Page 34 of Finally Moore

I hate my sister.

Taking a deep breath, I decide it’s better to just rip off the Band-Aid. So I lean down, brush my lips across Scarlett’s for hardly a second, and quickly pull back again.

“Boo,” my sister says unhelpfully. “That’s not a mistletoe kiss.”

“Yeah, that was pathetic,” Ginny joins in.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Scarlett tells me, her jaw set tight in annoyance. “They aren’t going to stop until we do.”

Fuck it. If they want a mistletoe kiss, I’ll give them one.

Scarlett jumps when she feels me thread my fingers through her hair and pull her face to mine. She’s tense at first, but when I turn my head to get a better angle and lick her bottom lip, she melts into me, grabs my belt loop, and pulls me closer. The world spins and fades away around us as we continue to devour each other. I forget everything. Where we are, what led us to this point… None of it matters. All I care about is kissing this woman and the fact that nothing in my life has ever felt as right as this present moment.

When I pull back, Scarlett’s eyes are closed as she attempts to even out her breathing. “Wow,” she whispers.

“I think I need a cigarette,” her mom says, fanning herself. “I’ll be outside.”

The interruption breaks whatever spell Scarlett was under and she quickly comes to. “Oh… um…” She adjusts her clothing and hair. “That was…”

“Hot,” a voice answers for her, and I frown at my dipshit little brother, who I hadn’t realized was even here.

“Fuck off, Jake.”

“I just might,” the horny little bastard replies. “I didn’t know you were doing live shows.”

“Don’t you have a video store to manage?” I remind him.

“I can’t believe that worked.” He high-fives his twin as he saunters back over to his side of the business.

Tilly smiles, seemingly proud of herself. I’m about to say something when her phone rings and cuts me off. “Moore Books and Coffee,” she sings in her best customer service voice.

“Come on.” I drape an arm over Scarlett’s shoulder and guide her in the direction of the restaurant. “Let’s get some lunch.” When she doesn’t immediately answer, I glance down and see her fingers hovering above her kiss-swollen lips.

“Yeah, lunch…” she finally mumbles in reply.

Chapter fourteen

Scarlett

Itwasjustakiss… Two adults sharing a simple yet somewhat intimate embrace…

Who the fuck am I kidding?It was two individuals becoming one as their lips locked together and their tongues danced to the rhythm of their souls, to an unspoken beat shared between them. Sounds dramatic but that was exactly how it felt. There was nothing sweet or innocent about that kiss. Hours later, my mouth still tingles, still tastes like him. I can’t look at Scott without thinking about it, wondering when we’ll do it again and if he wants to…

Oh my god, was I bad?Is that why he hasn’t tried anything since?

Get it together, Scarlett…

First off, it’s not like you’re alone. No, you’re walking around with your mom in tow. Not exactly the ideal conditions for another PG-13 make-out session. Still, we need to talk.

Don’t we?

“Oh, Scarlett,” my mother calls out from the dress rack behind me, while Scott’s off towards the front of the boutique scoping out a present for his sister. “Look at this dress.”

I plaster on my best smile and saunter over to the rack she’s been combing through. She holds up a shimmery gold dress. “Wow,” I say, impressed that she’s actually picked out something I’d like for once. Not that she doesn’t have a great sense of style, but this screamsmeand that isn’t usually something my mother likes.

“Come on, try it on,” she insists.

“When am I ever going to wear it?” Where she’s from, dresses like this are perfect for the various red-carpet events she’s known to attend. Here, in Tral Lake, not so much.

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