There. That. All wrong. Not surprising, not in the least, coming from Carter. But all wrong for her.
Because she was in love with him. Desperately, damn it.
And he was still talking. “We’re best friends, plain and simple. And who better for any guy to marry than his best friend?”
“Well, Carter, I...”
“You what?” He scrunched up his forehead at her, as though she were the one saying crazy things.
She suggested gingerly, “Well, you have to see that this is pretty out there, what you’re suggesting, don’t you think?”
“Out there? No. Not in the least. Yeah, I was a little bit concerned that we might not have any sexual chemistry given that, until now, it’s never occurred to either of us to even fool around a little, when we’re together practically 24/7. But hey. Now I’ve kissed you. I think we can both agree that the chemistry thing won’t be a problem.” Paige opened her mouth to say...she had no idea what. And he just went cheerfully on. “Paige. Really. I get that this is a lot to take in.”
“You do, huh?”
“What is that? Sarcasm? Come on, Paige. How ’bout this? You think about it for a day or two, okay?”
“A day or two?”
“Yeah, that ought to be long enough, right?”
“But I—”
“Paige. I have one important point left to make to you.”
“Ah. Well. Good to know.”
“And my point is this...” He reached across the cushion between them, pulled her close and kissed her again, those amazing lips of his settling on hers so perfectly, his clever tongue delving in, his big arms all hard and hot around her.
Wow! Who knew just kissing could feel like this?
She’d been missing out big-time on the sex front, that was for sure.
When he finally lifted that amazing mouth off hers and grinned down at her, her head was spinning.
She told him so. “Carter. My head is spinning.”
“What’d I tell you? Chemistry.” That wonderful mouth swooped toward her again.
“Stop.” She brought up her hands and pressed them flat to his rock-hard chest.
“Stop?” He looked hurt. “I thought you said you liked kissing me.”
She resisted the urge to reach up and tenderly lay her palm along the side of his too-handsome face. “I do like kissing you.”
“Well, then, what’s the—?”
“I have things to say and I can’t say them while you’re making my head spin with your incredible kisses.”
He let her go then. And he looked way too pleased with himself. “Incredible? My kisses are incredible?”
“Yes.” She did her best to look stern. “Now, can we move on, please?”
He flopped back to his end of the ugly couch, stretching that big arm along the couch back again. “Yeah. Shoot.”
She tried hard to order her thoughts—no mean feat when he looked at her as though he’d like to gobble her up for lunch. “I think we need to slow this down a little.”
He shook his head. “No. Bad idea. What we need is—”
“Stop.” She showed him the hand. “Listen. I’m talking now.”
“Sorry.” The gleam in his eyes said he really wasn’t sorry in the least.
She proceeded before he could start in again. “I think you’re really rushing this and there’s no reason to rush.”
“Wrong.”
“Am I speaking or not?” she asked sharply.
He made a disgruntled sound, but then allowed, “Go ahead.”
She did, quickly, before he could run over her some more. “Why can’t we just slow down a little? Let’s just, you know, go out together, like people do. Be together like two normal human beings. We can take it one day at a time, and see how it goes. Why do we have to get instantly engaged, for heaven’s sake?”
He grinned his cocky, way-too-charming grin. “You know me, Paige. Go big. Or go home. I’m thirty-four years old. Now that I know what I want, I don’t want to waste another day. I want to get going on this—and here’s a thought. How about you just look at it as sort of a test-drive engagement, if that makes you feel better?”
“A what?”
“A test drive,” he said, clearly tickled pink at the thought. “We’ll test each other out, get a solid sense for whether or not we want to seal the deal.”
“You can’t be serious. Did you have to make a car analogy at a time like this?”
Those fabulous shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. “Say you’ll marry me, and we’ll be together—I mean, really together—through the holidays. We’ll let the whole town know that we’re engaged. Then on New Year’s Day we’ll evaluate the situation and decide if we want to say I do.”
“Evaluate?” Surely he hadn’t actually said that.
Oh, but he had. “Yeah. Evaluate. You know, the way you always make me do when we have to come to a decision for BCC. We’ll make a list of pros and cons and see which side is longer.”
“Carter. I have to ask. What planet are you from?”
“Okay, yeah. It sounds a little crazy, I know.”
“Crazy is too sane a word.”
“I’m thirty-four, Paige.”
“You said that already.”
“And I’ll say it again. I’m thirty-four and I want a family. And I’ve finally realized that you’re the one I want my family with. I want to get moving on that. I see no reason at all for us to drag our feet—plus, hey. We’ll be helping Murray out in the bargain. Now come back here.” He reached for her again. She should have resisted. But somehow, well, it just felt so good when he put his arms around her.
“Don’t you dare,” she whispered, but it was really hard to mean it when she was all wrapped up in his embrace, feeling breathless—and suddenly yearning.
His lips were only an inch from hers. “Come on, Paige.” He was so big and solid and he smelled so good. “It’s just a kiss.”
“I don’t—”
“Just one?” he coaxed, all sweet and charming now. “Please?”
Somehow her hand had slid up to clasp the back of his neck. Her fingers brushed the blunt ends of his hair. “Oh, Carter...”
“Yeah?” His eyes were tender now, golden light gleaming within the green.
“Maybe just one...” She tightened her grip on the back of his neck. He let her do that, let her pull him down to her, until his mouth covered hers.
She moaned at the contact. He made a low, rumbling, satisfied sound in response.
His big hands roamed her back, and his hot tongue invaded her willing mouth.
Why, oh, why, did he have to be so good at kissing? It wasn’t fair. No wonder the women who fell for him always had trouble letting him go. He got them all sexed up until they couldn’t think of anything but his big hands and that plump mouth, so soft and pliant in comparison to the rest of him.
He lifted that mouth a fraction, whispered her name, “Paige...” and slanted his kiss the other way. She moaned again and his hands slid down to cup both cheeks of her bottom.
It felt so good, his hands holding her, palms spread, fingers digging in, his mouth taking hers. She lifted herself toward him, pressing her body closer, harder...
Really. Truly. This had to stop.
Gathering every ounce of will she possessed, she shoved him away again and scooted back to her side of the sofa.
“Paige, what the hell?” he demanded, rough and low.
They stared at each other across the width of the center cushion, both of them breathing raggedly. A hot flush burned on his cheeks, and his eyes were green fire.
She got up fast, before he could reach for her again. “Look, I...I don’t know what to say.”
But he did. “Say yes.”
&n
bsp; She smoothed her hair, tugged on her sweater, then snatched up her coat from the end of the couch. “I can’t do this right now.”
“When, then?” He growled the question.
“I...I don’t know. Really, Carter. It’s all too much. I have to go. We’ll talk about this later.”
“But when?”
“I don’t know. A few days. I...need to think.”
He started to say something else but then seemed to change his mind. He sprawled back against the cushions, all big and handsome and way too manly. “There’s no point in running away, Paige. You have to know that.”
Maybe not. But right at the moment, running away seemed like the only option.
She whirled and got out of there before he could try again to stop her—before she could weaken and admit to herself that all she wanted to do was stay.
Chapter Five
Dawn and Molly were putting the last ornaments on the tree when Paige got back to the house. Pentatonix sang “Mary, Did You Know?” in perfect harmony from the living room speaker dock.
Paige hung her coat in the front closet. Biscuit appeared, wriggling in ecstasy at the sight of her. She bent down and gave him a nice rub around the collar. He followed her to the open arch between the living room and the front hall, where she paused to admire the girls’ work. “You two have a gift. It looks so beautiful.”
Dawn got right to the real question. “What happened? Was he there?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And?”
“Ugh.” Paige headed for the sofa, where she dropped to the cushions. “I cannot even tell you.” She planted her face in her hands. With a whine of sympathy, Biscuit dropped to his haunches at her feet. Both girls ran to her. They nudged Biscuit out of the way and sat on either side of her, each throwing an arm around her so they shared a group hug.
Dawn asked, “Bad?”
Paige pulled her face out of her hands. “I just... I can’t talk about it now.”
Molly asked, “But are we mad at him?”
Dawn chimed in with “Molly’s right. We need to know whether to yell at him or ignore him the next time we see him.”
In spite of all the strong emotions roiling inside her, Paige couldn’t help chuckling. “No, we’re not mad at him. We’re not ignoring him. We’re not yelling at him—well, I might, eventually. But not you two. He hasn’t done anything bad. Much.”
“Well, now. There’s a mixed signal,” Dawn groused.
Paige hooked an arm around her sister’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Just treat him like you always treat him. Remember, he loves you and he’s always been good to us.”
“But did he reject you?” Molly demanded.
“Far from it.”
Both girls brightened. Dawn said, “So...it’s good, then? You two are going to be together?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen yet. I really, truly don’t. You’re going to have to let Carter and me work this out between ourselves.”
“No fair.” Dawn made a show of sticking out her lower lip. “I want details.”
“Well, you’re not going to get them. Just believe me when I say you don’t have to worry. I’m okay, really. Carter and I are...just fine.” Sort of. Maybe. “And I just want you to continue treating him the way you always have.” She wrapped an arm around each of them and gave them both a squeeze. “Please?”
Reluctantly, they agreed.
An hour later, the empty boxes and bins were stacked in the front hall, ready to be stowed upstairs again until it was time to put everything away after the holidays. Dawn and Molly had a date with Molly’s mom for Sunday dinner, after which the two girls would do homework and practice their music together. They gave Paige more hugs as they left for the house around the block where Molly had grown up.
Once they were gone, the place seemed too quiet. Not so great to be left all alone with nothing but her thoughts for company. She should fix herself dinner.
But she just didn’t feel up to cooking right then. So she started hauling the boxes back up to the attic, Biscuit at her heels.
The doorbell chimed as she was coming down for the third time. At the sound, she got that butterflies-in-the-belly feeling. It might be Carter. He usually showed up for dinner Sunday night. And, except in the mornings when he walked the dogs before she got up and often came back and made breakfast, he always respected her privacy and rang the bell.
Definitely him. She could see the sleeve of his black leather jacket through the left sidelight. Sally peered in on the other side, tongue lolling, tail wagging. Biscuit scuttled right over there and sniffed excitedly at the bottom of the door.
Was she tempted not to answer? Definitely. She really wasn’t ready to deal with him again.
But she longed to lay eyes on him. If felt like forever since she’d last seen him, last kissed him, last felt those strong arms around her...
Oh, she had it bad. And really, how could that be good? She wanted his love—and he thought a test-drive engagement was a superfine idea.
Head up and shoulders back, she opened the door.
What do you know? The man of her dreams: Carter, big, bemuscled and hot as ever, dressed all in black, holding an extralarge Romano’s pizza. “I come in peace.” His hair was still damp from his shower and he’d actually shaved. “Got plans for dinner?”
She muttered defensively, “I was going to figure something out.”
“But you haven’t yet.” He held out the box and the delicious smell grew stronger. “Sausage and mushrooms. Your favorite.”
Sally slithered around her as Biscuit chuffed a happy greeting. “Your dog’s already in. I guess I have to be nice and let you in, too.”
He gave her that grin, the one that made women’s panties spontaneously combust. “You want the pizza, you have to put up with me. Package deal.”
“Why is it that everything good seems to come with conditions?” She stepped back and gestured him in.
“Dawn?” he asked as he handed her the pizza.
“She’s at Molly’s till ten.”
He hung his jacket on the peg by the door. Underneath, he wore a black, long-sleeved Henley. He shoved the sleeves up those fine corded forearms and tipped his head at the empty Christmas boxes stacked by the stairs. “You want these put away before we eat?”
She was trying so hard to think bad things about him. But no, he just had to be his usual thoughtful, generous, helpful self. Too bad he was also a man who never really let his girlfriends get all that close, a guy who came up with totally out-there ideas like a test-drive engagement.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly. “Getting these boxes to the attic would be wonderful.”
“So stash the pizza and let’s get after it.”
She took the pizza into the kitchen and left it on the snack bar, then rejoined him in the front hall, where she found him leaning in the arch to the living room, one hand stuck in a back pocket. “The tree looks great.”
She went and stood beside him. “Yeah. It’s that time of year again...”
Now he was watching her. “You’re a sucker for Christmas.”
“My mom was, too.” Paige tried not to stare too long at his mouth, tried not to think of how fine it felt locked on to hers. “My mom collected every last decoration and ornament we ever made in school.”
“And you still have them all.”
“Oh, yes, I do.” The glance they shared had gone on for way too long.
Finally, he said softly, having heard all this before, “And you miss her most this time of year.”
“Yeah.” Her last memories of her parents were of that final Christmas. They did all the best Christmas things that year, cut down a live tree, made dozens of cookies and way too much divinity and fudge. They’d decked t
he house up right. There was snow. They all went sledding. “I can still see us, the four of us and Granny Kettleman.” Granny had died two years later. “I see us all sitting around the candlelit table in the dining room for Christmas dinner, holding hands as Granny says grace. In my memories, it’s all so perfectly corny and wonderful, like one of those old Norman Rockwell paintings.” Actually, her then-fiancé, Jim Kellogg, had been there that Christmas, too. But somehow, in her memories, she’d managed to blot that jerk right out of the picture.
That year, Paige and Jim had gone back to school two days before New Year’s. A week later, her folks went skiing for their anniversary, just the two of them. Dawn had stayed with Molly’s family so Mom and Dad could have a special romantic getaway...
Carter’s hand brushed her shoulder. “Hey.”
She blinked and brought herself back to the moment, to Bing Crosby singing softly in the background, to the Christmas lights on the tree in the bay window. Carter’s finger brushed up and down the side of her neck.
Shivers sparked and burned where he touched her. She shouldn’t encourage him. Still, it seemed the most natural thing to step in closer. He tipped up her chin with his thumb and lowered his lips to hers.
Paige sighed when his mouth touched hers in a beautiful, sweet kiss. A kiss of comfort and understanding, with just a hint of fire beneath the careful tenderness.
Too soon, he lifted his head. “So. The boxes?”
She nodded. “The boxes. Please.”
Once the work was done, they headed for the kitchen. Carter put down fresh kibble for the dogs and then they took the pizza and some beers into the living room. She flipped the switch beside the fireplace and cheery flames licked the fake logs.
They shucked off their boots and got comfy on the sofa, the pizza box open on the coffee table in front of them. He grabbed the remote and turned on the in-progress Broncos game.
Half an hour later, after two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Broncos were a game up on San Diego in the division race and the giant pizza was all but decimated.
“’Nother beer?” she offered, feeling pretty good about the evening, really. If she didn’t let herself think about his outrageous proposal and smoking-hot kisses of that afternoon, she could almost pretend that they were back to the way they’d always been, Carter and Paige, best friends forever.
Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride Page 7
