“And maybe,” I added, “you’re scared because I’m part of that.”
She turned then, eyes flashing. “You really think highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“Only when I’m right.”
Her laugh came out brittle, half a scoff. “You’re not.”
But her voice cracked, just a little.
The sound hit me like a shove. I wanted to say something soft, something that might untangle the knot between us, but that wasn’t how we worked. We were oil and flame. Sparks first, regret later.
I settled for the truth and stepped closer. We were only inches away, and it wouldn’t have taken more than a stumble to kiss her. “You could’ve fooled me.”
Before she could answer, the door burst open with a gust of wind and the clatter of boots.
“Sorry!” Lydia’s voice rang through the bar, bright as sleigh bells. “It took us longer than we thought!”
Melanie jumped back like I’d burned her, and I took a deliberate step away, rubbing the back of my neck to disguise the urge to curse.
Callum was behind Lydia, grinning like the smug bastard he was.
“Interrupt something?”
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Melanie said at the same time.
We both glared at each other.
Lydia’s gaze flicked between us, her mouth twitching. “Wow. The tension in here could roast chestnuts.”
“Go away,” Melanie muttered, brushing past her toward the counter.
Lydia winked at me over her shoulder. “Play nice.”
Callum gave a mock salute.
They disappeared into the back room, leaving me standing in the middle of the bar again, hands in my pockets, heart still hammering.
I looked over at Melanie. She was pretending to check her phone, pretending she hadn’t just been two seconds away from either kissing me or killing me.
I grinned, quietly. “You okay over there?”
She didn’t look up. “Peachy.”
“Good.” I leaned against the counter, letting the quiet stretch just long enough to make her glance at me. “Because for the record, I wasn’t gonna kiss you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Good.”
“Glad we agree.”
She nodded once.
I waited a beat. “You were gonna kiss me.”
Her glare could’ve melted steel. “You’re so difficult.”
“Still not an insult,” I said, smirking.
