Page 7 of Christmas with the Grumpy Mountain Man
I placed the platter of cookies on the coffee table and sat on the couch, Zena sitting close, but not close enough. I grabbed the blanket and spread it across our laps. “If you want, I’ll keep you warm.”
“Listen, Roman…” Before she could say more, the whole cabin plunged into darkness.
“Shit, that’s not good.” I muttered.
“No, it’s not.” Zena said, her voice closer. “Because then things like this happen.”
A forbidden search, heated breaths, and hidden looks, when finally,finally,her lips landed on mine.
And down, down, down, we went.
CHAPTER FOUR
Zena
I couldn’t believe it.
I kissed him.
And he kissed me back.
Unbeknownst to him, I hung mistletoe above the couch earlier, so technically, we were supposed to kiss. But honestly, I wanted him so badly, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Our mouths moved together in the darkness like forbidden whispers in a library, neither one of us stopping.
I wanted to taste him, consume him, strip naked and bare my soul to him, vulnerable to his every touch, his every kiss, his everything.
A man had never made me feel the way Roman did. That was something I just couldn’t ignore.
My lips tingled as he deepened the kiss, his hands cupping the sides of my face as he dragged his calloused thumb along my cheek. The roughness sent me over the edge, and I threw myself into his lap, climbing into his eager arms and wrapping my legs around his waist.
I felt him everywhere all over me from head to toe and I couldn’t hold back any longer. I thrust my tongue inside his mouth, teasing and twirling around his. A guttural noise escaped from his throat and vibrated through my chest, causing my heart to soar.
Roman met me kiss for kiss, touch for touch, as the passion exploded between us, fireworks held back for far too long.
When we finally broke apart, our chests heaved, his moving as quickly as mine, the only sounds between us, that of our breathing and the soft fall of snow outside.
“Holy shit,” Roman muttered as his fingers rubbed at his jaw.
Damn straight holy shit. I breathed. My lips felt puffy, swollen, bruised almost, and I fucking loved it.
I’d never been kissed like that before in my life.
And I wanted more.
I leaned forward again, but this time he put a handout, stopping me. “Zena wait.”
Hurt hit me sideways like a ton of bricks. Stupid, silly feelings I didn’t want to have, but couldn’t stop. Rejection was one thing I didn’t handle well, and I’d rather stop it before it came hurdling at me. I knew better, and I didn’t fucking listen to myself.
I climbed out of his lap and stood quickly. “I’m sorry. What am I thinking? You’re my customer. I should go.”
Roman grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him. “Zena, that’s not that I meant.”
“Listen Roman save it. We don’t need to do this. I should’ve left a long time ago. And now I’ve let the Christmas magic or whatever get in my head.”
Roman stood up and grabbed my other hand. He brought both of my hands to his lips and kissed them softly. His hazel eyes bore into me, all of his emotions and thoughts pouring forth into me. “It’s not just Christmas magic. It’s us. We’re magic.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing in his throat.His fingers dug into my soft skin, as if he never wanted to let me go. With a deep breath, he spoke, “I’ve hated Christmas since I was a little boy. I only pretended to like it for my grandma after she adopted me because she loved it so much. While life has kicked me down left and right, she’s been there for me when no one else had. I turned cold to everyone but her. I live here alone, reclusive and secluded, writing my mystery novels and content with my life because anything is better than what I’ve lived through before. Yet now you show up and my world flipped upside down. You shined light where there was none and turned the black and white into color. And somehow, in these few short hours of knowing you, I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone else.”
My heart thundered in my chest like a raging storm.
