Page 53 of The Gingerbread Bakery
‘What are we going to do with them?’ she asked.
‘I was hoping you would be able to take them at least for a few days until we can find them a home.’
‘I can’t,’ Annie said, shaking her head. ‘My landlord won’t allow pets.’
Kira sneezed three more times and Bennett dragged her away from the box of kittens.
‘I guess maybe if we kept them in one of the guest bedrooms away from me then it might be okay,’ Kira said, rubbing her eyes but Bennett was already shaking his head.
‘Babe, if we bring these into the house, I’m afraid you will actually die. And I prefer that not happen. I kinda like you.’
Kira looked up at Ben, her eyes already more puffy and swollen than when they started this conversation. ‘We can’t just put them out in the snow!’ she wailed.
Annie was wringing her hands next to him, and Mac knew it was killing her that she couldn’t do something to fix the situation. But he also knew that she loved that little apartment of hers and she couldn’t do something that would jeopardize her lease.
‘I’ll take them,’ he said, and Annie’s gaze snapped to his.
‘You’ll take them?’
‘Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get a pet anyway.’
‘You have not,’ said Annie.
Mac crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Do you want to put the kittens in the snow?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Okay, then let me take my kittens in peace.’ He put down the box and took a kitten in each hand. They greeted him with eager meows of thanks. Annie was right. He’d had no intention of having pets, but they were pretty darn cute. And as he tucked one in each of his coat pockets, he caught Annie smiling at him.
‘Let's go get those trees,’ he said to Bennett, leaving a slightly stunned, still smiling Annie to help with the flowers.
ChapterNineteen
Then
Annie was making out with Mac. There was no other way to describe it. His mouth was on hers, his fingers raking through her hair. They were making out. And Mac was really damn good at it.
Annie pulled back a little so she could see him in the soft glow of the Christmas lights. She’d strung several strings over his bed for ambiance, and now they were curled up together just like they had been that first night she stayed over, except this time Mac was not keeping his hands to himself. And Annie liked it just a little too much. He smiled at her, the skin crinkling at the corner of his eyes.
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Everything okay?’ He’d been doing that all night. Checking in when he kissed her, when his hands found their way to her ass and squeezed. He’d asked all along the way if she liked it, if she was okay, if she was comfortable. It was unexpected and thoughtful. Apparently, she was still underestimating Macaulay Sullivan.
‘Yeah, everything’s great,’ she said with a dopey smile she couldn’t seem to stop. She’d done a lot of dopey smiling today as she and Mac had scoured the mall for a gift. They’d found quite a few contenders, but Mac had vetoed them all. She was starting to get the feeling that he was rejecting gifts just so they could keep looking.
‘Good,’ he said. ‘Everything is good for me, too.’ His smile turned mischievous as his hands roamed over the curve of her hip and back again. Annie scooched closer to him on the bed, marveling at the fact that only a few weeks ago she had fantasized about doing this, and now she got to. She laid a hand on his chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart beneath her palm. He was firm and solid, and she liked touching him. His smile grew.
‘I’m glad you were bored enough to hang out with me this month,’ he said.
‘Now that I know you better, I might even consider hanging out with you when I'm not bored.’
‘Wow,’ Mac raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. ‘That is a high compliment coming from you.’ He leaned forward and pressed another kiss to her lips. Annie couldn’t help the curve of her smile against his mouth.
‘Well, I do have very high standards,’ she said with a soft laugh.
‘I'll try my best to live up to them.’ He used the arm he had draped over her to pull her closer, tucking her tight against his body as he deepened the kiss. His tongue slid against hers and she found herself making needy little moaning sounds and arching against him. Things she had never done in her entire life but that felt right with Mac. She wanted more. More kissing, more pressure, more everything. His hands were moving faster now. Firmer. Never dipping beneath her clothes but tracing every curve and inch of her. Their kissing became more frantic, sloppier. Their hands, grasping and groping. Annie wasburning, wanting things she had never really wanted in any concrete way before, wanting this man in ways she had never wanted anyone else, and she felt like she might actually combust if he didn’t do something tofixit, to ease the ache inside of her. She was counting on Mac here because she felt completely out of her element. Unmoored by the intensity of her feelings. For the first time in her life, Annie’s body didn’t feel like her own. She didn’t recognize it like this. And it was both exhilarating and terrifying.
‘Wait,’ Mac gasped, pulling back.
His hands were on either side of her face holding her in place. His eyes were dark, his lips swollen from kissing her.
