I sprang to my feet, and he followed. I spun around, taking in the glitter and sparkle that surrounded us. “This is beautiful.” Santa would rock the world if he ever decided to go into business as a holidays interior decorator.The rest of them might as well change careers, because henailsit.
Something was hanging over the spot where we stood.
He looked up. I looked up.
A bough of mistletoe, green and abundant, its white berries stark amid the leaves, was suspended from one of the rafters, barely a foot above our heads.
I lowered my gaze, and found him staring at my lips. I gazed at his full lower lip, below which sprouted white silken hair, only a touch of gray at the roots. Then we both moved, slow and easy, as though we had all the time in the world for our lips to meet.
Which we did, of course. Time was frozen so that our first kiss could last forever if we chose.
His lips were warm, soft. His beard grazed mine. I cupped his face and breathed him in, a spicy-sweet scent that sank into my verybones. The sigh that escaped him was one that said ‘andthereyou are at last.’
I drew back, taking my time, so as not to break the fragility of this heart-stopping moment. He mimicked my action, and we stared at each other. But then the gap closed again, and we were kissing once more, still sweet yet so fervent as I mapped out his face with my lips. His hand cradled the back of my head as he kissed me, those soft sighs punctuating each intimate press of his lips against mine, feeding me his sounds of contentment and joy.
When we broke the kiss at the same moment, he smiled, and warmth pulsed through me.
“You have no idea how long I’ve thought about doing that,” he murmured.
I grinned. “Ditto.”
“And where better to kiss you than in a realm where a kiss could last a lifetime if we wanted it to?” He stroked my face. “There’s little trace of the boy I saw all those years ago.” His fingertips traced the line of my jaw. “I’ve watched you grow into such a handsome man.”
“There’s something I have to ask. When did you know—”
“That I wanted you?”
“Yes. Can you remember?”
His smile reached his eyes. “That part wasn’t a lie. I remember everything. You were thirty-three. And I came to your apartment in Philadelphia to find you weren’t there alone.” He swallowed. “That was a moment of dual, painful recognition. I knew I was falling for you—I’d known ever since you were in your late twenties—and I wanted to tell you. First time I’d ever found myself attracted to someone, and there you were, in love with someone else. Talk about bad timing.” He peered at me. “What about you?”
“There was that one time I thought you were the sexiest friend ever, but I put that down to the high temperature caused by ’flu.”
He gave a mock gasp. “Wait… You really thought you were delirious? I’m wounded here.”
I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t until I was thirty-five that the truth hit me in the face.”
“What truth?”
I smiled. “That all the men I was attracted to looked like you.”
He coughed. “I think you knew you were into guys like me when you were in college.”
I put my hands on my hips. “So what you’re saying is, I’ve secretly been lusting after Santa Claus most of my adult life?”
It was his turn to grin. “If the cap fits.”
“You wanna know whatIthink?”
“I’m all ears.”
“I think you need to kiss me again.”
His eyes sparkled. “I’m all for that. I’m trying to catch up, remember.” When I frowned, he smiled. “Hey, I only had my first kiss a moment ago.”
His first—
My mouth fell open. “You’ve never—”