Page 51 of A Very Titan Christmas
Her smile curled. “Are you going to tell me how you pulled this off?”
“It was nothing much. I just made a couple phone calls.”
She scoffed. “This is so much more than nothing much.”
True enough. After he’d come up with the idea, he hadn’t bothered to consider if it would be too much. “Just pretend I called in a favor or something.”
“You’re not supposed to use favors for fake girlfriends.”
“We’ve been blurring the rules a lot,” he whispered. Bryce meant to sound like he was teasing her, but it seemed more like a reminder of every too-long look that might lead to another kiss like the one that could’ve burnt her cabin to the ground.
She burrowed next to him. “We didn’t exactly set rules.”
No, they hadn’t, and yet, they both were well aware they’d crossed boundaries.
The carriage ride down the mountain seemed to fly by. Every bend on the trail brought them that much closer to their reentry into the real world, when they’d leave behind this magical Vermont trail ride.
The carriage slowed as it approached the stables. The attendant who had first greeted them waved hello with a cheery smile. Bryce eased himself from under the blanket and jumped out first. He reached his hand up to help her down.
The attendant and Mr. Franklin led the horses into the stables.
Rachel faced Bryce. He wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted more than that. Now that the quiet and the blanket and the darkness were gone, Bryce would do anything to ditch dinner and see if this fancy place had a cabin they could rent for the night. Need burned in his chest. “Rach—”
She pushed herself up on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and softly kissed his lips. “Thank you.”
The fire in his chest intensified. She pulled back. He didn’t let her get away. Bryce cinched her close. His lips brushed hers, teasingly, softly, and only for a moment. Then the hunger he’d been fighting since the night at her cabin took over.
Her mouth was candy cane sweet and tasted of peppermint. Her lips melded to his, her mouth opening to the stroke of his tongue. Kissing this woman was like breathing oxygen into his life. Though his eyes were closed, the colors were more vibrant. He was more alive than he’d ever been.
The sound of approaching footsteps cut their kiss short. Their lips parted. She pulled back, but he didn’t let her get far. Bryce studied her face and saw what he felt: red-hot need.
“Guess we should go to dinner,” she said with the same degree of uncertainty that he felt.
This would be complicated. He saw that in her face too. Either way, no decisions would be made before dinner. They could always walk inside the restaurant and decide this was a bad idea in thousands of different ways. Or they could decide to press their luck. “Guess so.”
He took her hand, and off they went.
*
The restaurant smelledof rosemary, garlic, and woodsmoke, a faint air-kiss of a scent just rich enough to make Rachel sigh. Tension melted from her muscles, and Bryce took her hand. His longer fingers were strong and steady, holding on to her as if their relationship was as real as possible.
A hostess quickly whisked them to a small table near a fireplace. The dining room glowed with a warm amber hue. Thelogs had burned down to coals. Tealights surrounded by pine branches served as a centerpiece over a starched white linen tablecloth.
Nothing about tonight was expected. “I didn’t think you were the romantic type.”
“I’m not.” He sipped water with a nonchalant shrug. “This isn’t romantic. It’s just… private.”
Her lips curved. “I hate to break it to you, Bryce, but this tops the charts when it comes to romance.” She’d never had a nicer date in her life. Add him into the mix, and she’d never been so thoroughly romanced in her life.
The server arrived and presented them with a tasting menu.
Eight courses, she mouthed when they were momentarily alone.
His mouth quirked. “Just as surprised as you.”
The server returned. “Tonight’s tasting menu starts with an amuse-bouche of maple-syrup-kissed snowflakes followed by a cheese plate paired with a dry sparkling apple wine.”
His eyebrow arched. “What is a snowflake?”
