Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,301

and not felt utterly at peace.

Except now. “I couldn’t sleep,” Anne managed to say despite the rapid beating of her traitorous heart. Why on earth did she have to do something so foolish and fall for her best friend?

“Nor I.” Holding her gaze, Tobias crossed the carpet in front of the fireplace and came to stand beside her, his gaze moving to the snow-covered grounds. “I came to find you,” he told her without looking at her.

Anne swallowed and turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, her own gaze directed out the window as well. “Why?” she dared to ask, afraid that their friendship was at a crossroads, that they would never again be able to speak openly with one another as they always had.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I thought we should speak.” He inhaled a slow breath. “About…our kiss.”

Cold panic crept up Anne’s back, and she had to fight the urge to wrap her arms around herself. “What about it?” she asked through gritted teeth, forcing a bit of a chuckle into her voice. “I was hoping we could pretend it had never happened.”

Tobias turned to look at her. “You did? Why?”

Too nervous to face him, Anne kept her gaze fixed on the glistening snow outside. “I admit I’m embarrassed.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him frown at her. “Because of the onlookers?”

“Because…because it was my first kiss.” She chanced a look at him. “I suppose I…I did it wrong, judging by the snickers it−” He stepped toward her and she almost flinched, her eyes swinging around to meet his.

“You did nothing wrong,” Tobias told her gently; still, a hint of anger laced his voice. “Your cousin ought not have fabricated the moment.”

Anne felt her jaw drop. “You know she…?”

“I guessed as much.”

“I’m so sorry,” Anne stammered, feeling like a fool. Her eyes were beginning to brim with tears as she looked up at him. “Please, let us forget it ever happened.”

His gaze swept over her face and his features gentled. “You said it was your first kiss.” He took a step toward her and, suddenly, his fingers were tracing the line of her jaw until they gently grasped her chin, slightly tilting it upward.

Anne almost dropped to the ground with shock at the soft touch, at his nearness, at…the look in his eyes. “What are you doing?” she whispered breathlessly. “Why…why are you looking at me like that?”

A slow smile teased the corners of his mouth upward before his eyes dropped from hers. She could all but feel his gaze trace the line of her lips and her heart stumbled in her chest. Her knees grew weak, and she had to draw in a deep breath to focus her thoughts.

“Do you object?” Tobias asked, his meaning unmistakably clear as he moved closer still.

Anne knew not what to think…or do…or say. “But…I…We…we’ve tried and…and it was a disaster. Why−?”

A surprised chuckle rumbled in his throat, “A disaster? That’s a bit harsh, wouldn’t you say?”

Anne frowned as a bit of the old ease that had always existed between them re-emerged. Her lips curled into a smile. “What would you call it then?”

Closing his eyes briefly, Tobias laughed. “Very well. It was a disaster.”

“Precisely.” Bolstered by the sense of normalcy that washed over her, Anne stood a bit taller. Still, Tobias’s fingers continued to linger on her chin, and her skin tingled with the touch. “Then why try again?” she demanded boldly. “There’s nothing to be gained.” Deep down, a little voice screamed at her to shut up and accept what he was offering. Because what he was offering was a kiss, wasn’t it?

A kiss to make up for the one that had so horribly gone wrong. A kiss without onlookers. A kiss on their own terms. A kiss Anne wanted with all her heart.

“I disagree,” he replied, his gaze now serious as his fingers on her chin tightened. “Close your eyes.”

A weak breath shuddered past Anne’s lips. “Are you serious?”

“Close your eyes,” he demanded, not allowing her to distract him.

“But…?”

A small smile teased his lips, and he shook his head ever so slightly. “Close…your…eyes.”

Terrified, and yet, utterly tempted, Anne finally did as he bade her. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and to her great dismay, the memory of their noses colliding instantly resurfaced.

Only this time was different.

This time, Anne felt him lean closer, the warmth of his body reaching out to her like the fire in the grate. She felt his breath brush gently