He grinned. “I told you, Felicia picked this place out for me. I just wanted something close to work, with an extra room for an office, and a nice view.”
“She must have thought you wanted the luxury suite, huh?”
“I guess,” he said with a smile before leading them to the elevator. As the elevator smoothly took off for the fifth floor, he leaned back against the wall and gave Johanna a little grin. “Have a nice nap?”
She grinned sheepishly. “I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep. I’m sorry. I wanted to help you stay awake.”
“It’s okay. It was probably better that you slept. It was a harrowing experience. I’m extremely thankful we made it as far as we did. There were a few times when I thought we were going to be stranded on the side of the road.”
“Oh, wow. It is probably better that I missed it.”
His blue eyes burned a hole into her as he stared. “You know, I would have never guessed you to be a snorer.”
Her eyes widened and a hand flew to her mouth. “Did I…”
“Yup. A little.”
“Just a little?”
“You sounded a little bit like a symphony of tree frogs, if you want honesty. But it was cute.”
“Cute?” said Johanna, nearly choking on her own saliva. How embarrassing! “I’m sorry, me snoring is not cute. I swear I don’t snore all the time. Something about car rides and the position of my head makes me snore.”
He reached out and squeezed her arm. “It’s alright, Jo.”
“Here, you want me to take Es?” she asked, suddenly realizing that the cat was still wrapped around Mitch’s neck.
He touched her fur absentmindedly. “Oh, she’s keeping my neck warm, actually. She’s better than a scarf. I think she might like me.”
“Doubtful,” said Johanna, rolling her eyes.
“Thanks!”
“Oh!” She covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that she doesn’t like anyone. Not even me. She’s pretty snarky. I’ve nearly kicked her out of my apartment at least a dozen times.”
“A snarky cat, huh?”
The elevator door dinged and the group piled out. Mitch led them down the hall, past doors covered in Christmas wreaths and other holiday placards.
“Wow! Why doesn’t your apartment building look like this, Hanna?” marveled Whitley, still trying to chase the chill away by rubbing her arms.
Mitch stopped in front of a completely plain door devoid of any holiday cheer.
Johanna looked around curiously and then pointed at the door in front of them. “Wait. Is this your apartment?”
He looked both ways down the hallway and then held up his key. “It’s the only one they gave me a key for.”
She giggled. “You’re literally the only door without any Christmas decorations.”
“Everyone else on my floor either is married, has a live-in girlfriend, or has children. I’m the only single guy. Single childless guys don’t decorate for Christmas.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged, pushed the door open, and flipped on the light. Rocky ran inside. “I don’t know. Maybe some single guys decorate for Christmas, but not me. I have a job. I don’t have time for holiday cheer. Bah humbug.” He grinned at her wickedly.
“You’re not funny.” Johanna glanced inside at his beautiful, albeit bare apartment. “If I’m staying here for the night, the first thing I’m doing is putting on the Hallmark Christmas channel to add a little bit of holiday excitement to the place.”
He unwound Esmerelda from his neck and put her down on the floor. “That might be the only festive merriment this apartment will have seen for the last six years.”
Johanna pulled her hat off and ran a hand through her damp hair to smooth it. “Then it’s probably a Christmas miracle that we showed up when we did.”
“You have no idea,” he said softly, unable to peel his eyes off her for a moment. After a particularly long stare down, he pointed at a small built-in fireplace in the wall below the television screen. “I could start a fire?”
“Oh my gosh, please do!” cried Whitley, still rubbing her arms. “I’m freezing!”
Johanna nodded. She’d always wanted a fireplace in her apartment. “That would be great.”
“I have wine too, if you want some with the movie. It’s in the kitchen. You could pour us a couple glasses?” He pointed towards his gourmet kitchen, complete with oversized stainless steel appliances, black granite waterfall counters, and sleek white cabinets. Not a single item appeared out of place or like it had ever even been used.
Johanna ran her finger along the island counter. “This is a very nice kitchen. Do you cook?”
“I can cook,” he said, turning on the fireplace, “but, alas, I don’t.”
Johanna pulled two wineglasses from the hanging rack below a cabinet. “Why not?” She was pretty sure she’d cook all the time in a kitchen like his.
“Work, mostly. I get home late. I usually just pick something up on the way. Plus, it’s just me. Why would I want to cook just for me?”
Johanna knew the feeling well. It was just her and Rocky, and he was satisfied with dog food and whatever leftovers she brought him. She glanced over at the girls. Whitley stood in front of the fire with her palms facing it and Esmerelda had curled up in a ball on the furry rug in front of the fireplace.
Johanna nodded her head towards them. “The girls seem to like the fire.”
“The girls?” He glanced back at her.
She winced. Crap. “I meant, Essy seems to like the fire. Where’s Rocky? Rocky!” she called, trying to draw attention away from her faux-pas.
“Woof!” he barked from another room.
Following the sound of his bark, she found him curled up on Mitch’s bed. “What are you doing, buddy?” Johanna patted his rump. “That’s Mitch’s bed. You get down from there.”
Mitch was right behind her. “He’s fine. He’s not hurting anything. I’m going to let you and him have the bed tonight anyway, so he might as well get in bed.” Mitch’s deep, sexy voice spilled over her shoulder, his proximity to her drowning out the silence in the room. Her heart began pounding wildly. She was in a bedroom with a man she was incredibly attracted to, and every fiber of her body was suddenly very aware of it.
She spun around so that they were face-to-face. “B-but I can’t, we can’t, kick you…”
He put a finger on her lips. “Shhh. No arguing. My place. My rules. You get the bed and I get to sleep on my incredibly comfortable sofa.” He strode over to his closet. “You want something a little more comfortable to wear to watch the movie? I’ve got some sweatpants that might fit you if tie the drawstring tight.”
Johanna’s heart was still having problems settling down, but she nodded and tried to force herself to look at ease. “Umm, sweatpants? Yeah, sure.”
“Ask him if he has some I can wear!” shouted Whitley from the living room.
“Do—” Johanna’s mouth clamped shut. She’d almost just lost her wits and asked him if he had clothes for her invisible friend. She palmed her forehead.
“Do? What? What is it?”
Johanna cleared her throat. “Do…you…have any popcorn?” She rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“Of course I have popcorn! That’s one thing I do know how to make.”
She smiled, relieved she’d been able to cover and he hadn’t noticed yet again what an imbecile she was. “Good.”
He pointed at the sweatpants, t-shirt, and socks he’d thrown on the bed. “Bathroom’s in there. I’ll change out here.”
From the bathroom minutes later, Johanna could hear clanging in the kitchen and then the humming of a popcorn maker. She did the best she could with her wet hair and her faded makeup and then slid out across his hardwood floors in the socks he’d lent her. She was suddenly very excited for popcorn, a glass of wine, and a Christmas movie all on Mitch’s couch. It was almost like she had a boyfriend for Christmas.
&nbs
p; She slid into the kitchen. “This is actually kind of fun,” she said, merriment giddy in her heart. “Like a sleepover.”
He put a bit of butter in a little plastic bowl and stuck it in the microwave. “It’s exactly like a sleepover,” he chuckled. He pointed at the television. “I turned it on, but I don’t know what channel you want.”
Johanna darted into the living room and scooped up the remote, flipping it to the movie she wanted. “Yay, it only started a few minutes ago. We didn’t miss much,” she said, looking at the time and then pausing the movie.
“Perfect. Popcorn’s almost done.”
The minute the smell of butter was in the air, Rocky was in the kitchen, barking. He wanted a treat too.
Mitch frowned. “Sorry, bud. I don’t have any dog food around here.”
“He’ll eat anything,” said Johanna. “He likes popcorn.”
“Rocky eats popcorn?”
Johanna nodded. “He prefers it with extra butter, but the vet says plain is better for him.” She held a hand aside of her face and added in a whisper, “But it’s Christmas, so what I don’t see won’t hurt him.”
Whitley, who had still been warming herself by the fire, strutted over to them with a pout on her face. “Hanna, I’m just going to go to bed. I’m cold and tired. It’s Christmas and I miss my dad. I just want today to be over.”
Johanna looked at Esmerelda, who was curled up in a ball snoozing in front of the fire. “Maybe I’ll just put Essy in your room too, if that’s okay?”
“You’re going to put the cat to bed?” Mitch asked, lifting one brow while filling a small bowl of popcorn for Rocky. He put it on the floor.
“Yeah, you know. I don’t want her to be too cranky in the morning.” Johanna scooped Esmerelda up off the floor. “Bedtime, Essy,” she cooed in her ear.
“Oh, you’re kidding me. I don’t even get to watch the movie?” Es hissed back under her breath as Johanna carried her towards the bedroom. Johanna smiled at Mitch, hoping she wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the evening explaining why her cat was talking. Luckily, he hadn’t seemed to have heard anything.
When they got to the bedroom, Johanna shut the door behind her. “Sorry, Es. You fell asleep. Whit’s going to bed. Maybe you girls can let me have a little alone time with Mitch?” She handed Essy to her sister.
Esmerelda yawned. “Oh, fine. Call it my Christmas gift to you.”
Johanna nodded excitedly. “Deal!” She ran back out into the kitchen to discover that Rocky had already scarfed up all of his popcorn.
“Bedtime, Rocky,” she sang.
“Woof!”
Mitch patted his head. “Night, buddy. See you in the morning.”
She led Rocky to the bedroom and handed Whitley his leash. “Can you please keep him in here with you too?” she begged.
“I suppose,” Whitley sighed glumly. “One of us might as well have a good Christmas night.”
“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise.”
“Really?” Her green eyes brightened.
Johanna nodded. “We’ll have our own Christmas at the apartment or something. We’ll play games and put on Christmas music and have cocoa and popcorn.”
“Deal!” cried Whitley. “Come on, guys, bedtime.” She put Esmerelda on the bed, and when she patted the spot next to her, Rocky hopped up next to her.
“He’s sleeping on the other side of the bed,” said Essy, pointing at the foot of the bed.
“He knows,” promised Johanna from experience. She threw her arms around Whitley. “Thanks, Whit. I owe you. Good night, everyone!”
“G’night, Hanna,” said Whitley as she crawled into bed too.
“Woof!”
31
A bright orangey-red fire danced in the fireplace only minutes later. Mitch and Johanna sat on opposite ends of Mitch’s three-person sofa with a bowl of popcorn separating them. With both of their stocking feet up on the coffee table, they stared mindlessly at the people in the Christmas lodge on the screen. Every once in a while, Mitch’s hand would accidentally graze Johanna’s hand and he’d feel Jo tense up, or she’d glance over at him and smile awkwardly. It was cute, the way she seemed nervous around him, that much Mitch would admit. But the sexual tension between them was stifling, and the silence—deafening. So deafening that he couldn’t even hear what was going on in the movie. It felt like they were on a first date, even though they’d agreed that this was to be a non-date date.
Jo’s stifled laughter made it appear that she felt the same way. Even without looking at her, Mitch could tell that she was up in her head and not relaxing at all.
Finally, he couldn’t take the awkward silence any longer. He decided he had to do something bold. He bolted upright, sliding his feet to the floor. He picked up the popcorn bowl and put it on the coffee table.
She looked over at him curiously and opened her mouth to say something.
But before she could ask him what he was doing, he reached across the sofa and grabbed hold of her, and in one easy tug, he’d slid the two of them together in the middle of the couch. He wrapped his arm around her body and leaned over her so that their faces were only inches apart. He inhaled, drinking in her intoxicating aroma of peppermint and wine.
For a split second, he saw a streak of panic flash across her eyes. He had known he would. But, he was pleased when the panic quickly gave way to a sweet tenderness and silent longing that tugged at his heart. In that moment, he could see that she wanted to kiss him just as much as he wanted to kiss her.
It was that tiny bit of encouragement that gave him the nerve to lift her onto his lap. Entranced by her big brown eyes, he slid his hand up into her hair. Staring into each other’s eyes, he silently gave her the briefest of moments to push him away, to slap him, to decide this wasn’t what she wanted. But when her lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile, he pulled her head down to meet his and their lips touched for the very first time.
At first, he felt her body freeze. Her lips were tight, her body rigid and full of panic. But instead of forcing the kiss harder, he let his lips soften and he hugged her to him. He wanted to convey something to her. She meant something to him. This wasn’t just a kiss he was giving her. It was his heart.
Slowly, Johanna began to respond. Her lips softened too, and her body melded into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, curling her fingers into his hair.
Mitch wanted that kiss to go on forever. He wanted to lift her up and whisk her away to his bedroom. But he knew better. The minute his body began to respond, he pulled his head back.
She stared down at him, her big brown eyes shining in the dim light. “What was that about?” she asked breathlessly.
He grinned. He could stare at her like this all night. “I wanted to get it out of the way. It was hanging in the air between us like a curtain. We couldn’t see past it. All I want is to enjoy my time with you, and I didn’t want there to be this awkward tension between us.”
Johanna touched her lips gently. “Oh,” she said. “So you wanted to kiss me?”
His head lolled back on his shoulders as he smiled.
He lifted it back up again and looked her in the eyes. “Are you kidding, Jo? You couldn’t tell by that kiss that I wanted to kiss you?”
“Well, I mean, I…”
“Did you want to kiss me?”
Johanna’s face froze. She swallowed hard. She was speechless.
Mitch tipped his head sideways. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared too.”
Her eyelashes fluttered and she broke eye contact. “You are?”
He lifted her chin so that she would look at him again. “I am. I haven’t had feelings for anyone since Felicia. I’m not sure I know how to do this anymore.”
That made Johanna grin. “Really?”
He nodded.
“I’m not sure how to do it either,” she whispered.
“Then we’ll learn together. No rush, okay?”
She nodded as a smile l
ike warm honey poured across her face. “Okay.”
Mitch pulled her head down one more time. This time, he laid a kiss gently on her forehead. “Well, now that the first kiss is out of the way…” He pulled her off his lap and tucked her in beside him under his arm. He leaned forward and put the popcorn bowl on their lap and put his feet back up on the coffee table. He looked at her happily. “We can watch this Christmas movie.”
Johanna awoke the next morning to a hissing sound. Her eyes blinked open, and the first thing that caught her eye was the fireplace, which still burned brightly. She realized that she had fallen asleep on Mitch’s sofa. She rolled to her side and peered around the edge of the sofa to see Mitch crammed up on the love seat, still sound asleep. Aww, he let me sleep on the big couch, she thought.
She heard the hissing sound again. “Psst!”
Johanna’s brow crinkled. Slowly, she raised her torso to peer over the back of the sofa towards the sound. She saw Whitley in the doorway of Mitch’s bedroom, waving wildly at her.
“Hanna!” she whisper-hissed. “Come here! Hurry!”
Johanna glanced back again at Mitch, who was oblivious to Whitley’s presence. She let the blanket Mitch had covered her with the night before fall into a heap on the sofa as she stood up and rushed to the bedroom.
“What?!” she whispered.
Whitley tugged Johanna into the bedroom. “Get in here!” She shut the door behind her.
Rocky sat on the floor, looking up at Johanna with a big sloppy grin. “Woof!”
Johanna patted his head as she ground the sleep from her eyes. “Mornin’, buddy.”
Esmerelda was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Well, look at what the cat dragged in.”
“You realize you’re the cat, right?” asked Johanna with a grin.
“Yeah, I might be the cat, but you’re the one who spent the night in the living room with your boyfriend.”
Johanna’s face flushed. “Nothing really—happened.”
“Oh, sure. Yeah, I believe that,” quipped Esmerelda.
Snow Cold Case_A Mystic Snow Globe Romantic Mystery Page 25
