Page 17 of The Christmas Playbook
I was a disoriented afterward. My vision was hazy, and even though I opted for a cold shower, I was still sweating afterward.
Rhys cankiss.
“Okay, so fill me in on your fam. Give me all the tea.” Rhys steeples his fingers together and taps them excitedly.
Is he eager for breakfast with my family? Because I’d rather take the lift up to the highest peak and attempt to ski it instead of playing twenty questions regarding our fake relationship over pancakes and coffee.
“We don’t have enough time for that,” I say.
The walk to the restaurant is less than five minutes. It’d take five hours to name everyone and explain the moving parts of our blended family.
“Going in blind,” he says. “I like your bravery, Mira.”
I laugh sarcastically. “That’s the only way to be when you’re walking into a war zone.”
Suddenly, Rhys’s arm falls to my shoulders, and he pulls me in close. My body comes to life, which is a rare occurrence without any caffeine. “Don’t worry. Your secret weapon is here, Frostbite.”
From my shorter frame, I glare up at him. He winks when he catches my scowl, anddamn him.My lips twitch, and I break into a smile. “You’re irritating.”
“That’s no way to treat your boyfriend,” he muses.
He pokes the side of my belly. A high-pitched laugh rushes from my mouth at the same time I try to escape his grip. Except, the ground is slick with ice, and I nearly bust my face.
Rhys’s arm wraps around my waist, and we’re suddenly flush. We’re both wearing coats, but I swear the ridges of his toned muscles are pressing against me.
Last night totally messed with my head.
He grabs my chin. “Be careful, Mira.”
A tight breath whooshes from my lungs.
His warm eyes shift back and forth between mine, and there’s a protectiveness to his tone that seems awfully real. I glance around to see if my family is nearby, but we’re surrounded by random resort guests who are paying us no attention.
“You can let me go now,” I say. “I’m fine.”
Rhys shoots me his golden-boy smile. “I know. I was just deciding if I should kiss you or not. You know… for practice.”
My heart stalls.
The idea of him kissing me isn’t as off-putting as it was yesterday.
“Mira!” Cammie’s voice grates my nerves like no other. Shewouldinterrupt this.
“Damn,” Rhys mutters, letting me go.
He sends me a look that says he’ll resume this later, but I’m pretty sure that’s just my raging hormones talking.
“We were afraid you’d skip out on breakfast like you did with dinner.”
Oh, trust me. I tried. Rhys wouldn’t let me. He went on and on about how I didn’t eat dinner last night and how he wasn’t going to let me skip another meal.
It was sort of cute, but irritating.
“Figured we’d better make an appearance, or you’d come searching for us again.” Rhys intertwines our fingers and guides me toward the restaurant, not really caring to see if my sister follows.
Unfortunately, she does.
“I got enough of an eyeful yesterday,” she jokes.
