Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Henri:
Make sure you don’t cock it up.
Me:
Fuck.
I think I’m really into her.
What if she doesn’t feel the same way?
Henri:
Aren’t you cute when you’re nervous.
Haven’t seen you this strung out in… ever?
Mia gives me a look I can’t decipher as I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out a key.
“Tanner dropped this off while you were in the washroom earlier.” When I stand, it’s a stark reminder of how diminutive she is in comparison.
All I want to do is pull her against my chest after hearing about her shitty ex, and it might be the lingering influence of alcohol, but I swear I can feel heat radiating between our bodies from this close.
“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 least explore whether 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 breathing the 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 feels visceral and real, 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 things Mia before 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.
It’s easy to lose myself in the feel of her body pressed against mine, in the way her tiny fingers curl into the short hair at my nape, in the way she’s holding onto me just as tightly as I am to her.
Everything about this moment feels like a dream. To kiss her, to seal our mouths together—but more importantly, the fact she’s kissing me back sends a whirl of bonfire sparks soaring inside my veins.
I squeeze her softness right below the flare of her hips, pinning her between the side of my truck and the bulk of my torso, devouring the sweet little moans she makes. Christ. I could drink down those breathy little noises all day long.
Having her wrapped around me, pressed against me, secure beneath me… yeah, that has my dick rock fucking hard.
No way I’m gonna be able to pretend that isn’t real.
When I pull back, I give one last tug on her bottom lip. Ever so gently pulling on the plump swell between my teeth, before letting her go. It’s taking everything in me to break this kiss, to put the brakes on for one goddamn second to make sure I’m not way off base here.
Mia gazes at me from behind a curtain of heavy lashes, looking at me like she’s my every Christmas miracle.
Wearing my hat like it was made for her.
She’s breathing hard. Following a hasty swallow, her little pink tongue pokes out to wet her lips, and I continue to stare, because how could I not?
“I think—I think he’s gone,” she whispers, sounding a little hoarse.
My palms stay right where they are. I simply refuse to let this girl go, and I dare to allow myself a little hope that she feels the same way when her fingers continue to lightly toy with my hair.
It’s possible I’ll damn well crawl to have her fingers on me like this again.
To have her brush that delicate touch in exploration of other places.
Christ, it’s electrifying, every time she absently rubs the short strands between her fingers.
I can’t help but picture what it would look like to see her fingers threaded through Henri’s darker, longer locks. The image hits me like a bolt of how damn perfect they’ll look together. All of us together.
“You can put me down if you want…” She exhales a little shakily.
No fucking way. Refusing to let her go, I search her eyes instead. “Do you really want to stay in a cabin by yourself?” My voice is coarse, filled with desire and desperation for this girl.
She looks at me wide-eyed. “What do you mean?”
Dropping my mouth to brush my lips over hers, dragging a little wetness across her plump mouth, I let out a groan at how fucking incredible she feels. There are far too many places I want to indulge with my mouth and tongue, just for starters.
“I mean exactly that, sweet girl… no tricks or games.” Letting my mouth roam a little more freely, I trace her soft skin along her jaw until I reach the shell of her ear. “I’m asking if you want me to be a gentleman, walk you to your door, then say goodnight, before we go our separate ways? Or…”
Mia makes the sultriest sound as I drag my stubble across her soft skin. “Or what?”
“Or… do you want to come home with me?”
Her breath catches. It’s the sexiest little noise.
“What about…” Mia swallows hard.
“Henri?” I draw back to look directly into those big emerald eyes.
Mia nods ever so subtly. Eyelashes dropping to shield her beautiful gaze for just a moment. When she peeks back at me, question after question hovers there. A level of uncertainty that is completely understandable, all things considered, especially given the uniqueness of our circumstances.
Slowly licking my lips, I lock my focus on her. Doing my best to hold her steady not only in the palms of my hands, but in the truth behind what I’m about to tell her.
“Would it freak you out if I told you he’s already texted me five times asking if—and this is verbatim—can you please not fuck this up and make sure to bring Mia home?”
Her eyes widen. “You’re joking.”
“I’ll happily show you my phone if you need written proof.” Blowing out a breath of relief, I’m staggered she hasn’t immediately said no or run away.
After a beat, her brow creases. “The two of you are together.”
“We are.” Giving her a long look, I weigh up how to explain things. “We have a relationship that a lot of people might willfully misunderstand. There’s room for him and me to be in love, while also knowing we both want more than just what we can give each other.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip.
“I would never want to presume anything about anyone. There’s no pressure here—”
“I want that.” Mia cuts me off. “Not that I ever thought this was how my Christmas would go, or anything.” She adds, looking a little embarrassed at how quickly she leapt into agreeing to this.
“Neither did I.” A curve tugs at the corner of my lips. “I certainly didn’t expect to stumble upon the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, among a stack of books, who might just be the best present I could have hoped for.”
That has her blushing harder. Adorably so.
“Wanna get out of here?”
Her green eyes glint at me. “More than you could imagine.”
While I don’t exactly love the idea of setting her down, I reluctantly do so in order to open the door. Once we’re inside, this time, I don’t give her the choice of sitting all the way down the other end of the bench seat like before.
Reaching over, I bracket her outside hip with one hand and slide her over. Which produces the best little laugh of surprise when I manhandle her into the position I want.
Something to revisit later.
I put the truck in drive and grip her soft thigh the entire way.
If all goes to plan, this might just look like a whole lot of future moments with this girl. With her tucked between the two of us.