Holly
The kiss started slow and sweet. It was just his lips pressed against hers, but then his fingers came to her face and she wanted more.
A lot more.
Her hand went to his neck, pulling him into her. Her fingertips played with the bottom of his hair. He pulled back, her eyes still closed. He smelled of a masculine soap that made her breathe him in as deep as she could.
The crowd disappeared from her mind. The band’s music faded, and the laughter receded until all she heard was the sound of her own heartbeat and Nathan’s soft breathing.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking up and into his handsome face. His cheeks were flushed as if he’d been running in the cold. She could feel his breathing come hard and fast. His eyes were dark, pupils wide and not just because of the dim candlelight.
Apparently he wasn’t the only one experiencing the flush of a mistletoe kiss.
She kissed him this time. Pulling her into him and wrapping her arm around his neck. There was no stubble against her cheeks. Her tongue found his and a shiver of pure desire shot straight through her.
She pulled back this time, their foreheads pressed together as they both gasped for air. The electric intensity between them had her vibrating with need. She remembered the room full of people. The sound of music slowly came back to her.
“You want to get out of here?” he asked. His hand still rested on the back of her neck, the other on her hip. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he unconsciously licked his lips.
“Yeah.” It was all the English she could manage. Even then, it came out more as a grunt than a word.
His lips turned into a smug smile. He stood, holding out a hand for her to join him. She loved the way her hand folded into his, like it was meant to be there. It felt like magic when he touched her. She grinned as they crossed the room, oblivious to the party and the drinks.
She didn’t even notice that the band was playing her favorite Christmas carol. She didn’t notice the man at the roulette table hit a red seven for all his chips. She didn’t see the three tables hit blackjack at the same time. She didn’t notice the royal flush at the poker table.
All she saw was Nathan and all she knew was that she was the luckiest girl in the world.
Merryweather nodded to them, a knowing look in her pale lavender eyes. She gave Holly a wink and a smile before continuing back to the event.
Nathan guided her through the hallways of the hotel. She giggled, holding the hem of her dress as they ran through the empty corridors, slowing only when they hit the lobby. There they managed to walk sedately.
But, even then, they were grinning like idiots. Holly felt like a teenager, giddy with her first boyfriend. Only this was better than prom, this was better than the cheap Motel 6 and judging from the build of Nathan’s shoulders, this was going to be a lot better than the six point three seconds her prom date had given her.
“Did you know there are two men following us?” Holly whispered, motioning her head to the two men pretending not to follow them. They looked out of place wearing their ski-attire while everyone else in the building wore tuxedos.
Nathan glanced back and chuckled. “They’re mine. Don’t worry about them.”
Her eyebrows raised. Nathan had bodyguards. This was definitely different than what she was used to.
They made it to the elevator without attracting too much attention. They stood politely, a respectable distance apart as Nathan hit the button for the top floor. The smooth silver doors slid shut.
And then Nathan had her pinned to the wall, his body trapping her as his mouth found hers. She whimpered, arching her back and wishing that the elevator would go faster and slower at the same time. The faster they got to his room, the better, but she didn’t want this kiss to end either.
The elevator chimed their arrival and reluctantly Nathan pulled back. His eyes were dark with desire and his hair mussed from her hands. She didn’t remember putting her fingers in his hair, yet she wasn’t surprised either. He stole her senses with his kisses.
She couldn’t wait to see what he did with more than just a kiss.
Nathan slid his key-card into the slot at the door, and stepped inside. Holly hesitated for a nanosecond. She usually waited until there were multiple dates. She wasn’t impulsive. She never slept with a man on the first date, let alone the first day of knowing him.
Yet, she couldn’t deny this attraction. Even before she knew he was a billionaire, he was everything she wanted in a man. He was smart and funny. He made her laugh and at the same time made her insides heat with desire.
The sexual attraction was more powerful than anything she’d experienced. The kiss had been in the top three of her entire life, and just the thought of having more than kisses made her damp with excitement.
It didn’t matter that he was Nathan Reed. He had already endeared himself to her before she knew who he was or what he could do for her and the town. To her, he was Prince Charming, and who said no to Prince Charming?
So she decided to take the risk. To let the magic of the day carry her into what could happen next. She let her body do the thinking for once, rather than her head. This wasn’t about the town. This was about her and the fact that she wanted him. He could have been the busboy having a day on the slopes, and she still would have felt this way about him.
She went into the hotel room and gasped.