Page 40 of The Mistletoe Trap
“No, it wasn’t like that. I accidentally tucked my skirt into my tights because I win at life, and Gavin was trying to shield the children from getting an eyeful.” At the reminder, her skin flushed, and why hadn’t she let that memory die and give way to the new scandal?
“And what an eyeful it was,” Gavin said, ever so helpfully, “all striped and—”
Julie leaned across Niki’s lap and slapped a hand over his mouth, doing her best to ignore the way he’d cupped his hands, as if he were sizing up her gluteus maximus—thanks to all the Christmas treats, it was looking more maximus by the day, too.
“Very funny.” She craned her neck to address the face behind her elbow. “Gavin’s elf shirt was so tight it ripped open, buttons flying everywhere, like he was doing a solo performance for the Merry Christmas version ofMagic Mike. If I’d had any dollar bills, I would’ve shoved them into his tights.”
Finally, Gavin chuckled along with her and Niki, who put her hands over her ears and groaned at the imagery. Happiness that he’d found humor in the situation pinged through her. Or perhaps his laughter was directed at her snafu. How delusional was she? Moments ago, she’d been experiencing attraction vibes that led her to believe Gavin might lean in and kiss her.
Commendable or not, women with supermodel bodies like the one in the photo onscreen hit on Gavin all the time. Women who were bold enough to sunbathe topless and send him messages inviting him to participate in some mutual completion—with video, nonetheless. Even Kristin, who’d followed fashion trends and was crowned prom queen, couldn’t survive in his world, and she was a hundred times more exciting than Julie would ever be.
Good thing Julie didn’t want him in that way, anyway.
Right?
“Let’s focus on the card again,” Julie said so her brain wouldn’t overheat with all the overthinking. She returned her highly discussed butt back to its original cushion. “It’s seriously the gift that keeps on giving.”
Trepidation seized her internal organs as she thought of how horrified Darlene was going to be when she discovered the snafu. “Wait. If your parents didn’t notice the woman when they uploaded the photo, who’s gonna tell them?”
“Not it,” Niki said, whipping her finger to the tip of her nose, and Gavin quickly did the same.
Julie shook her head. “No way. I’m not gonna be the bearer of naked news.”
“Rules are rules, Jules.” Gavin reached across Nikita to give Julie’s thigh a condescending pat. “It’s not our fault that you’re still too slow to beat us.”
An offended gasp came out. “I’m not slow. If anything, I’m just rusty. I also thought we were now grownups who didn’t resort to childish games to solve things like we did when we were kids.”
“You know what they say…” Niki glanced at the image on-screen again. Then she slammed the lid on the laptop and scrubbed a couple of fingers over her forehead, as if that would erase the image burned into their head for good. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Everything inside of Julie protested. “They’re notmyparents. Wouldn’t it be better coming from one of you?”
Niki arched an eyebrow at her, and it was freaky how similar it was to Gavin’soh-reallyexpression. They even did the same bite-the-tip-of-their tongue grin. Having them both gang up on her was like seeing double, only the male and female versions at once. “Pfft.Yes, they pretty much are. Plus, you’d break it way nicer and easier than Gavin or I could.”
No surprise, Gavin bobbed his head in agreement. “They like you better, too—remember, my dad even said it our first night home. That’s why I always had you ask for permission back in the day. They were way more likely to say yes if you asked.”
“Suddenly I feel like the pawn in a Frost sibling chess match.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Niki said. “Everyone knows that you’re the queen, and Gavin’s the king. You two are each other’s ride or die.”
Truer words had never been spoken. Which meant she needed to stop indulging in this fantasy where they could cross lines without consequences. Because the stakes were too high, and with that “ride or die” phrase echoing through her head, she got a harsh yet timely reminder of everything she could lose.
Chapter Fourteen
Gavin entered the kitchen as he read the tail end of the text he’d just received. “My parents let me know they, along with Niki, would be out all night. They said there were leftovers in the fridge, or we could order dinner in if we want.”
Julie stopped scrolling through whatever social media site she’d been on and twisted around on the barstool she was occupying. “Why only order in? Are we grounded?” She bit her fingernail and pulled a face, going overboard on the dramatics. “Did we do something bad?”
He couldn’t speak for her, but he’d done bad things all day as they’d lounged around. He’d noticed the shape of her ass in her snug yoga pants. Gotten a glimpse of cleavage when they’d been arguing over control of the remote. If she hadn’t let go as he’d pried the clicker out of her hands—one armed, no less—he would’ve accidentally on purpose hauled her across his lap.
Which would’ve led to her feeling the evidence of how much he’d enjoyed their friendly scuffle, so it was a good thing she’d let go.
Anyway, he kept telling himself as much.
From studying the naked photobomber she’d referred to as gorgeous to how entranced she became in the TV shows she’d groaned over him choosing minutes before, Gavin couldn’t control his eyes or his thoughts. One minute he’d be imagining stripping her of the elf costume she’d had on last night, and the next his fantasy daydream would morph into her in the hot springs, wearing that tiny hot pink bikini and straddling his hips.
“Earth to Gavin?” Julie snapped her fingers, and he reluctantly let go of the memory of having her that close, her fingers working their magic and soothing him into a false sense of security. One where he could wrap her in his arms, kiss the hell out of her just to satisfy his curiosity, and have things go back to normal immediately after.
Yeah, he’d left earth all right. “Sorry. I was thinking of everything the team and coaches covered during practice. It was torture to watch, not even from the sidelines, but from my computer screen. I should be there, running and throwing and getting ready for our next big game.” All true, and with his shift in focus, that pang he’d experienced as he’d watched practice returned.
