by Janice Lynn
He did his best to keep a straight face. “You’d think with those elongated ears you’d have better hearing.”
She touched one of her pointy ears. “You’d think.”
“So maybe I’ll just thank her for your costume that’s lit up my day so far.”
McKenzie reached up and touched her hair. “That would be accurate, at least.”
“All the other was, too.” Before she could argue, he grabbed her hand and held it as they resumed walking toward Bev’s Beauty Boutique.
The wind was a little chilly, but overall the weather was a fairly mild December day in mid-Georgia.
“Oh, goodness, look at you two,” Bev gushed in her gravelly voice when McKenzie and Lance walked up to the shop. Lance had met her at a charity function a time or two over the years he’d been in Coopersville. A likable woman even if he did always have to take a step back because of her smoky breath.
Bev and a couple other women were outside the shop, watching the remainder of the parade pass.
“Cecilia, you outdid yourself, girl! McKenzie, you look amazing.” Bev, a woman who’d smoked her way to looking older than she was, ran her gaze over Lance’s trousers, jacket, and big Christmas bow tie. He’d borrowed some fake ears and a nose tip from the community center costume room from a play they’d put on several years before. “I’m pretty sure you’re hotter than Georgia asphalt in mid-July.”
McKenzie laughed out loud at the woman’s assessment of him. Lance just smiled and thanked her for her hoarse compliment.
“You do look amazing,” Cecelia praised her friend. “Even if I do say so myself.” She pulled out her cell phone. “I want a picture.”
“You took photos this morning,” McKenzie reminded as her friend held her cell phone out in front of her.
“Yeah, but that was just you,” Cecilia pointed out. “I want pictures of you two together, too. Y’all are the cutest Christmas couple ever.”
Reluctantly, McKenzie posed for her friend, then seemed to loosen up a little when she pulled Lance over to where she stood. “Come on, elf boy. You heard her. She wants pictures of us both. If I have to do this, so do you.”
Lance wasn’t reluctant at all. He wrapped his arm around McKenzie and smiled for the camera while Cecilia took their first photos together.
Their first. Did that mean he thought there would be other occasions for them to be photographed together? Did that imply that he wanted those memories with her captured forever?
“Do something other than smile,” Cecilia ordered, looking at them from above her held-out phone.
Lance turned to McKenzie to follow her lead. Her gaze met his, and she shrugged, then broke off a sprig of mistletoe from the salon’s door decoration. She held up the greenery, then pulled him to her, did a classic one-leg-kicked-up pose, and planted a kiss right on his cheek with her eyes toward her friend.
No doubt Cecilia’s phone camera flash caught his surprise.
He quickly recovered and got into the spirit of things by pointing at the mistletoe McKenzie held and giving an Oh, yeah thumbs-up, then posed for several goofy shots and laughed harder than he probably should have at their antics.
All the women and a few spectators laughed and applauded them. A few kids wanted to pose for photos with them, especially McKenzie.
“Is your hair real?” a little girl asked, staring at the twisted-up loops of hair and string of minilights.
“Part of it is real, but I don’t normally wear it this way. Just on special days.”
“Like on Christmas parade days?” the child asked.
“Exactly.”
When they’d finished visiting with her friends, McKenzie hugged Cecilia and thanked her again.
“Don’t forget to forward me those pictures,” she requested with one last hug.
“I may be calling on you to help with some of our charity events. We’re always needing help with costumes and you’re good,” Lance praised.
Cecilia beamed. “Thank you.”
The parade ended and the crowd began to disperse. Customers came to the shop to have their ritual Saturday morning hair appointments and the stylists went back into the salon.
“Now what?” McKenzie asked, turning to face him. Her cheeks glowed with happiness and she looked as if she was having the time of her life.
“Anything you want.”
She laughed. “If only I could think of something evil and diabolical.”
He took her gloved hand into his. “I’m not worried.”
“You should be.”
She tried to look evil and diabolical, but only managed to look cute. He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her fuzzy glove.
“You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“I definitely would,” she contradicted. “I don’t like flies.”
“Okay, Miss Evil and Diabolical Fly-Killer, let’s go grab some hot chocolate and see what the Christmas booths have for sale that we can snag.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“YOU LOOKED AMAZING TODAY,” Cecilia told her as she ran a makeup pencil over McKenzie’s brow with the precision of an artist working on a masterpiece.
“Thanks to you and the fabulous work you did getting me ready for the mayor’s float,” McKenzie agreed, trying to hold perfectly still so she didn’t mess up what her friend was doing to her face.
“I have to admit, I had fun. Then again, I had a lot to work with.”
“Yeah, right,” McKenzie snorted. “Let’s just hope you can pull off another miracle for tonight, too.”
“For your work Christmas party?”
“Yes.” She cut her eyes to her friend. “What did you think I meant?”
“You’ve never asked me to help doll you up in the past for a mere work party.”
“This one is different.”
“Because of Lance?”
Because of Lance. Yes, it seemed that most everything this week had been because of Lance. Lots of smiles. Lots of hot kisses. Lots of anticipation and wondering if tonight was the night they’d do more than “mouth-to-mouth.”
“I suppose so. Can’t a girl just want to look her best?”
“Depends on what she’s wanting to look her best for.”
“For my party.”
“And afterward?”
“Well, I’m hoping not to turn into a pumpkin at midnight, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No pumpkins,” Cecilia promised. “Wrong holiday. But what about that mistletoe this morning?”
“What about it?”
“You’ve gone to dinner every night this week, ridden on a Christmas float with him, and you are going as his date to the Christmas party. That’s big, McKenzie. For you, that’s huge. What changed?”
“Nothing.”
“Something has to have changed. You were saying no to the guy left and right only a week ago.”
“You were the one who said I was crazy for not going out with him.”
“You were crazy for not going out with him. He seems like a great guy. Lots of fun, hot, and crazy about my bestie. I like him.”
“You’ve only been around him twice,” McKenzie reminded.
“During which times he helped save a man’s life and made you laugh and smile more than I’ve seen you do in years.”
There was that.
“I was in character.”
“Yeah right.” Cecilia threw McKenzie’s words back at her. “If I’d been you, I’d have used that mistletoe for more than a kiss on the cheek.”
“I’m sure you would have.”
“But you didn’t need to, did you?”
“I’m not the kind of girl to kiss and tell.” Which was hilarious because Cec
ilia had been her best friend since before her first kiss and she’d told her about pretty much all her major life events. Plus, she had already told Cecilia that she and Lance had kissed.
Cecilia leaned back, studied McKenzie’s face, then went back to stroking a brush across her cheeks. “Even if you hadn’t already told me that you kissed Lance on the night of the Christmas show, I’d know you had.”
“How would you know that?”
“I can tell. The same as I can tell that, despite our conversation the other day, what you still haven’t done is have sex with him.”
Could Cecilia see inside her head or did her friend just know her that well?
“And how is it you know that?”
Cecilia’s penciled on brow arches. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’ve not had sex with him.”
Not that he’d made any real plays to get into her bed. He hadn’t. Which surprised her.
“The tension between you two is unreal.”
“Tension? We weren’t fighting today.”
“Sexual tension, McKenzie. It’s so thick between you two that you could cut it with a knife.”
There was that. Which made his lack of pushing beyond their nightly kisses even more difficult to understand.
“I see you’re not denying it.”
“Would there be any point?”
“None.” Cecilia leaned back again and smiled at what she saw. She held a hand mirror up for McKenzie to see what she’d done. “Perfect.”
McKenzie stared at her reflection. Cecilia had done wonders with her face. McKenzie rarely wore more than just mascara and a shiny lip gloss that she liked the scent of. Cecilia had plucked, brushed, drawn and done her face up to the point where McKenzie barely recognized the glamorous woman staring back at her. “Wow.”
“How much do you want to bet that when Lance sees you he’ll want to forget the party and just stay here and party with you?”
“Not gonna happen.” Not on her part and, based on the past week, not on his part either. But anticipation filled her at the thought of Lance seeing her at her best. “Help me into my dress?”
“Definitely. I want to see what underwear you’re wearing.”
McKenzie’s face caught on fire. Busted. “What?”
“You heard me,” Cecilia brooked no argument. “I’ll know your intentions by your underwear.”
McKenzie sighed and slipped off her robe.
Grinning, Cecilia rubbed her hands together. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
“This doesn’t mean a thing, you know.”
“Of course it doesn’t. That’s why you aren’t wearing granny panties.”
McKenzie stuck her tongue out at her friend. “I never wear granny panties.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t usually wear sexy thongs either, but you are tonight.”
“Works better with the material of my dress. No unsightly panty lines that way.”
Cecilia had the audacity to laugh. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Fine. I will. Think what you like.”
Cecilia laughed again. “Here, let’s get you into your dress, let me do any necessary last-minute hair fixes, and then I’m out of here before Dr. Wonderful shows up.”
“He’s not that wonderful,” McKenzie countered.
“Sure he’s not. That’s why you’re a nervous wreck and wearing barely-there panties and a matching bra.”
Cecilia laughed and slid McKenzie’s sparkly green dress over her head and tugged it downward.
“A real best friend wouldn’t point out such things,” McKenzie pointed out to the woman who’d been a constant in her life since kindergarten. “You know, it’s not too late to trade you in for a less annoying model.”
Cecilia’s loud laughter said she was real worried.
* * *
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
“Only about a dozen times.” McKenzie ran her gaze over Lance. He had gone all out and was wearing a black suit that fit so well she wondered if it was tailor-made. He’d washed away all traces of his Christmas parade costume. His hair had a hint of curl, his eyes a twinkle, and his lips a constant smile. “Have I mentioned how handsome you look in your suit?”
“A time or two.” He grinned. “I’m the envy of every man in the building.”
“Hardly.”
“It’s true. You look absolutely stunning.”
“Cecilia gets all the credit. She’s the miracle worker. I sure can’t pull off this...” she gestured to her face and hair “...without her waving her magic wand.”
“Your fairy godmother, huh?”
“That’s what I’ve called her this week.”
“She’s definitely talented,” he agreed. “Then again, she had a lot to work with because on your worst day, you’re beautiful, McKenzie.”
“That does it. No more spiked Christmas punch for you.” She made a play for his glass, but he kept it out of her reach.
“Is the punch really spiked?”
“It must be,” she assured him, “for you to be spouting so many compliments.”
He waggled his brows and took another drink. “I don’t think so.”
The Christmas party was being held in a local hotel’s conference room. There were about two hundred employees in total who worked for the clinic. With those employees and their significant others, the party was going full swing and was full of loud commotion from all directions.
Several of their coworkers had commented on how great they looked tonight, how great they’d looked in the Christmas parade, how excited they were that they were a couple.
Those comments made McKenzie want to squirm in her three-inch heels. All their coworkers now knew without a doubt that they were seeing each other as more than friends.
She’d known this would happen. She’d allowed this to happen.
Several of her female coworkers stared at her with outright envy that she was with Lance. She couldn’t blame them. He was gorgeous, fun, intelligent and charming. He didn’t seem to notice any of their attention, just stayed close to McKenzie’s side and tended to her every need.
Well, almost every need.
Because more and more she’d been thinking of Cecilia’s teasing. Yeah, her green dress fit her like a glove right down to where it flared into a floaty skirt that twirled around her thighs when she moved just right. But she hadn’t had to wear teeny-tiny underwear because of the dress. She’d worn them because...
“That’s the first time I’ve not seen a smile on your face all evening,” Lance whispered close to her ear.
“Sorry,” she apologized, immediately smiling. “I was just thinking.”
Which, of course, led to him asking what she’d been thinking about.
She just smiled a little brighter, grabbed his hand, and tugged him toward the dance floor. “Dance with me?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he teased, leading her out onto the crowded dance floor. “I’ve been itching to have you in my arms all evening.”
“All you had to do was ask.”
“Well, part of me was concerned about the consequences of holding you close.”
“Consequences?” She stared into his eyes, saw the truth there, then widened her eyes. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“I guess it’s a good thing girls don’t have to worry about such things.”
His eyes remained locked with hers, half teasing, half serious. “Would that be a problem for you, McKenzie?”
A problem?
Her chin lifted. “I’m not frigid, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“It wasn’t, but it’s good to know.” He pulled her close and they swayed back and forth to th
e beat of the music.
“You smell good,” she told him, trying not to completely bury her face in his neck just to fill her senses totally with the scent of him.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you. What perfume are you wearing?”
“Cecilia sprayed me with some stuff earlier. I honestly don’t know what it’s called, just that she said it was guaranteed to drive you crazy. Of course, she didn’t tell me that until after she’d hit me with a spray.”
He nuzzled against her hair. “She was right.”
“Feeling a little crazy?”
“With your body rubbed up against mine? Oh, yeah.”
She laughed. “I’ll let her know the stuff works.”
“Pretty sure if you had nothing on at all I’d be feeling just as crazy. Actually, if you had nothing on at all, my current level of crazy would be kid’s stuff in comparison.”
She wiggled closer against him. “Well, that makes sense. We’re both just kids at heart.”
“True, that.” His hands rubbed against her low back. “Were you thinking about our coworkers just a few minutes ago?”
She knew when he meant and at that time it hadn’t been thoughts of their coworkers that had robbed her of her smile. No, it had been thoughts of what she was anticipating happening later in the evening. Not that she was sure that’s what would happen, but she’d questioned it enough that she’d shaved, lotioned, powdered, perfumed and dressed in her sexiest underwear.
Because all week Lance had kissed her good-night, deep, thorough passionate kisses that had left her longing for more. She hadn’t invited him in and he hadn’t pushed. Just hot good-night kisses night after night that left her confused and aching.
Mostly, she just didn’t understand why he hadn’t attempted to talk his way into her bed. Or at least into her house. He’d still not made it off the front porch.
He might not push for more tonight either. She was okay with it if he didn’t. It was just that something had felt different between them today on the Christmas float, and afterward when they’d weaved their way from one booth to another. All week she’d felt as if she was building up to something great. From the moment he’d picked her up at her house this evening and had been so obviously pleased with the way she looked and how she’d greeted him—with lots of smiles—the feeling had taken root inside her that tonight held magical possibilities that she wasn’t sure she really wanted in the long run, but in the short term, oh, yeah, she wanted Lance something fierce, thus the itsy-bitsy, barely-there thong.