Page 50 of I Choose You
Before I had a chance to answer, Matt was pulling a card out of his wallet and handing it to me. His personal phone number was printed on the back of his business card, prepped and ready for the opportunity to hand it out.
“Oh, um. Thanks,” I told him, taking the paper from him. My dress didn’t have any pockets, and I wasn’t carrying a purse, so I slipped the paper into my boot. I didn’t have any intention of calling him, but I didn’t want to be rude either.
The door opened again, and my skin tingled. I hadn’t even turned my head, and I knew it was Reid.
“Monroe.” Reid acknowledged him with a tip of his chin, his voice low and restrained. His eyes narrowed, the scowlfrom our early days back in place as he turned to me. “Are you alright out here?”
“Everything’s good. Claire and I were just getting to know each other,” Matt offered.
Reid’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. “You look cold. Why don’t we go back inside and warm you up.” He plucked Matt’s coat from my shoulders and shoved it at him. My stupid heart was galloping now. That couldn’t have happened five minutes ago when I was talking to the good-looking cop who wasn’t almost a decade younger than me?
“It was nice to meet you, Matt.”
“Pleasure was all mine. Call me if you ever want to grab dinner together or something.”
He smiled a friendly smile at me, but the look he gave Reid was decidedly less friendly. “Wilder.”
Reid led me to the door, reaching around me to open it for me. As soon as we crossed the threshold, cheers broke out around us.
I scanned the room quickly, everyone shouting and cheering. I caught Maeve’s eye, and she pointed up. My head tipped back, and I recognized what the crowd was saying at the same time I registered the mistletoe we were under.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
This was so silly. I looked over at Reid, ready to tell him that he didn’t have to listen to them. It was just mistletoe.
He cupped my face in his hands and didn’t hesitate, his mouth crashing into mine.
I gasped, the feel of his lips smooth and insistent. Reid took advantage of my parted lips to swipe his tongue across mine. I pulled myself closer to him, gathering his shirt in my fist. Itwas just as electric as the first kiss but somehow even better. A moan escaped my lips as Reid brushed his fingers through my hair. He lightly tugged my head back, deepening the kiss further. A groan rumbled in his chest. My hand slid over his pecs and around his muscular shoulder.
Applause erupted around us. I pulled back quickly, dropping my hand from his chest. From the corner of my eye, I saw Matt stalk past us into the house. Most everyone went back to what they were doing before, picking up their conversations or making a new plate of food. Luke and Juliet were there, their wide eyes staring at us. We really needed to stop doing that in front of an audience.
“You good?” Reid asked quietly. We were still standing in the doorway, right where we were when time stood still.
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Nice work.” I smiled, patting him on the shoulder.
I patted him on the shoulder.
I laughed and smiled at people, shaking my head and rolling my eyes good-naturedly as I got in line for food. My face was flushed, but that was because I had been outside in the cold and then came into a nice, warm house. It was bound to happen. And my heart pumping out of my chest, that was just because…
Damn it. That was because it was a really good kiss.
Reid was following behind me, but Maeve waylaid him, giving me a chance to put a little distance between us. I wasn’t here to start something with the contractor, and I needed to remind myself of that. I was here on business. It was unprofessional. It was unnecessarily risky if things went south. It would only cause me heartache. Because I could see myself getting attached to Reid. I wasn’t here for the longhaul. A few more months in town, and then I was off to the next project.
A fling with the ridiculously hot contractor was not wise. No, it was decidedly unwise.
The food they had out earlier was delicious, and since then, even more dishes were brought in and laid out. I selected a variety of items, barely paying attention to what I was putting on my plate. Honestly, it all looked so good it didn’t really matter. I finished my selections and turned to move away from the table, running directly into Reid.
“Come with me,” Reid said, his eyes searching my face. He took my plate and offered me his hand. I slid my palm into his despite the pep talk I had just given myself. Unwise or not, the pleasantly warm touch of his skin had sent my nerve endings into overdrive.
There were so many people here now it was impossible to find a place to sit and eat. But Reid kept walking anyway. He passed the living room and headed for the stairs.
I followed him up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms. High school memorabilia was hung on light gray walls, along with a picture of a young Reid and an older man dressed in a karate gi, Reid holding up a medal. A mirror was leaning against the wall, another picture of Reid tucked in the top left corner. He was with a girl, his arms hugging her from behind. They were both looking at the camera with big smiles on their faces.
Reid closed the door and set the food on the bed.
“I’m sorry… about before. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine, Reid. I’m fine. It was just a mistletoe kiss. Plus, it wasn’t even our first kiss,” I laughed, trying to easesome of the tension that I could feel building.
