12 Christmas Romances To Melt Your Heart

by Anthology

  “It did?” Her pupils dilated and her lips parted.

  “It made me realize that there were some risks I hadn’t taken. It made me regret how much time I wasted in high school with people I didn’t really like. Truth be told they probably didn’t really like me either. If I could do that part of my life over, I would I would focus more on my grades even though it wasn’t the cool thing to do. I would spend more time reading and not care who gave me shit for it. And I sure as hell would risk asking out a girl who I knew wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

  Her eyes widened slightly.

  “And if I ever got that girl alone I wouldn’t miss my chance to kiss her.” He leaned in closer.

  “You wouldn’t?” Her pink tongue swiped across her lips, wetting her mouth.

  “I wouldn’t.” His heart hammered in his chest as her sweet perfume seemed to pull him closer like a magnet.

  It was now or never. He needed this. He’d dreamed of this. There was no going back.

  He angled his head as his finger slid across her skin and cradled the back of her slender neck. She sucked in a gasp of surprise but didn’t pull away. Her lips parted. That was all he needed.

  He brushed his lips across hers. The second they touched, a warm jolt shot through his body. He kissed her gently, nibbling on her full, silky lips and savoring her warmth.

  He held his breath, waiting for her to push him away and slap him. But when she didn’t stop him, he deepened the kiss. He slid his tongue between her lips, tasting her sweet, warm mouth. He groaned as she kissed him back, brushing her tongue shyly against his in an intimate dance.

  He wished the damn table wasn’t between them so he could pull her into his lap and kiss her until she would never think of another man again.

  Breathing heavily, he pulled back and looked into her heavy-lidded gaze. What he wouldn’t give to have her look at him like that for the rest of his life.

  “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

  “You have?” Her voice was thick with lust.

  “Yes, I…”

  The creaking sound of a tree limb cracking drew their attention back to the window. A tree only a few feet away from the window was leaning to one side from the weight of the snow and ice. A large limb snapped and landed on a low-hanging electric line, sending tiny sparks into the air.

  “Oh, no.” he mumbled. Unease settled in his gut. He knew what was coming next.

  “What?”

  Before he could answer, the lights flickered before going out.

  “Well, that was the electric line.”

  “And our only hope of getting out of here.” Her eyes widened. She scooped up Miss Kitty in her arms and held her close.

  “Don’t worry. It will be okay.”

  “We’re locked in a restaurant where the lights just went out. And since the lights went out I’m betting the heat won’t work either.” She swallowed and looked to him for answers.

  For the first time, he didn’t have any.

  Grabbing her by the arm, he gazed into her caramel eyes. “Eliza, trust me. You’ll be okay. We have heat for now, and if that goes out, then we can go into the kitchen and turn on the oven. It’s gas, so it won’t go out. I know the owner, and she’s going to want to check on the place to make sure the pipes didn’t freeze, so she’ll be back. Not to mention we are in a restaurant so we won’t starve to death.”

  She blinked as his words seemed to settle over her. Slowly she nodded as an unsure smile settled on her lips.

  “Trust me. We’ll be okay. I bet we can even scrounge up something for Miss Kitty to eat.” He grinned as the cat let out a meow.

  She laughed a little as she glanced down at the cat winding its way between her legs.

  She still didn’t look like she trusted him about surviving over night, but she didn’t look scared to death either.

  He’d take what he could get.

  “I’ll fix us some more hot chocolate. We’ll go back to the table to watch for someone passing by so we can flag them down.”

  She nodded with renewed hope shining in her eyes. He didn’t think anyone would be out in this weather, but he wasn’t going to steal hope from her.

  He watched as she and Miss Kitty headed back to their table. His mind was three steps ahead, planning for the worst. If they had to spend the night in the restaurant, he needed to be figuring out a place for them to sleep comfortably.

  The booths were too short for either of them to stretch out on comfortably. Maybe if he took the table out from between the booths, he could move two booths together and put them end to make it long enough for them to sleep on. First he needed to make the hot chocolate. Anything that would put her mind at ease.

  Chapter 6

  A few minutes later, he was carrying two mugs of steaming hot chocolate back to the booth. This time he’d found some marshmallows to top off the drink.

  He pressed the mug into her hands.

  “Thanks.”

  “Well, it’s not wine and flowers but I suppose it will do.”

  “What do you mean?” She frowned before taking a sip.

  He cleared his throat, deciding now was not the time to go all romantic on her. They could very well be spending the night together.

  “Nothing.” He chuckled. “So how is business going?” He took a sip, letting the hot, thick chocolate slide down his throat and warm his stomach.

  “It’s up and down. It seems a lot of people aren’t interested in paper books anymore since the e-readers have come out.” She took another sip and gazed out the window. “It’s sad. Some kids don’t even know what it’s like to read an actual paper book.”

  “Have you always wanted to own a bookstore?” He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her chestnut-colored hair fell in waves like velvet silk across her slender shoulders, and her eyes sparkled every time she spoke of her store.

  “Yes. I remember as a child going to the library and loving the smell of the paper and leather and the feel of the pages.” She gave him shy smile. “I guess that sounds pretty weird to you, doesn’t it?”

  “Not at all. I think doing what you love is the ultimate American dream.” He looked out the window. “You’d be surprised how many people are stuck at a job that they hate because they feel like they have no other options.”

  She frowned and set her mug down. The ceramic clinked on the table. She turned, giving him her full attention.

  “How about you? You seem to stay pretty booked up. I always see your truck at someone’s house.”

  His heart sunk. He could lie, but he didn’t want to do that. Not with her. With her, he wanted to be truthful.

  “When I started my business, I expected to be pretty successful. I picked that line of work because people always need a plumber. Plus I had a lot of friends here in Cloverton, so naturally I could get a lot of business. Now a lot of my so-called friends I grew up with won’t even send me their business. I think in a way they felt like I let them down by not getting into the NFL when I had the chance. But once I got to college, I realized I didn’t want to spend my life playing football. The house calls I’ve made don’t end up much better either. Sometimes it’s a housewife who is looking for a little action while the husband is at work.” He shook his head.

  “I’m sorry, Jake.” She reached over and touched his hand. “I had no idea. Honestly, I figured you were doing well.” She frowned. “And for your friends not to support your business is, well, it’s shitty.”

  He grinned. He’d never heard her utter a curse word in her life. Yet she was mad enough on his behalf that she was letting loose with the cursing.

  “It doesn’t matter.

  “Yes, it most certainly does matter.” She lifted her chin in defiance. “Is plumbing what you really want to do?”

  “Well, my plan was to start this business and get it going and eventually sell it. I’d love to be able to buy some of the buildings here on Main Street as an investment. Fix them up and sell them for a profit.”


  “Like a house flipper?”

  “Yeah, like that. Eventually I’d like to start buying up land. I have always felt like land is a safe investment. It’s something that you can’t make more of.”

  “Then you should totally do it.”

  Her confidence in him made him shift in the plastic booth. He’d never told anyone this before. Yeah, he’d confided in his family, but never in a woman. But with Eliza, he felt safe talking to her about something as intimate as his dreams without worrying about being teased about it.

  Meow.

  The cat sat back on its haunches and batted its paw at his sleeve.

  “Looks like someone is trying to get my attention.” He grinned as he rubbed the cat between the ears.

  “She’s hungry. I was going to feed her after I closed up the store, but then she had the nerve to run off.” Eliza scowled at the cat. The cat, ignoring her mistress, continued to look at him with yellow eyes.

  “I think Miss Kitty has the right idea. I’m pretty hungry myself. Let’s go see what we can scrounge up in the kitchen.”

  “Do you think Mrs. Wentworth will be mad that we are eating her food?”

  “She’ll be mad at herself for not checking to make sure no one was still inside before she locked us in. I’m sure she’s fine with us eating whatever we find.”

  She nodded and slid out of the booth. Her dark red sweater reminded him of

  autumn leaves and made her brown eyes sparkle. It was an amazing color on her. But then again, Eliza could wear a garbage bag and still look beautiful.

  They made their way toward the back of the restaurant to the kitchen. The chill in the kitchen was something he was going to have to fix ASAP. He turned on the stove burners, and the blue flame sparked to life.

  He saw her frown. “I’m just taking the chill off. I’ll see what’s in the refrigerator if you want to check those cabinets over there for some candles. I know Mrs. Wentworth puts out candles on the tables at night.”

  She busied herself searching the cabinets while he dug through the refrigerator. Finding the ingredients for lasagna, he began to pull out what he needed and placed it on the counter.

  “Score.” Eliza turned around with an armful of white tapered candles.

  “I’m not so sure we’ll need all those, but...”

  “Are you kidding? I watch those survivor shows on TV. We should be prepared.” She glanced down at the load in her arms. “This should take care of the lighting, some warmth and possible cooking if needed.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Well, it might take care of the lighting. But unless you are cooking a beanie weenie, then it’s not going to put out enough heat to cook a meal.”

  “Fine. I’ll go look and see if there is something for Miss Kitty.”

  “I think I saw some tuna in the refrigerator.”

  “I hate to take it. I know Mrs. Wentworth was going to have a special this weekend.”

  “That’s not happening now. Even if the snow stops, no one is going to be going out with the roads in this shape this weekend. Go ahead and give it to Miss Kitty.”

  She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the tuna. Cutting off a piece, she cut it into manageable bites for the cat while he got busy heating some ground beef in the skillet. Soon the kitchen was filed with warmth from the stove and aromas of cooking food.

  “What can I do to help?” She stuck her hands in her jeans pockets and leaned in to smell the cooking seasoned meat. Her sweet perfume went to his head.

  It was all he could do not to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

  “I think we could have some wine with our meal. What do you think?”

  “A nice bottle of Cabernet?” She arched her brow.

  “Perfect. I think she keeps the wine over there.” He pointed to the far side of the kitchen.

  She returned with a bottle while clutching two wine glasses by the stems.

  “And look what I found.” He dangled a corkscrew he’d found in a nearby drawer.

  She passed him the bottle of wine. Their fingers touched, and a jolt of electricity shot through his body. Her gaze lifted up to his, and her lips parted. She’d felt the connection too. This whole attraction wasn’t one-sided.

  Thank God.

  She took a step back and placed the glasses on the counter. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”

  “Do what?”

  “You don’t have to act like you’re interested.” Her expression shuttered and she shook her head.

  Her words were like a jackhammer in the chest. “What?”

  Turning around, she faced him. Planting her hands on the counter behind her, she lifted her chin. “Jake, I know I’m not your type.”

  “Eliza…” He narrowed his eyes and took a step toward her.

  She held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t. Just don’t. I know what you’re going to say. That kiss was a mistake. It never should have happened.” She blinked and then looked away as she held her head high. “Let’s just forget about it and focus on surviving the night. After tonight, we won’t ever talk about it again.”

  She shoved off the counter, but he caught her by the arm before she could escape.

  Chapter 7

  “Eliza, we’re going to talk about this, whether you like it or not.” He narrowed his gaze. Why in the hell would she even think for one second he regretted kissing her?

  “I don’t pretend with women. Hell, I don’t pretend with anyone. I am who I am, and if people don’t like it, then I really don’t care.”

  She cocked her head as she listened to him. She looked as if she was trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not.

  “When I kissed you, it was because I wanted to kiss you. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while. I just never had the chance or the opportunity.” It was his turn to act defensive. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And how do you know my type anyway?”

  She shrugged. “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve always dated blondes.”

  “So you are basically judging me on what I did back in high school?” His chest tightened.

  “I just assumed…”

  “Right. You just assumed, like everyone else, who I am.” He took a step back.

  “Jake, I’m not your type. You can’t seriously be saying that there is something between us?” The look of disbelief was scrawled all over her pretty face.

  Wow. That hurt way more than he liked admitting. Picking up his ego off the floor, he turned back to the stove and concentrated on the meat sizzling in the skillet.

  “Jake, I didn’t mean to…’

  He shook his head. He needed time to cool off to make some sense of what was going on.

  “Maybe we should just give each other some space. Something tells me it’s going to be a long night,” he said quietly.

  He didn’t watch her as she went back into the dining area. He did have some pride. Instead he concentrated on making the lasagna that he knew he no longer had an appetite for.

  He just hoped the rest of the night would pass quickly.

  * * *

  Eliza’s stomach churned as she sat alone in the booth near the window.

  She’d never meant to hurt Jake’s feelings, but she’d just succeeded in doing just that. How could she explain that she’d never thought someone like him would be interested in her? And why was he even acting like he really liked her?

  A tiny voice inside her head nudged her, telling her that maybe, just maybe, Jake did like her, and as more than just a friend.

  She shook her head. He could have any woman in Cloverton, hell, any woman in Tennessee. Why would he want her?

  She took a deep breath and wished she hadn’t left that wine in the kitchen. She could certainly use a glass right now.

  Miss Kitty jumped up on the table and batted at Eliza’s hand with her paw.

  “I know, I know you’re hungry.” She should have grabbed the tuna before escaping from the kitchen. “I need wine and you need tuna. Wel
l, we’re both outta luck.”

  She rubbed her cat between the ears and rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she looked out the window. This was totally not how she’d planned on spending her night. And if she had dreamed of ever getting trapped with a gorgeous guy, she sure as heck never would have expected to turn down his advances. But once again her insecurity crept in to whisper in her ear and mess up her plans.

  What was done was done. Besides, it was probably better to get everything out in the open before she got hurt. No need to spend her Christmas pining over a guy who was just going to end up breaking her heart.

  “Got to keep it moving, Miss Kitty,” she whispered into the dark as the snow picked up even more speed. The streetlamps cast a cozy yellow glow against the snow that was quickly accumulating along the sidewalks and streets. The electric lines swayed under the growing weight of the snow and ice. It was getting dark fast, and she wasn’t sure if the streetlamps would even still have electricity in a few hours.

  Standing up, she gathered her courage and headed for the kitchen to grab the candles and the bottle of wine.

  The aroma of Italian food assaulted her nose the second she stepped inside the warmth of the kitchen. Jake was busy arranging the layers of cheese, flat noodles, and meat in a stainless-steel cooking dish. He didn’t bother looking up as she entered.

  Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “I forgot Miss Kitty’s food.”

  “It’s on the counter. I poured some milk in a saucer as well.” Jake kept his gaze on the food he was preparing.

  Her heart tugged within her chest. He’d been so thoughtful to go the extra mile for her cat. No guy had ever done that before. Most of the guys she knew didn’t even like cats.

  Swallowing back the knot forming in her throat, she spoke. “Thank you.” She skirted the counter and picked up the food and the saucer of milk and placed them on the floor. Miss Kitty trotted over and quickly began to devour the feast as she let out a continuous purr of pleasure.

  “I opened the wine, if you want to go ahead and pour yourself some. I didn’t know if you wanted to wait to have it with your meal or not.”