Page 25 of Winter Wishlist
“Thank you.” Her chin tilts in an effort to take me in. Goddamn, do I love the way her throat arches into a graceful slope.
“Let me walk you to your cabin. Make sure you find your way in the dark.” I’m nothing but hungry hands under the flimsy guise of helping Mia into her coat. My body is all but begging me to figure the fuck out how to channel Henri’s style—to flirt more openly and push the boundaries—to at leastexplorewhether this sensation that feels oh so real is in fact all in my head.
As we walk outside, the crispness of the air temperature hits my cheeks and sends a wash of reality over me. Only a few more minutes are left in tonight’s game, and then I’ll have to spend tonight dreaming of this girl. At least tomorrow will bring with it Christmas Eve and another day of playing along, of pretending to be the boyfriend. I suppose that’s something to be grateful for?
“Do your brothers live nearby also?”
“Boone does.” In an effort to focus on something other than how absolutely no part of me wants to leave this girl’s side, I start walking us in the exact opposite direction of her cabin.
“Will he make an appearance for Christmas?”
That makes me chuckle. “His flight has been grounded. Apparently, he’s currently snowed in on the other side of the country.”
“Is he okay?”
A grunting noise of agreement comes out of me. “Boone? He’ll be more than okay. My brothers and I are different like that. They’ve got a way with people, whereas I’m the one who finds it difficult to talk to folks I don’t know.”
We walk in silence for a moment, and I’ve never been more desperate for some of that easy-going charm my brothers inherited the lion’s share of. All my questions I so badly want to ask sit tethered to my tongue.
“You said you have no family?” I squeeze Mia’s hand, an act that seems to do the trick of finding something,anything,to ask. My voice comes out low, a little husky with the aftereffect of the bubbly wine. “Being in that boat ain’t easy at this time of year.”
Mia rolls her lips together, followed by a quick shake of her head. “You get used to it, I suppose? I lost my mom when I was just about to turn twelve. Never knew my father. Sort of bounced around relatives who would have me until I was sixteen, when I could be independent. Or more to the point, when I could stop feeling like a burden.”
We stroll in a way that feels an awful lot like it truly is a date. That timeless stretch of walking and talking and connecting like in the movies. In our case, it feels like secrets shared among the shadows of a still evening—while surrounded by a setting truly worthy of the big screen. A beautiful night lit up with lanterns and fairy lights for the holiday season. From how quiet it is around the place, you could easily be lured into feeling as though there wasn’t another soul for miles.
I would relish the opportunity to let Mia walk me around this ranch in circles for hours, so I’m more than content to stick by her side as we wander. There’s every chance I’m attaching myself as a Reid-shaped barnacle in her life until the moment we finally say goodnight, until Christmas has been and gone, and we say goodbye.
“You know, he didn’t deserve you.” Swallowing thickly, I step in front of her. Reaching out, I allow myself to ever so gently brush loose strands of hair away from her soft cheeks. “He certainly shouldn’t consider himself worthy of breathingthe same air as you.” Those words are barely more than a low murmur, as if I’m possibly saying them to myself more than her.
A warm glow had been lingering from the alcohol and her presence, guarding my lungs against the chill of the winter air. Now, my skin feels like it’s a roaring bonfire.
“I forgot we needed to get your things,” I say, gesturing over my shoulder with a jerk of my chin.
“Oh.” Her eyes go a little rounder. She takes in the spot we’ve strolled back to. My truck. Her bag.
What I’m supposed to be doing is walking Mia to her cabin. I’m supposed to be leaving and not returning until the morning. And yet, something in the way we’ve ended up wandering through the night until we’ve done a giant loop and ended up back at my truck sends a bolt of heat low in my stomach.
She hasn’t made a move to try and flee.
“I’ll be back first thing tomorrow for boyfriend duties. No one will be any the wiser.” My voice dips lower, and I can’t help but notice the way her lips part a little at my words.
Mia nods, hardly taking a breath. I can’t stop staring at her mouth, fantasizing about her plump lips and how she might taste. I’m so mixed up I might as well be a tiny fucking dot of white inside a swirling snow globe. Everything about this feelsvisceralandreal,and I need to get out of here before I?—
A door slams, making Mia jump.
My head whips around to see a figure walking from the closest cabin to a rental SUV parked outside. Her ex glares at the two of us, a quick flash of taillights on the vehicle illuminates the night as he unlocks it with the key fob and proceeds to reach into the trunk for something.
There’s no stopping the noise in the back of my throat, a deep rumble of warning.
“Fuck it.”
Mia doesn't have time to react or breathe. Before I truly know what I’m doing, I’ve already reached for my hat and dropped it on her silky hair. The scent of her consumes me in a cascade, overwhelming me with all thingsMiabefore my hands are on her body.
There’s no pause or words shared between us. I simply pick her up and slam her back against the side of my truck.
With a groan, I cover her mouth in a searing kiss.
Mia is so unbelievably soft. Her pillowy lips are sweet with the lingering hint of champagne, and the drift of her perfume fills my senses.
