Page 7 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“I do,” he said honestly. Lars hadn’t known what could be waiting for him there in America when the Alexanders had invited him to spend Christmas with them. It had simply sounded like a fun trip, something to do that would change things up a little. But if he’d known that Amanda was there, he would’ve come so much earlier.
“Oh, look.” Tina passed by them, and Lars realized he’d been feeling as though he was the only person in the room other than Amanda. She pointed above their heads. “Mistletoe.”
He watched as Amanda’s eyes drifted upward and then back down to his. They were intense, like dark melted chocolate. “How about that?”
Lars didn’t need to see the bit of greenery above their heads. It was only an excuse for something he longed to do anyway. He bent his head and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers.
They were exquisitely soft, and the spicy taste of the aquavit still lingered there. Her breath was velvet against his cheek, and her fingers gently gripped the sleeves of his sweater. His polar bear came fully to life inside him, roaring at him, cuffing him over the back of the head with the knowledge that he’d had all evening but had tried not to believe too quickly in case he was wrong.This is it! This is her!
Slowly, regretfully, he pulled back. Lars opened his eyes to look at his mate.
3
“The first thingI want you to understand is that every session will be completely different,” Amanda said. “Even if it’s with the same client, their energy and their issues with it won’t necessarily be the same as they were the last time they saw you. So you have to give yourself some time to feel things out, to take a look around if you will.”
Kristy, who lay on the table in one of the rooms in Amanda’s office, snorted. “I know someone who wants to feel things out with you.”
“Hush,” Amanda urged her cousin. “You’re supposed to be the client. Your only job is to lie there.”
Kristy snickered again. “I’ll bet you wouldn’t just lie there if you were with Lars. Although judging by the way he was looking at you last night, he’d be more than happy to do all the work.”
“Who’s Lars?” Zoe asked.
“No one.” Amanda had been trying hard to keep Lars off her mind, and she’d been hoping that this training session with Zoe would be the perfect distraction. “Now then, a lot about this job is simply noticing. Pay attention to how your client is breathing, how they’re lying on the table, and whether they look relaxed ornot. It takes some time to develop your senses and know what you’re looking for.”
“And whatamI looking for?” Zoe asked.
Amanda tipped her head back slightly as she tried to figure out an answer to that. She’d been an energy healer for quite some time now, and her waiting list attested to the reputation she’d built for herself. Amanda had come into this profession not for any kind of renown but because she had a natural talent. That made it a bit harder to explain to someone else, even if that someone was also gifted at sensing and using energy.
“I know what Amanda’s looking for, and she’s already found it,” Kristy said from the table.
“All right, what are you two talking about?” Zoe was in her early twenties, far younger than her two coven sisters, but she put her fists on her hips and gave them a look like they were wayward teens.
“Amanda found a man,” Kristy said in a deep, sing-song voice.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Zoe asked, her mouth agape. “Wait, wait, wait. You said Lars. Isn’t that the guy who’s staying with the Alexanders?”
“Uh huh.” Instead of lying on her back with her hands at her sides, Kristy had rolled to her side and was propped up on one elbow. “He’s hot, too.”
“And?” Zoe flapped her hands, eager to know more.
“And theykissed.” The last word hissed out of Kristy’s mouth.
“Okay, guys. Geez. It’s not that big of a deal.” Amanda rolled her eyes, but her cheeks burned.
“Ha! Look at you!” Kristy snapped her fingers and pointed at Amanda.
“And look atyou,” Amanda returned. “You’re supposed to be the client, which means you’re supposed to lie still and shut the hell up!”
“To be fair, it’s not as though I do either of those things well.” Kristy flexed her fingers. “You picked a terrible pretend client.”
“I’ll be sure to do better next time.” Amanda turned to Zoe, who was starting to look impatient again. “He’s just a nice guy that I kissed under the mistletoe. That’s really about it.”
Kristy waggled her eyebrows. “I think you should’ve let him give you that Viking feast the two of you were talking about. Sounded like he wanted to make sure you were satisfied. All. Night. Long.” She cackled with laughter.
“What?” Zoe’s head swiveled back and forth, looking at Amanda, then Kristy, and then back again.
Amanda sighed and explained the meal metaphor they’d been using in front of the kids and how it’d made Lars turn around. “It just kind of continued,” she said innocently.
