“You said we couldn’t risk getting found out. Didn’t exactly give me a choice in the matter.”
Sighing, I let Butterbean ease her hoof down before I straighten my spine and dust off my hands. “I don’t want to do this right now, Blue.” The problem is, every time she says my name, my resolve cracks a little more. I could walk away, but then she’d think the silence means indifference instead of self-preservation.
“I’m trying to figure out whatthisis, Reece. I need you to stop giving me mixed signals.”
Instead of saying anything, I slowly move toward McKenna, backing her closer to the stall door. My instincts are screaming at me to claim her lips right now, but I hold back. Instead, I trail my fingers up her arm until I can rest a hand on the back of her neck, my thumb sliding under the edge of her jaw and tilting up.
“Look up, Kenna,” I say, my voice rough with desire.
Her blue eyes lift with my demand, and she gasps, a silent intake of breath that lifts her shoulders. A spark of longing lights her eyes as she catches sight of the mistletoe above us.
As she keeps her sights above, I lean closer, barricading her between my arms and the stall door. “Clear enough?” She nods. “Now, you can tell me no. Walk away right now, and I will not stop you. Otherwise, I made a bet with myself.”
“Oh, yeah?” she asks, the shakiness a clear giveaway to how much my words affect her.
“Mhmm,” I say. “Bet myself I could catch you under the mistletoe three times.”
At her hesitant nod, I step closer, enclosing her body with mine. My forearms keep me from pressing too close, but the feel of her body against mine is enough to make me wish we could escape back to my house for the rest of her time in Havenwood.
“Good answer,” I whisper against her lips before losing myself in her arms.
Her breath catches, mixing with mine, peppermint and cool air colliding. For half a heartbeat she’s tense, then she melts into me, fingers sliding into my hair. The world outside the barn disappears until it’s just the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against my chest and the quiet creak of wood when she leans closer.
She pulls back just enough to meet my hooded gaze. “This is a bad idea,” she whispers.
“Agree to disagree.”
Her hand on the back of my head is more than enough encouragement to continue indulging in her peppermint-mocha kiss.
Chapter 6
McKenna
Havenwood at Christmas is every Hallmark movie set come to life.
From the twinkling lights strung in front of every storefront to the giant wreaths on the clocktower to the fifteen-foot tree in the middle of the square, this town is made for the big screen. All that’s missing is the snow, and the likelihood of that happening in Georgia is slim to none. Even still, it’s easy to see what the community loves about this sleepy little town.
Do you want to know what isn’t beautiful? The sound of my mother crying over the phone because her baby girl is no longer coming home for Christmas.
“Mom.Mom.” When she doesn’t reply with words, I sigh. A tension headache is blooming at the base of my skull. This is why I kept putting off the call home. I wanted to avoid the inevitable guilt trip and sobs that my mother is famous for. “Dad, a little help, please,” I say a little louder, hoping he can hear me over my mother’s tears.
“Nora, sweetheart. Why don’t you help the boys in the kitchen while I talk to McKenna?” Dad’s quiet voice rumbles over the line as he soothes Mother.
As she finally complies, dad and I release a collective sigh. “Sorry, dad. I wanted to avoid the waterworks as long as I could.”
“I know, honey. Your mother just misses you.”
“She saw me at Thanksgiving, and I’m still planning to come down for a long weekend next month.”
“She’s sentimental and outnumbered. Your brothers are here, and all of them are apparently single again.”
“Ah, so she’s on about the grandchildren thing again?”
He chuckles. “Always.” He pauses before continuing. “So, you’re staying with that old flame of yours, huh?”
“Dad!” Oh, the embarrassment.
“Fling. Ex. Secret boy toy.”
