Daisy beams. “I sure do. Welcome, TJ. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Can I get either of you anything? I’m brewing some fresh coffee if you’d like a cup.”
TJ shakes his head but smiles. “Thanks, but I can’t stay long. Just wanted to get Lu her gift.” He winks at me as he gets to his feet.
“I’ll come and grab a cup after I see TJ out, Daisy. Thanks.”
She nods. “Good luck today, TJ. Tell the team we’re all rooting for ya.”
“Will do.”
TJ motions for me to go ahead of him, and I trail Daisy out of the room, pausing when I remember I want to retrieve the box and wrapping paper I left behind, but TJ has it in his hands. I smile at him as he joins me in the doorway. Such a simple thing, but the man is thoughtful like that.
“Hey, you two,” Daisy trills from near the front desk. “Look up.” She points above us and chortles before disappearing into the kitchen.
I look up and there, directly above where TJ and I are standing together, is a sprig of mistletoe. Immediate fire catches in my cheeks as I shift my gaze from the poison-kissing plant to TJ.
“Well, well, well,” he murmurs. “What do we have here?”
I bury my face in my new jersey. “You donothave to kiss me.”
“Okay.” He chuckles.
I brave a glance at him, and he’s looking at me with dancing eyes, like this is all hilarious to him. Little does he know I’ve been dreaming about kissing him since the snowball fight. If I’m being honest, it started before that, when he leaned in at the River Foxes gala.
I’m scared, and I’m self-conscious. I have zero experience, and he’s TJ freaking Wilson.
“You look terrified,” he says. “Don’t worry, Lu. I’m not going to bite.” He bends down. “I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to.”
Cue my heart doing some sort of record scratch. Because … what now? Is that an option? I need several more details and the permission to ask at least three clarifying questions, starting withTJ, doyouwant to kissme?
He sets the box where he’s stuffed the wrapping paper down at his feet and then holds up his empty hands. “You should see your face.” He chuckles softly.
“This isn’t funny!” I reach out and shove him, but he doesn’t move. A wall of muscles wouldn’t, after all. He catches my wrists, holding them in the center of his chest. My knuckles graze his sweatshirt, and my fingers itch to scamper over his chiseled chest.
“You’ve got to admit, it’s a little funny.” TJ holds my gaze, arching his eyebrows. “I mean, it’s basically like a scene out of a book, right?”
I tip my head side to side, because he’s not wrong. “I guess so,” I admit. “I’d definitely write a killer mistletoe scene if given the chance.”
He smirks, his gaze dropping to my lips. I lick them involuntarily, because my mouth is suddenly parched. When his eyes meet mine again, he’s more serious. His Adam’s apple bobs around a thick swallow, and his voice is low and restrained as he says, “I think I’d like to read that.”
I slowly uncurl my fingers, letting my hands rest more fully on his chest. I can feel his heart beating through his sweatshirt, and it makes me feel bold.
“You seem pretty confident it would be a good scene.” I slowly run my fingers in small circles around the upper part of his chest.
His breath hitches. “It feels like it would mostly write itself at this point, wouldn’t it?”
I arch a single brow and hum. “I don’t know about that. Why don’t you tell me how you’d write it, TJ?”
His eyes darken, and then a flash of something that’s like desire mixed with determination makes them glint. I can hear the blood thrumming through my ears. I keep my hands on his chest, bending my arms at the elbows as he steps closer to me.
“Let’s see.” TJ’s voice is a low rumble as he speaks slowly, like he wants to get this exactly right. “First, I’d wrap you in my arms.” He pulls me against him and folds me to his body, tucking my head under his chin. I sigh. He’s so warm, and he smells so nice. “This way, you’d know that I was cherishing you, and that I want to be close to you.”
“Mm-hmm.” I don’t trust myself to say anything else.
TJ dips his head and presses his nose into my neck, inhaling slowly, before tipping his mouth so he’s speaking directly into my ear. My stomach bottoms out as he whispers, “It would also give me a chance to smell your sweet skin. There’s something absolutely tantalizing about the smell of your skin, Lucy.” His voice is sandpaper, smoothing out the coarse edges of my heart.
Is this man for real right now? I’m melting further into him, and I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted to.
“I’d put my lips here.” He moves his mouth to under my ear and speaks against the curve of my neck. “I’d kiss you on this smooth spot of skin, lingering a little while, because I couldn’t get enough of you, and then—” He moves his mouth away, and I pull in a shuddering breath, because Iwanthim to kiss me right there. Here, there, and everywhere.
