Page 19 of A Not So Merry Kiss-mas
“How could I not have known these existed?” He chuckles at the amazement in my voice. I turn to face him and find him watching me, as if he’s trying to figure out all my secrets. A bashful smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?” His eyes glint mischievously, and a roguish grin appears.
“Like that,” I push his hand with my foot and try to pull it back, but he holds on to it. My smile widens, and heat creeps up my neck.
“Maybe I just like looking at you up close, Melanie Briggs,” he says, his eyes softening as they roam over my face. Every place his gaze touches leaves a trail of warmth. Butterflies flap their wings, making my stomach flutter, and my pulse hums. “It’s also nice to be on the receiving end of your smiles, rather than your scowls.”
I purse my lips and draw my eyebrows together, reminding him that he can still be on the receiving end of them.
“Actually, I like seeing your scowls, too.” His eyes darken, and my chest tightens. “I think I just like you. A lot.”
My breath hitches, and my heart hammers against my chest. I feel a quiver move through me, but it’s not excitement about what he just said. It’s fear. I know what happens when you fall for someone, and I can feel those emotions stirring deep within.
As if picking up on the conflicting thoughts and feelings I’m experiencing, Michael gently removes my foot from his lap and stretches as he gets up. “It’s late, and you have an early start tomorrow. I’m gonna head home.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder.
When I make a move to get up, he motions for me to stay where I am, then makes his way over to me. My grip tightens on my mug when he crouches next to me, a gentleness in his eyes that quells the anxiety rolling in my stomach. Once again, I recognize that this man is very in tune with what I need when I need it.
My shoulders drop, and the tightness in my gut eases.
Michael pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, and I swallow hard. “I’m not in a rush, Mel.” It feels so funny to hear him call me by my nickname, and yet it feels right. “I like you, I’ve liked you for a while, but I can go as slow as you need. Because I get the feeling that you need to trust that I’m not like the man you trusted before.”
Pressure builds at the back of my eyes, and a lump forms in my throat. But this time it’s not fear, it’s a knowing that I can trust him, and not just with my heart. “Thank you,” I whisper hoarsely.
He leans in and presses his lips gently on my forehead. I hear the last chink of armor around my heart crumble. I grab his handas he goes to stand up, and he glances down at me, a question lingering in his eyes.
“You’re still coming to help me decorate the tree on Wednesday, right?” His smile widens, and he presses a kiss on the top of my head. I bask in the warm glow it leaves in my heart..
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” Mike makes his way to the front door, taking my hand with him until his arm can’t stretch anymore, and then gently letting it fall. When he reaches the door, he stares at me for a tiny bit before he huskily says, “Good night, Mel.”
“Good night, Mike,” I respond, watching him as he softly closes the door behind him. A spark of something I haven’t felt in a long time bursts in my chest.
I stare at the door for a few minutes, realizing that he’s going to be ridiculously easy to fall in love with.
“Am I going to have to hear everything about you and Mike from Cole?” Noelle scolds over the phone speaker as I head up the stairs to my apartment. I’m just getting home from my shift and am not up for a Spanish inquisition. I need sleep. “So tell me about the kiss. Did your next-door neighbor really get the two of you under the mistletoe?”
An impish grin crosses my face as I think about Mrs. Fletcher and her antics. Not to say that I’m not grateful for them. That kiss has been seared in the deepest recesses of my mind. Even my co-workers were teasing me about my overly sunny mood. Like Noelle, they wanted to know the cause.
I haven’t been thinking about much else since Mr. Matthews walked out of my apartment door the other night. Oh, who am I kidding? I haven’t thought ofanythingelse.
“Melanie!” Noelle yells, and I realize I haven’t answered her yet.
“You know you can be really demanding,” I tease, and her groan makes the smile on my face bigger. “Yes, Mrs. Fletcher got us under the mistletoe.”
“Squeeeeeeee,” Noelle shouts, and I pull the phone away from my ear. My eyes dart to Michael’s door, and I let my gaze linger, hoping by sheer will alone I can make the door open. But to my disappointment, it doesn’t.
“How was it?”
Pushing my door open, the first thing that surrounds me is the scent of pine. I take a deep breath of the comforting smell. Closing the door, I glance over at the noble fir, and a goofy grin pops on my face. I drop my bag by the door and head to the couch, plopping down. Grabbing the remote, I turn on the TV and pull up the virtual fireplace. “It was amazing, he’s amazing. I think I’m falling for him. Is it possible to fall that fast?”
“It’s not really fast. He’s been annoying you for months,” Noelle teases. “But seriously, even though he rubbed you the wrong way, you learned a lot about him before the two of you locked lips in front of your neighbor.”
My cheeks burn as I remember Mrs. Fletcher there, watching, and me not caring in the least. What is happening to me?
“Who I need to meet by the way! Maybe I can introduce her to Gran.”
Snorting, I shake my head. They would actually get along really well. “I think she might like that. Noe, I need to get some sleep. Mike is—”
“Did you just call him Mike?”
