Page 129 of Holiday Hire

She blinks a few times, her chest rising and falling faster.

Fuck this.

I slide my hand through her hair, tug her against me, and lean down. Her hot breath hits mine, and I quickly slide my tongue against hers.

She gasps, then kisses me back until we're both breathless.

I retreat a few inches, murmuring, "We need a different arrangement."

She whispers, "Arrangement?"

"Yeah. You and me."

"You and me..." She looks away, furrowing her eyebrows.

My stomach flips. I turn her chin so she can't avoid looking at me. "I like you."

"I don't think it's about that," she states, then shivers.

I lead her to the couch. "Sit."

She obeys.

I place a blanket over her and declare, "I'm going to start a fire and then we're going to figure this out." Before she can object, I step in front of the fireplace, arrange the wood, and grab the box of matches off the mantel. I light several until the kindling catches. When I'm confident it'll continue to burn, I join her on the couch.

She blurts out, "I don't think we should discuss this."

The air in my lungs turns stale. "Why not?"

She tilts her head, her expression neutral. "I thought you didn't want to disappoint the boys."

"I don't."

She looks away and taps her fingers on her thigh.

I grab her hand. "Pheebs, you don't understand what I'm saying."

She turns toward me, her eyes in slits. "I understand perfectly, Alexander."

My heart pounds so hard against my chest I think it might explode. I demand, "Then tell me what you believe I'm trying to say."

"You think I should be your friend with benefits until my two months are up," she declares, her cheeks turning fire-engine red.

I jerk my head back. "Why would you ever think that?"

Her lip quivers.

This isn't going the way I wanted it to go.

I tug her across the couch and onto my lap. "Pheebs, tell me why you think that's what I want."

She blinks hard and turns away.

I softly state, "You have the wrong idea."

She turns back. "You slept with me. When I woke up, you pointed out I'm from California, and you're from here. You actually stated that you have your life, and I have mine. You made it clear you only wanted a fun night. Well, we had fun. Then it was over. Let's not rehash why you think I'm a bad idea."

"Bad idea? I never called you a bad idea."

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