"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."

  Macy let her shoulders drop and leaned against him. He was so warm and smelled so good she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to just stand there and not take what she wanted. When he smiled at her and raised his head, looking past her, she heard the shuffle of feet.

  "Oh, break it up you two. This is the kitchen, not your bedroom."

  Macy was loath to step away but reluctantly took a step back and turned to face her mother. "Sorry."

  "Don't apologize," Rose said, grinning. "Just mind the prying eyes of others. You know how your brothers are."

  They were all called to supper and like the night before, the entire meal consisted of everyone trying to talk at once. General conversation centered around Sean, and Macy's brothers teased her about some of the answers they'd been given. When the table was cleared and they moved into the living room, soft whispers turned into giddy laughter and every person Macy looked at was staring at her.

  "Okay, what gives?" she asked. "Why is everyone whispering and looking at me?"

  "Were we?" Gwen asked.

  "Yes. You know you were."

  Gwen shook her head and moved over to the sofa. "It's just your imagination, Macy."

  Macy glanced at Sean who shrugged a shoulder at her. He looked as clueless as she felt but the looks on everyone else's faces caused her pulse to race. They were up to something and whatever it was spelled trouble for her. She felt it in her bones.

  She moved to the doorway, almost scared to enter the room completely. They were still watching her and now her mother was smiling, beaming actually, and fear started crawling up her spine. When Sean stepped next to her, she glanced up at him and whispered, "Something's wrong."

  "I can see that," he said. "What do you think it is?"

  "Hard to tell with them."

  "Should we make a run for it?"

  "Good idea."

  Sean put a hand on her back, leading her to the front door and grabbed her coat, helping her put it on before grabbing his own. Someone asking, "where are you two going?" stopped them both in mid-motion.

  "Uh, just out for a walk," Sean said. "We won't be gone long."

  The whispers grew, and the giggles, and Macy sighed before pulling the door open and stepping out into the brisk air. The sun was beginning to set and the top of the mountain glistened like diamonds as twilight crawled over the horizon.

  They walked to the edge of the forest, dunking under a low-lying branch before taking the path worn into the ground by years of little feet beating against it. They were quiet, walking side-by-side without a word said for long moments. When they reached the clearing, Macy smiled. "We used to have a clubhouse here," she said. "The guys built it out of scrap lumber and old tree branches. Of course, I wasn't permitted to enter. All I could do was sit by the door and look in."

  Sean smiled at her and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Must have been nice living up here. I can imagine what it looks like in the summer."

  Macy's face lit up as she nodded. "It's great," she said. "There's a pond just beyond that line of trees." She pointed out the direction. "We used to picnic there everyday when it wasn't raining. I can't remember a summer day that wasn't spent in these woods. Of course, the winter is good too. The pond freezes solid so there was always ice skating."

  "Sounds like you had an ideal childhood."

  "Yeah, I guess I did." Something crossed his face then and Macy knew whatever it was, wasn't a pleasant memory. She knew he didn't have a family but why that was, she didn't know. She knew nothing about him, really. She wasn't even sure how old he was. Older than her, but by how much, she didn't know. Not that it mattered. Age was just a number anyway. He could be forty and her feelings for him would be the same. Feelings she'd never told anyone about.

  He smiled at her and looked toward the sky. What little light was still shining through the trees left the forest in pale shades of purple. Snow still drifted from the branches and the quiet creaking of tree limbs swaying in the breeze was the only sound to be heard. Macy stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. His dark hair was covered in snow, his jacket shining as the snow melted and left the moisture behind. His face looked wistful and she had to wonder if he wasn't thinking of his family. He usually got a little moody around the holidays but she was never around the week of Christmas to know if it was her imagination or not. The thoughts of him hurting caused her heart to ache. Regardless of the reasons for him being here, she wanted to make sure this was one holiday he enjoyed, even if it was only for one year.

  Taking a step backwards, she put a little distance between them and reached to the ground, scooping a pile of snow into her hands. She rolled it, packing it enough to keep its shape. "Sean!" When he turned, she lobbed it across the distance, watching it smack him square in the chest. His eyes widened as he looked down at the decimated snowball sliding down the front of his coat before he looked back up. She reached down, scooping another handful and smiled, slowly backing away. When he grinned and reached for his own snowball, she threw the one in her hand before turning and running.

  It was an all out war by the time they reached the house. Her hands were frozen, her clothes soaked, and when Sean grabbed her coat and pulled it away from her neck, tossing a handful of snow down the back of her shirt she squealed and danced around the yard to try and dislodge it. His laughter filled her head and made her heart feel light. The front door opened moments later and the laughter of her family joined her own as they rushed off the porch and joined the fight. When they were all winded and soaked to the bone, Macy stared across the yard at Sean. He was smiling at her. His cheeks were ruddy red, his wet hair standing up in various angles and as unkempt as he seemed, he'd never looked better. He looked truly happy.

  When they all returned to the house, shedding coats and running for the fireplace to warm their hands, Macy stopped in the doorway and took in the scene. The tree was lit, the twinkling lights filling the room with a kaleidoscope of color bouncing off the walls. The sound of laughter, and the loving voices of her family, making her sigh, contented. This is what she missed most. Being surrounded by people who loved her and would do anything to see that she was happy.

  She looked up when Sean stopped beside of her. His cheeks were still red but there was a sparkle in his eyes she'd never noticed before. When he turned his head to look at her, the smile he gave her warmed her to the bone. She'd give anything to have him look at her like that every time she saw him. Like he wanted nothing more than to be in her presence. It was long minutes before she realized the noise in the room had died and she turned her head back to her family, shocked to find them all staring at her with funny smiles on their faces. "What?" she said. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  Derek laughed before nodding his head at her. "You're standing under the mistletoe."

  Macy looked up. There, hanging above their heads by a bright red bow, was the clump of mistletoe they brought home earlier in the day. The leaves were bright and shiny, clustered around the small berries clinging to it. She saw Sean shift his weight and looked down at him. He was staring at her. Her pulse started to race instantly.

  "Well, don't just stand there," her mother said, grinning.

  "Kiss her, Sean. She's a mistletoe virgin too!" The round of laughter that followed Derek's comment caused Macy's cheeks to heat as she blushed. She glanced away from Sean, looking at the expectant faces of her family. Their smiles were still in place and the only sound in the room was the crackling of logs in the fireplace. Looking back up at Sean, she whispered, "Just do it quick. They'll badger us to death if we don't."

  What exactly Macy had been expecting, she wasn't sure, but when Sean raised his hand and cupped her cheek, threading his fingers into her hair before lowering his head, her heart skipped a beat. She thought a quick peck on the lips, maybe, or a hard press of lips to make it appear as if they were kissing. What she got was a slow, languid slide of Sean's lips across her own. Her eyes closed an instant later as her limbs turned to jell-o. His tongue swiped her bottom lip and with a small gasp, she opened her mouth, a little moan escaping her throat when he slipped inside, taking a lazy taste of her. His free arm wound around her waist and she leaned against him, tilting her head and returning the kiss with her own exploration. Tingles raced up her spine as his hold on her tightened and she lifted her hands, bunching the material of his sweater in her fists, pulling him close to her.

  The kiss only lasted moments, but when Sean pulled back, his breath hot against her lips, she knew she'd spend the rest of her life wanting to recapture every second of it. He was staring down at her, his eyelids drooping slightly, and the look on his face, she was sure, matched her own. It was a perfect kiss. The only one she'd had in years.

  The laughs and hoots of her family caught her attention and she looked away from those intense eyes holding her in place and turned to look into the living room. She smiled, feeling her cheeks yet again heat as she blushed. "Okay," she said. "Enough of that. It's over, all right."

  "Oh, she's blushing," Pam said. "Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

  Pam's comment only caused the heat to intensify. Macy ducked her head, avoiding their laughing gazes. When Sean wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his chest and said, "She always gets like this when I kiss her in public," she wanted to crawl under the nearest bed and not come out until New Years. She pinched him in the side, laughing when he jumped and grunted.

  Breaking his hold on her, she took a step back and said, "I'm going to take a shower," before making a hasty retreat. She ran up the stairs and hit the bathroom running. Once locked inside the small room, she finally took a breath. Her reflection in the mirror showed her complexion to be tinged pink. Her eyes were sparkling and she grinned, pushing off the door.

  Her lips still tingled where Sean had kissed her and just thinking of the kiss caused her pulse to leap again. If his kisses were that drugging, what would it feel like to be in his arms? To have those kisses scattered across her skin as he made love to her? Her stomach clenched suddenly and she shoved the thoughts racing through her head away. They would only leave her longing for something she couldn't have.

  She showered in record time, drying off only to realize in her haste to escape her embarrassment, she hadn't thought to grab her clothes. Wrapping the towel around her, she opened the door, peeking out into the hall. She could hear her family downstairs, their squeals of joy reaching all the way to the second floor.

  Racing to her room, she slammed the door shut behind her and walked to the suitcase she hadn't bothered to unpack yet. She bent, retrieving a change of clothes and straightened. She dropped her towel seconds before the door swung wide open. Macy gasped and yelled, "Sean!" as he slammed the door behind him. Snatching her dropped towel from the floor, Macy hastily tried to cover herself as Sean paced back and forth at the foot of her bed.

  Sean shook his head and wanted to kick his own ass for being so stupid. Why did he tell them that ridiculous story? Why didn't he just lie?

  Turning, he faced Macy where she stood near the dresser. One look at her and he gaped, his eyes widening. She was standing there trying to cover herself with a very small towel. Her hair was wet and hung in thin clumps over her shoulders. She clutched the towel to her breasts but they swelled over the material and the soft curve of her waist flirted with the edge of the towel.

  His gaze skimmed the gentle flair of her exposed hip, the toned, tanned thigh that was so delightfully drawing his eye. All the blood in his brain immediately traveled below his belt, pooling with heat to inflame his cock in ways no woman had managed to do in years. He swallowed heavily before raising his head and meeting her gaze. She looked as shocked as he felt.

  "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize you were." His throat tightened the longer he looked at her and he remembered that tantalizing kiss she'd given him downstairs. She'd been nervous, that much he did know. She'd been shaking when he touched her but it had given away to her leaning against him, her hands clutching at him as she gave as good as she got. He'd nearly forgotten they had an audience. He could have spent the rest of the evening standing in that one spot, tasting her sweet lips while her warmth sank into his bones.

  When she shifted on her feet, he shook his head slightly to clear the haze fogging his brain. He cleared his throat and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he said, again. "I should have knocked."

  She took a shuddering breath before looking quickly to the floor. "It's okay. Just. turn around, would you, so I can get dressed."

  He nodded and turned, putting his back to her. He could hear her moving around and tried to distract his mind from the fact she was standing completely naked behind him. A glance to the left and he wished he'd been born with bad eyesight. A mirror on the wall showed her in all her glory. All that creamy flesh just begging him to look. He closed his eyes with a groan, shifting on his feet and tugging at the waistband of his jeans. Her image was seared into his brain. Even with his eyes closed he could still see her. The slope of her breasts, the roundness of her bottom. All that glorious flesh beckoning him like a siren's song. Her gentle, "you can turn around now," reached him moments later. He turned, looking at her flushed face before giving her a tiny smile.

  She shifted on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "So," she said. "What was so important you barged in here without knocking?"

  Chapter Five

  It was Sean's turn to blush now. He sighed and ran his hand over his face to try and get the image of her, naked, out of his mind before looking back over at her. "I think I made a mistake today that is going to go terribly wrong for us."

  She raised one eyebrow at him. "What sort of mistake?"

  He grimaced and looked at anything but her. "Your brothers grilled me pretty hard today and I may have said something I shouldn't have."

  "Something like what?"

  Sean could hear the fear in her voice. He walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. "They wanted to know if I had plans of making an honest woman out of you."

  Her eyes widened. "Oh no."

  "Oh yes," Sean said, laughing. There was no mirth in the sound, only desperate whining to his ears. "I thought I did the right thing," he said. "I told them of course I was going to marry you. Why wouldn't I?"

  "And?"

  "And they assumed that's why I decided to make the trip this year. So I could propose to you in front of your family." If possible, her eyes grew larger. She was gaping at him, her mouth forming a perfect "O" and if the red tint her face had taken on was any indication, he assumed she'd stopped breathing. "I told them I was going to but I left the ring at home. They congratulated me and dropped the subject."

  Macy snapped out of her stunned daze and took a deep breath. "So, catastrophe diverted, right?" When he didn't say anything, just sat there staring at her, she said, "right?" again. He shook his head. "They, your brothers I mean, cornered me when you came up for your shower. They said I didn't need a ring to ask you. If the sentiment was there, they didn't care if I placed some pretty bauble on your finger or not."

  "So what? They're expecting you to propose to me now?"

  His silence was all the answer she needed. She paled and walked to the bed, sitting down beside of him. She stared at the wall for long moments before lowering her head to her knees. "I think I'm going to faint," she said, her voice coming out as a pitiful whine. Sean smiled and raised his hand, rubbing small circles on her back.

  "I can always make another excuse," he said. "I didn't give them an answer."

  She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes before sighing. "This is all my fault," she said. "If I hadn't lied, we wouldn't have to be doing this right now." She shook her head and groaned, pitifully. "I got us into this mess. I need to get us out."

  "What are you going to do?"

  Her shoulders drooped before she sighed again. "Tell them the truth, I guess," she said. "I just didn't want their sympathy when they found out how pathetic I really am."

  "You're pathetic because you made up a make-believe boyfriend so they wouldn't worry about you?"

  She nodded her head, her lips pursing. She looked miserable and Sean's heart clenched. "You're going to hate me when all this is said and done, aren't you?" she said, turning her head to look at him.

  He smiled and said, "No. I couldn't ever hate you, Macy." He pushed a lock of her hair away from her face, wanting nothing more in that moment than to take away the sadness in her eyes. To chase the frown lines away from her mouth. He knew telling her family she'd lied to them would be worse on her than them knowing the truth. It didn't take but a moment to see how close Macy was with her family and he'd be damned if he'd let a little white lie ruin her holiday. "Why don't we just do it and be done with it?" he said.

  Her eyes narrowed. "Do what?"

  He grinned. "Get hitched." He slipped his arm around her shoulder when she laughed. "Come on, Macy. You know you want to marry me. Every woman does."

  She laughed and those tiny lines around her mouth disappeared. Her eyes filled with mirth and the smile she gave him made his ignorant mistake seem all right. "You are insane, Sean. You can't ask me to marry you."

  "Why?" he said. "No one has to know it's a show, now do they? Your family won't be any wiser to it. They'll get their Christmas wish. To see their baby girl get proposed to by the most dashing man they've ever met."

  Macy laughed, loudly, holding her stomach as her eyes watered. "Sean."

  "What? Do you deny the fact?" he said, grinning. "I've seen the way you look at me. Say what you want, but we all know I'm a great catch." She didn't look miserable anymore. Her face was lit with laughter. She looked happy and radiant and. beautiful. And he wanted to kiss her again. To feel her in his arms and feel the bliss he knew she could give him.

 

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