Page 29 of Her Holiday Heartthrobs

My hand maintains solid contact with her lower back, so when she slides a little on the way to the waiting car, I easily catch her against me. And it’s everything I’ve been wanting teasing me in the most merciless way.

Paige’s mouth parts as she peers up at me from under her lashes. And I swear she’s thinking about the same thing I am—or in the same lane at the very least. I want nothing more than to drop my mouth over hers, but I resist. Once again. I’m always resisting my baser nature when she’s near me.

When Liam opens the door for us, I nod and release Paige, holding her hand as she lowers herself into the car. I address Liam as she slides over to let me in, “Bring us home.”

Instead of her place. The promise and tension hangs in the air after that declaration, but Liam merely nods and waits for me to sit so that he can close the door.

I slide in beside Paige. She’s settled in her seat, the foot and a half between us is too much after tonight. Once I knew I could freely touch her—granted in designated spots—I wasn’t able to stop myself from taking advantage. I might be experiencing separation anxiety.

The door shuts with a muted click, and I watch like a creep as Paige elongates her legs and stretches her feet.

“Mmm, I cannot wait to get those things off my feet. I might need a crowbar. Maybe some shears.” Her head falls back against the seat as she peeks at me. When her cheeks turn rosy, she looks away, out the window as if the dark, snowy expanse is so beautiful she can’t look away.

The further we get from the event, the more she fidgets. Fingers tangling together. Toes bouncing. Tucking her hair back from her face and then releasing it from behind her ears. Fiddling with a beaded section on her thigh.

I can’t look away. And she won’t look at me.

When she bites her lip again, turning that red sheen into a more rosy pink, I can’t think past kissing her.

Paige sits up straighter, intently looking out the window before she finally turns her attention to me. “Where are we going? This isn’t the way home.”

My restraints have snapped at the innocence in her gaze as she blinks at me. They are a vibrant darkblue and seductive in the low light. I reach across the seat, unbuckle her, and yank her across the leather until she’s pressed tightly against my side.

Stiff and surprised, her hands are trapped between us. Her breathing grows rapid, pressing her bosom up against the tight fabric of her dress.

Fuck, I want to dip my mouth to explore the exposed planes of her skin—the tops of her breasts, her collarbones, her throat. She swallows hard, and it’s a jolt to my cock.

Lifting her gaze to mine, she seems to regain some of her own control, and I take in every little change in her. How her shoulders relax, the way she adjusts her legs so that the backs of her thighs are snug across my left leg, how her mouth gains three more degrees of poutiness, that peek of her tongue at the corner before her teeth claim her bottom lip again.

Paige slides a hand from between us, and it makes a slow arc up my side and across my chest until she curls her fingers into the lapel of my jacket. Her grip is tight, almost pulling me closer.

By the time Liam pulls us into my garage, Paige is soft and submissive in my arms, even if her eyes remain sharp and assessing.

With the last few seconds of privacy, I dip my nose against hers, delighted by the way her mouth gasps open.

Fuck, yes.

I pull back at the last second for her disgruntled harrumph, and Liam opens the car door. After another heartbeat, I release Paige and step out, reaching for her before she can rethink my intentions.

She only wobbles once as I escort her through the garage and toward the back kitchen entrance. The moment we step inside, I can feel Eli and Henry nearby, catch a glimpse of them both in the kitchen before Paige can realize it. At the threshold, I spin Paige back into me.

That soft look she gives me drowns out the way my friends turn to watch. Tilting up her chin with my thumb, I lower my mouth over hers.

It’s sweet, tense, and fills us both with a joint breath that shudders out before she opens her mouth to me and kisses me back.

My hand sinks into her hair, and I kiss her the way I’ve been dreaming about. Like I’m claiming her. And that’s exactly what I want to do.

Paige holds onto me, body molding against mine, hands threatening to tear my shirt in half.

The tiniest moan vibrates low in her throat, and I bask in the fact that she wants this too. She wants me, and I’m going to take everything she’s willing to give.

“Fuck.” Eli swears behind her.

Paige stiffens in my arms, and I drop her mouth. She’s stuck in place with my hand locked in her hair and my arm banded across her back. Her plump lips are damp from my kiss, and she breathes heavily.

Slowly, I lighten my grip enough that she can peer over her shoulder. I feel it when she spots Eli, and then Henry. They’re both standing around the kitchen island, albeit it on opposite sides. Her body grows stiff again, unsure and defensive.

What makes her react to us that way? Is it merely circumstance or is she simply fighting the same urges we are?

---