Page 69 of Holiday Hostilities

Men in tuxedos and women in striking gowns mingle around the ballroom. The clink of glasses and the hum of laughter carry through the air, alongside the scents of pine and cinnamon. The atmosphere is festive and perfect, full of the same contagious holiday cheer as in those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies my family loves to watch and I love to complain about. All while secretly enjoying the hell out of them, of course.

It truly is a Winter Wonderland. Spectacular in every way.

But all of this beauty pales next to the sight of Olivia in that dress.

She’s a vision. A straight-up masterpiece of crimson satin and copper curls and scarlet smiling lips. Red is my favorite color right now, and I have a feeling it’ll stay that way.

We’ve been here nearly a damn hour already, and although I should be feeling anxious about seeing Brandi and also having to sweeten up Lieberman at some point tonight, I can’t tear my eyes away from Olivia long enough to care.

That dress is doing things to my insides that they have no business doing. I can’t concentrate on anything going on around me, because in my mind, I’m tracing the edges of that dress, smoothing my fingers along the shimmering pale skin exposed by the deep neckline and low, scooped back of the dress. I want to follow my fingers’ path with my mouth, tasting and licking and kissing her bare skin until she’s begging me to claim her mouth…

“You okay man?”

I startle out of my reverie to find Jake peering at me, eyes narrowed.Whoa, my mind got away from me there.

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” I yank my gaze away from Olivia, standing a few feet away at the bar with Sofia.

“You sure?” Triple J pipes up. “You’re, like, super red. Redder than our jerseys.”

“You running a fever or something?” Dallas asks as he begins to back away from me. “If so, you should go home. You definitely don’t wanna get us all sick. We play Toronto in two days.”

“I’m fine,” I insist. “It’s just hot in here.”

“No, it’s not,” Triple J says with a shake of his head. “I’m actually a bit cold.”

“Me too,” Jake adds, his expression nothing short of suspicious.

“What are you boys talking about?” Sofia appears beside me, Olivia trailing a step behind.

“How Aaron’s face currently looks like a beetroot,” Dallas says cheerfully.

Red is no longer my favorite color, I decide. But then, my gaze flits back to Liv and I have to retract my retraction.

“I got you a club soda,” she says, a crooked smile on her lips.

“Thanks,” I accept the glass, accidentally-on-purpose letting my fingers brush against hers. I’m gratified to see the hitch in her breath as I do.

“And for the record, your face is more the color of a tomato,” she adds helpfully, her eyes flashing with mischief. All at once, I am mentally hurtled back to the other night in my kitchen, when she covered my naked torso in washcloths.

I let my eyes sweep over her stunning form, and then they capture hers again. “I might be in need of some more first aid.”

“Aaron!” Reagan suddenly darts up and grabs my arm. Peeking behind me, her expression registers relief. “And Olivia, good. Just the people I wanted to see. Can I have a word with you both in private?”

Every ounce of casual flirtation in me disappears as I look around to see if Brandi has arrived. But to my relief, I don’t see her anywhere. “Sure thing, Reags.”

I glance sideways at Liv, but she only shrugs as we follow Reagan and her flouncy, neon-pink dress out of the ballroom.

Once in the hallway, she surreptitiously looks left, then right, like she’s a freaking spy or something. Then, she opens a door and ushers us into…

A coat closet.

Although, she ushers Olivia a little too fast, causing her to trip over her heel. I place my hands on Liv’s waist for a moment to steady her. I can’t help but let them linger there a moment too long, before reluctantly pulling them away and turning to Reagan.

“I assume this is about Brandi, but was the closet really necessary?” I arch a brow.

“Yes. We are on a covert mission.”

“I think it was a nice touch,” Olivia adds with a smirk, and Reagan grins.

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