Page 25 of The Grand Mistletoe Assembly
Her pulse thundered in her ears. Her gaze met his, sharp and piercing. She could not look away. “I promise.”
The hand still clasping her waist tightened when the steed made a restless step to the left. She loved his strength.
Wait, that’s not the point.
Pippa surveyed their surroundings before she let out a breath of relief. “Thank heavens, no one saw us.”
“Is that not the point of seizing moments?” Nicholas asked. “The thrill?”
“Certainly not,” Pippa said. “It’s about not missing a moment one might regret if missed.”
“Are you implying if you had not kissed me at the Pearler ball you would have regretted it?”
Pippa thought back to the breathless impulse that had urged her to kiss him that night. Without having to dwell on it much, she knew within her soul, she would have regretted missing the moment had she not seized it then.
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” she teased. “All I know is that I haven’t begun to regret the kiss. Yet.”
“Oh? What about the one we just shared?”
“Is that not your moment?”
“I don’t regret it,” he said with certainty. “And since you don’t regret yours, the matter is settled.”
Pippa froze. Did that mean this was the end of it, then? Were they even now? A touch of disappointment accompanied his reassurance. Until his next words …
“From now on, I’m yours to seize.”
* * *
The fourth ruleof being an exemplary brother: Do not kiss your sister’s best friend in public. Also, do not leave your sister in the presence of a rake. Again.
Faced with her wide-eyed stare,Nicholas was seized by another unpardonable, duty-defying urge to kiss her. She sat enclosed in his arms, all but taunting him with those glittering eyes and red, moist lips.
Beautiful.
He hadn’t meant to blurt out the first thing that came to mind. For the first time in his life, Nicholas’s actions, thoughts, and mouth were led by pure instinct. Kissing Pippa Averly was damn near perilous.
And her warmth imprisoned him.
He hadn’t understood what the events of his heart meant. His pulse thundered.Seize me, every unsettled beat seemed to roar. He tipped her chin up as he lowered his lips to hers again for a quick peck.
Peril aside, kissing Pippa had also become a necessity.
Her eyes searched his in a daze, incredulity glinting in their depth. And something else. Something that made his chest constrict with emotion.
Awe.
Had he truly kissed Pippa Averly senseless? The look suited her. Wildly seductive.
Then, she blinked. “Seize you? I can’t believe you just said that. In fact, this past hour is a dream. It’s a dream, right? I haven’t woken up yet.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Pinch me.”
“This is not a dream.”
She gestured to her arm. “Pinch me.”
“I’m not pinching you.”
“You kissed me but won’t pinch me?”
