She didn’t even act surprised as he lifted his knee and drew close to her. “Would you like me to explain what happened between me and El?”
Grace dropped her head back to lie against the seat. “No, I’m pretty sure she summed it up very well in there.”
He drew a hand down his face and up again. “You’re angry?”
Her gaze shifted toward him first before she decided to straighten and rotate toward him. “I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now, but anger is not one of them.”
She glanced down at her hands where they lay folded in her lap. Halfway through “Jingle Bell Rock,” she inhaled and raised her chin level to his. In an unconscious move, she swiped at her bangs and dove into an explanation.
“I’ll admit it was a little…jarring to see you kissing her, especially after what has or has not happened between us in the last few days, but I’ve no expectations of us, Ayden. I’m here to find my sister and fool yours. As far as we are concerned, whatever happens between us, the end will undoubtedly be the same.”
She paused as something outside his window drew her attention away for a brief moment. He started to turn when her enchanting gaze flitted back to him. “And the sooner, the better, I think.”
He didn’t have much time to ponder her words as she shifted closer. Her eyes alight with uncertainty, her body trembling with nervousness; she touched both sides of his face with her small hands.
“Grace,” he whispered, his heart starting to pound with expectation.
“Shhh,” she scolded him and bent her head to place a warm, leisurely kiss against his lips.
Lost in the moment, he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer. Only, he didn’t stop until she sat straddling him with the steering wheel pressing them closer together. He stifled a groan as the electrifying connection sparked between them again
****
Grace settled onto Ayden’s lap, his thick arousal igniting a desire she could not control. Fire pulsed through her veins, consuming and ravenous. Together, their heartbeats pounded in thunderous rhythm. She became lost, enveloped in Ayden’s embrace and the rapture of his kiss. She melted into him, accepting each delicious and lilting stroke of his tongue. She longed to draw closer so nothing, not even light, separated them. Her breath hitched when his hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her mouth harder against his. He took from her, his lips strong and controlling, gliding over hers with dizzying prowess. Underneath her, his arousal expanded. She almost cried out when his hands moved to grasp her hips and drive her deep against him. Trembling inside and out, she writhed on his lap, the tension of her desire building with wondrous sensations. Then a groan tore from his throat, and he broke the kiss in an agonizing revolt.
“Grace, stop.”
Dazed, she leaned back to find his eyes squeezed shut and his face set in a severe pose. Although she’d been the one who initiated the kiss, he was the one who put her here. Still, afraid that she’d overstepped the boundaries of their phony relationship, she pushed away from him. Humiliation at her unguarded inhibitions made her stomach knot and the back of her neck break out in a cold sweat. Not that she was inexperienced with men, she’d simply never felt the rush of such physical passion, never heard her name called out with such hoarse frustration.
On her side of the cab, in her sudden puddle of insecurity, she tried to find an excuse for what she’d done and why. When Grace had spotted Maggie on the sidewalk, at least twenty feet away, she wanted to settle her and Ayden’s counterfeit relationship for good. She believed that if Maggie saw them as a couple, Ayden would concentrate more on helping her with Danielle than falsifying her existence.
Only, she didn’t anticipate losing herself in the moment. Now, as much as she dreaded it, she returned her attention to Ayden, finding him sitting on his side, his head bent back and resting against the rear window.
Before he rushed to draw any rash conclusions about why she climbed on him like an animal in heat, she said, “I saw Maggie, and thought it might be a good idea to show her that we were madly—” The words froze on her tongue. In love.
She realized getting through, however long it would take to find Danielle, was going to be like dancing through a field riddled with land mines. To make matters worse, Ayden’s sister had disappeared into thin air, making Grace appear like she’d made up the entire episode to accost him in front of an innocent couple’s drug emporium.
Her emotions began to snowball into disarray as Ayden stayed silent and sulking, shifting the truck into Drive and taking them home without saying a word. He even switched off the radio, forcing Grace to hum something in her mind to keep from thinking of how blatantly she reacted to him. If only he’d say something, even if it were a stern, “Don’t ever do that again.”
In the driveway, she leaped out of the cab and was halfway up the porch stairs when he joined her to open the door. Once inside, she contemplated packing her bags and returning to San Francisco, forcing Danielle to lie in the bed she’d made.
Only, when Grace took two steps toward the staircase, Ayden grabbed her arm and swung her around, slamming her hard against him. “What was that?” he asked, his voice deep and growling.
Grace stiffened. She knew exactly what he meant. “I told you.” She’d hesitated to say the words again. His dire mood confused and troubled her. Distrusting his sudden disposition, she lashed back at him. “This was your plan, remember? Convince Maggie how much—”
“In love we are?” he finished for her. “Yes, we’ve covered that, and do you want to know what I think?”
“Will it do any good to say no?”
He ignored her, his blue eyes flashing danger and incitement. “I think you are wrong about drama being your worst subject, Grace. Your display earlier did a good job of making a pretty little liar out of you.”
Her jaw dropped open, hurt by his brusque tone and callous insinuation. She wanted to say something to defend herself, but what? Acknowledge she hadn’t pretended anything? That the emotional delight of kissing him, touching him, came as natural to her as…holding her breath. Well, he certainly didn’t want to hear that confession.
“And I think I’ve had enough of you and Mistletoe, Mr. McCabe.” She struggled to free herself, him letting her go a little easier than she expected or wanted. He stepped back, his shoulders stiff, his jaw jumping from having his teeth clamped too tight.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.” She took a step up the winding staircase.
“So, you’re running away.”
She whipped around. “No, I’m quitting.”
“What’s the difference?”
Unprepared for the challenge of her answer, she wrestled with a reply. “Running away means you’re afraid of something. Quitting is when you’ve given up on a ridiculous notion.”
She saw the Adam’s apple in his throat bob before lowering his voice and asking, “What notion would that be, exactly?”
Grace pressed her palms to her forehead and brought in a few therapeutic inhales. Unwilling to confess her disenchantment with love, she dropped her arms, deciding, instead, to feign indifference.
“Look, if you’re concerned about Maggie, I’ll write you a Dear John letter on the train. I’ll make it so heart wrenching, you might even shed a tear over it.”
She rotated back up the staircase when he reached up to stop her and then turned her so her back lay pressed against the angled wall, his hands planted on both sides of her head.
“I’ve touched a nerve with you, haven’t I? You wouldn’t be so angry if I hadn’t!”
She felt her eyes grow wide with astonishment. “I’m not the one who’s angry, you are!”
He opened his mouth with a reply when the doorbell rang. She glanced toward the door to find a shadow of a woman standing on the other side.
“Dammit!” he cursed, and traipsed down the few stairs to the landing. Grace almost expected another one of his ex-girlfriends, maybe dressed in nothing but a
gray trench coat and holding a can of whipped cream. Who she didn’t expect was Maggie.
****
Ayden stared down at his sister, half wanting to twirl her around and boot her back onto the porch. He and Grace needed to finish talking…or arguing. Oh, he’d had his fair share of fights when it came to women; he’d learned to walk away from them. With Grace, he found himself so absorbed and responsive to everything she did and said, he didn’t know how to control what he was saying or how he was saying it. Regarding the incident in the cab, hearing she’d initiated the kiss just to give Maggie a show infuriated him. There he was, his blood pounding, his body rigid with want and unfulfilled satisfaction. Only, Grace had done exactly what he’d asked her to do. She was playing his girlfriend. He needed to be more careful. The last thing in the world he wanted was to get tangled up in something he couldn’t leave. But God help him. Grace, in a matter of days, had managed to break down his concrete boundaries and intentions.
“Maggie, this isn’t a good time,” he said, in a warning voice.
“You always say that.” She brushed by him to stop in the foyer, her attention drawn to Grace on the staircase. He shut the door on a loud sigh and rotated around to find both women, staring at one another.
“You’re quite popular already,” Maggie said, a hint of admiration in her voice.
Grace smiled. “I think it was inevitable, with your brother as my…boyfriend.”
Maggie let out a soft laugh and then nodded. “Yes, I’d say so.”
Ayden relaxed his shoulders and walked around his sister to stand beside Grace. She had descended to the landing, her hands clasped together in front of her petite form. Wanting to feel her near him, he slid his arm around her back and pressed her against his side.
“How are the kids?”
Maggie jerked her gaze up to his as if she’d been in some sort of trance. “What?”
“I said, how are the kids? Are they still sick?”
His sister shook her thick dark-brown auburn hair and let her shoulders slump. “Oh, they’re recovering. I thought I’d have everyone over tomorrow evening. I’m not sure if Neil, Sarah, and the baby can make it, though,” she finished saying and turned again to gaze at Grace.
“Yeah, I should probably bring the tree over tonight and get it put up before it starts to dry out, don’t you think?” he asked. Again, he waited for Maggie to respond, and again, she ignored him. He had no doubt Maggie had seen Grace accost him earlier and that she was, at this very moment, guessing what size wedding dress Grace wore.
“Maggie, would you like something to eat?”
“No, I’m not thirsty.”
“Right.” He nodded.
He lifted his gaze to Grace, her lips clamped shut and her shoulders trembling with quiet laughter. For selfish reasons, he wanted Maggie to leave, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Remembering the tape Wilhelmina gave him, he pulled away from Grace and stepped toward the door.
“Well, it’s been an…unusual visit, Maggs, but Grace and I were about to…sit down and…discuss something.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, he knew he’d just let the gates of his sister’s romantic notions swing wide open. Her arms flew around Grace so fast, he didn’t have time to recant or explain what he meant.
Maggie squealed and wrapped her arms around Grace, squeezing and agitating her like a washing machine. “Okay, okay. I’m leaving.” She let go and backed away, smiling.
“Maggie, wait, why did you come here in the first place?”
She sent him a quizzical look, shrugged, and then beamed. “I can’t remember. See you soon.” And she was gone.
He took his time shutting the door before rotating around to find Grace with her gaze pinned to the floor at his feet. She didn’t look up as she whispered toward him. “I feel awful.”
He had to admit, part of him did, too. Still, he was more concerned about her leaving than crushing Maggie’s expectations. “So, are you still thinking about quitting?”
Grace let out a long exhale and sank onto the second stair. She placed her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, and closed her eyes. He didn’t move, soaking in her quiet and reflective form for as long as she allowed him. For the first time, he noticed how his heart beat in a battled rhythm at the mere sight of her. No matter if his mind wanted to wave off how much she affected him, his heart did not.
Unsure of what to say, he joined her on the staircase. “I’m sorry, about earlier. It’s just that when you kissed me in the truck, it was so…unexpected and…real.”
She scoffed and clicked her tongue. “Is that male code for bad?”
He laughed and then cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what a male code is, but no, it’s not bad. It was as far from bad as anything I’ve ever…” He stopped short of explaining and changed the subject. “You didn’t deserve how I reacted or what I said.”
“It doesn’t matter if I deserved it or not, you still believe I lied.”
“No, I believe you underestimate yourself.”
“Thank you…I think.”
He wanted to reach out to her, but kept his hands to himself. “Grace. I don’t want…I don’t want us running away half-cocked, without at least trying to work through it.”
“I told you, I wasn’t running away.”
He inhaled and drew his hands down his face. “You were quitting, I know. Damn, you’re the most infuriating female.”
“I hope that’s not one of your pickup lines, McCabe,” she grumbled in a sarcastic tone.
Chapter Seventeen
Grace didn’t even have time to think before Ayden’s mouth smothered hers in a kiss that made the hairs on the back of her neck dance. His lips caressed hers with one erotic stroke after another, making her want to forget the emotional tug-of-war taking place between them. Still, with his silken tongue driving her mad with wanting, did she dare consider there existed more behind this kiss than physical unadulterated lust?
Then, as fast as he pressed his mouth to hers, he pulled away. “One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was tell you to stop.” His lips brushed across her brow. “And for the record”—he paused, shifting his mouth down to her ear to whisper—“I don’t need pickup lines.”
Her pulse shuddered and her heart raced, wishing they weren’t with each other solely to provide a means to an end. At last, he let go and stood before her, tall and magnificent. She understood what took place between them was only the beginning.
“For now, we should go explore some clues to find your sister.” He held out his hand, and she accepted his offer, not even sure she remained in Mistletoe for Danielle or herself. Regardless, she walked with Ayden to the living room and sat down, her outer thigh pressed close to the warmth and strength of his.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his features giving nothing away as to what he wanted to find in the video.
Grace nodded and concentrated on the television screen, her eyes squinting at the mind-numbing and grainy image of “A Day in the Life of Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne.”
They fast-forwarded through the slow times until a half-hour passed, and Grace sighed and fell back against the billowy couch, discouraged. “Are you sure she gave us the right day?”
“Wilhelmina Hawthorne has an imaginary cat named Gunther. At this point, I can’t be sure about anything.”
Grace bent her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. It dawned on her the woman might have made up the entire story of someone coming into the store to purchase the postcard.
Leary of raising her hopes for nothing, Grace stood and began pacing. “Oh, what am I doing? I’ve come all this way, risked losing the only job I’ve ever had, for what? I mean, what if we do find Danielle? Do I drag her back to San Francisco?” Then a practical conclusion hit her like a ton of concrete. “What if she’s met someone like you and fallen madly in love with him?”
Grace froze over her own words. Catching her meaning, Ayden lifted slowly from his perched posi
tion on the couch. She was thinking aloud, throwing out scenarios, hoping something would stick. Only, she didn’t expect to reveal how close she stood to her last concern for her sister.
Frustrated and tired, she lifted her index finger toward his chest. “Don’t you dare ask me what I meant by that; I’m not in love with you, Ayden McCabe, nor am I plan on falling in love with you. The last thing I want, or need, for that matter, is to wind up as one of your statistics.”
Grace held her gaze on Ayden’s stern lips and stoic expression. They’d only spent a few days together, but she knew enough to deduce he wanted nothing to do with emotions or commitment. He responded to her physically, but she wondered how long it would be before she wanted more, just like the rest of them. Whether he saw them as an albatross or nuisance, she didn’t want him to remember her attached to either.
She supposed when the silence became too much for him to bear, he closed the distance between them and lowered his voice. What he said left her speechless.
“My mother loved my father. My father gave up everything to make her happy. I’m sure he had dreams, but they became buried under the obligations of this house. There was no compromise there. I believe they’d still be alive today if he hadn’t been so weak as not to tell my mother he wanted to go back to Ireland.”
Grace stood astounded at Ayden’s fierce confession. Not only did she think his aversion to love came from somewhere else; she’d imagined his parents as the most fortunate of loving couples. Now to hear Ayden tell it, he appeared to resent what his mother and father meant to one another. She realized at that moment, she’d never be able to reach him, no matter what she did or didn’t do.
“I’m hungry,” she said to change the subject and pull the scowl from around his lips. He was much more handsome when he thought he had things under control.
In Mistletoe Page 15