Chapter 6
T ravis watched as the mistletoe appeared once more. His heart was beating in a wild pattern, like some kind of Pavlovian response to the little bit of greenery.
She wanted to kiss him , his body told him, as if he hadn't figured that out yet. Which was a great thing, because he definitely wanted to kiss her.
"We should probably find a good place for this," he said.
"Like a mistletoe room or something?"
He laughed at her teasing tone. "I wouldn't put it past Wyatt—"
As if he'd been conjured, his brother walked by, grabbed the mistletoe, and held it above his head. "I'm waiting!"
Keely looked at Travis, her lips curved into a smile. "You first."
"What?!" Wyatt looked like he might hurl. Instead he stalked off, the mistletoe in his fist, determined to find a more willing participant.
Travis grinned, until he realized the mistletoe was gone. Should he kiss her anyway? With the mistletoe, it could be part of a lovely holiday tradition, nothing more. Except he wanted to kiss her anyway. He'd been wanting to ever since he'd first seen her in the coffee shop.
He looked at her, expecting a sassy comment, but she was looking slightly nervous. She was brash one minute, shy the next. He was enticed by both parts of her.
"I didn't think to bring a mistletoe backup," she said, almost mournfully.
"How could you have known there would be a mistletoe thief?"
"True. But since it's gone—"
He didn't want to consider the possibility that a kiss from her had been snatched away when Wyatt—the dick—stole the mistletoe.
"We could see if it works without it," Travis offered. "Like maybe it has long-distance, remote capabilities."
Her expression brightened. "That's right. It's still in the same..."
He moved a step closer. "Time zone."
"Zip code." Keely moved nearer, too.
Travis took another step towards her, and she reached for him. He put his lips against hers, just as she linked her fingers behind his neck, keeping him from retreating. Not that he ever would. Her kiss was just like her...bold one minute, shy the next. He put his hands at her waist, pulling her closer.
Keely opened her lips slightly, inviting him in. She was as sweet as he'd imagined, as sexy as he knew she would be. She tilted her head, letting him deepen the kiss, silently asking for what she wanted. He was eager to give her whatever she craved. He craved the same. In fact, he knew one kiss wouldn't be enough.
Keely finally broke off the kiss, but reluctantly. She smiled and said, "Probably a good thing we didn't have the mistletoe nearby after all. It's got superpowers at a distance."
"That was all you."
Travis pressed a kiss to her lips once more, unable to stop himself. She leaned in, obviously not wanting to end this either. His heart pounded out of control. He placed his hands on either side of her face as he kissed her, letting the passion take over, excited at how she responded, as if she couldn't get enough of him.
A burst of raucous laughter nearby startled both of them. It was followed by the DJ's announcement that the party would be wrapping up in the next half hour, but they had plenty of music and dancing left before the night was over.
"I should probably go," Keely murmured against Travis' lips.
He shook his head. "No, you should probably most definitely not go."
She laughed. "I promise to leave a five-star review."
"That's greatly appreciated. Of course there will be a follow-up call from a supervisor." He pointed to his chest and winked. "To ask you for more details about your experience tonight."
She grabbed his lapels and gave him a quick kiss, followed by another. "I can't wait."
***
K EELY WAS SITTING UP in her bed, reliving the kisses and grinning like an idiot. If she'd been in junior high, she'd be writing his name inside of huge hearts, on every available surface, fantasizing about kissing him again.
She was wondering when she could kiss him again. She wasn't sure how fast things were meant to go. Was this really just a seasonal fling? Once Christmas was over, they were, too?
She'd rejected the idea when Nicki had offered it up. It didn't seem like Travis was viewing things that way. He hadn't wanted her to leave tonight, that's for sure.
She slid down into the covers, remembering how wonderful it had been in his arms, dancing slowly. Bantering with him. Enjoying his smile and his voice and the mischievous look in his eyes.
Everything about Travis made her sassy side want to volunteer for more . Actually, to incite more.
Should she text him? Or call him? To thank him for the evening, of course. Maybe it would be better if she waited until tomorrow...
He'd said he was a rookie at this dating thing, pretty much like she was, so it wasn't likely he'd call her out for a flagrant dating-rule violation, right? Especially if it was an inadvertent one.
Her phone dinged, and she saw a text from Travis, making her uncertainty fly out the window.
Travis: He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake .
It was followed by a smiley-face emoji. She couldn't help but laugh.
Keely: Santa, that sounds kinda stalkerish unless you're right here next to me.
Travis: Wish I was.
Keely: I do, too.
Maybe she should have pretended she wasn't imagining all kinds of sexy stuff they could be doing. But after kissing Travis, and swaying on the dance floor in his arms all evening, her imagination had decided to take over and wasn't willing to stop.
Even so, she was a little nervous about actually going to that next step. Best keep things light for now.
Keely: If you were here, would you be wearing your Christmas PJs?
Travis: LOL Saving those for Christmas Eve.
Keely: Me, too. Santa deserves to see us in our best, right? Especially if he's looking at us while we're sleeping.
Travis: Yeah, that's Stalker Santa's M.O. for sure.
There were a few bubbles while he typed, and maybe erased and retyped.
Travis: I had such a great time tonight. It was really hard to say goodbye.
Her heart melted so fast. She should probably run outside so the cold air could freeze her heart back into its original shape. But somehow she knew Travis would continue to make her melt.
Keely: I didn't want to leave. Did you know Santa is the best kisser? Ever. I swear.
Travis: Really? THE best? I'd like to hear more about that.
Keely: You mean like specifics?
Travis: Yeah.
Keely: Maybe Santa doesn't like people who kiss and brag. What if I'm put on a "no kiss list" or something?
Travis: That won't happen. I'll put in a good word for you.
This time there was a wink emoji.
Travis: So start from the beginning...
Keely: This seems like a review. With one being the lowest—
Travis: And five the only allowable rating.
She laughed, imagining Travis sitting in bed, anxious to hear her thoughts about them kissing. She wasn't sure how to describe it, and it was a challenge to do it in small bytes. At the same time it was a lot more fun than scribbling Travis' name inside of hearts all over a notebook.
Keely typed the number 5 at least twenty times and then hit Send.
Travis: !!!!!
Travis: Excellent answer. Only, just like in math problems, we want you to show your work.
Keely: Oh, Santa, it was not work. NOT. AT. ALL.
Travis: Santa just fainted. What's that, Santa? You'll revive if you can hear how spectacular those kisses were?
Keely: I don't remember saying spectacular.
Travis: Paraphrasing.
Keely laughed. He was so sexy and funny. That was her favorite combination, too. Completely irresistible.
Keely: We could meet for coffee tomorrow. So we can discuss the spectacular kisses in person.
Travis: And this discussion will have actual demonstrations, right?
Keely: Of course! Now go put on your Spiderman PJs and get to sleep.
Travis: LOL
Travis: I don't think I can sleep. Too excited about seeing you tomorrow.
He added twenty kiss emojis.
Travis: Hopefully that will be enough until then.
Keely: Now I won't be able to sleep.
She tossed the phone on the bed next to her and then squealed like a teenager, kicking her heels against the mattress.