Her face lit up with laughter.
“Did you do all of this to prove you were better than Brody?” She teased and ran her hands up my abs to my chest. “As if there’s any competition.”
“No,” I purred, “I didn’t do it to prove I was better than him; I already knew that. But for the record, am I not everything you fantasized about for Christmas?”
“I’m not going to say no to you wrapped up under my tree,” she breathed.
51
Merrie
Then I closed my eyes and let him kiss me.
It was a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie kiss. The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled, and the scent of cookies mingled with the fresh, sharp smell of garland. Outside, snow fell, and the faint sounds of Christmas carols filtered through the windows.
Matt tipped my head back and kissed me softly at first then harder like he’d been wanting to do this forever. I leaned into him. With one hand on the back of my head, he tipped me back so that he could take my mouth with his tongue. I moaned softly as he caressed my back, his hand going lower. His touch was better than cookies and perfectly wrapped presents and hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows.
I could absolutely get used to this.
Kringle barked, and a cat yowled. I jumped away from Matt.
Olivia stood outside the door. She flashed me a thumbs-up and mouthed,Get it, girl!
I neatened my clothes. Matt was smug behind me as I rushed to unlock the shop door.
“Hubba hubba!” Olivia whispered to me.
I elbowed her.
“I can come back if you’re busy,” she said, handing me a large cup that smelled like an eggnog latte with extra whipped cream and sprinkles.
“Matt was just leaving; he has to go to work,” I said.
“I was going to stay and—” he began.
But I could not be alone in the shop with him. I could feel a terrible decision incoming because all I wanted to do was unwrap him like a Christmas present.
“I’m sure Eli is mad I co-opted your time all day,” I said, pushing him toward the door.
“I’ll see you at the bake-off,” he said, “or maybe tonight.” That deep voice promised more than watching movies in his condo.
“Sorry, rain check or maybe snow check,” I said, my voice cracking worse than a teen boy’s. “We have a lot of cookies to make.”
I shoved him and his dog outside, slammed the door shut, and then slumped down on the ground.
“I think I might have made a mistake.”
“Really?” Olivia asked. “Because it didn’t seem like you were all that unhappy about the situation.”
Someone knocked on the glass of the door, and I screamed then gave a pained laugh when a delivery person pointed at a clipboard.
“Do we really need all this butter?” Olivia marveled as I signed the form and gave the delivery man an ornament for a tip.
“We sold out earlier today,” I explained as she helped me lug all the ingredients to the kitchen at the back of the shop. Louis watched from his perch on top of the Christmas tree.
“So, when’s the wedding?” my friend asked. I almost dropped the bag of flour.
“What wedding? Who’s getting married? Not me.”
