Page 33 of She's A Hot Christmas Mess

The moment we leftthe Rockefeller Centre with our skates tied together over my shoulder, Nisha turned in the direction of the plaza hotel. I watched her wander off a few steps before our connected hands pulled tight.

“Huh?” She looked up at me all dreamily.

My heart plummeted, heading straight for her feet and prayed I wasn’t falling alone.

“Did you think that was it?” I asked, only a little mocking, though that was mainly aimed at myself.

“A cleared out date skating beneath the tree isn’t enough?” She looked at me with wide eyes. “I think there’s such a thing as too much, Ford.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper I barely heard as I reeled her back to me. Like hell was I letting go of the girl who matched my whirlwind fervour.

“There’s really not.”

I tugged her to my chest, dipping my head and kissed her slowly as the Center’s doors opened for the public, who merged around us curiously. A flash went off somewhere, but I ignored it.

“Make your own fate, huh?” she muttered into my jacket, burying her face there for a second, breathing deeply.

“Did I break you?” I stole the moment, tucking it away in my memories. Her beanie sat askew, and I buried my hand in her silky hair, cupping the back of her head and holding her there.

One perfect day.

It was all I wanted. But now I had that with her...I also knew I wanted more. So much more, and neither of us could easily give that.

But did it matter if something didn’t come easily for once? That I might have to work my ass off for the girl I was fast falling for?

Three days doesn’t not make a lifetime of heartstring.s

No, I knew all too well how that one went. A year later, the ghost of my last relationship screw-up still haunted me.

“Okay, so what have you got on your mind, Aussie?” Nisha grinned up at me, her cheekiness resumed.

The memory of her writhing beneath me hours before, the taste of her sweat on my tongue replaced the little smart ass, and I kissed her again, harder than before. When I drew back, she stared up at me, barely breathing. Her gloved hand rose to touch her mouth but I caught her wrist, pulling her impossibly close.

“No. Don’t wipe that away. I want you to remember my kisses,” I said a bit rough. Too rough, as her eyes widened and my cock fought a brief, relentless battle with my zipper. “I want you to remember,” I murmured, squeezing her waist.

She nodded, leaning into me as I slung an arm around her and turned us in the direction of the park.

“Tell me something about you from home, Ford.” She laced her gloved fingers stiffly through mine at her shoulder as we walked. “Something that’s not alpaca related. Something about just you.”

“Something just me.” I thought for a bit. “I grew up in the city on the other side of the county. In Sydney. Everything was always a little too close, and a little too busy.”

“Gee, you must love it here.” she said, dryly.

I poked her shoulder. “Let me finish, you impatient elf.”

“Fine,” she grumbled cutely, nestling into my side.

“So when I got the chance to visit an uncle in Western Australia, I took it. Learned how hot as Hades of the desert can be in Summer. Learned how to ride a motorbike. How to fall off.”

“I thought you were meant to stay on it?” She looked up at me. “I mean, if you’re, like, good at it or something.”

“Cheeky,” I reprimanded her to the sweet chorus of her giggle. “Knowing how to fall off is important. If you do it wrong, you might not have the chance to get back on and ride again.”

She chewed that slowly over for another minute. “You are the philosopher,” she murmured as we turned into the park.

“I did three courses at college,” I admitted, “if only to annoy my old man who wanted me to become an accountant.”

“I take it that didn’t happen.” She grinned, kicking at a small snowdrift and nearly fell over herself.

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