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A tear tracks down her cheek, and she hastily wipes it away. I pull her close, sliding an arm around her, and she rests her cheek on my shoulder. My heart swells as I drop a kiss on the top of her head.Having her in my arms feels right. How can something so right possibly be wrong?
But then the guilt kicks in. Will I ever be free of it?I don’t deserve to be happy when Luke is in the cold, hard ground. Survivor's guilt is real. It dug its claws into me the day Luke died, and I’m not sure how to get the beast to release me.
I stand reluctantly and hold out a hand, helping Charity to her feet.“I should get you home. You’ve got all that wrapping to do.”
Charity masks her disappointment with a smile that punches me hard in my aching heart.
“Okay.” She walks toward the arch that leads to the parking lot.Suddenly, she stops and turns. She gives me a wicked grin and then looks at something above her head.
I frown. “What is it?”
“Mistletoe,” she whispers conspiratorially.
Oh, no.
“It’s bad luck not to kiss when caught beneath the mistletoe,” she says, her eyes bright with mischief.
I glance at the innocent-looking white berries wrapped in red ribbon and wonder if some greater force is working against me.
“Fine,” I say abruptly. One peck on the lips can’t hurt.
I brush my mouth across hers and pull back. Charity’s blue eyes sparkle with fascination and invitation, and suddenly, that light touch isn’t enough.
I cup her face and drop my mouth to hers again, more firmly this time. Her warm, spicy sweetness invades my senses, and with a groan, I sweep my tongue over her lips, needing more of her addictive taste. I nip at her bottom lip, and she gasps. I take advantage and slide my tongue inside to meet hers.
A soft moan comes from somewhere in her throat, and my entire body reacts. My cock hardens to steel in my pants as I tug her against me, and she winds her arms around my neck. My hands find her hips, pressing her delicious curves tightly to my hardness, and I’m about to deepen the kiss when a blinding flash startles us.
I look across to the source of the flash, pulling Charity closer to me, protecting her from whatever is coming our way.
A voice chirps about photos only being five dollars and how they would make a lovely Christmas card.
Reality returns with a vengeance.
What the fuck was I thinking?I wasn’t. Not with the head on my shoulders, anyway.
I blink away the remaining blindness and tug Charity to the truck, her taste still clouding my senses. With one kiss, everything has changed.
* * *
Charity
I’m struck dumb as Ryder pulls me away from the woman with the camera and thrusts me into his truck.My body throbs and tingles. I want to rub myself all over him and beg him to make the ache go away.
I was only expecting a light kiss. I genuinely didn’t think he would go any further. But when his lips met mine, something happened. His tongue swept over my lip, and he nipped it lightly, sending little sparks flying around my body like a pinball machine.
And then it was over. Cut short by some woman with a camera.
“I’ll take you home,” Ryder says, breaking me from my thoughts.
I’m still gathering my wits, unable to reply.
The drive home is quiet. When he pulls up outside my place, he leaps from the truck, pausing only to gather my bags from the truck bed and deposit them at my door.I walk slowly up the short path to my small home and unlock the door.
“Would you like to come in?” My question is hesitant, but it seems only polite to offer after his help today.
My nerves are frayed. One kiss from Ryder, and all my defenses are toppling like a stack of cards. Now he’s kissed me, all the urges and desires that have lain dormant are wide awake and throwing a full-blown mariachi parade in my panties.
“I need to get back,” he says gruffly.
