Page 28 of Holly and Nick Hate Christmas
Had to be.Right?
She pulled on her end of the boa, tugging it from his grasp. “You’ve already got that green shirt. This will up your Christmas outfit, trust me.”
“I don’t want to wear a boa, Holly.” He dodged her attempt to adorn him a second time. “Not for Halloween, not for Easter, and definitely not for Christmas.”
“Why not?” She blinked at him, her question breathy as if his declaration was completely ridiculous. “It’s fun.” She began humming “Jingle Bells.”
Okay, maybe she really had gotten into some eggnog.
Nick opened his mouth, then shut it. Or…maybe she was just nervous around him. Hadn’t Ryan said she’d gone through a breakup recently? It was hard getting back in the game—or so he’d heard. He’d been out of it quite some time himself. But she could be feeling a lot of pressure for their block party date.
A sliver of pity worked through his irritation. Like a splinter. But it was there, and he couldn’t ignore it. “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot.” Nick took a deep breath and stood, forcing Holly to move off the arm of the chair.
She stood before him, draping the boa over his shoulders and situating the feathers just so. “Did we?”
He resisted the urge to shuck the feathers off and throw them far, far away. Or maybe dig a hole and bury them. “I thought you hated Christmas.”
Holly offered a little shrug as she smoothed a wayward feather down flat. “I guess everyone should be allowed to change their minds.” Her eyes didn’t meet his as she said it, instead focusing somewhere around his chin. Or was she looking at his lips?
Nick’s gaze automatically darted to her lips, shiny with pink gloss, pursed in concentration as she fluffed and arranged the boa, and he swallowed. How in the world was he both attracted to and completely repelled by the same woman? It’s like she was in there—the beautiful, genuine, slightly reserved, sarcastic woman with oceans of depth in her green eyes that he’d been immediately intrigued by a year ago—but was trapped beneath a layer of tinsel and green icing.
Which still lingered on her cheek.
He took a step back, tugging his gaze away from her daintily freckled face. “I’m happy to be your date for this block party, but maybe you could go easy on me with all the…um…” His voice trailed off as appropriate words failed him. He flicked the boa to finish his sentence. “Festiveness.”
“Go easy on you?” Her eyes met his then, gold flecks sparkling in emerald jewels. A coy smile spread slowly across her face as she closed the distance between them. “But…”
Man, she was standing close. Almost as close as they’d been in the kitchen, but this time, she was facing him, which was an entirely different situation. His throat went dry. “But?”
She took both ends of the boa in her hands, tugging him even closer. “But that would ruin everything.”
“It would?” Was thathisvoice, so husky? He cleared his throat. Told his feet to step back. But they didn’t obey.
Had he shuffled forward instead?
“Yeah.” She smoothed the feathers again, this time the ones right below his collarbone. The graze of her touch against his chest sent a spark shooting into his fingertips. “I thought we could make snow angels and go ice skating and eat cookie dough.”
Nick frowned. That list sounded oddly familiar. “Is that a line from a movie?”
A flash of panic lit Holly’s face and her hands froze on the feathers. “I don’t think so.”
“No. It is.” He could hear it…almost see it. He squinted.
Holly rapidly smoothed more feathers. “You don’t watch Christmas movies, so you wouldn’t know.”
“That’s it!” Nick snapped his fingers. “It’s fromElf.” He might not watch Christmas films on purpose, but he also didn’t live under a rock.
She licked her lips. “What a coincidence.”
“Maybe.” Uh-huh, busted. She’d totally seen it. Nick narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her. “Or maybe you’re up to something.”
Holly cocked one hip to the side and peered up at him through long lashes, looking ridiculously adorable, unfortunately. She tapped one finger against his chest. “Do you want to go ice skating, or do you want to argue about movie scripts?”
He wanted to gohome.He wanted to pretend like he’d never been given a ticket to this confusing, overly festive, holiday-themed roller-coaster ride.
And yet, somehow, at the exact same time, he desperately wanted to go ice skating.
With her.
