a wink and waited for the lady to take the dare.
CHAPTER FIVE
DELLA FOCUSED ON Eagan’s hand for several seconds before she could work up enough courage to look him in the eye. To make matters worse, her friends were chanting “Kiss him! Kiss him!”
It didn’t help that last night she’d dreamed about what it would be like to be held in those powerful arms and how that straight slash of a mouth would feel. Well, now was her one chance to find out if her subconscious had come close to the reality.
Placing her hand in Eagan’s somehow carried more weight than it should have. The palm-to-palm connection between them sparked and sizzled. When had the room gotten so hot? Eagan tugged her closer, wrapping her in his embrace firmly enough to say he meant it, gently enough not to leave her feeling trapped.
“Shall we dazzle them?”
The teasing note in his whispered question gave her the courage to nod. When his lips settled over hers, the rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of them standing there amidst the twinkling lights and Christmas music. If anyone had asked her at that moment what she wanted from Santa, she would’ve said nothing more than this amazing gift from a man she hardly knew.
He teased her with a soft nibble of her lower lip before getting down to business. Okay, it was time for her to join in the fun. She circled his neck with her hands and leaned in close. When he smiled against her mouth, she grew more adventurous and touched her tongue to his lips.
It was as if she’d touched a match to tinder. His tongue swept in and conquered her mouth, staking a claim, making her wish they were someplace a lot more private. This couldn’t go on much longer. She knew it. Hopefully he knew it, too. But for the duration, she was determined to enjoy every second.
“Ahem!”
Someone nearby cleared her throat and then did it again. No doubt Lupe. Eagan broke off the kiss long enough to glare at the woman before picking up right where he’d left off. But then he gentled the kiss, slowly banking the fire, leaving only a few softly glowing embers when he stepped back at last.
“I guess we showed them,” Eagan said for the benefit of their audience. Then leaned close enough to whisper near her ear, “And us.”
Her face was as red as her T-shirt when she bowed to acknowledge everybody’s applause. Rather than look Eagan in the eye, she kept her attention focused on the others in the room. “Okay, then, I guess it’s time to break out the eggnog!”
Everyone applauded again and retreated to their tables while she made a beeline for the kitchen. The eggnog was only an excuse to give herself a few seconds to catch her breath. Leaning her forehead against the cool stainless steel of the fridge, she waited for her pulse to slow down to normal.
That man should come with a warning sign pinned to his shirt. If his casual kiss was that potent, how overwhelming would it be if he’d really meant it?
And darned if she didn’t want to find out.
“Della, are you all right?”
Darn it, she’d forgotten all about Daniel coming in to work. She straightened up and opened the refrigerator. “I’m fine. Just a bit of a headache.”
“Did you take something for it?”
“Not yet, but I will if it gets worse. How about you? How was school today?”
“Okay I guess.”
He started scrubbing one of her baking pans with renewed gusto, a clear sign he didn’t want her to pursue that line of questioning any further. Too bad. He might have a mother, but the woman was overworked and had three other kids to worry about. As Daniel’s employer, Della claimed the right to do some nagging of her own.
“Why did you blow off school?”
His shoulders sagged, but he didn’t respond, telling her she’d been right on target. It would be one thing if this was the first time he’d skipped, but it wasn’t. She knew for a fact he’d been spotted hanging around the neighborhood during school hours at least twice in the past month.
She started pouring cups of eggnog. “Is something going on that I can help you with?”
“I’m handling it.”
He rinsed the pan and reached for the next one. Odd that he still had on his hoodie despite the heat in the kitchen. She couldn’t very well demand he take it off, but it bothered