Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,38

he said. He stopped pointing and moved so that his hand cupped her jawline. He let his thumb rest on her cheek.

She moved in closer to him. He inhaled and closed his eyes. When her lips touched his, he felt warmth flood his body. The heat built as they kissed, and he found that he wished they weren’t in the car. The console between them felt cumbersome. He wanted to feel more of her—all of her.

His breath came out in hot bursts when they parted. The windows had steamed up, gently obscuring the view beyond the car. That was okay with Jackson—all he wanted to see was right there in the car with him.

“What would you say to a nightcap at my place?” Jackson asked, his voice ragged with desire.

“Yes,” Bianca said breathlessly. “I think that would be a great idea.”

Chapter 12

Bianca

Bianca looked out the window and saw her reflection mirrored back to her.

She lifted a hand and tried to coax an unwieldy wave back into place. The sky was darker now, so she could no longer marvel at the beautiful scenery that the road carried them past. Instead, she found herself dwelling with awe at how good it had felt to finally kiss Jackson.

She longed to kiss him again. Her body thrummed with anticipation, and waves of blissful happiness and excitement washed over her. Jackson turned up the country song that was playing and steered around banked turns with expertise.

Finally, she thought, as she turned to take in the sight of his handsome profile. I finally got to feel his lips on mine. And what a feeling it was! Bianca couldn’t remember ever having been kissed like that—in her whole life.

Over the past few weeks, her attraction to Jackson had only grown stronger. She knew that once they reached his penthouse, she could at last express the affection she’d held bottled up throughout the wedding planning process.

The wedding…

The thought jarred her, almost pulling her out of her blissful state.

If I go home with Jackson right now, what will that mean for our contract? Jackson is paying me to play a part. This night might mess everything up.

She stole another glance at Jackson and her body heated with desire. With her heart thudding in her chest, and a primal need for the man at her side coursing through her veins, she made a decision.

No more thinking about the contract. Enjoy yourself.

You deserve this.

She mentally let go of all thoughts of consequences and instead focused on the beauty of the moment she was living. Her mind drifted over the country song that was playing on the car’s stereo, the soft vibration of the city streets that slid by under the car’s tires; the scent of Jackson’s cologne mixed with her own perfume.

By the time they pulled up in front of the high-rise where Jackson lived, diamond-like stars had popped out of the navy blue sky.

A valet attendant accepted Jackson’s keys, and a doorman ushered Bianca, Jackson, and the two pups through a set of modern glass doors.

Within minutes, an elevator had carried them to the top floor of the building. Jackson unlocked the door to his penthouse and held the door open. Peaches and Rufus trotted through; Rufus seemed eager to get to his food and water bowls, and he was apparently happy to show Peaches the ropes.

Bianca stepped past Jackson but turned and looped her arms around his waist before he could close the door. Her lips found his, and they kissed in the open doorway.

The feel of Jackson’s arms, as they wrapped around her, was heavenly. His hands moved along her back, beneath her sweater. When his fingertips caressed the bare skin of her upper back, an area exposed by her dress, she melted into his arms. She barely noticed the soft click of the door closing, or the fact that they moved as one farther into the apartment.

She was breathless when they parted; fizzing with visceral emotions that she hadn’t felt in years.

Soft cushions of a couch behind her pressed against the back of her legs, and she let herself fall down to a sitting position.

Jackson looked so tall, still standing in front of her. He smiled and eyed her as though she was a prize he’d just won at the county fair. It was clear that he was as pleased with their evening as she was.

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.

“That would be nice,” Bianca said. If I’ve gone this far, I might as well