Page 102 of The Gingerbread Bakery
Logan rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, it came up while she was giving Jeanie that nightmare of a nightgown.’
Annie laughed. ‘Be careful with that thing. I hear it’s a family heirloom and it’s lucky.’
‘That thing isn’t getting anywhere near Jeanie tonight,’ he said. ‘But thank you, really. That gingerbread house was amazing, and I know a lot of this day happened because of you.’
He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a big squeeze.
Annie squeezed back. ‘I love you, you know,’ she said.
‘Yeah, I know. I love you, too.’
‘My turn!’ Jeanie said, coming up behind them and giving Annie her own big hug. ‘Thank you for finding Nana,’ she said, ‘although I'm not super excited you brought her back with that nightgown.’
Annie winced. ‘Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn’t get her to part with it.’
Mac slid up to the table with both their coats over his arm and his face flushed, as though he’d been running around to find them and make it back in time before Annie changed her mind.
‘Are you two leaving?’ Jeanie asked.
‘I… Well, I thought things seemed to be winding down…’
‘Definitely! Thank you for everything!’ Jeanie said. ‘You should take off. You did an incredible job!’ Her smirk made it clear she knew exactly what was going on here.
Logan, on the other hand, looked back and forth between Annie and Mac like he was confused about why they would be leaving together.
‘Come on,’ Jeanie said, tugging him by his arm. ‘We’ve got more guests to thank.’ She pulled him away and left Mac and Annie face to face. Annie was sure there were a million reasons she shouldn't go home with him, or at least there had been and now suddenly she couldn't remember any of them.
‘Ready?’ Mac asked.
Ready was not something Annie thought she’d ever be around Mac, but she grabbed her coat from his arm and started her way toward the door. His hand pressed to the small of her back and heat frizzed up her spine.
Outside the barn, groups of guests were huddled around several firepits, snuggled under cozy blankets with cups of hot drinks in their hands. Kira and Bennett were back from wherever they’d gone, looking happy and rosy-cheeked.
But Mac didn’t let her get waylaid, his steady hand guiding her toward the cars.
‘Are you two leaving?’ Kira called from her spot by the fire.
‘We have to check on the kittens!’ Annie called back.
‘Is that what we're calling it now?’ Kira said with a laugh. ‘Enjoy!’
‘Worried about being the topic of town gossip tomorrow?’ Mac asked, leading her toward his car.
‘Not particularly,’ Annie said, pulling her coat tighter around her. She had her strappy heels in her hand and a pair of boots on her feet to trudge through the snow. ‘Just don’t embarrass me.’
Last time at least no one knew what had happened between her and Mac. She didn’t know if she could handle it if it was town news this time.
Mac turned to face her. ‘I don’t intend to,’ he said.
‘And what do you intend to do?’
Mac stepped closer until her back was pressed against the side of his car. His breath was hot on her neck, his hands tracing the curves of her hips.
‘I thought we’d start with a kiss,’ he said, and Annie realized that even with all their fooling around the past two days they hadn’t kissed. It had been over a decade since they had, and suddenly, she wanted that more than anything. She stared at Mac in the moonlight, caught in his gaze,waiting.
But he didn’t make her wait long. His mouth was on hers before she could second-guess it. And once it was there it was like it had never left. Kissing Mac was the most natural thing she'd ever done.
His lips were insistent and hot, pressed to hers in the cold night. Years of heartbreak melted away. She let her hands slip into his hair and his grip tightened on her hips. Soon his tongue was sliding against hers, urgent and wanting. He pressed her harder against the car, his hands roving over the dips and curves of her body, like he couldn’t wait to get her inside before he touched every part of her, like he had to do it now.
