shoulders and gently put some distance between them. Not a lot, but enough so their gazes locked as they tried to catch their breath.
Ten minutes, she thought. It would be at least ten minutes before Rosie realized they hadn’t returned. Or maybe even fifteen since Rosie was busy.
But she couldn’t take the chance. There wasn’t an actual rule against having sex with a guest—maybe because everybody else was married and the possibility hadn’t occurred to them—but being caught with her pants down in the lodge’s basement was an embarrassment she’d rather not suffer.
Plus, if she got naked with Ian, she didn’t want it to be a rushed, furtive act next to the washer and dryer. A bed would be best, so she could really take her time with him.
She cleared her throat, shoving away the mental image of them naked in a bed. “We should go back upstairs before we get too carried away.”
“I might need a minute,” he said, his voice a little on the ragged side.
She laughed and then blew out a shaky breath. “I thought kissing you might help take the edge off, but…”
“If you thought a kiss would cool things off you’ve been kissing the wrong guys.”
