Page 33 of Mistletoe Mischief

Ryler took a few big, rapid steps to catch up, and Pike tried not to notice how the purple of her hat made her brown eyes pop.

“The house we’re staying in has a vaulted ceiling, so tall and full would be good. Maybe twelve feet.”

“Okay, we’ll have to go farther out then. There’s a great view of the mountain just over the hill if you want to see it.”

“Sure, lead the way.”

Pike could feel the heat of her gaze following him; whether she was glaring at him or checking him out, he wasn’t sure.

They walked in silence for several minutes before he asked, “I can’t believe you knew who I was the whole time at Brews and didn’t say anything.”

When she didn’t respond, Pike turned, and saw the telltale red in her cheeks. “You knew who I was, suspected I thought Ryler was a guy’s name, and you came on to me anyway. Were you just messing with me?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then why did you kiss me?”

“I guess I didn’t want the mistletoe to go to waste,” she said sharply.

“So it wasn’t my sparkling blue eyes or sunny smile you couldn’t resist?”

“Actually,” she said flippantly, finally meeting his eyes, “it was a pent-up libido and the fact that I wouldn’t break you in bed.”

Pike reeled back, slightly impressed. “Well, that was brutally honest.”

“Is that not what you wanted?” Ryler shrugged, marching ahead of him. “I have no other excuse except that you are an insanely attractive man, and when I saw you sitting there, drinking whiskey like you were trying to drown out the world, I thought we could …” She trailed off, her voice so soft he almost didn’t catch it when she finished, “help each other.”

Pike caught up to her, taking her arm in his hand to stop her. “You wanted to make me feel better?” Her admission touched him. That Ryler would feel bad for a buzzed guy alone in a bar was sweet.

“And myself. I’m not a saint.”

“Obviously not.” He laughed.

“Anyway, it’s a moot point now because you ran scared; plus, now my boss knows, so absolutely nothing could happen between us even if I wanted something to.”

Pike resented her presentation of the events, but he let it go for the sake of keeping the peace. “Then I guess we can stop all this snarktastic fun we’re having and be professional?”

“Nah, I like snarky,” she said, shaking off his hand. “I think I’ll stay here awhile.”

She took off again and Pike watched her as she pulled up her coat collar, hiding the cute pigtails peeking out from below her cap. While she might be a major brat, Ryler carried herself with an abundance of confidence he found incredibly sexy.

Damn it, was it the fact that she was off-limits making him want to cross the line? Or just that her demeanor fascinated him? Pike kept thinking of the guy from Instagram carrying her into the water.

Pike knew he wasn’t Chris Evans irresistible, so why had she picked him to kiss?

“Where is this mountain view?” Ryler called over her shoulder.

“At the top of this trail.” He jogged to catch up to her, taking the lead. When they reached the top and the break in the trees, Pike waved his arm with flourish. “There it is. Mistletoe Peak.”

Pike watched Ryler stare at the craggy mountain, her face splitting into a soft smile. “Breathtaking. Like a Greek Titan bursting from the earth, reaching for the sky.”

Pike chuckled. “You sound like Alia.”

Ryler spun toward him, frowning. “What?”

“On Excursions. The way she describes things.”

“Ah, well, we do spend a lot of time together.” Ryler pulled out her phone, holding it up. After several shots of the mountain, she put her phone away and released a heavy breath. “Let’s get a tree.”