Her face falters when I don’t meet her baited comment with one of my own.
She teeters nervously from one foot to the next. When she bites the corner of her lip, it brightens rosy pink beneath her teeth. I stare a little too long, imagining my lips pressed against hers beneath the mistletoe, kissing away the saucy temper that simmers beneath the surface.
Her cheeks flush as she averts her gaze. She pulls a hand from her pocket, and my hope for a truce falls. She produces the unopened chocolate box I delivered earlier. She didn’t even try them.
I wipe a hand over my forehead, waiting for the “we need to talk”part of this conversation.
“I’d like to talk to you about a partnership.”
Well, well, well.Knock me over with a peppermint stick. Things are looking up.
“In the spirit of giving and all things festive...” I swish my palms together, eager to embrace the opportunity to get to know each other. “I’m all in. We’ll give Treasured Past a run for their money and light up the square like...”
I get ahead of myself, impatient to get started. Sophie's lip twitches and curls into a grin. My words catch in my throat, forming a knot at the crux of my esophagus, effectively cutting off the oxygen to my brain. I'll say and do anything it takes to turn her grin into a radiant smile.
“Whoa, tiger.” Her left brow arches as she taps my shoulder with her fingertips, stilling my spontaneous enthusiasm. Her fingers linger momentarily before she jerks her hand away.
A thousand volts of live wire electricity zip through my body, tingling every nerve. Sophie's touch far from tamps down my spirit. Much to the contrary.
She gets a rise out of me instead.
FUDGE BUCKETS!
CHAPTER 4
***
Sophie
For the love of all the ghosts of Christmas past.
Never touch the enemy.
Especially when he’s tall, dark, handsome, and all kinds of chocolate-dipped deliciousness.
I yank my hand away from Sebastian's shoulder as the pang in my gut flutters, tickling my insides. His excitement penetrates the hard shell I've built around my heart. How many years has it been since someone's gotten under my skin so quickly? I'm usually easygoing. No one ever ruffles my feathers.