I glance at my friend and arch an eyebrow. “Want to make a bet?”
Piper stares at me for a full beat. In her deep brown eyes, I see the spark of challenge, and it eases some of the tension in my neck. She’s still in there. The fierce, funny, confident girl who beat me in Mario Kart, helped me study for the chemistry final, and told off a girl for grabbing my ass at Homecoming.
A grin begins to form on my face as I wait for Piper to set the terms.
But as quickly as that spark appeared, it dims. She shakes her head and excuses herself from the table, moving toward the kitchen under the guise of getting another bottle of wine for the table.
I glance at the full bottle near the parents’ end of the table and toss down my napkin. Then, I follow Piper into the kitchen.
I pull up short as soon as I clear the doorway. She’s standing at the kitchen counter, her hands gripping the lip, her head hanging in between her arms. Hunched forward. Defeated.
“Hey,” I say softly.
Piper looks up. The tip of her nose is red, and her eyes are shiny with unshed tears.
“Hey,” I repeat, moving closer. Unease coats my stomach, and a thread of concern unravels in my limbs. “What’s going on?”
Piper lets out a laugh, but it’s filled with self-deprecation. She tosses an arm. “Nothing.” She shakes her head. “What could be wrong? It’s Christmas, the dinner is beautiful, it’s snowing like it should…” She releases a shaky exhale. “Everything is great.”
“It doesn’t sound that way, Pipe,” I say, my voice deeper than it was a moment ago.
Piper meets my gaze and blinks, willing her tears to fade.
“Are you okay?” I try again.
“Sure,” she replies with a nonanswer.
“Cut the bullshit,” I say. Surprise flickers in her irises. One side of my mouth tugs up to soften my words. “I’ve known you for forever, Pipe. Stop bullshitting me. What’s going on?”
She shakes her head again. “Nothing.” Her tone is soft. “That’s the problem. I literally have nothing going on in my life. All work and no play. No wonder I’m alone. Who would want to celebrate a holiday with me?” She gestures toward herself. “I’m a total mess, not to mention?—”
I close the space between us in one long stride. Grasping her wrist, I press the pad of my thumb into her pulse, loving that it flutters wildly against my skin. Then, I dip my face and capture her lips with mine.
I shoot my shot.
I kiss her hard, with intention and purpose and so much damn history. I pull back and her wide eyes fly up to meet mine. “I would. I do,” I say, before kissing her senseless.
Chapter 3
Piper
My fingers curl into the material of his sweater as Hudson kisses me. I cling to him as my stomach drops to my feet and my heart races in my eardrums.
The scent of his cologne, warm and woodsy, washes over me, putting all my senses on high alert. His tongue nudges against the seam of my lips and I open for him, sighing softly as his tongue meets mine. Our kiss is deep and sensual.
At complete odds with the playboy prankster.
More meaningful than any kiss I shared with Jeff or my college boyfriend or any other man.
In the span of ten heartbeats, Hudson sweeps me off my feet and confirms a long-held suspicion. No man has ever lived up to him.
My palm slides up to his cheek. His arm bands around my waist, pulling me against his body as he leans into me. My breasts are flush against his chest, and I shiver from the contact.
I’ve thought of this moment for forever. Dreamed it, wished for it, wanted it. And now, on Christmas Eve, Hudson is kissing me the way he does in the fantasies I try to ignore.
Wholly. Completely. Desperately.
My mind reels as I savor the feel of his lips on mine. The heat of his hands sinks into my skin as he brushes his fingers along my lower back, up the side of my body.
