She scoffs. “Seriously. You’d think Darla and your receptionist would be enough.” She motions to her friends. “Now we’ve added three more to the list.” Kelsey looks at the pumpkins to our right and smirks. “On a different note, someone really captured your likeness in that one.”
I follow her finger to see Frankenstein’s head. “Don’t you think you’ve overused that?”
“That joke willnevergo out of style.”
I rub my hand over my mouth to hide my smile. It’s refreshing how she always sticks to her guns. “You know what else doesn’t go out of style? Making you sweat while you wait to see how I’m going to pay you back.”
She crosses her arms. “I’m not nervous.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
Kelsey comes to a stop, playfully whacking my arm. “You don’t scare me, Tyler Reed.”
My lips tilt up into a playful grin. “Good to know, Kelsey Anderson.”
We’re staring at each other in the ultimate showdown, waiting to see who will back down first. Spoiler alert: it won’t be me.
Mallory’s voice breaks our staring competition. “Looks like you two have to kiss.”
Kelsey whips around, sending a wave of her sweet shampoo scent my way. I can’t see whatever face she sends her friends, but Mallory only lifts an eyebrow in response.
“Don’t blame me.” She points up. “Blame the mistletoe.”
“Mistletoe?” Kelsey laughs. “It’s October, not December.”
Yet I look up and find mistletoe carved into a pumpkin hanging from a tree branch above us. I’m unsure whether I want to thank or punch whoever did this.
I told myself this was going to be a Kelsey-free night. But I would be lying if I hadn’t been thinking about how beautiful she was with her wind-blown hair and gray sweater.
Without thinking about the ramifications of my actions, I wrap my hands around Kelsey’s back and dip her. She gasps, and I wish I could bottle up the sound as physical evidence of the effect I have on her.
I press my mouth to the corner of her lips, and she inhales sharply. That little sound makes goosebumps erupt across my skin, and I question for a second if I should actually kiss her or not.
No, if we kiss, I want it to be real. Not because we’re standing under some fake mistletoe and especially not when we have an audience.
If I’m going to kiss Kelsey Anderson, it’s going to be just for us.
That doesn’t mean I can’t tease her, though.
I move my lips slightly, grazing the corner of her mouth. “I’d say we should put on a show for our wannabe matchmakers.” I keep one of my hands around her back and cradle her cheek with the other, blocking our lips from the view of her friends and Evie. “But if I ever kiss you, it’ll be because it’s real.”
Pulling back, I look into her hazel eyes, ignoring the wolf whistles around us and her friends’ gaping mouths. Her eyes search mine like she might find the answer there. I don’t have any answers, though. I’ve only got questions myself.
Up until now, I wasn’t sure if Kelsey would ever be interested in something more with me than the banter we effortlessly toss around. But the fact that she didn’t pull away makes me believe that a shred of hope might be there.
With the way her pupils are dilated and move to stare at my lips, I’m starting to allow myself to wonder how they might taste pressed to mine.
“What’supwithyourface?” Tess leans forward and sniffs the camera. “Yep, just what I thought.”
My brows furrow. “What are you talking about? And why are you sniffing the camera?”
“My baby brother reeks oflove.”
“If you were here right now, I’d flick you.”
Tess rubs her head as if it actually happened. “Good thing I’m an eighteen-hour flight away.”
“And, by the way, I’m not in love.”
