Page 37 of Mistletoe Bargain with the Billionaire

But, there is part of me which is hoping it won’t end. Neither of us has said anything but I know I want more with Nick. Could he? When he made love to me last night, the way he held me, gazing into my eyes like he was exploring my soul, had my little old heart hope-hope-hoping for a Christmas miracle.

It’s the same way he’s looking at me now as I straddle him. “Carol,” he rasps hotly in my ear as I lower myself, taking him in, inch by inch, with a hiss of pleasure. Rocking slowly, letting his hands on my hips help guide me, we move together. He brushes back my hair. I meet his building thrusts, relish the way he teases my nipples as my fingers rake through his hair. “You feel so good, honey. I wish we had the whole day again.”

“So do you, so do I,” I tell him until our pace becomes so quick that there’s no more words, only panted breaths and the song in my heart.

???

“Hey-diddly-doo, everyone!” Janey shouts enthusiastically in greeting.

“Hoo boy, should’ve stayed at the inn,” I huff under my breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Nick smirking. His arm wrapped around my waist helps settle my nerves. I’ve got nothing to be nervous about. Even if my career isn’t flying high, at least I’ve been giving it my best shot.

Janey air kisses Mom’s cheek, tells my dad not to get too carried away with the eggnog - “We know how wild you Wilder men get.”(My parents are the epitome of polite behavior at family gatherings) – and then her attention shifts my direction.

“Oh, Carol! I’m so glad you were able to make it this year! I’ve got a special treat in store for you during the Memories part of our celebration.”

The look in her eye brings my nerves roaring back. The last time Janey had been this excited to see me, I had toilet paper tucked into the back of my skirt. She’d patted my back with a huge grin… and followed me onto the stage to collect our high school diplomas, silently pointing it out to the crowd behind me while I was unaware.

“You okay?” Nick whispers in my ear.

I curl my hands around his bicep. “Yeah,” I say, grateful for his closeness. He kisses my forehead, flooding me with warmth.

I catch Janey’s grin slipping off her face over Nick’s affection. Why should it bother her if I’m happy? Well, she can figgy pudding right off. I’ll enjoy seeing family and having Nick with me tonight.

But remember when I said my cousin Janey was the devil? I wasn’t kidding about that.

???

We pick through the potluck offerings as the crowd of Wilders and kin grow. “Nary a grilled cheese in sight,” Nick laments in a teasing tone.

“How do you screw up mac and cheese?” I shudder.

“I think Janey made that,” Mom snickers quietly.

“I’ll stick to the dishes you made,” Nick tells Mom, gaining points with both my parents. As if he needed more.

“You’ve got something on your nose there, Nick.” He playfully swats my backside when my parents aren’t looking. “Probably a good idea though,” I whisper.

“What about you? Can you cook like your mom?”

“Singing is my talent so I suppose we can’t have it all,” I say with a shrug.

Nick leans in, his intoxicating scent surrounding me and his body calling to mine. “That’s fine. I can cook… and I enjoy making you sing for me. A perfect arrangement.” I’m flushed when we take our seats.

We chat with my parents and dad’s cousins. Several of them remember Nick from his childhood here and all of them know his name now of course. I can’t help feeling proud of him and his success.

We wind up sharing the story of our first date. It’s a tale but I can picture it, the late night stroll around Las Vegas, a greasy spoon and the roller coaster ride. When Nick says he’s taking me on the Emerald Cove kayak tour next month, my heart nearly spills out of my chest with longing for that to be true.

“Great Aunt Carol? Do you have a piece of paper? I want to color,” Adeline asks, holding up two crayons. Janey’s youngest daughter is a cutie and shows no signs of her mother’s spitefulness.

“Sure,” I say, pulling out my journal and finding a blank piece of sheet music towards the back.

Her eyes hold a covetous look when she sees the sparkly cover but her nose crinkles adorably when I hand her the paper. “It’s got funny lines on it.”

“It’s for writing songs. The back is blank, see?”

The little girl nods and tells me she’s going to draw a picture for Santa. Nick chuckles beside me with his hand on my knee and asks Adeline if she’ll draw him a picture of a grumpy cat wearing a Christmas sweater. I shake my head at him but the child scampers off, promising she’ll do it.

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