Page 27 of Must Love Mistletoe

“I was pregnant. I was relieved Red showed up at all,” she said bluntly. “And we did make the best of it. Tried to, at any rate. I needed to believe that one day he’d become a better man. If not for me then for Sam. Things we tell ourselves in the dead of night, yeah?” She picked up her beer and took a chug. “Cheers, Mr. Casey. You raised a mighty fine man. And here’s to you too, Red. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, you lying, cheating, miserable disappointment of a man. I’ll keep the best memories of you alive for Sam—I promise you that, because every kid deserves a father they can be proud of—but I’m done pretending to myself that I chose wisely and married a good man. I didn’t. And I forgive you, because I’m ready to move on.”

She raised her beer to the sky, and sat back in the chair, took a long swallow of beer and then laughed abruptly. “Catharsis. Is that how you do it?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Well, yeah. It’s your party.”

“Then that’s how it’s done. Issues have been aired, feelings discussed, and it’s time to move on.”

“Not all feelings,” she murmured. “There’s still a few we haven’t tabled.”

Cal resumed scratching at the edge of his beer bottle with his thumbnail. “Why are you here?”

“Am I unwelcome?”

“Never.” His gaze met hers and something sparked. A connection born of the ashes of the past but bright and hopeful, nonetheless.

“I had a free evening, and I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Who you are. What you’re prepared to do for the people you care about. How you don’t seem to realize how much good you bring, just by being you.” She stood restlessly, and made her way to the deck railing, little more than a slender silhouette against a backdrop of towering peaks. “I know I come with baggage, a bad temper, and impulsive behavior, and I’m pretty sure I’m misreading your signals. Why would you want to take up with someone like me? But your family keeps pushing you at me and why would they be someanif you weren’t interested in me? They’re not mean people. So, you might be. Interested. And it’s a brand-new world and if you were, that would be brilliant.”

Hope was a powerful aphrodisiac.

He stood and crossed the deck to stand beside her, holding out his big, calloused paw. “I’ve never danced with you in the moonlight.” And he wanted to. He was damn near trembling with the need to do so. “Would you do me the honor?”

He’d always known that if ever this woman put her hand in his, the stars would shine a little brighter.

Wasn’t that something.

Chapter Nine

Even with allthe layers of clothing between them, her puffy jacket, his outdoor coat, there was something about being in Cal’s arms that felt almost unbearably intimate. His gaze never strayed from her face, his attention absolute. She’d never been the subject of such intense focus before, and it felt like being stripped bare from the inside out.

How did he make it seem as if he saw every last bruise and flaw and still thought her beautiful and magical and worthy of his attention? Should she rejoice in his regard or run from it? Or maybe tuck in close, with her head against his chest, and close her eyes and listen for his heartbeat?

That. Definitely that, as their dance shuffle slowed to a sway and both his arms came around her to pull her closer. She could feel the slight shift in his body as he leaned into the embrace without putting all his weight behind it.

The way he harnessed his size and strength so as not to overwhelm her made her feel protected. His gentleness made her feel cherished. The steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek made her senses quicken as if she was a teenager again, brand new to boys and longing.

“This is nice,” he murmured, and she could feel his lips move against her hair as he spoke.

She tightened her arms around him, far as they could go. “Yes.”

“Not sure Red would approve.”

“Is that what you’re after? His permission?” She pulled back enough so she could see his eyes. “Because short of raising thedead, which, let’snot…” She glanced toward the circle of empty deck chairs. “I know he looked up to you. Is it too delusional to think he’d only want the best for me and Sam?”

His lips curved, revealing a flash of even white teeth. “We could run with that theory, yeah.”

And he lowered his head and kissed her.

He was pure heat beneath those cool, mobile lips, and so very willing to get lost in the moment. The hunger he didn’t bother to conceal hit hard, and her response came from somewhere way down deep. She let it rise, and it was all too easy to stand on tiptoe and wrap her arms around his neck and keep right on climbing.

When he lifted her effortlessly to balance her butt against the railing, she wrapped her legs around him and gasped at his unmistakable erection. Big man, every last bit of him, and was it too early to be thanking all her lucky stars in the sky for his endowment and her good fortune? What if he didn’t know how to use it? Except…

Grind.

His hands settled on the globes of her butt to adjust her position until his hard length scraped at her just so, and…

Drag and roll andoh. Cowboy knew what he was doing. He kissed her again, capturing her gasps, and then pulling his head back and rewarding her passion with a boyish smile and another roll, and then another one of his all-consuming kisses and,why, yes, Cal, do press on and see where that goes.

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