Kissing Under the Mistletoe

But the most perfect moment of all came after they’d both toppled over the edge together, and he whispered the sweetest words she’d ever heard: "You make me happy, too."

* * *

Brooke was asleep within moments. Rafe loved the way she wrapped herself around him, her breathing even and soft now as she slept against his chest.

Every time they made love, she grew bolder, more confident in her ongoing quest to be wild. As he gently stroked her soft hair and breathed her in, he knew how frustrated she was that he kept refusing to do things like tie her up or blindfold her with the silks she’d brought home.

Didn’t she realize that just the thought of having her arms bound to the bed frame and her eyes covered was cause for insanity? He was afraid it would be a slippery slope, especially when he was already so much rougher with her in bed than he’d ever intended to be. There were plenty of gentle moments between them, too, but the fact was, he’d lost it every single time. Holding down her wrists, shoving her up against the shower tiles, then taking her again on the bed inside of fifteen minutes.

He’d never forget the way she looked when she was down on her knees in that incredibly sexy outfit, her hair tied back so that he could see every beautiful expression on her face as she’d gazed up at him with the unabashed joy she brought to everything, including taking him into her mouth...

Damn it, he thought as he buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair, he needed to stop replaying the sexy scene in his head or he’d end up being the most selfish bastard in the world by waking her up to take her again when she needed sleep to recover from her tiring day.

When she shifted against him, he wrapped his arms tighter around her, bringing her soft curves even closer. There was no point trying to deny that what they were doing had turned into so much more than just sex.

Rafe’s chest clenched tight as he felt her breathe slow and steady against his chest. The closer the two of them got, the more he worried about keeping her safe, not just with a deadbolt on her front door, but from people who would want to take advantage of her trusting, innately positive nature.

Brooke was so easy to be with that in moments like this, he could almost see himself spending the rest of his life with her. But could a cynical bastard like him ever truly make her happy outside of the bedroom? And what would he do if the answer was no? Could he do the right thing and give up the one person who did the impossible?

Because when Brooke was in his arms, she made the darkness—and all the liars and the cheaters—disappear.

Chapter Nineteen

Holy crap, thought Rafe as he looked in the delivery truck, his sister had bought a lot of furniture. And yet, once the crew finished unloading it all and putting it where Mia had told them to on the chart she’d made up, Rafe had to admit it was exactly the right amount.

Brooke was next door taking care of the work she’d put aside to help him with his house. It didn’t help that she’d lost another full day in Seattle yesterday. He would have offered to help her make the chocolates for this week’s upcoming delivery, but he figured he’d only end up getting in the way. Especially considering he couldn’t be in the same room with her without ripping her clothes off and taking her.

As it was, he’d been hard-pressed to leave her bed that morning. There hadn’t been one other thing he’d wanted more than to stay there beneath the sheets, her warm curves pressed against him as he tasted and kissed and caressed every beautiful inch of her. But since he’d known how much work she had to do, he’d forced himself to leave so that she could get to it.

There was still work to be done on his house, but as he wandered through each of the fully furnished rooms, he couldn’t deny that it was easily move-in ready. That first night, when he’d seen how trashed his family’s old lake house was, he’d been furious. He’d come to the lake to relax, not renovate a house. But now, instead of being glad his house was perfectly habitable, down to the matching towels Mia had ordered for the bathrooms and the bookshelves in the living room that held new hardcover copies of his favorite authors, a hard knot fisted in his gut.

Until today, it had made perfect sense to stay with Brooke. But with a new bed, a clean bathroom, and a decked-out kitchen, he could move into his own place now.

He should have been thrilled with the arrangement they’d made. Just sex. Wild sex, no less. It should have filled his independent male heart with glee that she’d clearly told him she wasn’t looking to settle down, that she wasn’t looking at him as her path to an engagement ring and a wedding dress.

Damn it, he wasn’t thrilled with any of it.

And it didn’t make a lick of sense that he wasn’t.

Brooke had offered—hell, was offering it to him as often as he wanted, any way he wanted it—every guy’s dream come true. A hot summer fling with no strings, with no expectations of anything but pleasure. But after only a handful of days with her in his arms, it wasn’t enough.

It had only taken one night for the heat from their fling to quickly spiral into emotions deeper than he’d been expecting.

Then again, it wasn’t truly a few days or just one night, was it? He’d known Brooke a hell of a lot longer than any of the women he’d been with before. As a kid, spending every summer next door to her for nearly ten years, at bonfires and waterskiing and hiking in the mountains together, he’d loved her the same way he loved his family. Because that’s what she’d been and still was. Family.