“Your jokes are beyond corny.”
“But you love them,” she replies too quickly to catch herself.
When her words settle, she starts to get as awkward as she did when the woman at the pub thought we were a couple. Something tells me that she’s been burnt about how freely she speaks her feelings, and even though I like to keep my distance with most women, Amelia is different. I know she won’t take advantage of anything that happens between us.
“I do,” I tell her, taking the sweater bag from her and wrapping my arm around her shoulders to pull her into me. “It’s what makes you different.”
“Good different, right?”
Kissing the top of her Santa hat, I stop in front of the line-up for the rink. “Are you fishing now?”
“Will you drill me till I squirt?” Her comeback is so quick that it renders me speechless. Not to mention it has my dick trying to flag down her attention in a nanosecond. Somehow I didn’t expect her to make an ice fishing reference, but I can definitely work with that. Me and the ice have been friends for a very long time.
“Trust me, spitfire, I’ll drop my jig into your ice hole any time.”
“And you’re telling me my humor is corny?” she laughs, and the sound of it makes my heart beat faster.
Amelia is stunning with her cold-bitten nose and fiery hair flicking wildly around her shoulders. I imagine that in the summer she’ll have golden freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks, and to know that I’ll never see that makes my chest tighten. I hate the thought.
“How does a Cali girl know how to reference ice fishing?” I ask as she finishes her mulled wine and aims the small paper cup at one of the large penguin bins a few feet away from where we’re standing in line.
“Some of our clients have adventurous event themes. We did this amazing launch party for an upcoming caviar brand last year, and we had an Arctic theme at this incredible ice bar in London. Caviar, vodka and anything to do with ice.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It was fun.” She shrugs, but the pleased hitch to her smile tells me that it’s something she’s particularly proud of. “It was our first major corporate event. Kate and I couldn’t believe it when they told us we’d won the bid for it.”
“Sounds like I might have to hold on to your number after all,” I tease, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to me.
Amelia is short enough that she has to tip her head back to look up at me, and I like that. I like that I get to see every detail of her face every time she looks at me.
“You couldn’t afford me,” she retorts, sticking her tongue out.
Things feel different between us today. The coyness she normally possesses is gone as though we really are no longer strangers. I can’t stop touching her, and she can’t stop touching me. When we’re not physically touching, we’re in each other’s sights. The odd thing is, it feels good to be this connected to someone. It’s grounding in a way.
“Have I told you I own a jet?”
“It’s the company’s, not yours so…”
“Huh, who’s going for the jugular now?” Pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, I hold her flush to my side as we move forward in the line for the rink. We’re almost to the front when I ask her, “I assume you like ice-skating given how much you love Christmas?”
“Umm…I don’t mind it. I’m not the best at it…”
Somehow I doubt there’s anything she’s not good at. Amelia is the type that puts her all into everything she does. There’s no holding back on her part on anything; it’s why it’s so easy to be around her. What you see is what you get, there are no ulterior motivations or hidden agendas. “No worries, I’ll have you dancing in no time.”
“What?”
“You’re talking to the greatest right wing Trinity’s ice hockey team has ever seen.”
“Cocky much?”
“It’s the truth.” I tap my card on the reader and take the tickets for the rink, taking Amelia with me as she continues to marvel at the tidbit of myself I shared with her.
I’ve got her in skates, and we’re standing on the edge of the rink with her holding on to the side when she looks at me with a quirked brow. “Ice hockey.”
“What’s so surprising about it?”
“I don’t know, I…” She shrugs. “I don’t know, I guess I thought players were bigger. Like wider, you know?”
“Are you calling me scrawny?” Pulling away from the edge, I tug her toward me. “You know, it’s not about size.”
“Only if you don’t actually have it,” she sasses back as I hold both of her hands and bring her into me so I can spin her around with me.
We’ve gone around the ice several times, and I’m twirling her along to one of the Christmas songs when she tells me, “You’re actually good at this.”
“You’ll find I’m good at most things.”
“Oh yeah?” Amelia pauses, and I spin her so that her back is flush to my front and her ass is pressed to my groin.
Tracing the shell of her ear with my lips, I whisper, “I’m great at fucking you.”
Almost stumbling to a halt, with an audible hitched breath, Amelia looks up at me with a deep blush. When I circle her back to face me with a wiggle of my brow, she slaps my chest lightly with a soft gush. “Oh my God, stop!”
“That’s not what you were saying when I was balls-deep in your pussy…my thumb in your ass. Trust me, you wouldn’t be saying that if it was my dick either.”
“Jesus H Christ.” She swallows audibly.
I’m certain her pulse is rocketing faster and faster like mine the longer we stand staring at each other. My grin pulls tauter as she bites on her bottom lip.
“I don’t know how I ever thought you were a standoffish guy. I take your thumb and you’re already cheering for the…umm…salami…”
“You said it wasn’t Christmas until you were stuffed and couldn’t move.” Hooking my finger on the front of her scarf, I pull her up to me. Without moving my eyes from hers, I ghost her lips. “I can do that for you…just saying.”
“I bet.”
“Is that a yes?”
Shaking her head, she pushes away from me, but when I clasp her hand and twirl her back to me, she’s pursing a smile. Closing my hands around her waist, I hold her body flush to mine.
“You haven’t said no, Amelia.”
“Does that fill you with hope?”
“Hope isn’t the filling in this conversation.”
“You’re kind of dirty and incorrigible.”
“I’d say I’m a relentless guy. I told you, I’m great at most things, and when it comes to you…well, I’m pretty certain I’m fucking amazing.”
“We’ll see.” She levels me with a daring grin.
“Sweetheart, the only thing you’re gonna see is fireworks.”
We laugh and for once, I’m in no rush to be done and check on the business or read through my emails. Even as my phone goes off in my pocket, I just want to be with her.
6
Amelia
Dancing around my temporary bedroom to Kelly Clarkson’s “All Wrapped Up in You,” I pick up my hairbrush and start miming along. I feel like I’m starring in my very own Christmas movie. Snow? Check. Christmas decorations everywhere? Check. Amazing sex? Check. Hot date tonight? Check!
Feeling fit to burst, I swipe my phone off of the dresser and dial Kate, before grabbing my favorite festive red dress from the small built-in wardrobe.
“Hey, Mills,” she says after she picks up, and I smile at the nickname she’s called me since we became friends at the London School of Economics. We’re similar in all the ways that matter, and our business brains are on the same wavelength too. It’s why we’re so great together.
“Hey! You’ll never guess what happened the other day?” I giggle into the phone like a schoolgirl, and I couldn’t care less. I’m happy. Why shouldn’t I enjoy it? Adam has me acting like a kid on Christmas morning, and I’m not ev
en sorry.
“You got lucky?” she guesses, a hint of humor in her tone. And I blush as the memories come flooding back to me in vivid detail.
“Hells yeah, I did! It was kind of cute and sweet at first with the whole strawberries and chocolate set up in front of the tree. It was gorgeous, Kate!” I sigh in contentment, replaying that night and the events since. “And then it was hot. We’re talking toe-curling kind of hot.”
The whistle down the line is broken up by her laugh, and I’m laughing right along with her.
“Wait. Is it a real tree?” she asks, pulling me from my filthy memories with her random question.
“What?” I ask. What a weird question. Stepping into my beloved red dress, I pull it up and zip it up at the side, admiring the way it clings to my body in the full-length mirror in front of me.
“Was the tree real? Because sex under one of those is just asking for a trip to A&E! Pine needles and orifices…eurgh.” I hear her shudder down the phone and burst into another fit of giggles.
“Oh my God. Only you could take the hottest, most romantic moment of my life and turn it into a health and safety concern. British much?” I snort down the phone at her, rolling my eyes at her ridiculousness while looking for my makeup bag.
“Sorry.” Kate’s apology gives me pause; unlike me, she’s not the type to hand those out freely. “I was joking with you. You know I’m happy for you, right? You deserve some time to yourself and good fun,” she says, and I smile.
“We went to a Christmas market yesterday, and he’s taking me to a local pub for dinner tonight.”
“Sounds amazing, and I want to hear all about it, but I need to go…call me tomorrow?”
“Oh okay…”
“Good! Love you, Mills, bye.” And with that, she hangs up.
That was odd. Kate’s never that abrupt. Thinking back to the whole conversation, I kick myself. She wasn’t herself from the start, and I didn’t once ask if she was okay. She gets married in less than a month, and I’m too busy living in my merry little bubble to ask her how she’s doing. Some maid of honor!
Dialing her number again, I sit on the bed and wait for her to answer.
“Hello…”
“What’s wrong?” I jump straight into it. I know something’s amiss, and I’m a crappy friend for not noticing sooner.
“What? Why would you think anything is wrong?” The one thing I love about Kate is that she’s straightforward. What you see is what you get. Which only makes the forced levity in her voice all the more noticeable. “Nothing’s…”
“Katherine Clark. Do not lie to me.” I’m bringing out the big guns, knowing she doesn’t like the full-name treatment.
I hear her sigh in defeat and wait for her to open up to me. We tell each other everything, so I don’t know why she’s trying to keep a secret from me.
“Rich is acting strange,” she admits in an anxious whisper.
“Strange how?” I ask, wondering what her fiancé is up to. He’s always seemed a bit weird to me, but each to their own.
“He’s quiet and dismissive. Distant even and avoiding any talk about the wedding. I tried to talk to him about the honeymoon, but…I don’t know,” she sighs. It’s sad and timid, tinged with worry, which fills me with concern for her. “He’s staying late at work all the time.”
Her weary tone makes me wish I was with her and could engulf her in a hug. Not to mention that I feel awful about gushing to her about Adam in my post-sex haze while she’s tying herself in knots over her upcoming nuptials.
“Sounds like cold feet, honey, and that’s normal. All men get them. Weddings are our dream, not theirs. He’s probably trying not to get under your feet by keeping himself busy,” I say, trying to soothe her.
“Yeah, I guess so. It is coming round really fast,” she agrees, adding, “I suppose even I’m a bit anxious about it.”
“It is coming up fast, but everything is ready, and it will be epic. Just try to relax, okay?”
She lets out a huge breath, and I can practically hear her dropping her shoulders. “Hmm, I bet you’re right. He’s probably got cold feet and he doesn’t want to freak me out.”
“Sounds like Richard.”
“God, I feel like the biggest bridezilla.”
“Hardly. It’s your fairy tale, right? You want it to be perfect.”
“Thanks, Mills!” she tells me, sounding more at ease. Her chuckle is definitely brighter.
“Anytime.” I smile, feeling lighter now I know my best friend is okay. After all, sisters before misters.
“So tell me about this date…”
True to his word, Adam picked a cute little pub a twenty-minute cab ride from the cottage. He asked if I wanted to put something warmer on, noticing my bare legs, but I wasn’t going to let a few inches of snow stop me from taking my Mrs. Claus dress out for a spin! A beautiful dark red fitted bodice, with a knee-length tulle skirt, it’s my favorite Christmas outfit. The only sacrifice I did make was swapping my sparkly heels for a pair of black flats. I don’t want to break my neck in the snow. So I’m Mrs. Claus from the knees up, and more Mr. Claus from the knees down.
Once we’re seated, Adam passes me a menu and orders us a bottle of wine to share. I love how easily we’ve slipped into a rhythm with one another. We no longer seem like strangers. The glow from the candlelight creates an intimate atmosphere, and I warm from the inside out when he reaches over and takes my hand in his across the table.
“You have no idea how hard it is to keep my hands to myself when you’re wearing that dress,” he admits with a groan that has my blood heating. He’s eating me up with his gorgeous eyes, and I can feel the blush spreading over my cheeks.
“Yeah?” I ask, pleased but surprised. He is Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected, I didn’t think I could affect him like he does me. But the lust shining in his captivating eyes is proving me wrong.
“Yeah. But I can’t blame it all on the dress. It’s mainly the woman wearing it. She’s one hell of a Christmas cracker,” he jokes, and I laugh at his cheesy pun.
“That wasn’t one of your best,” I snicker, shaking my head.
Dinner flies by, and before we know it, the restaurant is closing and we need to leave. I can’t believe how long we sat there talking to each other about anything and everything.
Excusing myself to go to the ladies’ room while Adam calls a cab, I reapply my red lipstick and check my reflection in the mirror. The wine combined with the warmth of the restaurant has given my cheeks a pink flush, and I smile at how happy I look. Adam is nothing like anyone I’ve ever dated before. Just sitting across from him has me desperate for his touch. When he talks to me, he makes me feel like I’m the only person who matters, the only person he sees. I’ve never had that before, and I want it. Isn’t that the epitome of irony? I finally found a man that sets me on fire and makes me feel like the most important woman in the universe, and he isn’t looking for commitment. Fate can be a coldhearted bitch.
Making my way back to the cause of my smile, I thank him as he opens my coat for me to slip into. His warm breath on my neck has me leaning in closer, desperate for more of him. I’m like a moth drawn to a flame, knowing it’s bad for me but unable to stop. At this moment, I need every part of him, no matter what the cost.
As he slips his hand into mine, I revel in the sparks that shoot up my arm at his gentle touch. He leads me to exit, and we thank the staff before stepping into the cold night. It’s still light outside, with the streetlights and the light of the moon bouncing off the snow. With the white powder clinging to everything in sight, it’s truly a sight to behold. Our very own winter wonderland.
Adam blows into his hands to warm them, and the simple motion has me licking my lips, my thoughts remembering how his hot breath felt on my skin as he devoured me completely.
Rubbing my hands together to attempt to warm them up, I look around for the car that will take us back home. But there’s no sign of it.
“They said it could
take fifteen minutes,” Adam says beside me, slipping his arms around my waist to pull me in close. I soak in his body heat and enjoy the feel of his body wrapped around mine. Looking over the road, I spot a red telephone box, covered in a thick layer of snow. A crazy idea comes to mind, and I pull back to point it out to Adam.
“How about we hide in there until the cab arrives? It’ll give us a bit of shelter from the bite of the wind,” I reason, bouncing up and down on my feet to try and get some warmth back into my bare legs. Adam notices my discomfort and grabs my hand, leading me over to the red box. He gives the handle a firm tug, and a coat of snow falls off, making me giggle. Shaking it off his jacket, he steps inside the small cubicle, pulling me in beside him so that the door closes behind us. It’s not any warmer, but the reprieve from the wind is welcomed.
As he wraps his arms around me again, I lean against his chest and try to relax into his embrace, but I’m too worked up. The heat from his body is only serving as a reminder of how he can set me alight like no other. As sweet as this moment is, I don’t want sweet. I want sinful. I want to feel his skin on mine, feel his breath on me as he loses control. I’m never normally one to instigate, but I can’t help myself—he has me wound so tightly it hurts. I crave him in ways I never thought possible. My whole body is singing for his, desperate for his attention.
Leaning up on tiptoes, I press my lips against his and moan at the taste of him. Wine, chocolate, and pure Adam. He slips a hand into my hair and pulls me closer, devouring me as I slide a hand under his coat and up his chest.
What is it about this man that has me losing all my inhibitions? I run my hand back down his chest, cupping his cock through his pants and grinning when I hear his deep groan.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish, sweetheart,” he whispers as he bites my bottom lip, making me squeeze my thighs together in anticipation of what’s to come. To my left, the snow is covering most of the glass. We’re pretty secluded in here, and no one is around. Before I can overthink the moment, I sink to my knees in front of him, gasping as the cold surface makes contact with my bare skin. When I start to unzip him, he looks down at me in shock before pulling himself together and giving me a sinful smirk.
Love 2 Jingle U: A Sweet Vine Christmas Romance Page 6
