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Their eyes met and held. “You’re a very lucky woman, Holly.”
She sure was.
Chace waited until Willow left in a cloud of White Diamond perfume before speaking. “Can I come in?”
“Please,” Holly answered and stepped out of the way.
After entering, Chace closed the door and turned back to face her. Holly’s heart pounded, sending her blood pulsing through her veins and roaring in her ears. Though she wasn’t sure she could formulate words coherent enough to speak, Holly knew there was something she needed to say to him above all else. “I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t let the tightness in her throat stop her. “So very sorry.”
“Old habits die hard,” he replied with a smile that sparkled in his smoldering dark eyes. “I get it.”
“But—”
Chace laid his forefinger against her lips. “How about we just pick up where we left off last night before we were rudely interrupted.”
Agreeing would have been the easy thing to do. But Holly didn’t believe she deserved easy. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did last night, Chace. I should have waited and listened. I should have trusted you.”
“And I should have told your brother to go to hell.”
“Like you said. Old habits die hard.”
“That, they do.”
“I never meant for you to quit your job, Chace. I only—”
“Wanted me to be safe.” He nodded. “I know. Guess we’ve both talked to Alex this morning, huh?”
“He called here looking for you.”
“Yeah, he told me when I finally answered my phone.” He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t want to talk about Alex. I want to talk about us.” He grazed the back of his fingers against her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. “Please tell me there can still be an us, Holly.”
“I can’t believe you still want to be with me after everything I’ve put you through. The things I’ve said. Demands I’ve made. The years I cost us.” Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “I’ve been so incredibly selfish.”
“All you’ve ever done was care about me, Holly. Nothing you wanted from me was ever unreasonable. Nothing at all. I’m just sorry it’s taken me eight years to get my head on straight enough to realize and appreciate it.”
Needing the connection, Holly placed her hands on his biceps. “Why did you wait so long to come back today?”
A grin eased into his cheeks. “Because I needed to make a few stops to ensure everything was ready.”
Holly narrowed her gaze. “Ready? For what?”
“One, to seek Kit’s assistance with Emme and Wren. When I found her up to her elbows overhauling a transmission, I was forced to go with Plan B,Willow, to fully execute the rest of my mission.”
“What mission?”
Chace pointed to the ceiling. “Operation Mistletoe.”
“So the mistletoe was all part of a master plan?”
“Initially, it was just an excuse for me to kiss you. Then, it became an integral component of my strategy.”
“Like when it magically appeared on the shower head.”
“Now you’re catching on.” Grinning, he slid his fingers along the sides of her neck and into her hair. Lowering his head, he captured her lips in a kiss so sweet it turned her knees to jelly.
“If Kit, then Willow, were step one, does that mean there are other steps in this master plan of yours?” Holly asked after he finished kissing her.
“Of course.” He stole another kiss. “After enlisting Willow’s help, I stopped to see your parents.”
