Be My Christmas Treat : A BWWM Christmas Romance

by Nia Arthurs

  “I’m not going to run off with a stranger, Max.” I glance up and meet Mave’s eyes.

  The sparkle in his gaze returns with a vengeance. His chin lifting, he flashes me that signature don’t-care smirk.

  My heart skips a beat.

  Why does he look so good?

  Mave is dressed in a simple white button-down shirt and jeans. It’s not the flashiest outfit in the world and yet, on his broad shoulders and lean but sculpted physique, it screams sex appeal.

  I avert my eyes and suck in a deep breath. “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to check up on me like I’m in high school.”

  “I’m just afraid—”

  “What? That I’ll get knocked up by a jerk with no sense of responsibilities?” Heat trembles in my voice, but the moment the words are out, I regret them. Rushing to fix the mistake, I mumble, “I’m sorry, Maxine.”

  “Whatever, Clark. I’m turning in for the night. See you later.”

  Click.

  The silence rings in my ear.

  Damn.

  I hurt her.

  I didn’t mean to.

  Mave winces. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

  “The words came out wrong.” I scrub the heel of my hand against my forehead. “I should probably head home now. It’ll be hard enough to wake up tomorrow at this rate.”

  “Sure.” He swipes his keys from the table and stands to his full height.

  Every eye in the ice cream parlor follows Mave as he slides out of the booth and waits for me to join him.

  The conversation with Maxine shot me off-balance and all the attention makes me self-conscious. Once again, I feel like I’m not wearing my own skin. Like I’m living someone else’s life and, any moment now, the director is going to yell ‘cut’. Any moment now, things will go back to making sense.

  Mave places his hand on the small of my back, an innocent, gentlemanly gesture that sets my entire body ablaze.

  Maybe I’m drunk from that one shot of whiskey.

  Maybe I’m still reeling from the news that my sister is pregnant for her no-good ex.

  Or maybe I’m mourning because my savings might have to go towards helping Maxine with all the financial burdens a new baby will bring.

  Whatever it is, I can’t control it.

  Everything inside me gravitates to Mave in a way I’ve never experienced with any man before.

  “You okay, Clark?” He dips his head close to mine, inspecting my face.

  I lick my lips. Glance to the left. Struggle to fasten my attention on something other than how those thick eyebrows slash over his dark eyes. How his lips are just a tad fuller on the bottom. How his defined jaw rocks a hint of scruff.

  I clear my throat. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

  “What?”

  “People staring.” I jut my chin at the next table over, glad when his attention swerves to them.

  “It bothers you?”

  “No, I was just asking—”

  “Excuse me.” Mave gestures to the two girls who are staring in our direction.

  “Mave!” I hiss, instinctively grabbing his arm and trying to hold him back.

  He glances over his shoulder and offers me a lopsided grin that sends my pulse spiking. “Relax, Clark.”

  Ha.

  As if I can do anything of the sort with that wicked glint aimed at me.

  Turning to the girls again, he draws us close to their table and towers over them. “Evening, ladies. Is there a problem here?”

  “Uh, no. We’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to stare.” A girl with cocoa-brown skin and grey eyes ducks her head.

  “You and your girlfriend just looked so good together.” The other girl shyly licks her lips. “Are you models?”

  My jaw drops. Models?

  “How long have you two been dating?” The first glances at me and whispers, “Does he have a brother?”

  “Um…” I gape at her, unsure of what to make of this conversation.

  Leaning toward me so his shoulder brushes my chest, Mave whispers, “They look harmless enough. Should I scold them some more or are you satisfied?”

  The slight nuzzle of his lips against my earlobe makes my body tighten with heat. I chew on my bottom lip, battling a sudden shyness. “Why don’t we get going?”

  “Have a good night.” Mave nods at the girls and steers me out of the ice cream shop.

  I turn slightly, noticing the way his hands slip a little lower on my back with the movement. “Did you have to be so straightforward?”

  “Beating around the bush is for people who have time to waste. I like to face my problems head-on.”

  “But there are rules.”

  “What rules?” He tilts his head. Moonlight falls on his thick black hair and those eyes that can bore through cement. “If I’d left them alone, you would have been upset all night. You would have wondered whether they were staring because they had a problem with me. Or with you. Or with us being two different races—”

  “Exactly. Making assumptions is the price we all pay to keep the peace.”

  “It’s a waste of time.” He stops in front of his fancy truck. “Now, you know that they thought you were beautiful.” His eyes slide down my face and linger on my lips. “And, frankly, I can’t say they were wrong.”

  My heart flails to the ground, completely slayed by the look in his eyes and the gravel in his voice.

  Can this man get any hotter?

  “Does that line usually work for you?” I sass to hide how flustered I am.

  His lips curl even higher and his hand on my back gets a little firmer. “Usually.”

  “So unoriginal.”

  “That wasn’t my best.”

  “Try me.” I challenge.

  “Seriously?”

  “Work your magic.” I tilt my head to the side. “Give it your best shot.”

  “How about this?” He steps toward me, his stare intense. “You look amazing even in a baggy T-shirt and khakis.” He presses the heel of his hand gently against my forehead. “With a flour palm-print right there.”

  “Mave…” My voice sounds breathless even to my own ears.

  “And when you talk about the things you care about, your eyes get a little brighter and your hands move a lot because you’re too passionate to stay still.” He eases closer to me. “And I can’t take my eyes off you.”

  I move back, but I hit the car door.

  I’m trapped.

  Mave advances, his body pressing mine further into the door. He’s so much bigger than me. I should be scared, but I’m not.

  Quite the opposite.

  I want to wrap my arms around him and hold him even closer.

  An ache starts in my chest and travels south.

  The feeling intensifies when he reaches down and tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. Lowering his head so our noses brush ever so slightly, he whispers, “I can’t stop thinking about you, Clark.”

  It’s the slight crack in his voice that whispers of sincerity.

  Or maybe it’s my own crazed emotions, having seen a sweeter and kinder side of him when he helped Rosa.

  Whatever it is, the ache in my chest overwhelms me.

  It demands satisfaction.

  Release.

  I surrender to the surge.

  For the first time in my life, I do something completely on impulse.

  I grab my boss by the neck, and I kiss him.

  14

  Mave

  The collision of Clark’s lips against mine is at once earnest and innocent. Her fingers slide through my hair, dull nails teasing my scalp in a gentle caress even as her body fuses to mine.

  It’s hot, electrifying, and short.

  Way too short.

  Because, not a moment later, Clark yanks herself back like a fish being reeled to the surface and stares at me with wide, horrified eyes. Thick eyelashes flutter rapidly. Those come and get me red lips part in quiet regret.

  She touches her full bot
tom lip. A gasp that’s quieter than a squeak leaks from deep inside her.

  Hell no. Don’t look at me like that Clark.

  I don’t want to hear the words building in her head.

  ‘It was a mistake’

  ‘I don’t know what got into me’

  ‘I’m sorry’

  Damn. I’ll explode if she apologizes.

  I don’t want her to be sorry.

  I want her to be mine.

  “Mave,” she chokes, that terrified look still staining her gorgeous eyes, “I—”

  “Don’t.” I drag my fingers around her waist and curl her tighter into my body. “Don’t say anything, Clark. Not yet.”

  Her chest rises and falls.

  Brown eyes search mine like the answers to life’s secrets are trapped inside me.

  I don’t have any answers to give.

  Hell, I barely understand my own demons.

  But I know one thing.

  I’ve never been as intrigued by a woman as I am by Clark.

  My eyes fasten on her lips.

  This time, I lean in.

  Slowly.

  Give her enough time to squirm away if she really needs to.

  But she doesn’t.

  She shifts her hips a little. Gasps when she feels all of me pressing into her. My body’s rearing to have her and it’s not hiding it.

  There’s a fleeting look of shock in her eyes, but I don’t give her a second to register the root of the cause.

  Gripping her face with one hand while the other firmly guides the nape of her neck, I slide my lips over hers.

  Clark’s kiss was innocent.

  Mine isn’t.

  All the confusing emotions that she sparked in me from the moment we first met boils out into my touch.

  I lose it.

  A little.

  My desperation is too forceful. The kiss keeps knocking her head back into the car so I grip her chin to keep her steady. My free hand slides beneath the jacket, my pale fingers teasing her light brown skin and tracing the indent of her spine.

  Every sweep of my hand on her skin is like a drug. One touch and I’m addicted.

  She’s so freaking perfect. So magnificently beautiful.

  Clark melts against me. Her slender arms hook around my neck and her left leg braces the running board of the car. A low moan rumbles in the back of her throat as she parts her lips and grants my tongue entry.

  The way she pliantly allows the invasion, the quiet little whimpers that escape when I shift angles, the tight lock of her arms around me—it drowns out the rest of the world. It demands my attention. My heart.

  I want more of this woman.

  The realization barrels into me at the same time Clark pushes me back. She’s breathing quick, shallow breaths. Like a patient who just got their oxygen tank pulled.

  I’m glad she can breathe because I sure as hell can’t.

  My lungs have taken a vacation.

  My throat’s too tight to function.

  Damn.

  A kiss.

  It was just a freaking kiss, but I feel the imprint of her body still. Her fragrance is everywhere on my skin. Beneath my skin. Deep in my chest.

  She blinks once. Twice.

  Her chin dips and she stares at the ground.

  A universe of words and explanations well between us, putting distance between the bodies that are still close enough to touch.

  I want more.

  But I know better than to push for that right now.

  Taking a giant step back, I rake a hand through my hair, wrestling with the passion Clark just sparked to life inside me. My desire isn’t a faucet I can turn on and off, especially around her, but I try to rearrange my feelings. Shove them aside for her sake.

  This is as far as she’ll go.

  Even if I want her spread-eagle on my bed, that honey blonde hair spilling around her naked shoulders while I work out my frustration in that tight little body, it’s not happening tonight.

  The funny thing is, even if it doesn’t happen a year from now or two years from now—I think I’ll still feel this way. I’ll still want to be around her. I’ll still need a daily dose of those brown eyes and that trembling little smile and that awful singing…

  What the hell?

  Those thoughts scare the living crap out of me.

  It’s not who I am.

  It’s not what I do.

  What is it about this woman that makes me break all my rules?

  Clark keeps blinking. Keeps avoiding my eyes. “I need to go.”

  “I’ll take you home,” I say firmly.

  “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

  “Not nearly,” I growl.

  She fists her hands and glares at me.

  I ignore the attitude and jut my chin at the car.

  I’m not insisting because I have plans of kissing her again. It’s because I want to spend as much time as I can around her. Even if she drives me crazy, the thought of parting here makes me physically ill.

  “I can take a cab.” She licks her lips. Digs her fingers into my jacket. “I should take a cab. It’s for the best.”

  Snatching her hand, I tug her aside so I can get to the door. Hauling it open, I nod at the passenger seat. “Get in, Clark.”

  “Do you always have to get your way?” She lifts her head. The tone I’d heard in the office while we argued rises in her voice now. It’s sharp and dangerous but, for some reason, it makes me smile.

  Her eyebrows pull together. “Are you laughing?”

  I rub my chin, a grin tugging my lips. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

  “You’re annoying when you’re pushy.”

  “I didn’t hear any complaints a second ago.”

  “That’s because your tongue was deep-diving my throat,” she huffs.

  “You kissed me first,” I remind her. “This wasn’t a one-way street.”

  “That’s—” Dark eyes nearly pop out of her face. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “If we’re throwing blame, I figure you should get a healthy dose.”

  “You’re insufferable.”

  “Keep flashing vocabulary like that and I won’t be able to control myself.”

  Her eyes narrow on me.

  I nudge her into the car and press my hand on the roof so I can lean down. “I was doing a great job of resisting you until you kissed me. You can apologize on the way home, but don’t expect me to apologize back.”

  Her jaw drops. “You can’t be serious.”

  I close the door and jog around to the other side.

  Clark folds her arms over her chest, her eyes focused on the road ahead. I leave her to the silence, grateful that she didn’t fight me too much at least.

  The taste of her lips—Oreo cookie and whiskey—still lingers on my tongue and I’m desperate for just another shot of my new addiction.

  Damn. I already know she’ll invade my dreams tonight.

  “That shouldn’t have happened,” Clark says. “Forget it did.”

  “I don’t want to.” I flick the indicator. Merge into the next lane.

  She frowns deeply. “I think I lost my mind for a second.”

  “Feel free to keep kissing me until you find it.”

  “Mave.”

  “Clark.”

  She huffs. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “This?”

  “Mistakes.” She jerks her finger at me and I’d be offended she called me a ‘mistake’ if not for the frantic sheen in her eyes. “I’ve got a lot going on with Maxine and my bakery. There’s only a few more hours left to log in until I’m qualified for my license. I can’t mess up this close to the finish line.”

  “Hm.” I scrape my thumb over my bottom lip.

  She keeps talking. “And you’re my boss.”

  “That’s correct.” Streetlamps whir by as I drive. A part of me wants to ease my foot off the gas and cruise instead of speed. The longer I can stay with C
lark, the happier I’ll be.

  “We can’t do this. We’re not doing this.” She shakes her head. “It was a stupid, spur-of-the-moment kiss.” Her dress rustles against the leather seats as she turns to me. “It didn’t mean anything.”

  “That’s your opinion, but it’s not the same for me.”

  She groans. “Mave, I’m serious. I can’t—” Her voice cracks with distress. “I can’t handle anything else on my plate right now. This has to stop here.”

  “Is that really what you want?”

  “I don’t know,” she grumbles.

  “Then there’s no need to rush.”

  She chews on her bottom lip.

  I peer at her from the corner of my eye. Notice her quiet panic. “Clark,” I caution, “calm down.”

  “Never in the history of the world have those words ever stopped someone from panicking.”

  I laugh. “It was just a kiss.”

  “With my boss.”

  “We won’t do anything else tonight, so you can lose the death grip on your dress.”

  “And tomorrow?”

  I glance at her. “Does it bother you that much?”

  “Yes, it does.” She tilts her head back. “I don’t make these mistakes. I—I snapped at my sister for giving in to her emotions instead of using her common sense. She should know better. I should know better.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She runs a hand over her face. “My parents have a great relationship now, but it wasn’t always that way. Dad was a total wretch. He cheated on mom over and over again early on in their relationship. Eventually, he got it out of his system and settled down. By then, mom had already lived through ten years of hell, but she forgave him because she loved him.”

  “Did he stay faithful to her afterwards?”

  “Yes.” She licks her lips. “Dad was willing to change, but too many people aren’t. I’ve seen women fall down this rabbit hole thinking they’ll be different only to end up broken and bruised in the end.”

  “I’m not a damn rabbit hole, Clark.”

  “No, but you are off-limits.” She sucks in a deep breath. “I know I kissed you first and, even if you tease me for it, it was a mistake. One I’m really, really sorry about. It would help a lot if you could be understanding.”

  I grit my teeth because I’m starting to feel bad.

  That’s new.