Page 89 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

“Oh, man, yeah.” He nodded, seeming to lose the attitude. He frowned, his expression clearly crestfallen, but Delilah had a sneaking suspicion it was all an act. For whatever reason, Anthony and Brodie did not like each other and Delilah couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to see it.

“So, you get why I need to cancel.”

“I understand. I’d never want to make things uncomfortable for you.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“One thing, though.” Brodie took her arm gently and led her farther away from the group.

Delilah looked back over her shoulder and saw Anthony watching them and she smiled at him, before whispering to Brodie, “What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to talk to you without anyone overhearing,” he said, stopping in the corner of the room and releasing her. “I don’t mean to overstep, but are you sure that he’s the guy for you? I heard he’s kind of a player. Never stays with the same girl for long. In fact, I thought I saw him out with Pike and two girls that looked like a double date recently.” He put his hands up in the air, his expression earnest. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

A painful doubt settled in her stomach, but Delilah waved it off, along with his words. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m walking into this with my eyes open. We are still getting to know each other and I’m not worried about a potential date.”

Brodie held his hands up. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s fine,” Delilah lied, irritated with Brodie for dampening her mood. Although she tried to see the best in people, she knew this little show of his was about driving a wedge between her and Anthony. If only she’d realized how petty he was before she ever gave him a chance. “I need to get back and finish these interviews.”

“Delilah, one last thing—” He looked up and Delilah realized somehow they’d ended up under one of the sprigs of mistletoe they’d been dispersing through the building for the event. “You don’t mess with tradition, right?”

Delilah had the sneaking suspicion that Brodie had set her up but couldn’t prove it. “Oh, no, we wouldn’t want that.”

He’d either been oblivious to or ignored her sarcasm because he dropped his head and went for it. Delilah turned her cheek and stood still to let him kiss her there but, in a blur, someone wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet, spinning her away from Brodie’s seeking lips.

Delilah’s squeal of surprise turned into peals of laughter when she realized it was Anthony holding her off the ground. “Anthony! How did you get over here so fast?”

Anthony dropped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist and his body between her and Brodie. “Didn’t you know? I’m Superman.”

“No, I guess I missed that.”

“I freaking hate mistletoe,” Anthony said, gruffly. “Too many people using it as an excuse to kiss you.”

Delilah bit back a laugh when she noticed Brodie’s glare and was afraid if she looked toward the crowd that they’d all be staring their way. She squirmed against Anthony, her back wriggling against his front. “Can you put me down now?”

“Not quite. Did you get everything you needed from Brodie?”

“Yes.”

“You heard her, pal. Walk away.”

Delilah couldn’t see the other man’s expression anymore but heard his stream of curses.

Delilah giggled. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Hey now,” he said, pressing his mouth against her ear. “How would you feel if a girl backed me under some mistletoe and tried to kiss me?”

The rush of his warm breath against her skin sent a shiver down her spine. “Point taken.”

“See,” Anthony said, dropping her to her feet and spinning her around. “What’s good for the gander is good for the goose.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means”—Anthony cradled her chin in his hand, stroking his thumb over her bottom lip and wreaking havoc on her libido—“these lips are for me only. I don’t care if he’s got a tree of that green weed in his hand and offers you a million dollars.”

“First of all, I turned my head, so it was going to be a kiss on the cheek. Secondly, a million dollars is a lot of money—eep!”

Anthony’s mouth covered hers, cutting off the rest of her teasing as he kissed her roughly, making her knees weak. He broke the kiss abruptly, keeping his mouth hovered over hers. “Mine.”