Or rather, I knewwho.
It was Lexie.She was working some special brand of magic that had me seeing things differently – and feeling things I hadn't felt in years.
She was still holding the broken candy cane. With a final snicker, she held it out in my direction. "Candy cane?"
Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was poking out from underneath her red ski hat. She looked tousled and sexy and so sweet, I felt a sudden warmth drive away the cold.
My gaze dipped to her lips as I considered what Ididwant. It was something sweet, but it wasn't candy.
I wanted to kiss her, to pull her close and claim her as my own, as if I were arealboyfriend and not some guy on a first date with a girl who'd been haunting my thoughts for longer than I cared to admit.
Oh, yeah. There was something going on, alright.
And whatever it was, I liked it.
Chapter 14
Lexie
Suddenly, I was having a hard time breathing – not because I'd just taken a tumble, but because there was something in Cole's gaze that warmed me straight to my toes.
For some inexplicable reason, I wanted to tackle him right there in the snow, to pounce onhimthe way the kittens pounced on each other when they were feeling frisky.
But most of all, I wanted to kiss him. And I wantedhimto kissme.
On pure instinct, I moved my head ever so slightly in his direction. My pulse gave a crazy little jump when he did the exact same thing.
Oh, boy.Was Ireallydoing this?
Yes.
Definitely.
It was either kiss him or go insane.
When our lips finally met, it was sweeter than candy and infinitely softer – at least in the beginning. But soon, his mouth was claiming mine with an intensity that would've made my knees buckle if I were standing.
But I didn'twantto stand. I wanted to lie down – not in the snow and not in public. In a sign that I'd surely lost my Christmas marbles, I wanted to go someplace private and do more than kiss.
When his arms tightened around me, I melted into him and practically groaned into his mouth.
Probably, we were making a spectacle of ourselves. This wasn't what I'd planned. And yet, even now, I was having a hard time convincing myself to pull away.
As if he were conscious of the same thing, Cole pulled back and stared deep into my eyes. In a low voice, he said, "You're incredible, you know that?"
I didn't.And yet, his words warmed my heart just like his mind-blowing kiss had warmed me in other places, secret places that were crying out for his attention.
This wasn't like me.
And yet, here I was, craving him with an intensity that would've made me blush if only I weren't blushing already. I couldn’tseeit, but I could feel it – a searing warmth in my face that suggested my cheeks were glowing Christmas red.
With an embarrassed laugh, I said, "I guess we should get up, huh?" As I spoke, I returned the broken candy cane to my pocket and shoved my bare hand back into the mitten.
Cole stood and held out his hand to guide me up. I didn't need the help, but I liked it just the same. It was sweet and chivalrous – two words that I never would've associated with a guy like him.
Not until tonight.
"So," he said, "do you want to hit the hill again?" He smiled. "Or can I buy you dinner?"
