Kissing Under the Mistletoe - By Marina Adair Page 0,84
an amazing mother who’s managed to raise an amazing daughter all on your own, which is what I figured out sometime between having my ass handed to me by Jordan and seeing you in the freezer section.”
“I don’t need to be rescued, but I do need honesty from the man I’m sleeping with.” She tugged at the hem of his shirt. When she looked back up her expression was one of uncertainty. “I mean, if you’re still...if we’re still...”
“Oh, we’re still.” Not one to miss an opportunity, Gabe covered her mouth with his. Her arms slid around his neck, and she melted into him. The taste of her lips filled his head, and it would have been so easy to set her on the counter or try out a new table, but he remembered Holly, just two rooms over. And even though he had been adamant on the no-juice-before-bedtime rule, he didn’t want to mess this up.
He wanted Regan in his bed. And Regan was a single mom. Which meant that he would have to work on his patience and get used to cold showers. With one last kiss he pulled back.
“Why don’t you clean up and crawl into bed?” He tightened his arms around her. She snuggled deeper. “It’s late and you have work in the morning.”
Her body sagged against his and she shook her head, bumping it against his chin. “About that. I don’t want Holly to wake up with a man in the house or catch us in bed or another close call like the other night. I think it would be confusing.”
He smiled as she rambled on, and when she finally paused he said, “Agreed.”
“So if this sounds too complicated...” She looked up. “What?”
“I said I agree.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I meant, it’s late, why don’t you take my bed and I’ll crash on the couch?”
“No, I can’t make you sleep on the couch. You’d have a horrible night’s sleep. You could barely get out from under the table. Sleeping on a couch will cripple you for a week at least. I’ll just pack up and head home.”
“I’ll sleep even worse if I’m up all night worrying about you making it home safe. Feeling like crap that you woke Holly up on a school night. And that you have work early in the morning.”
Those full lips of hers quirked and all he could think about was kissing her again. “God, you really do have a hero complex.” Then she took a deep breath, making her chest rise and fall, and a hero complex was the least of his worries.
“I don’t have work tomorrow. I took a Sunday shift so that I could finish those.” She glared at the costumes on the table. “But, you’re right, waking up Holly would make for a miserable morning for all involved. So, if you can point me to the linens, I’ll take the couch.”
“ChiChi would kill me if she knew I let you sleep on the couch.” And the couch would kill her. It was comfortable enough for watching the game and napping on Sundays, but it was hell on the back.
“See.” He dropped on the sofa, stretched his legs out, and then tugged her down with him. Right on his lap. She made a big deal out of bouncing up and down, testing him out like she was Goldilocks until he was as hard as the couch.
“A little lumpy for my taste.”
“Little, my ass,” he grumbled, grabbing her ass and flipping her around so she was straddling him and she could feel for herself how wrong she was.
“I thought I was going to bed.” She leaned back, resting her hands behind her on his knees and rolling her hips forward, bringing all their good parts in perfect contact.
“Maybe we should test out the couch for a few minutes first.” His hands settled right below the dimples on her lower back and worked their way up, under her shirt and around the front searching out her other good parts.
“Clothes stay on. Then I go to sleep with Holly and you sleep in your bed. Couch stays empty.”
He dipped down and kissed her stomach. “Afraid you’ll be tempted?”
“I’m just glad you only have one couch.”
“Actually, I have one in my office too.”
Before Gabe even opened his eyes he knew three things: he’d fallen asleep on the couch, Regan was not with him, and someone was staring him down.