Page 17 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

The warmth of his breath on her skin made her shiver and she tried to come up with something flirty to say, but was completely at a loss. The man was smooth as pudding.

“Delilah, are you good if I check in on Declan?” Holly asked.

Delilah cleared her throat and waved her best friend off. “Yeah, sure.”

“Thanks.” Holly hopped off the stool and entered the crowd where her boyfriend sat with her brother, Nick, his friends, and her sister’s husband, Clark. She’d noticed Pike hovering around earlier, but he’d gone back to the table.

“Is Declan her boyfriend?” Grant asked, looking over to the table.

“Yeah, he’s sitting over there with the group of guys—”

“Holy fucking shit!” Grant crowed, jumping to his feet. “Is that my baby brother?”

Delilah watched Grant push his way through the crowd with her mouth hanging open as Anthony stood up. Grant was a few inches shorter but lifted Anthony off his feet in a bear hug.

His brother?

Delilah got down from the stool, unable to believe her rotten luck. How could the one guy she’d seriously considered taking home be related to him?

The universe had a perverse sense of humor.

Grant stepped back from the embrace when Delilah approached, his gaze traveling over Anthony in awe. “Man, how are you doing? I tried calling, but it said the number wasn’t in service.”

Anthony’s small smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I changed it about five years ago when I switched services.”

“Why didn’t you tell me at Mom’s funeral?” Grant asked.

“Probably because there wasn’t time to catch up after everything.”

“We don’t need to rehash that!” Grant slapped Anthony’s arm. “Let me buy you a drink, and we can catch up.”

Anthony’s gaze flicked to Delilah. “Seemed like you were in the middle of something.”

“Oh, shit, Delilah!” Grant shot her a sheepish grin. “You don’t mind if we put a pin in this so I can catch up with my brother, right?”

“Not at all,” she said.

“Thanks, honey. I knew you were a good sport.” He wrapped an arm around Anthony’s shoulder, leading him toward the bar. Delilah sat down in the empty seat, frustration rippling through her. Holly was settled onto Declan’s lap, giving her a sympathetic look.

“Want a drink, Delilah?” Pike asked, sliding a golden shot her way. “It was meant for Anthony, but it’s yours if you want it.”

He stole my potential sex partner, so why not?

“Thanks,” Delilah said, tossing back the shot. The sweet, tart taste of apples and cinnamon teased her tongue before the warm liquid slid down her throat. “What was it?” she asked Pike.

“Warm apple pie shot.”

Delilah laughed as she set the glass down. “I’d take another of those.”

“I thought you were going to slow down,” Holly asked, frowning.

“I changed my mind.” Delilah got to her feet but Pike shook his head, waving her down.

“I’ll get it in exchange for one dance.”

It took her a moment to realize she hadn’t misheard him and a thrill of excitement raced through her. Pike was interested in dancing with her?

Since when? the snarky voice in her head asked, but she ignored it. She’d been waiting on this moment for over a decade and she didn’t care why he was asking her to dance … she was just happy he was.