Macy watched him expectantly, as did everyone else, and when he grinned and held up a large clump of mistletoe, laughter spilled across the room. “Where’s my wife at?”
Gwen pushed her way through the crowd, leaning up on her tiptoes to accept Greg’s kiss. When they broke apart at last, laughter and cheers echoed off the walls. The mistletoe was hung as it was every year and everyone rushed to make sure they all had a turn under it.
Everyone but her.
She left the room, walking back to the kitchen. The table was set and the food laid out, waiting for everyone to gather in the dining room. Macy grabbed the washcloth and wiped the already spotless cabinets while the commotion in the other room grew. She heard her mother squeal, her laughter contagious, and she smiled while listening. Their silly little Christmas ritual was one of the many highlights of coming home for the holidays and every year she’d sat and watched until every last person in the room was kissed.
Everyone but her.
She sighed and dropped the cloth, turning her head when she heard someone behind her. Sean was standing in the doorway. “Let me guess,” she said. “They sent you in here for me?”
“For a blonde, you’re rather smart.”
“Hey,” she said, laughing. “No dumb blonde jokes from you. I get enough of those as it is.”
He grinned and crossed the room, stopping once he reached her and turned, leaning back against the counter. “You should have told me your brothers were going to grill me on their little hunting expedition.”
“You’re a doctor. I assumed you were smart enough to figure that one out on your own.”
“I’m a vet,” he said. “Not a brain surgeon.”
She grinned. “So, what did you tell them?”
“That you’re a wildcat in the sack and loved bondage games.”
“What!”
He laughed and glanced to the door before he reached out, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. His free hand slid into her hair and he lowered his head. “Don’t move,” he whispered in her ear. “We’re being watched.”
Her back stiffened and she wondered who was spying. She’d bet money on one of her brothers but her mother wasn’t out of the question either. Thoughts of who the unidentified spy might be vanished when she realized that for the first time in three years, she was exactly where she’d fantasized being on numerous occasions. She was pressed against Sean’s body, his breath teasing her cheek and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation.
His lips brushed the side of her face, lingering for long moments before skimming her jaw. His scent was drugging and she inhaled deeply to take in as much of it as she could. When he kissed the edge of her mouth, she looked up. He was staring down at her and she could feel his breath on her face. One tiny move and she would know how his lips tasted.
“If you want your family to think we’re a couple then you need to loosen up,” he said. “Your spine is stiff as a board.”
