Page 24 of Booked for the Holidays
“Don’t be mad at Wiley, I’m obnoxiously charming. He didn’t stand a chance.”
“You’re something, that’s for sure.”
She yanks open the door and we’re met with a blast of icy air.
As we pour out onto the sidewalk, snow is falling in large, heavy clumps. It’d be a magical night if not for the way Juniper is stomping off like she’s trying to leave a trail of fury behind her.
“Juniper, slow down. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She whirls around so fast she nearly collides with me. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright with emotion.
“Oh, that’s rich coming from the man who humiliated me last year.” Her voice is a sharp whisper, but it hits harder thanif she’d shouted. “Don’t worry, Liam. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
I bite my tongue, letting a group of patrons pass by and slip into the bar behind us.
“I never meant to hurt you,” I say carefully. “But pretending nothing happened between us—acting like it didn’t matter—that was a mistake.”
“You don’t get to rewrite the past just because you’ve decided you might feel something now.”
Her voice cracks slightly, and I see the desperation in her eyes. She hates it.
She takes another step back and that’s when her heel skids on a slick patch of snow.
FIVE
JUNIPER
For the second time today,Liam’s words catch me off guard. The only thing my body knows to do with that is retreat.
Needing space, I take a step back but it’s too quick, causing me to teeter backwards on the points of my stiletto heels.
Suddenly, I’m sliding. Falling backwards. My stomach drops in anticipation of feeling the cold, hard thud of the freshly snow-packed sidewalk underneath me, but it never comes. Liam’s strong arms are my safety net.
“I got you, Firefly.”
My head snaps up.Firefly?
I wrinkle my nose, but it’s pure defense because something soft flares in my chest. I glance up to find relief etched into the features of his gorgeous face.
“Firefly?”
He shrugs, but there’s something careful in the way he holds me. “You said June Bug felt too childish. I figured Firefly is the grown-up version.”
It shouldn’t get to me. But dammit, I love a good nickname, especially one that sounds like it means something. And this one from him? It feels like a secret. Like a promise. And how easilyit rolled off his tongue? It’s like he’s thought about it for longer than the two seconds it took for him to catch me.
But I can’t let Liam see what it does to me.
I try to fight the warm flush creeping up my neck. “You know how women love being compared to insects.” I try for an edge to my voice, but it doesn’t land the way I want it to, coming out more awestruck than angry.
He smiles, soft and steady. “I wasn’t thinking of a bug. I was thinking of something small but impossible to ignore. Bright, unexpected. You walk into a room and everything changes a little. Like when fireflies show up, suddenly the night feels more magical.”
My chest aches at how easily he says it, like it costs him nothing. Like it doesn’t undo me.
Our warm breath mingles in the wintry air, filling the space between us with puffs of mist. Between the haze of our breathing, I can’t stop myself from staring at his lips. From being mesmerized by the indented groove above his upper lip that gives his mouth fullness.
And the way it feels to be wrapped up in his arms? I’d stay here forever if I could.
Liam doesn’t seem to mind our proximity, not like he did last year when he freaked out about our kiss. About me asking him to be my first.
