Page 47 of Santa's Mistletoe Playbook

She snorted. “Including knocking a Christmas shopper on her behind.”

The way she avoided swearing was too cute. “Touche. Shall we?” I held out my arm.

“What do you want me to do with that?” She eyed my proffered limb like it might attack her at any given moment.

I edged closer and risked taking her hand in mine. Her fingers had turned cold, still slightly sticky, and probably tasted like gingerbread. I wanted to suck one into my mouth, but it would be poor form before kissing her and getting a little thing called consent.

Mind, back home at Rippton U in the Kingsman frat house in Cali, we did a whole lot worse. But I was out with my sister and her family, and I promised to be on my best behaviour. So, here we were.

“I feel like this is condoning bad behaviour,” Trinity murmured, flicking her gaze up at me through her lashes withthose dark amethyst eyes. “For the bad boy with the player rep.” Her hand hovered over my arm.

“Damn, girl,” I murmured. “Don’t look at a man you just met like that. Gonna get yourself in trouble.”

Her soft gasp did weird and wonderful things to my blood flow, reversing its trajectory to head to the south pole at the wrong season. Still, her hand pressed over my arm, folding gently around the sleeve of my jacket. She’d likely leave mucky fingerprints there, but I didn't care. Hell, I’d probably suck the taste off later.

On second thought…that one had better stay in my head. Not that I wasn’t up for a little extras action, but right now I had my gaze set on one girl.

The girl from my rival college who knew my name.

My captain and housemate, Beau Bennet, would flip his lid.

This was shaping up to be a damn good Christmas.

I hollered to my sister as soon as I spotted her multi-coloured, lopsided beanie with the oversized pom pom Bessie handmade with love for her. My older sibling took one look at me, the girl at my side, and shook her head, muttering something with her gaze raised to the sky.

“I know how she feels,” Trinity whispered to herself, but I caught her hushed words.

My grin grew bigger. “Pray to whoever you need, baby. I have an angel of my own right here.”

“Definitely a bad idea.” She pressed her soft looking lips together.

“Definitely worth it,” I said firmly. “Besides, it's coffee. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Looking supremely discomforted at that statement, Trinity’s hand flexed on my arm. I covered it with my larger one, unwilling to let her dart away just yet.

Besides, I really wanted that coffee.

CHAPTER TWO

TRINITY

Defender Dylan Mountforth was a ladies man in every sense. He knew instinctively—or by an excess of practice—how to woo a woman double his age at ten feet. Even his niece cuddled his leg and refused to release him, so he walked with her attached and managed to hold a running commentary about life at Rippton U in California versus a Minnesota winter at Blackstone.

At a distance, his brand of flirting was contagious. Grins followed him—us—everywhere as we pushed through the crowds that thickened as fresh snow dusted every head over populating Blackstone’s campus for our last family day of the season.

Not that a crowd deterred Dylan’s efforts. Up close, his effect was devastating.

He grinned easily down at me, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand where his larger one engulfed mine. “How do you take your coffee? I wanna replace the one I,uh–” He waved a hand down my front that trailed the sticky stuff.

I smell like a coffee cart.

Why was I allowing a man I just met to manhandle me across the markets Blackstone set up as a family day? I hadn’t seen the place so packed since last orientation week, and I had no intention of letting Dylan Mountforth bribe his way into my heart with gingerbread spiced treats.

“Just as it comes. I might go wash up,” I said softly.And run. Far away.

Dark eyes narrowed on me. “You’re coming back, right?”

“And you are too smart for the beefy defender from Rippton U.” I poked his side with an accidentally well aimed finger that made it through the layers he wore, increasing his size incrementally.

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