Love Under the Mistletoe: A Small Town Christmas Love Story

Nathan figured the man probably saw it all at the night shift desk at a hotel like this one.

Nathan pressed the button for the elevator. Holly’s hair glistened with snow and her cheeks were red from the cold. She kept looking over at him and smiling.

That smile made his world spin. She was beautiful, inside and out. When she grinned at him like that, he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

His body started to think of her grinning at him like that without clothes on. The elevator seemed to take forever. Finally, the machine dinged and the metal doors slid open.

He and Holly stepped inside. Hal moved to follow them, but he held up his hand.

“This one’s full. Get the next one.” Nathan tapped the door-close button and ignored Hal’s unhappy look. He’d hear about this later from Gregory, but for right now, he just wanted to be alone in the elevator with Holly.

With the doors closed, they were alone. Holly turned and kissed him just as he turned and reached for her. She moaned softly as their mouths met, turning up the flame in Nathan’s belly.

He pressed her into the wall, using his body to put her where he wanted. She was so warm and perfect pressed up against him. She still tasted of coffee. His hands roamed under her jacket and she arched her back to offer herself up to him.

He nearly ripped her shirt off right there in the elevator. It was that tempting.

It was only the doors opening and the soft ding that kept him under control. The door to his room was just around the corner. He could be control his urges and his need to feel her skin under his for the twenty steps it took to get to the door.

That was, until she bit her lip.

The lip bite with the big green eyes and the mussed hair was too much. He couldn’t stop himself. He had to kiss her again, this time with tongue and teeth. She groaned softly as they stumbled down the hallway, trying to walk but trying to make out at the same time.

He pressed her body against the door, kissing her while he blindly searched his pockets for his key. Finally, he found it, stabbing it into the door.

The door opened, and together they tumbled into his bedroom.

Chapter 28

Nathan

“You want to come to school with me today?”

Nathan lay naked in bed, his body exhausted but mind serene. Holly stood in the light of the bathroom brushing her hair. She wore the same pants as the night before, but she’d pulled out a clean sweater from the backseat of her car. It was good enough that it made it look like she’d gone home and changed.

He loved watching her. She moved with careful grace as she checked her face in the mirror.

“Did you hear me?” she asked again, coming to the bed with a smile on her face. “Do you want to come to school with me today?”

He reached out and traced a finger along her cheek. “I have meetings this morning. What about lunch?”

She thought about it for a moment and then leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I’ll save you a seat at the cool kids’ table.”

He chuckled, watching as she picked up her bag and slid into her boots. She gave him one last smile before disappearing out the door and into the early morning.

The room felt empty without her. When he’d checked in, the room had felt tiny. It was smaller than what he was used to. Now that Holly had left, the room felt much too large. He wished she were back in the soft bed with him, her hair falling across her face as she snuggled with him.

He was falling for her. He knew it deep in his soul. She was perfect for him. The fact that he’d found her at all was sheer luck. It felt like some kind of magic that they’d managed to cross paths time and time again.

A sigh escaped him as he leaned back, spread eagle on the bed. What was his plan here? He wasn’t sure. His job was in California, and he didn’t want to do a long distance thing. He could afford the plane trips, but his schedule wouldn’t. Lucy was already chiding him for the missed meetings at home. He was behind.

Nathan ran a hand across his face. He needed to think. He needed to focus and come up with a plan. He thought about putting on his gym clothes and utilizing the gym on the second floor, but that didn’t seem like enough. He needed something for his brain more than his mind today.

So he put on his clothes and told Hal to get the car. They were going to Elements Computer Technologies Campus. Hal drove while Nathan made phone calls and answered emails.

The campus was quiet when Nathan arrived. With the upcoming holidays and the company moving to California, many employees had taken leave. Nathan could feel the uncertainty hanging in the air as he walked around. Many employees were debating if the move was worth it, and if they’d even have a job in a year if they did move.

Nathan passed the photo of young George without looking at it. He walked quickly and with a purpose down the hallway and to the left. He already knew which corridor to turn down and he had his access card ready before he hit the door.