“Christmas Day?” Stunned, I glance left. Right. “As in… tomorrow?”
He hums happily under his breath. “Mmhm. Tomorrow. Mel and Nick are ditching town for a few days, and you’ve got this strange freeloader sleeping on your couch.”
“You didn’t sleep on the couch last night…”
“Sure didn’t,” he quips, entirely too pleased with himself. “Don’t plan to sleep on it tonight, either. But tomorrow, after we’ve exchanged presents and I get you fat with cocoa that tastes almost as good as you?—”
Wait. We’re exchanging presents?
“—Well… I told you about this tournament family of mine, right? How they put on a BBQ every year for all the fighters who aren’t too egotistically wounded to stick around after they lose. I risk prosecution in NDA court by telling you this, but that town is just an hour away, so I thought we could slide into the Road Runner and go for an adventure. The event organizer doesn’t believe you hit me with your car. She said I’m full of shit and too scared to step up against her fighter. Anyone could buy a sling and fake an injury, but if I takeyou…”
“You threw me under the bus?” My heart jumps and thuds, tension wreaking havoc on my nervous system. “Dean! Ithought we had a deal? I don’t snitch on you about the jewelry thing, you don’t snitch on me for the car thing.”
He barks out a loud, arrogant laugh. “I already told you; I had nothing to do with the jewelry thing. And don’t worry about the fighters snitching on you; consider this an internal audit. The cops won’t be involved.”
“You’re such a pest, you know that?” I lean closer again, and rest my cheek on his broad chest. “I suppose, since I don’t have any other significant plans for tomorrow, I could maybe get in the car and head east…”
I feel him shake his head.
“West?”
Another shake.
“South?”
Finally, he nods.
“Head south for an hour. Are they gonna be mean to me because I flipped you over the roof of my car?”
“No. They’ll probably give you a high five and ask for your autograph.” He pushes me away, holding my hand and leading me into a spin, then he tugs me back again, wrapping me up tight and pressing a kiss to my lips. “I thinkouridea of Christmas is gonna be way better than any of the shit we’ve tried separately.”
“You think?”
“Mm.” His stubbled chin brushes against my temple. “Especially if you start the day by wrapping your mouth around my candy cane.”
“I heard that.” Elena floats by, dancing with… is that a server? A six-foot tall, olive-skinned, bright-eyed server whose hand sits dangerously close to Nick’s baby sister’s backside. Smiling wide, she crinkles her nose andtut-tut-tutsat Dean. “There are children present, Mr. Warner. They do not need to hear about your candy cane.”
“Mm. And those same children don’t need to see your friend’s palm as low as it is.” He looks to the server, somehow becoming Nick’s proxy while the man is busy elsewhere. “Three inches higher, bud. Don’t make me hurt you.”
Instantly, his hands jumps to the middle of her back.
Smug with power, Dean brings dancing eyes back to mine. “He’s taking her to Paris, by the way.”
“Paris?”Shoot me in the heart with a Valentine’s arrow!“She always wanted to go there.”
“Mmhm. Where would you wanna go for your honeymoon, Ms. Maxwell? I mean…” His shoulders lift with a nervous shrug. “Hypothetically speaking.”
SEVENTEEN
ANNA
Dinner is served, the cake is cut, Mel’s bouquet is tossed—Elena runsawayfrom the flowers—and as the night wears on, my complete abhorrence for leaning on a man,emotionally, matters little in the face of my need to lean on this manphysically. “This has been the best wedding I’ve ever been to.” I drape my arms over Dean’s shoulders and play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “It’s always so much better when the couple actually love one another.”
“Have you been to many weddings where the coupleweren’tin love?”
“A few.” I melt against his muscular chest, lazily stroking the warm skin behind his ear. “I don’t think they start out that way, but life is stressful, and planning a wedding takes its toll on just about everyone. Invitations go out, and by then, even if the relationship is in trouble, some folks go through the motions anyway, because they’re terrified of creating a mess or returning gifts.” With the extra four inches my shoesallow me, I lay a gentle kiss on the underside of his jaw. “It happens way more than it should. But not Mel and Nick.” I peek across at the pair. “Their love makes it easier for me to trust.”
“Anna?”
