Jane froze at Noah’s side. They were both staring at Jane’s mother like she was about to drop some news they weren’t ready for. Had she figured out that Jane had lied about their relationship? How could she? No one knew that Jane wasn’t interested in Noah that way.
Okay, that might be a lie based on the way her pulse jumped when he met her eyes.
“What, Mom?” Jane finally demanded.
Her mother pointed a finger upward, and as one, Jane and Noah both lifted their faces to the ceiling.
“Is that…?”
“Mistletoe,” her mother crooned. “You two have to kiss.”
Fire spread through Jane’s bloodstream, filling her face with a heat she hadn’t experienced since she was a child. “Mom,” she muttered. “It’s the end of June.”
Her mother didn’t seem to care. She clapped her hands together and stared at them knowingly. Dang, maybe she did know that they weren’t dating. “Well?”
“Mom,” Jane protested again, but her mother wasn’t letting up.
Noah stood stiffly at her side. Neither one of them were prepared for this request.
The longer they stood there, the more obvious it became that they weren’t going to leave without at least demonstrating some affection for one another besides holding hands.
Jane groaned. There was no way out of this, and Noah would have yet another thing to hold against her. She turned sharply, grasped Noah’s face in both of her hands, and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.
She’d meant for it to be a quick peck. It was supposed to be one of those kisses she could give a family member—only not on the lips. But something happened. The spark between them ignited into something tangible. Noah’s arm surged around her waist, and he pulled her into him.
Jane didn’t have the mental capacity to know what was happening until it was too late. Noah tasted sweet and sinful. His mouth roved over hers, stealing her breath and stirring feelings she had no right experiencing.
Kisses like this one weren’t supposed to be real. A kiss was a kiss.
But this?
This was so much more than that.
It probably only lasted a few seconds, but in Jane’s head, it lasted much longer. Noah withdrew with a smirk tossed hermother’s direction. “We should probably get going.” His arm was still firmly at her back as he helped to guide her out the door.
He didn’t utter a single thing as they moved down the sidewalk toward the truck he’d parked on the street. He didn’t make a sound as he opened the truck door and ushered her inside. She watched his face for any sign that she’d offended him, but his face was a mask of unreadability.
Shoot!
He was upset.
Gone was the teasing expression. Absent was that easygoing demeanor. Something was wrong.
Jane swallowed hard as her eyes followed him around the truck until he opened his door and climbed inside. He didn’t even glance her direction. All he did was shove his key into the ignition and start the truck.
They were on the road for at least ten minutes before she had the courage to say something. “Noah?” she murmured.
He grunted.
She glanced at him, noting the way he sat back in his seat with one hand on the top of the steering wheel and the other resting on the gear shift. Still, he didn’t grace her with a look.
“I’m sorry.”
His eyes flicked toward her. “About what?”
She moistened her lips and shifted in her seat. This had been a mistake. She should have never let him come with her. First, she’d lied about their relationship. Then she’d kissed him.
She’d actually kissed him!
