Page 84 of Mistletoe Mischief

Pike dropped Ryler off Monday morning, resisting the urge to kiss her goodbye. Although they had been clear about the rules, he couldn’t stop wanting to touch her.

“I’ll see you Wednesday for our snowshoeing adventure,” Ryler said.

“Do you want me to come to your rental, and you can all follow me out there?”

“Sure, that would be great.” She hesitated before opening the door and whispering, “I had a really good time.”

Pike chuckled. “Just once?”

Ryler blushed. “Fine, more than once.”

“That’s what a guy wants to hear.”

“Don’t go getting a big head,” she said.

“Dang, way to tear down the man’s ego.”

Ryler laughed. “Your ego is indestructible.”

“Do you think so?” he asked softly.

Ryler leaned across the seat, and for a second, he thought she was going to kiss him. Instead she paused a few inches away and said, “It is taking everything in me not to lean across here and kiss you, but if I do that, everyone’s gonna know what we’ve been up to.”

“I could do another turn around the block and find someplace private.”

“Oh yeah, that won’t be suspicious. You pull up to drop me off, and then we suddenly leave again.”

“So does that mean we’re gonna be waiting a few days, or do you think you could sneak away later?” he asked.

“Maybe I’ll have to go grocery shopping,” she said. “We might need some whipped cream for sundaes.”

“I know what else whipped cream is good for,” Pike teased.

“Stop it!” Ryler laughed. “I’m getting out of here.”

“Wait! What about my dog?” he hollered.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Hang on.” She climbed out of the car and shut the door.

Ryler ran up the stairs to the house, returning a few minutes later with Jo under her arm. As she passed the dog through the window, Ryler leaned in and whispered, “You know what goes good with whipped cream? Chocolate syrup.”

Despite her protest, Ryler gave Pike a brief kiss, and before he could even react, she was halfway up the stairs.

He put Jo in the back, watching Ryler stop at the top of the landing and wave at him before she disappeared inside. Jo barked from the back seat, and Pike sighed. “I know, Jo,” he said. “She kind of grows on you.”

Pike made a three-point turn out of the driveway and headed to his apartment. He showered and packed Jo’s crate in the car. At least if he tried crate training at work, his uptight neighbor wouldn’t have anything to complain about. Since it was his turn to be in the office, he was trapped if Anthony decided to come in. He didn’t wanna deal with the aftermath of his best friend’s betrayal, but there was no way to avoid it. Pike was not going to let their personal business interfere with Adventures in Mistletoe. They’d both worked too long and hard to bring their dream to fruition to bail now. He was at least going to make it through the new year before he made any big decisions on whether or not to leave and start something up on his own. There were people out there who were business partners without being friends. He could be professional.

Then again, could you really trust someone after they screwed you over personally?

Pike put Jo inside her crate in the car and carried her to the front door of Adventures in Mistletoe. He set her down to unlock the door and heard Nick call out behind him. Pike turned and saw Nick coming up the sidewalk with two coffees in hand.

Pike grinned. “Is one of those for me?”

“Yes, it is. It’s a cinnamon roll latte for my very good friend Pike.”

Pike hiked an eyebrow at Nick’s cheery tone. “What’s your deal?”

“What do you mean? I’m just a friend bringing a cup of coffee to my good buddy.”