Page 65 of The Mistletoe Bluff
The breath caught in my throat.“Err, what?”
“You’re trying to fight it, but you forget that I know you well, Maya. I know when you like someone.”
The blood drained from my face. “It’s all pretend, Em.” Maybe if I said it enough times, it would become true. “We’re just putting on a show so we can be convincing at his family dinner.”
Emma snorted again. “It’s definitely been a show, but I think you should try harder.” My cousin winked at me.Winked.
Dang it, Emma. Why are you doing this?
“I really think we should get back to dinner,” I begged, grabbing the bottle on the counter, and heading back to the table without waiting for my cousin.
Elsie was asking Oliver about his hobbies as we settled back down in our seats. Jameson gave us a funny look, like we were two misbehaving children. Conversation stuttered to a halt as wine glasses were refilled.
Jameson cleared his throat. “So, Maya, Els told me that you entered that—”
“OKAY, WHO’S READY FOR DESSERT?” I shouted, jumping to my feet. Jameson looked at me like I had grown two more heads.
I shoved my chair back and ran into the kitchen in search of any sweets I could find. I didn’t know what they had planned for dessert, but at this point I would take powdered pudding mix and serve it on a fancy platter to keep Jameson from finishing that thought.Realizing I had feelings for Oliver made him finding out about the contest even more terrifying. It wouldn’t be hard for him to put the pieces together to figure out I was using him.
Then how would he feel about me?
Everyone at the table was quiet, and I heard the distinct scrape of a chair on the floor before Oliver appeared in the doorway. I stood by the counter, my arms wrapped around my stomach.
“Sorry,” I said.
Oliver stepped close to me. “For what?”
I shook my head. There were too many answers to that.
Even though I hadn’t explained, and there was no way he could know why I was upset, Oliver pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around my back. My head settled on his chest, and I breathed in the scent of his cologne.
Why did I instantly melt into him? Why did his touch relax me when it should’ve made me want to run far away?
“Well, would you look at that,” Elsie said in a sly voice from the doorway, and I startled, prompting Oliver to tighten his hold on me.
I thought she was referring to the way he was holding me, but when I lifted my head to look at her, she was looking above our heads.
We both looked up at the same time Elsie announced, “Mistletoe!”
I expected to feel dread, like I had when we did that fake kiss at the Christmas tree farm, but I found myselfwantingto kiss Oliver beneath the mistletoe this time.
Jameson and Emma appeared behind Elsie.“Come on, let’s see a kiss.”
“A real one,” Emma added.
Oliver smiled at me, his blue eyes lighting up. “Let’s give them a proper mistletoe kiss, princess. None of that faking from before,” he whispered.
I had barely nodded when his lips met mine. This was nothing like that mistletoe bluff. This was heat and desire and passion all rolled into one. I wasn’t even embarrassed that my cousins and best friend were witnessing it.
Elsie gave a wolf whistle which made the other two laugh.
Oliver was slow to break the kiss, his lips lingering as long as possible. When my eyes fluttered open and I met his gaze, there was nothing fake about the way he looked at me. Nor was there anything fake about how I was feeling.
“That’s more like it,” Elsie said before she marched past us, grabbed a pie out of the fridge, and then they all left us alone in the kitchen.
My pulse pounded in my ears, and I couldn’t hear anything else.
“Maya, I want to tell you something…” Oliver whispered, resting his forehead against mine.
